Glossary
From Good v. Evil Encyclopedia
- 3d6
- A shorthand term for three six-sided dice. This follows the very popular "die notation" (q.v.). When rolled, three six-sided dice produce a number ranging from 3 to 18, with 10.5 as the average. The "bell curve" (q.v.) for 3d6 is such that the extreme rolls of 3 or 18 only occur 0.46% of the time each, and rolls nearer to the average of 10.5 occur far more often.
- AI
- Alcoholic Index. The figure used to represent your present level of intoxication. If your AI exceeds your "BLI" (q.v.), you are intoxicated. See the Alcohol rules for further details.
- Att
- The "Base Attribute Level" for a given skill. Att consists of the average (rounded up) of the two attributes belonging to that particular skill. For example, Att -2 means that a skill with an Att of STR + CON will have a level of (STR+CON)/2 -2. If STR and CON are at 10 each, then the skill's level at Att -2 would be 8.
- awl
- A sharp pointy tool used in Leatherworking for puncturing leather or other tough animal hides.
- Balance
- Balance is GvE's bot program. In addition to providing a snippy remark here and there, it allows you to roll dice and perform actions while the "sim" (q.v.) is in progress, or just make a few practice rolls for fun when it is not. For a list of available commands, see the FAQ.
- BC
- Break Chance. Used to determine the chance that a weapon or object breaks when used in a particularly stressful fashion. If a roll of 3d6 is greater than the associated number, then the object will break and no longer be useful (though the GM may rule that an object can still be used in a limited fashion — a spear with its handle cut in half, for instance, could still be used as an unbalanced javelin).
- bell curve
- A tendency in any group of random numbers (such as dice) caused by the likelihood of the numbers to add up to a certain total. If you're interested in a long and complex dissertation on the subject, read about it at Wikipedia.
- BLI
- Basic Level of Intoxication. This is how great of an "AI" (q.v.) your character requires in order to feel the effects of intoxication. See the Alcohol rules for further details.
- body shield
- A massive shield which is large enough to cover the entire torso and thighs of a wielder. These shields require great skill to use effectively, but provide partial cover to people carrying them due to their large size.
- channel
- 1) A distinct "location" on an IRC (q.v.) network where people can communicate privately or semi-privately with one another. 2) To direct the forces of magic, such as with Wilder Magic.
- chitin
- The bony material of horns and claws. Human fingernails are also made of chitin. On the Thistledown, there are varieties of giant insects and sea creatures, whose exoskeletons are made of chitin. These exoskeletons are harvested and converted into chitin armor.
- cuirass
- Armor for the torso. Its shape is roughly similar to a sleeveless modern sweatshirt.
- cuirbolli (cuirboulli)
- Leather ("cuir") boiled in water or oil ("boulli"). The process of boiling leather causes it to greatly harden, providing excellent protective properties which are realized in cuirbolli armor. Compare with "reinforced cuirbolli" (q.v.).
- cuisses
- Armor for the upper legs.
- damask
- A finely-woven cloth made of linen, decorated with raised patterns in various shapes and forms — most often of flowers. Modern damask is made of silk, but on the Thistledown, damask is made from linen.
- DF
- Difficulty Factor. Skills and attributes with higher DFs require greater point expenditures to achieve the same useful output. For instance, a DF2 skill requires 1 point to provide a level of Att -2. A DF4 skill, on the other hand, requires 4 points to receive a level of Att -2; with one point, a DF4 skill only receives Att -4.
- dice
- 1) Small polygonal objects which are tossed onto a surface; by allowing them to roll to a stop and then regarding the number displayed on the topmost surface, they can be used to produce random numbers. They come in 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, and 20-sided varieties. In GvE, dice are usually computer-simulated through the use of a "pseudo-random number generator" (q.v.). 2) To chop into cubes resembling six-sided dice. Often the result of a run-in with a particularly aggressive NPC (q.v.).
- die
- 1) Singular of "dice" (q.v.). 2) To pass on. To become no more. To cease to be. To expire and go to meet one's maker. To become late. To be a stiff. To become bereft of life, and rest in peace. To shuffle off this mortal coil. To run down the curtain and join the choir invisible. To become an ex-parrot.
- die notation
- A format for specifying a number of dice, the number of sides on each die, and any bonuses or penalties to the result of rolling all of the mentioned dice. It is generally in the form "XdY+Z", where X is the number of dice to roll, Y is the number of sides on those dice, and Z is an optional bonus to the roll. For example, 3d6 means to roll three six-sided dice and then sum the displayed numbers to produce a final number, producing a value ranging from 3 to 18, with a "bell curve" (q.v.) causing the results to tend towards 10 or 11. 4d4+2 means to roll four four-sided dice, sum up the displayed numbers, then add 2 to the final result, producing a value ranging from 6 to 18, with a bell curve causing the results to tend towards 10.
- doublet
- A close-fitting, often sleeveless piece of clothing which covers the torso down to the hips. Sleeveless doublets are designed to be worn over top of a lighter sleeved shirt of some kind, whereas sleeved doublets have light sleeves as part of their design.
- ET
- Prior to March 2007, the Evil Team. GvE was originally designed as a competitive game, pitting a Good Team against an Evil Team. Due to difficulties with this format, this design was dropped and a more traditional format taken up instead.
- FAQ
- Frequently Asked Questions. Designed to answer questions which are commonly asked, or to pre-emptively answer questions which could become common. GvE's FAQ is available here.
- freeform roleplaying
- A type of roleplaying where no dice are needed, and where the only real rule is "be within reason". Most "sims" (q.v.) are freeform; however, GvE is not a freeform roleplaying game, which adds a certain element of danger: in a freeform roleplaying game, it's often possible to extricate yourself from any situation, but reality is not quite as forgiving. Compare with "PnP roleplaying".
- GM
- Game Master. Jester, most of the time. He describes what your characters see, feel, hear, taste, et cetera; he acts as your senses. He also plays some of the NPCs, writes the overarching story of GvE, and judges how the actions of the players impact on that story, in either the micro or macro sense.
- GT
- Prior to March 2007, the Good Team. GvE was originally designed as a competitive game, pitting a Good Team against an Evil Team. Due to difficulties with this format, this design was dropped and a more traditional format taken up instead.
- GvE
- Shorthand for "Good v. Evil". The game you're looking at.
- hauberk
- A large suit of armor which covers the whole torso, the shoulders, and the upper legs.
- hod, mason's
- A wooden tray, box, or trough with a handle attached at the end of an arm-length pole, used to carry bricks and mortar on the shoulder.
- HP
- Hit points. A figure designed to represent the amount of "life" remaining in a living creature; when a creature is reduced to zero HP, it is unconscious, and will die soon after if it is bleeding. Also used to represent the current condition of an object — see Attacking Inanimate Objects for information.
- IC
- See "in character".
- in character
- The character portion of the separation between a player and his or her character. The character is practically a real person living in a different world — he or she has no concept that he or she is anything other than a real person, and knows nothing that he or she does not directly experience within the bounds of the game world. If you, as a player, learn information which your character does not know, then it is "meta-gaming" (q.v.) to use it. See also "out of character".
- IRC
- Internet Relay Chat. A very popular system for communication over the internet. To use IRC, one needs to utilize an "IRC client" (q.v.).
- IRC client
- A program designed to allow a user to chat on an IRC network. A very popular IRC client is mIRC.
- kite shield
- A shield which follows the typical "shield pattern" that most people know. The top edge of the shield is flat, and the sides are flat but gradually curve to meet each other in a broad point at the bottom.
- meta-gaming
- Causing your character to act on knowledge which your character does not actually possess. This most often is a result of learning something "out of character" (q.v.) and then accidentally — hopefully not deliberately — using it "in character" (q.v.). Meta-gaming is poor form, and dangerous because it gives incentive for a GM to extract revenge. To an extent, role-playing as though your character had greater skills is also meta-gaming: for instance, if your character is unintelligent, but you are brilliant, your character should not be solving all of the puzzles, even if you as a player know the answers.
- mischannel
- 1) To say something in the wrong "channel" (q.v.) on an IRC network. This most often occurs with the separation between "out of character" (q.v.) and "in character" (q.v.) channels, but is sometimes done in other far more embarrassing situations. 2) To misdirect magic causing an unintended effect, most often occurring through the use of Wilder Magic.
- MOF
- Margin of Failure. This is the difference between an actual number rolled and the target of that roll. The greater the Margin of Failure, the worse the results will be. For example, if a target is 4 and the resultant roll is 12, the MOF is 8.
- MOS
- Margin of Success. This is the difference between the target of the roll and the actual number rolled. The greater the Margin of Success, the more spectacular the results of the skill. For example, if a skill target is 15 and the resultant roll is 9, then the MOS is 6.
- NPC
- Non-Player Character. Used to indicate a person who is not controlled by one of the players of the group, but rather by the GM, in order to further the story. Just because they aren't controlled by a player doesn't mean they aren't important, however; an NPC can be anything ranging from a beggar to a king.
- NU
- Nutrition Unit. The average human male needs about 12 NUs per day of strenuous activity. See Foodstuffs and the Food Example for details.
- OOC
- See "out of character".
- out of character
- The player portion of the separation between a player and his or her character. The player is a person sitting at a computer chair, acting out the part of his character. Occasionally, real life will intervene in the roleplaying experience and the player will be forced to say something to let other players know what is happening, or a player will say something that his or her character would never say. When this is said in the proper "channel" (q.v.), this is acceptable and often helpful — but when "mischanneled" (q.v.) it is distracting and irritating to other players. See also "in character".
- PD
- Passive Defense. Passive Defense is, quite simply, the difficulty for a particular attack to travel through an object or a piece of armor and manage to inflict damage on its contents.
- piton
- A largish metal spike with an "eye" in one end, allowing a rope or chain to be passed through. When driven into rock or ice, they provide an excellent support for a rope and aid greatly in climbing.
- PnP roleplaying
- Pen-and-Paper. A form of roleplaying where numbers and statistics are just as important as the actual personalization of characters — usually to prevent entirely unrealistic things (from a fantasy standpoint) from being possible. GvE is a pen-and-paper type of roleplaying game, though some of the statistical and mathematical work is handled for you by "Balance" (q.v.). Obviously, since GvE is played using a computer, it's far more practical to use text files instead of actual pens and paper, but it can be useful to keep a notepad handy in order to jot down minor things, such as the next segment you act upon in combat. Compare with "freeform roleplaying".
- pseudo-random number generator
- A mathematical formula which produces very different results as the variables change slightly, producing an effect resembling randomness. Some random number generators are worse than others, in that visible patterns can emerge, and that repeated numbers in direct sequence can be rare, but for most purposes they are an effective and time-saving substitute to rolling genuine dice.
- q.v.
- Quod vide. Latin for "see which"; in this case, it is used to indicate another entry which you should also refer to if you are confused.
- reinforced cuirbolli
- A variant of "cuirbolli" (q.v.) armor which sports metal studs in vulnerable areas. Particularly vulnerable areas may also be protected by metal plates.
- role-playing
- Contrary to the image popularized by games like Final Fantasy® and Dragon Warrior®, role-playing is far more in-depth than sending a party of characters along a pre-scripted storyline, periodically interrupted with meaningless battles. Though pages could be used to describe role-playing in depth, the easiest way to describe role-playing is that it is a more specific form of acting where you not only assume a role, but also create that role from scratch and decide how your role would respond to any number of different situations as they come up. The more believable your character, the more fun it is.
- sealing wax
- Wax, often beeswax, used to seal parchment scrolls. It usually comes in brown or red varieties. It is melted and dripped onto the seam of a rolled document, which is then stamped shut with a metal seal.
- segment
- A single unit of time in combat, equal to six seconds. All actions — whether casting a spell, issuing instructions, or swinging a weapon — will take a number of segments unless the GM decides that the action would take no appreciable amount of time to complete. See also "SF".
- SF
- Speed Factor. Refers to a number in "segments" (q.v.) that it takes to make an effective hit against an enemy with a certain weapon. Note, for instance, that while a weapon with SF5 takes 30 seconds to swing effectively against a target, it does not take 30 seconds to make a single swing. It is assumed that while the segments are passing by, various small dodges, parries, and maneuvers are being made between the two combatants. Only once in a number of segments do you really get a good opportunity to attack your opponent.
- sim
- Shorthand for "simulation". An online role-playing method where people act out the parts of characters through e-mail or IRC. It is similar to face-to-face role-playing games, but more immersive because it is easier to camouflage things which are occurring in real life; as a result, characters generally have deep personalities which are often different than that of the players', and "meta-gaming" (q.v.) is often kept to a minimum.
- skullcap
- A simple piece of armor which protects the skull towards the top and back of the head. Skullcaps are small, so a blow may strike the head without striking the skullcap at all.
- smelting ladle
- A very over-sized ladle with a pouring spout on one side. Molten metal is poured into the ladle, which is then used to precisely pour the still-molten metal into a mould.
- target
- 1) The number that the roll must be less than or equal to for the roll to be a success. For example, if you must roll less than or equal to 6 on 3d6, your target is 6. 2) An object which is currently being attacked. 3) A tiny round shield used primarily in fencing. Also known as a targe.
- threshold
- See "target".
- weaponblack
- A pasty, tarry substance made from charcoal and oil. When used to condition a metal weapon, it forms a fine black coating which is matte (non-reflective). This prevents the weapon from glittering when a light source is shone in a fashion that could cause a weapon to reflect light — something that can spoil an otherwise flawless ambush or reveal an armed assassin in hiding.
- writing tablet
- A piece of slate which is written upon with chalk.
- YDREMTATDY
- You don't really expect me to answer that, do you? An oft-repeated phrase by the "GM" (q.v.) whenever someone asks something which is clearly outside of what their character should know, or an out-of-character question about "what it all means." The most common question to which the answer is "YDREMTATDY" is "How does Good v. Evil relate to the Coronado sim?" Often a simultaneous source of amusement and frustration.
