Questions tagged [terminology]

For questions about RPG-specific terminology and jargon. Use this tag for questions about terminology and jargon across RPGs in general, including the in-game meaning of game terms.

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What is "my guy syndrome" and how do I handle it?

I've been reading forum posts and blogs who mention "my guy" syndrome as a specific type of difficult player, but I can't seem to find a solid definition for the term. Can someone explain this ...
Nameless Nick's user avatar
126 votes
6 answers
73k views

What is a session 0?

What is a "Session 0"? When is it done? What does it contain? Is it recommended, if not mandatory? What is each person's role (DM/GM, players, etc.)? What topics are best discussed there? Usually ...
Olivier Grégoire's user avatar
115 votes
2 answers
84k views

What do the terms "lines" and "veils" mean?

I have seen the terms "lines" and "veils" used on this SE (including on the chat) a number of times, especially in terms of social contracts between players. What do these terms mean? What is ...
GamerJosh's user avatar
  • 5,378
104 votes
1 answer
20k views

Why does “dungeon” mean the places adventurers go to kill stuff?

Why does ‘dungeon’, in the context of roleplaying games and D&D in particular, mean the places adventurers go to kill stuff? I’m asking because ‘dungeon’ usually means a kind of prison, and I can’...
Malady's user avatar
  • 1,315
98 votes
5 answers
78k views

What exactly is a "murder hobo"?

I've been here reading Q&A for some month now, and I already saw some concerning murder-hobos (or sometimes called murderous cretins). As I'm French, I tried to directly translate it, but it gave ...
Zoma's user avatar
  • 3,780
90 votes
1 answer
23k views

What is the Oberoni Fallacy?

In my travels across the internet, I've occasionally seen mention of a logical fallacy relating to roleplaying games called the Oberoni Fallacy. What is this fallacy, and where does it come from?
DuckTapeAl's user avatar
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87 votes
2 answers
144k views

What defines a "West Marches" campaign?

There are a few questions on this site that mention "West Marches", but they all seem to assume that a reader already knows exactly what a "West Marches" game is. Some questions link to multiple blog ...
Secespitus's user avatar
  • 7,055
79 votes
3 answers
50k views

What is Player Agency and what is it good for?

Agency, specifically player agency, is a term that frequently comes up as a reason for why a particular rule or GM decision is better than another. How is agency defined in this context and why is it ...
Tim C's user avatar
  • 9,703
77 votes
2 answers
20k views

What is a "bag of rats"?

I have seen the term "bag of rats" being used quite frequently (RPG.se search for bag of rats, for example), mainly, but not exclusively, in D&D. It seems to be considered a problem or exploit. ...
HellSaint's user avatar
  • 37k
74 votes
1 answer
84k views

What is the Stormwind Fallacy?

In the context of another Question here, the Stormwind Fallacy was brought up. What exactly is the Stormwind Fallacy and how is connected to optimization?
KRyan's user avatar
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73 votes
4 answers
10k views

What is the origin of the phrase ‘orc and pie’?

I'd like to know where this unique phrase came from. “Orc and pie” has become shorthand for a style of simple dungeon design, but where did it originate?
Marlond's user avatar
  • 2,060
71 votes
12 answers
107k views

What does "minmax" mean?

I've seen the term minmax used on several answers (relating to D&D), but nobody has elaborated and there's no actual answer to the question on this site. What does minmax mean and where did the ...
Tas's user avatar
  • 1,057
70 votes
1 answer
7k views

Origin of the term "Splat Book"

Where does the term "Splat Book" come from? Roughly a splat book is any book not required to play the system. There is some debate over its exact meaning, but that is not the point of this question. ...
Frames Catherine White's user avatar
64 votes
9 answers
50k views

What is 'railroading', and what are its pros and cons?

What does the term 'railroading' mean? When some people use the term it seems to be considered to be something negative. Is it purely negative or does it have pros and cons, and if so, what are they?...
Tobiasopdenbrouw's user avatar
63 votes
6 answers
8k views

What RPG concepts does "rules as written" encompass?

The term "rules as written" (or RAW) gets thrown about fairly often in RPG circles, especially around D&D. But what does it actually mean? Is RAW an analysis technique? A playstyle? An entire ...
fectin's user avatar
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62 votes
3 answers
30k views

What does the abbreviation “RAW” mean?

I have seen the abbreviation RAW several times now, what does it stand for?
David Allan Finch's user avatar
60 votes
6 answers
33k views

What is "GM/DM Fiat?"

While I explore this site, I occasionally see the phrase "GM fiat" (or "DM fiat", for D&D questions and answers), but I don't know the exact meaning of that. I want to know the meaning of that ...
Arle Camille's user avatar
  • 4,146
58 votes
6 answers
27k views

What is Sandbox play?

How would you describe the concept of sandbox play? How about to someone who is used to adventure modules or adventure paths?
user avatar
57 votes
3 answers
20k views

What is the etymology of the term 'Gish'?

I understand that it roughly means a fighter/mage, as per this question: How to optimize a Gishy [Fighter/Mage] Character? But I just wanted to know more about how the term came about. It's so hard ...
Zachary Yates's user avatar
55 votes
5 answers
10k views

What is a social contract?

The concept of "social contract" comes up in discussions of group dynamics and RPG theory. We even have a tag for social-contract. But there is no good, easily-found definition online anywhere. Our ...
SevenSidedDie's user avatar
51 votes
3 answers
17k views

What does "DMG" mean?

I'm new to D&D 5e and it's the first time I've played. People keep referring to the "DMG". What is it? It is a game mechanic or something else? If it is a game mechanic, what does it do?
GreatGameGuy's user avatar
50 votes
4 answers
7k views

What is "the d20 bust," and what does "post-d20 game" mean?

Reading this gaming industry retrospective I ran into a few phrases which confused me. The d20 bust caused by 3.5e (2003) and the over-saturation of d20 products ran right into the Great Recession. ...
BESW's user avatar
  • 53.3k
48 votes
5 answers
119k views

What do MAD and SAD mean?

Straight-forward question. I've seen the terms used a lot, mostly in optimization questions and guides, but they aren't usually explained. From googling, it's easy to find that they are abbreviations ...
HellSaint's user avatar
  • 37k
46 votes
1 answer
4k views

What is the source for defaulting to plain English readings of non-game terms?

In many discussions involving rules interpretations the meaning of words is often called into question. Often, people will claim that if the game doesn't define the term that it defaults to the plain ...
Rubiksmoose's user avatar
  • 94.6k
46 votes
2 answers
100k views

What is the definition of "creature" and is it used consistently?

In the Starter set and Basic Rules, it mentions "character", "non-player character", "player character", "monster", "creature", and maybe other terms I've missed. Which of these terms are ...
chisaipete's user avatar
45 votes
7 answers
12k views

Is there a name for the standard 7-die set?

I'm curious if there is a formal name for the standard 7-die set (d4, d6, d8, d10, d10*10, d12, d20), and is there any backstory or history associated with it?
redlamp's user avatar
  • 805
43 votes
1 answer
16k views

What is the "+1 rule" for Adventurers League?

This Q&A refers to a rule that was in use for AL from 2015-2020. See this post announcing its discontinuation. This Q&A has therefore been locked against new interactions. Always check your ...
nitsua60's user avatar
  • 101k
42 votes
4 answers
4k views

What does it mean for a word or phrase to be a "game term"?

These two questions use the phrase "game term": Is “a special melee attack” an actual game term? What does 'ally' mean, as a game term? Both answers seem to make a distinction between game ...
Thomas Markov's user avatar
40 votes
3 answers
42k views

What is the difference between 1/3, 1/2, and full casters?

I saw in a recent answer a reference to 1/3 casters and 1/2 casters, and have never encountered this terminology before: Paladin's are known as 1/2 casters, so their spell progression isn't as big ...
B. S. Morganstein's user avatar
40 votes
4 answers
20k views

What is a "funnel"?

I often see the term "funnel" used in describing adventures or campaigns, but it's not clear to me what it actually means. An example of this kind of use is this blog post talking about ...
Ramone's user avatar
  • 403
39 votes
5 answers
3k views

What is 'punk'?

What is 'punk' and how is it applied to RPGs? I've heard of: Cyberpunk Steampunk Clockworkpunk Gothicpunk Dieselpunk And I'm sure there are others. What main streams are there, and what is the 'punk'...
Tobiasopdenbrouw's user avatar
38 votes
2 answers
4k views

Where and when did "the GM is always right" get codified first?

In a recent answer about GM-ming in D&D, I had to resort to a certain "universal" rule I'm familiar with: “the GM is always right”. Upon this doppelgreener correctly pointed out that it ...
Trish's user avatar
  • 42.5k
37 votes
4 answers
7k views

What is the origin of the word "Soak" for avoiding damage?

If anything ever boggled my mind in role playing, then it is the term "soak", as in "soaking damage". Soaking brings pictures of wet clothes to mind, as making stuff wet is what the word is in fact ...
Undreren's user avatar
  • 3,596
36 votes
9 answers
13k views

What is a plot hook, exactly?

I hear the term "plot hook" a lot, but I've never understood exactly what it means. I thought it was a method for introducing the player characters to an adventure, but the term doesn't seem ...
Sardonic's user avatar
  • 889
34 votes
7 answers
9k views

What is homebrew? Should I use it in normal games? [closed]

I keep on hearing about homebrew in D&D and I was just wondering what it meant.
Mr Mystery's user avatar
33 votes
10 answers
7k views

What defines the "old school renaissance"?

I'm aware that the old school renaissance (OSR) is all about hearkening back to old versions of D&D and the play styles of the 70's and 80's, but what characteristics really define this movement? ...
Adam Dray's user avatar
  • 20k
33 votes
2 answers
11k views

What is a macguffin?

During our regular game session, everyone keeps saying,"We need to find the mcguffin!". Is this a new sandwich or something?
user avatar
32 votes
5 answers
13k views

What's the name of the role of characters who buff teammates?

In a RPG party, if Tank → Front line in case the party should be dealt damage Damage Dealer → Deals damage to enemies Healer → Heals teammates etc. … what's the name of the role for ...
Mouradif's user avatar
  • 431
32 votes
4 answers
5k views

What is the origin of the term fizzled?

When a spell like raise dead fails due to something such as a soul not being willing to return to its body, it will cause the spell to fizzle. It's a term I'm used to and not surprised to see describe ...
Simon H's user avatar
  • 1,336
32 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why is Armor Class called that way?

I want to teach the game to some new player, and while doing homemade character sheets, for simplicity, I wanted to use the term "Defense" instead of "Armor class" (which I found a bit unintuitive). ...
Ted Pwyll's user avatar
  • 758
32 votes
6 answers
5k views

What's the difference between an NPC and a GMPC?

I was reading this question, and while I do agree on the answers stating a GM should avoid having a character of his own as it's hard to properly play it, I don't really see what the line between that ...
Eärendil Baggins's user avatar
31 votes
4 answers
11k views

Is there a name for this 20 sided die with two 1s, two 2s, etc?

Purchased this die from a hobby/tabletop store yesterday, mainly because I thought it looked cool, and that it was funny that it was so hard to read the faces: I was passively rolling the die, and ...
Ajohnson's user avatar
  • 1,529
31 votes
1 answer
7k views

What's the origin of the game terminology "Rocket Tag"?

I've seen a lot of people referring to 3.5 recently using the term "Rocket Tag". Specifically, where does this terminology come from, where was this specific terminology named or created, and what ...
Sandwich's user avatar
  • 15.7k
31 votes
2 answers
8k views

What does “badwrongfun” mean? Where does it come from?

I've often encountered the term 'badwrongfun' used in discussions about role-playing games, and I see that it was already in vogue in the early days of this site judging from answers like this one. ...
A. Foster's user avatar
  • 4,713
30 votes
4 answers
12k views

What does "chaotic" as in "chaotic good" or "chaotic evil" mean?

I do not play D&D, but players in my roleplaying game have called stuff "chaotic," like "chaotic good" and "chaotic evil" and I would like to know what they mean. The game I play does not use this ...
FLLNK1NG's user avatar
  • 443
29 votes
4 answers
7k views

Why do we call the class "Barbarians" instead of "Berserks" or "Berserkers"?

This is a history-of-gaming question, and it has to do with the name choice between Barbarian and Berserkers. Due to the race-and-class mixing and matching of many different gaming systems, you can ...
PipperChip's user avatar
29 votes
3 answers
4k views

What does "Forgeite" mean? Where does it come from?

I have heard usage of the word "Forgeite" as a descriptive name for a certain kind of games - in most recent example it was Dogs in the Vineyard. It is implied that it has something to do with Forge ...
eimyr's user avatar
  • 17.2k
28 votes
7 answers
8k views

Is there a word for a non-DM who calls out everyone for lorebreaking/rulebreaking?

I have a member of my D&D group who (for much of the time we play) constantly calls out people for not following the rules in the manual to the letter and (much worse) calls out people on not ...
NobleUplift's user avatar
28 votes
5 answers
4k views

What's the name of style where GM assumes idiotic behaviour unless stated otherwise? [closed]

When I played my first two actual RPG sessions in 2013, the GM treated me in a bit... peculiar way. The first session was in Prehistoryk. (For context: it's an RPG system where all PCs are hunter-...
Dragomok's user avatar
  • 911
28 votes
1 answer
23k views

Origin of term 'Theater of the Mind'

What is the history and origin of the term 'Theater of the Mind', as used in 5e?
William M-B's user avatar
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