Difference between revisions of "RPG Lexica:MNO"

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(Added definition: "Murphy's Rule")
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;Ninja: A term with multiple different meanings, mostly derived either from the real myths surrounding Ninjas or from the famous spoof website, "Real Ultimate Power".
 
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* As a noun, used with the original meaning: the Japanese term for an assassin, particularly one making use of stealth. 
 
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* As a noun, any character designed around the concepts of stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and one-hit kills. 
 
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* As an adjective, sneaky or cunning.
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* As an adjective, highly skilled in general.
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* As a verb, to accomplish something in a highly skillful or spectacular way.
  
 
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Revision as of 07:00, 17 May 2005

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Munchkin
One of the most controversial terms in RPGs. A good argument could be made that it means "any player I don't like", but most people reserve the term for a specific type of bad player...
My own definition: a player who, through inexperience or immaturity, disrupts the game to the detriment of the other players, usually by any or all of the following:
  • Creating a character that's inappropriate to the setting (Classic definition: A munchkin is someone who, in a game of courtly politics and intrigue in 16th century France, wants to play a ninja.)
  • Insisting his character either is or has to be the absolute best at everything he does.
  • Roleplays poorly, seeing his character (and the other characters) as mere game pieces, without personality or motivations beyond advancing in the game.
  • Relating to the last one: approaching all problems, obstacles, and frustrations with violence as a first resort
  • Attempting to "win" the game, even at the expense of the other players, in situations where it would be inappropriate.
Murphy's Rule
(or just "Murphy"). A game rule which has bizarre or humourous consequences when applied to certain situations - typically those which would logically exist in the game world but are not those which the game was designed to model. A "murphy" can also be a description of the consequences of applying a rule to an outlandish situation, stated not as a criticism of the rules but purely for the comedy value. Originally coined as the name of a cartoon appearing in Pyramid Magazine. A few examples of the typical format:
  • In D&D, characters have a "Dexterity" stat, which is in fact used to represent agility as well as actual dexterity. Thus, every talented clockmaker is also a talented gymnast, and vice versa;
  • In The Riddle Of Steel, in character generation the player must rank several properties of their character in order of importance. Ranking "social standing" last results in the PC being a slave; but if the player has done this, all other aspects (such as combat skill, magical ability, etc) will have been rated higher than they otherwise could have been, thus meaning that slaves are the most talented and skilled people in the setting;
  • In the second edition of Hong Kong Action Theatre, an actor's fame is the only factor taken into consideration when assigning them to roles, thus enabling Arnold Schwarzenegger to be cast as a kung-fu ballerina.

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Ninja
A term with multiple different meanings, mostly derived either from the real myths surrounding Ninjas or from the famous spoof website, "Real Ultimate Power".
  • As a noun, used with the original meaning: the Japanese term for an assassin, particularly one making use of stealth.
  • As a noun, any character designed around the concepts of stealth, hand-to-hand combat, and one-hit kills.
  • As an adjective, sneaky or cunning.
  • As an adjective, highly skilled in general.
  • As a verb, to accomplish something in a highly skillful or spectacular way.

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