How to Speak RPG ‘Geek'

Adventure - One particular ‘episode' of a roleplaying campaign. Adventures may take more than one gaming session to complete.

Adventurers - In fantasy roleplaying, a collective name used to refer to a group of Player Characters. Also called Adventuring Party or just Party (as in, "the party sets up camp for the night").

Attributes - See Stats.

Campaign - A collection of adventures that often have a common goal. Campaigns can last for quite some time.

Campaign World - See Game World.

Character - Any imaginary person in a game world. Most often refers to Player Characters but can also refer to Non-Player Characters.

Character Points - See XP.

Con - Convention. Either a gaming convention or Science-Fiction convention with organized gaming events.

Dice - Used to introduce a random element into a game so that not all successes or failures are assured. Come in many different sizes, shapes and colors. Often named with the letter "d" before a number (such as d4, d6, d20, etc.) with the "d" being pronounced "dee". Types are Four-Sided (Four-Siders, d4); Six-Sided (Six-Siders, d6) that are the usual cubes that come in a standard board-game; Eight-Sided (Eight-Siders, d8); 10-Sided that can be used to generate a random number from 1 to 10, or from 1 to 100 by rolling the die twice - once for tens and once for ones (10-Siders, Percentile Dice, d10 or even d100); 12-Sided (12-Siders, d12); 20-Sided (20-Siders, d20); and even 30- or 100-Sided dice (Which aren't commonly used). Some games use all of the above dice while some use only standard Six-Siders.

Die - Singular of Dice. You would roll only one die or you would roll three dice.

DM - Dungeon Master, also called Keeper, Referee, Game Master, Storyteller, etc. The person (or persons)) in charge of arbitrating the rules and maintaining the continuity of the game and the game world.

Dungeon - In gaming history, just that: A dungeon beneath a castle that was many levels deep, stocked with evil monsters, and that often led into natural caverns. As gaming matured, dungeons came to be any building that the Player Characters needed to explore. Some games no longer use the term as the dungeons used in old games were seen as ludicrously unrealistic.

Dungeon Crawl - A derogatory term used by some gamers to refer to games that they consider nothing more than a slog through some form of structure filled with monsters to be killed and treasure to be taken.

Experience - See XP.

Experience Points - See XP.

Game World - The fictional world in which the game is played. Also called a Campaign World.

Gamer - A person who enjoys the roleplaying hobby.

Gaming - Another name for roleplaying.

Gaming Session - One session of roleplaying. Commonly about four to six hours although they can be as little as two hours or as much as 10.

Gaming System - Or just System. Any particular brand of roleplaying game. Different systems usually have different rules, different goals and a different setting.

GM - Game Master. See DM.

Hack and Slash - A derogatory term used by some gamers to refer to games in which there is little roleplaying but quite a bit of ‘kill or be killed'.

HP - Hit Points. Also called Life, Life Points, Health and many others. A measure of how much physical injury a character can take before dying. Not used by every game but most games have something similar.

IC - In Character. Things that a player says that are meant for a character to say in the game.

Level - Often used in two different ways. The first is a measure of character ability used in some games - a first-level character is much weaker than a fourth-level character. Characters gain levels through the accumulation of Experience although it is often called different things in different systems) . The second usage describes different floors of a building or dungeon . Hence, the first-level of a dungeon may be only the basement of a castle while the fourth-level may be some hundred feet below the ground. Often, higher levels in a dungeon (which actually means ‘lower' in the dungeon) are more difficult than the lower levels.

Monty Haul - A derogatory term used by some gamers to refer to games in which very much reward is given for very little effort. Named after the host of "Let's Make A Deal".

Munchkin - A derogatory term used by some gamers to refer to players who are more involved with the combat and personal-power aspects of gaming. Most Munchkins enjoy the Monty Haul or Hack and Slash styles of gaming.

Non-Player Character - See NPC.

NPC - Non-Player Character. Any fictional person created and played by the GM as opposed to a player. See PC.

OOC - Out Of Character. Things that a player says that are not meant for a character to say in the game. Such as asking if anyone wants to order pizza.

PC - Player Character. Any fictional person created and played by a player instead of the GM. See NPC.

Player - Any person involved in a roleplaying game who is not running the game. It is possible for a person to be a player in one game and be the GM of another.

Setting - The genre and sometimes the locale of a roleplaying game. Such as ‘the game is set in Late 19th-Century Texas '.

Stats - Character Statistics. Also called Attributes, Abilities etc. Alpha/Numerical rating of physical and mental abilities of a character or creature. Stats often include such things as Strength (the physical prowess of a character); Dexterity or Agility (the speed and limberness of a character); IQ or Intelligence (the mental prowess of a character); Constitution, Stamina or Health (the character's ability to withstand injury and illness); and sometimes many others depending on the game in question.

XP - Experience Points. Also called Character Points (CP), Improvement Points (IP) or just Experience. Historically, XP were only awarded for any creatures overcome during an adventure or gaming session. Now, however, with more of an emphasis on roleplaying and less on combat (depending upon the games system in question), XP are awarded more for skill at roleplaying and obstacles overcome whether they be physical or mental. In most games, XP are used to represent improvement of the skills and talents used by a character during the game. The Game Master awards all XP.