Editing RPG Lexica:ABC (section)

==A==

;alien eyes: Slang for a roll of 3 (1-1-1) on three dice.  So named because of the analogy to "snake eyes" (a roll of 2 on 2 dice), and the observation that Earth creatures generally don't have 3 eyes... Also known as [[RPG_Lexica:GHI|mutant snake eyes]].


;all-out attack problem:  A problem arising in [[dice pool]] systems, in situations where a [[player]] facing a foe (or a hazard or problem in general) is asked to choose a number of [[dice]] from the pool to roll for the [[success]] of their attack.  The intent is usually that the player will ensure that some dice remain in the pool after their attack, so that if it happens that the attack fails, they will have dice left to roll in their defense.  In fact, however, the best tactic is for the player to attack with all of the dice in their pool, because this gives the attack the best chance of succeeding and resolving the problem right there.  If the dice roll badly, the player may lose out as a result of their lack of a defense - '''but''', had the player left dice in the pool to defend with, ''the dice would still have rolled badly'' resulting in an ineffective defense.  This dynamic can seriously damage the value of dice pool systems in some games.


;argumentum ad fireballum: The argument that realism doesn't matter in a setting with supernatural elements; formally, "As a discussion about realism in a fantasy setting grows longer, the probability of someone claiming the irrelevance of realism in the presence of magic approaches one." (obviously derived from Godwin's Law)  Named after its most common form: “There’s no point in arguing for realism when there are wizards lobbing fireballs.”
:Coined by NiTessine in [http://nitessine.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/argumentum-ad-fireballum this blog post], and possibly popularized by its inclusion in [http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?t=507004 this thread.]


;ass staring defense:  A response to anyone who objects to a player playing a character of the opposite sex to themselves (typically a male playing a female character) in a MMORPG.  In these games, typically a large amount of play time is required to level up and the default camera viewpoint is from just behind the character; thus the defense is "If I'm going to have to spend hours staring at someone's ass, it's going to be a woman's".  First coined by the webcomic [http://www.pvponline.com PVP Online].  The ass staring defense generally does not apply to races that would not ordinarily sexually appeal to human beings (like Tauren in [[World of Warcraft]]).
:Addendum: [http://pvponline.com/comic/tue-jun-01 Here's the original strip that spawned this term.]