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| | ==J== | | ==J== |
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| − | | + | ;Juicer Problem: Any time a game gives [[PC]]s an option for significant power with drawbacks that would be horrific to a real person, but, since the PC is not a real person, the drawback is nonentity. |
| − | ;Jefferson Carter: A '''BBEG''' (q.v.) who by GM Fiat transcends all game rules and established principles in order to harm or complicate matters for the PCs. From the book ''Play Dirty'' by John Wick, in which Carter is the name of an example mastermind villain in a superhero campaign whose plots include defeating a hero who has the rules-codified ability "immune to disease" by crafting a disease which bypasses that immunity, and then manufacturing an easily available cure based on a variant of a mundane disease - which thus does not work on the hero, because of their immunity.
| + | :Usage: "He said he's going to kill my [[character]]'s wife if I don't give him back the superweapon? She's not a PC, it's not like I care. Man, this is just a Juicer Problem." |
| − | | + | :The term is a reference to Juicers in ''[[Rifts]]'' whose awesome combat power was balanced by a significantly shortened lifespan. This would be horrific to any real person, but unlikely to faze any players. Coined by '''tk421''' on the RPOpen board. |
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| − | ;John Crichton Effect: The entry of a new [[PC]] during the middle of an adventure. Usually with upsetting or disastrous results with the rest of the adventuring [[party]]. This title refers to the popular [[Scifi]] show "Farscape", where the main protagonist was accidentally teleported into a crew of fleeing space fugitives on a stolen ship. He was knocked out cold because he overreacted to what was going on. A common [[PC]] reaction to similar circumstances.
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| − | ;Juicer Problem: Any time a game gives [[PC]]s an option for significant power with drawbacks that would be horrific to a real person, but, since the PC is not a real person, the drawback is not compelling. | |
| − | :Usage: "He's going to kill my [[character]]'s wife if I don't give him back the superweapon? She's not a PC, it's not like I care. Man, this is just a Juicer Problem." | |
| − | :The term is a reference to Juicers in ''[[Rifts]]'' whose awesome combat power was balanced by a significantly shortened lifespan. This would be horrific to any real person, but unlikely to faze any players since it's rare that enough time passes in-game for it to be an issue. Coined by '''tk421''' on the RPOpen board. | |
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| | ==K== | | ==K== |
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| | ;Katana | | ;Katana |
| − | :A long, curved, single-edged sword used by Japanese samurai. In the modern era, katanas have become the subject of numerous myths related to the quality of their construction and their sharpness, including the claim that a katana was considered a poor blade unless it was capable of cutting through four condemned men in a single stroke. In reality, late-medieval period European swords, especially those of the Toledo tradition, matched or exceeded the katana in quality. A katana is often considered the favored weapon of a [[RPG_Lexica:MNO|'''ninja''']], though this is ahistorical (prior to the Edo period katanas were restricted to the samurai class; and, being rather large, it is unlikely that a stealthy assassin would want to carry one). | + | :Long, curved oriental sword. Katana are the subject of numerous myths related to the quality of their construction and their sharpness, such as the claim that a katana was considered a poor blade unless it was capable of cutting through four condemned men in a single stroke. This, in turn, has led to stories of gamers seriously overestimating the abilities of a character armed with a katana: the most famous example being a story in which a player allegedly attempted to have a katana-wielding PC use his sword to cut through the armor of a modern tank. Thus, the term is also sometimes used to mean an unrealistically powerful weapon, or a weapon which is sought-after for "coolness" value regardless of its relevance or usefulness to a campaign or setting. A katana is, of course, the favoured weapon of a [[RPG_Lexica:MNO|'''ninja''']]. |
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| − | :This, in turn, has led to stories of gamers seriously overestimating the abilities of a character armed with a katana. In the most famous story, a [[PC]] attempts to cut through the armor of a modern tank with his katana. Thus, the term is also sometimes used to mean an unrealistically powerful weapon, or a weapon which is sought-after for "coolness" value regardless of its relevance or usefulness to a campaign or setting. Dual-wielding katanas (often by a character wearing a black trenchcoat) is a particuarly egregious and adolescent example. A number of games have also enshrined this fallacy, giving the katana unrealistically powerful game stats.
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| − | :*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katana "Katana"], an in-depth article at [http://www.wikipedia.org Wikipedia].
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| − | :*[http://www.aikibudo.com/akbd/version_us/03_weapons/history_katana.htm "History of the Katana"]
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| | ;Kewl Powerz | | ;Kewl Powerz |
| − | :Generic name for the abilities possessed by [[PC]]s in a game that are above and beyond those of normal men. Depending on the game, this can mean superpowers, magical ability, or whatever else the game will allow. The "l33tspeak" spelling of the term was initially meant to be dismissive of the kind of game where a character's abilities are more important than who the character is, but over time it's come to be used to specify that what the speaker refers to is the kind of ability that could be dismissed as silly overpowered chrome in certain genres. Like "roleplaying vs rollplaying", "Kewl powerz" as a term has become so cliche that it's next to impossible to use it without irony. | + | :Generic name for the abilities possessed by PCs in a game that are above and beyond those of normal men. Depending on the game, this can mean superpowers, magical ability, or whatever else the game will allow. |
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| − | ;Kill Them and Take Their Stuff
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| − | :A humorous description of the method which winds up being used by most [[RPG]] [[character]]s to solve problems they are having with other individuals or groups. It is the essence of the [[RPG_Lexica:GHI|hack and slash]] style. Sometimes abbreviated to simply KTATTS on message boards, such as RPG.net
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| − | | + | ;Kill them and take their stuff |
| − | ;Kingmaker problem: A problem arising in game design - typically board or card games - whereby it is possible for a player who themselves has no chance of winning, to decide which other player will win. A typical case is a game in which an eliminated player is required to give all their resources to the player who eliminated them; in a game with two evenly-matched players and one who is behind, the trailing player can often choose which other player is able to eliminate them and gain their resources. A further common case is auction games, where a player can bid unnecessarily high and not only lose the game for themselves but give a permanent advantage to the player who received the bid resources. This is a problem because a kingmaking player, having no possibility of winning the game, no longer has any value for in-game resources; thus, their decision as to who to enable to win must be made via other factors, such as out-of-game grudges or friendships, or "revenge" for actions in earlier play (which can stagnate the game as players become reticent to attack each other for fear of revenge later on).
| + | :A humorous description of the method which winds up being used by most RPG characters to solve problems they are having with other individuals or groups. It is the essence of the dungeon crawl. Sometimes abreviated to simply KTATTS on message boards, such as RPG.net |
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| | ;King Rat | | ;King Rat |
| − | :The male equivalent of a [[RPG_Lexica:PQR|'''Queen Bee''']]. Exceptionally rare in [[RPG]]ing due to the gender imbalance of the hobby. | + | :The male equivalent of a [[RPG_Lexica:PQR|'''Queen Bee''']]. Exceptionally rare in RPGing due to the gender imbalance of the hobby. |
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| − | ;Kludge
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| − | :Term for an inelegant, nonintuitive or in some other way "broken" rule that stands out from an otherwise good design. For example, "The combat system is great, but the way it handles grapples is such a kludge." This term is borrowed from computer hacker culture, in which it refers to anything done in a way which is hasty, wrong, and/or inferior, but which performs the intended function.
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| − | :Origin: hacker slang. The canonical definition for "kludge" (which rhymes with "stooge," not "fudge" as one might expect) is something ugly but functional (compare "chrome", which is something beautiful but useless).
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| − | ;Knights of the Dinner Table: (often abbreviated to '''KODT''') A comic strip drawn by Jolly Blackburn and now published as a stand-alone comic by Kenzer and Company that follows the story of several gaming groups. Because much of the comic revolves around the characters playing RPGs, most of the art frames simply show the characters sitting around a table talking to each other. Has famously represented or exaggerated a number of classic gaming urban legends, anecdotes, or problems discovered in systems, as well as spawning a number of memorable quotes of his own, such as "Hoody Hoo" as a cry of joy, "I waste him with my crossbow", and the description of the GM as "the gamer who never plays."
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| | ==L== | | ==L== |
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| | ;Lasersharking | | ;Lasersharking |
| − | :The attempt to improve the proceedings with the addition of novel elements which has the opposite effect, usually because the novel elements are too ridiculous to take seriously. In gaming, this often refers to combining elements from different genres but it is not limited to this. The telling aspect on whether something is if it works, it isn't, but if it seems silly or otherwise detrimental to the enjoyment of the proceeding, then it is
| + | #The (theoretical) improvement of an item or being already powerful, competent, efficient and/or deadly by combining it with another item of similar perceived deadliness. In gaming, said additional element is most often either SF-grade high tech or some other sort of fantastic item. |
| − | | + | #The combination of two disparate genres whose conventions normally preclude their union. RPG examples include ''Deadlands: The Weird West'', Pinnacle Entertainment (now Great White Games)’s Wild West/Steampunk/Magic game, or ''Gear Krieg'', Dream Pod 9’s World War II/Mecha game. |
| − | :e.g. "Another Teen Pregnancy Where The Boyfriend With The Dark Secret Is Cheating On His Girlfriend (Who's Really The Summer Bay Stalker) Whilst Dying From Cancer."
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| − | :The term's origin can be traced to the comedy spoof movie ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', in which Dr. Evil threatens to lower Austin into a pool containing "sharks.. with frickin' lasers on their heads". The gaming analogy was first used on [[RPG_Lexica:DEF|The Forge]] in [http://indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=7072&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=&sid=0432602286cbee5d9711dc40a81cb7ea this thread].
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| − | ;Lesbianstripperninja
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| − | :Sometimes, Drowlesbianstripperninja. Term for a stereotypically puerile female character created by many juvenile (mostly male) gamers. Essentially, what happens when a horny kid immersed in objectifying media creates what he envisions to be a "strong female" player-character. Scantily clad, aggressively sexual, quick to seduce NPC's to get what she wants or just for the hell of it, the character is essentially a canvas for the player's teenage urges. The character is homosexual because the male player thinks "lesbians are hawt" with the added subtext that actually playing out a heterosexual woman's romances from a first-person perspective would threaten the player's sexual identity. She is extremely stealthy, agile and fights in a precise manner because that is the style of deadliness allowed to strong female fighters by popular media. Typically she will be "exotic" in appearance, East Asian, Elvish, Drow or similar. The character Psylocke as portrayed in 1990's Marvel Comics is pretty much the archetype for this trope. See also [[RPG_Lexica:MNO|Ninja.]]
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| − | ;Level-Up, Leveling-up
| + | The term's origin can be traced to the comedy spoof movie ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''. Gaming occurences of both definitions are anecdotally accredited to a desire to make an item, character or game world more "kewl" (see Kewl Powerz, above). |
| − | :In RPGs where characters gain experience and advance in levels that provide increased benefit; the application of those benefits (increasing hit points, adding skill levels/ranks, ect.) is sometimes referred to as Leveling-up. | |
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