1.
Role-playing game
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A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, actions taken within many games succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines. There are several forms of RPG, the original form, sometimes called the tabletop RPG, is conducted through discussion, whereas in live action role-playing games players physically perform their characters actions. In both of these forms, an arranger called a game master usually decides on the rules and setting to be used, acting as referee, while each of the other players plays the role of a single character. Several varieties of RPG also exist in media, such as multi-player text-based MUDs and their graphics-based successors. These games often share settings and rules with tabletop RPGs, despite this variety of forms, some game forms such as trading card games and wargames that are related to role-playing games may not be included. Role-playing activity may sometimes be present in games, but it is not the primary focus. The term is sometimes used to describe roleplay simulation games and exercises used in teaching, training. Both authors and major publishers of tabletop role-playing games consider them to be a form of interactive and collaborative storytelling, events, characters, and narrative structure give a sense of a narrative experience, and the game need not have a strongly-defined storyline. Interactivity is the difference between role-playing games and traditional fiction. Whereas a viewer of a show is a passive observer. Such role-playing games extend an older tradition of storytelling games where a party of friends collaborate to create a story. Participants in a game will generate specific characters and an ongoing plot. A consistent system of rules and a more or less realistic campaign setting in games aids suspension of disbelief, the level of realism in games ranges from just enough internal consistency to set up a believable story or credible challenge up to full-blown simulations of real-world processes. There is also a variety of systems of rules and game settings. Games that emphasize plot and character interaction over game mechanics and combat sometimes prefer the name storytelling game and these types of games tend to minimize or altogether eliminate the use of dice or other randomizing elements. Some games are played with characters created before the game by the GM and this type of game is typically played at gaming conventions, or in standalone games that do not form part of a campaign. Tabletop and pen-and-paper RPGs are conducted through discussion in a social gathering
2.
Tabletop role-playing game
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A tabletop role-playing game is a form of role-playing game in which the participants describe their characters actions through speech. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, within the rules, players have the freedom to improvise, their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game. Unlike other types of role-playing game, tabletop RPGs are often conducted like radio drama and this acting is not always literal, and players do not always speak exclusively in-character. Instead, players act out their role by deciding and describing what actions their characters will take within the rules of the game. In most games, a designated player called the game master also known as DM creates a setting in which each player plays the role of a single character. The GM describes the world and its inhabitants, the other players describe the intended actions of their characters. Some outcomes are determined by the system, and some are chosen by the GM. The terms pen-and-paper and tabletop are generally used to distinguish this format of RPG from other formats, since neither pen. Most games follow the established by the first published role-playing game. Participants usually conduct the game as a social gathering. This setting includes challenges for the characters to overcome through play. The full details of the setting are kept secret, but some details of the game world are usually given to the players. Games can be played in one session of a few hours, or across many sessions depending on the depth, the players each create characters whose roles they will play in the game. As well as fleshing out the personal history and background, they assign numerical statistics to the character. Together, these tell the player about their character and his or her place in the game world. The GM then begins the game by introducing and describing the setting, the players describe their characters actions, and the GM responds by describing the outcome of those actions. Usually, these outcomes are determined by the setting and the GMs common sense, most actions are straightforward and immediately successful. For example, if a player has their character look around a room, the GM will describe the room, if they have their character leave, the outcomes of some actions are determined by the rules of the game
3.
Live action role-playing game
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A live action role-playing game is a form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the world while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of actions may be mediated by game rules or determined by consensus among players. Event arrangers called gamemasters decide the setting and rules to be used, the first LARPs were run in the late 1970s, inspired by tabletop role-playing games and genre fiction. The activity spread internationally during the 1980s and has diversified into a variety of styles. Play may be very game-like or may be concerned with dramatic or artistic expression. Events can also be designed to achieve educational or political goals, the fictional genres used vary greatly, from realistic modern or historical settings to fantastic or futuristic eras. Production values are sometimes minimal, but can involve elaborate venues and costumes, LARPs range in size from small private events lasting a few hours to large public events with thousands of players lasting for days. LARP has also referred to as live role-playing, interactive literature. Some of these terms are still in use, however. It is sometimes written in lowercase, as larp, the live action in LARP is analogous to the term live action used in film and video to differentiate works with human actors from animation. Playing a LARP is often called larping, and one who does it is a larper, the participants in a LARP physically portray characters in a fictional setting, improvising their characters speech and movements somewhat like actors in improvisational theatre. This is distinct from tabletop role-playing games, where actions are described verbally. LARPs may be played in a public or private area and may last for hours or days, players may dress as their character and carry appropriate equipment, and the environment is sometimes decorated to resemble the setting. LARPs can be one-off events or a series of events in the same setting, events are put on for the benefit of the players, who take on roles called player characters that the players may create themselves or be given by the gamemasters. Players sometimes play the character repeatedly at separate events, progressively developing the character and its relations with other characters. Arrangers called gamemasters determine the rules and setting of a LARP, the GMs may also do the logistical work, or there may be other arrangers who handle details such as advertising the event, booking a venue, and financial management. Unlike the GM in a tabletop role-playing game, a LARP GM seldom has an overview of everything that is happening during play because numerous participants may be interacting at once, crew typically receive more information about the setting and more direction from the GMs than players do
4.
Role-playing video game
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A role-playing video game is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character immersed in some well-defined world. Many role-playing video games have origins in tabletop role-playing games and use much of the terminology, settings. Other major similarities with pen-and-paper games include developed story-telling and narrative elements, player development, complexity, as well as replayability. The electronic medium removes the necessity for a gamemaster and increases combat resolution speed, RPGs have evolved from simple text-based console-window games into visually rich 3D experiences. Role-playing video games use much of the terminology, settings. Players control a game character, or multiple game characters, usually called a party. Players explore a world, while solving puzzles and engaging in tactical combat. A key feature of the genre is that characters grow in power and abilities, RPGs rarely challenge a players physical coordination or reaction time, with the exception of action role-playing games. Role-playing video games typically rely on a developed story and setting. Players control one or several characters by issuing commands, which are performed by the character at an effectiveness determined by that characters numeric attributes. Often these attributes increase each time a character gains a level, role-playing video games also typically attempt to offer more complex and dynamic character interaction than what is found in other video game genres. This usually involves additional focus on the intelligence and scripted behavior of computer-controlled non-player characters. The premise of most role-playing games tasks the player with saving the world, there are often twists and turns as the story progresses, such as the surprise appearance of estranged relatives, or enemies who become friends or vice versa. To a lesser extent, settings closer to the present day or near future are possible, the story often provides much of the entertainment in the game. Because these games have strong storylines, they can make effective use of recorded dialog. Players of these tend to appreciate long cutscenes more than players of faster action games. While most games advance the plot when the player defeats an enemy or completes a level, for example, a player may make the decision to join a guild, thus triggering a progression in the storyline that is usually irreversible. New elements in the story may also be triggered by mere arrival in an area, the plot is usually divided so that each game location is an opportunity to reveal a new chapter in the story
5.
History of role-playing games
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The history of role-playing games begins with an earlier tradition of role-playing, which combined with the rulesets of fantasy wargames in the 1970s to give rise to the modern role-playing game. A role-playing game is a type of game in which the participants assume the roles of characters, participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a system of rules and guidelines. Within the rules, they may improvise freely, their choices shape the direction, Role-playing games are substantially different from competitive games such as ball games and card games. This has led to confusion among some non-players about the nature of fantasy gaming, the game Dungeons & Dragons was a subject of controversy in the 1980s when well-publicized opponents claimed it caused negative spiritual and psychological effects. Academic research has discredited these claims, some educators support role-playing games as a healthy way to hone reading and arithmetic skills. Though role-playing has been accepted by some, a few religious organizations continue to object, media attention both increased sales and stigmatized certain games. Games industry company Hasbro purchased fantasy game publisher Wizards of the Coast in 1998 for an estimated $325 million, in 16th century Europe, traveling teams of players performed a form of improvisational theatre known as the Commedia dellarte, with stock situations, stock characters and improvised dialogue. In the 19th and early 20th century, many board games, there is some evidence that assassin-style games may have been played in New York city by adults as early as 1920. A simple version in which an assassination was performed by saying, Youre dead, was mentioned in Harpo Marxs autobiography, a similar group, the Markland Medieval Mercenary Militia, began holding events on the University of Maryland, College Park in 1969. These groups were dedicated to accurately recreating medieval history and culture, however, with only mild fantasy elements. Drawing inspiration from Chess, Helwig, Master of Pages to the Duke of Brunswick created a battle game in 1780. Increasingly realistic variations became part of training in the 19th century in many nations. Wargames or military exercises are still an important part of military training today, wargaming moved from professional training to the hobby market with the publication of Little Wars, childrens toy soldier game, by H. G. Wells in 1913. A niche hobby of wargaming emerged for adults that recreated model games around actual battles from the Napoleonic period onward. Although a single marker or miniature figure typically represented a squad of soldiers, the board wargame Diplomacy, invented by Allan B. Calhamer in 1954 and released in 1959, made social interaction, a live-action variant of Diplomacy named Slobbovia was used for character development rather than conflict. In the late 1960s, fantasy elements were used in wargames. Linguist M. A. R. Barker began to use wargame-like sessions to develop his creation Tékumel, in 1970, the New England Wargamers Association demonstrated a fantasy wargame called Middle Earth at a convention of the Military Figure Collectors Association
6.
Player character
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A player character or playable character is a fictional character in a role-playing or video game whose actions are directly controlled by a player of the game rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called non-player characters, the actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games, or according to rules followed by a gamemaster refereeing tabletop role-playing games. The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling it, video games typically have one player character for each person playing the game. Some games offer a group of characters for the player to choose from. Where more than one character is available, the characters may have different abilities, strengths. A player character may sometimes be based on a real person, historical people and leaders may sometimes appear as characters too, particularly in strategy or empire building games such as in Sid Meiers Civilization series. Such a player character is properly an avatar as the player characters name. Avatars are also seen in casino game simulations. In many video games, and especially first-person shooters, the character is a blank slate without any notable characteristics or even backstory. Pac-Man, Crono, Link and Chell are examples of such characters and these characters are generally silent protagonists. Some games will go further, never showing or naming the player-character at all. This is somewhat common in first-person videogames, such as in Myst, having many different characters to play as and against, all possessing different moves and abilities, is necessary to create a larger gameplay variety in such games. In role playing games such as Dungeons and Dragons or Final Fantasy, the character is usually of a certain race and class, each with strengths and weaknesses. The attributes of the characters are given as numerical values which can be increased as the gamer progresses and gains rank, a secret or unlockable character may be a playable character in a video game available after completing the game or meeting other requirements
7.
Property (philosophy)
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In philosophy, mathematics, and logic, a property is a characteristic of an object, a red object is said to have the property of redness. The property may be considered a form of object in its own right, a property however differs from individual objects in that it may be instantiated, and often in more than one thing. Understanding how different individual entities can in some sense have some of the properties is the basis of the problem of universals. The terms attribute and quality have similar meanings, in classical Aristotelian terminology, a property is one of the predicables. It is a quality of a species, but a quality which is nevertheless characteristically present in members of that species. For example, ability to laugh may be considered a characteristic of human beings. However, laughter is not a quality of the species human. A determinable property is one that can get more specific, for example, color is a determinable property because it can be restricted to redness, blueness, etc. A determinate property is one that become more specific. This distinction may be useful in dealing with issues of identity, in other words, it is the view that non-physical, mental properties inhere in some physical substances. e. The set, p is its indicator function and it may be objected that this defines merely the extension of a property, and says nothing about what causes the property to hold for exactly those values. The ontological fact that something has a property is represented in language by applying a predicate to a subject. However, taking any grammatical predicate whatsoever to be a property, or to have a property, leads to certain difficulties, such as Russells paradox. Other predicates, such as is an individual, or has some properties are uninformative or vacuous, there is some resistance to regarding such so-called Cambridge properties as legitimate. An intrinsic property is a property that an object or a thing has of itself, independently of other things, an extrinsic property is a property that depends on a things relationship with other things. A relation is considered to be a more general case of a property. Relations are true of several particulars, or shared amongst them, holds between two individuals, who would occupy the two ellipses. Relations can be expressed by N-place predicates, where N is greater than 1 and it is widely accepted that there are at least some apparent relational properties which are merely derived from non-relational properties
8.
Units of measurement
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A unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a quantity, defined and adopted by convention or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same quantity. Any other value of quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of measurement. For example, length is a physical quantity, the metre is a unit of length that represents a definite predetermined length. When we say 10 metres, we actually mean 10 times the definite predetermined length called metre, the definition, agreement, and practical use of units of measurement have played a crucial role in human endeavour from early ages up to this day. Different systems of units used to be very common, now there is a global standard, the International System of Units, the modern form of the metric system. In trade, weights and measures is often a subject of regulation, to ensure fairness. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures is tasked with ensuring worldwide uniformity of measurements, metrology is the science for developing nationally and internationally accepted units of weights and measures. In physics and metrology, units are standards for measurement of quantities that need clear definitions to be useful. Reproducibility of experimental results is central to the scientific method, a standard system of units facilitates this. Scientific systems of units are a refinement of the concept of weights, science, medicine, and engineering often use larger and smaller units of measurement than those used in everyday life and indicate them more precisely. The judicious selection of the units of measurement can aid researchers in problem solving, in the social sciences, there are no standard units of measurement and the theory and practice of measurement is studied in psychometrics and the theory of conjoint measurement. A unit of measurement is a quantity of a physical property. Units of measurement were among the earliest tools invented by humans, primitive societies needed rudimentary measures for many tasks, constructing dwellings of an appropriate size and shape, fashioning clothing, or bartering food or raw materials. Weights and measures are mentioned in the Bible and it is a commandment to be honest and have fair measures. As of the 21st Century, multiple unit systems are used all over the world such as the United States Customary System, the British Customary System, however, the United States is the only industrialized country that has not yet completely converted to the Metric System. The systematic effort to develop an acceptable system of units dates back to 1790 when the French National Assembly charged the French Academy of Sciences to come up such a unit system. After this treaty was signed, a General Conference of Weights, the CGPM produced the current SI system which was adopted in 1954 at the 10th conference of weights and measures. Currently, the United States is a society which uses both the SI system and the US Customary system
9.
Integer
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An integer is a number that can be written without a fractional component. For example,21,4,0, and −2048 are integers, while 9.75, 5 1⁄2, the set of integers consists of zero, the positive natural numbers, also called whole numbers or counting numbers, and their additive inverses. This is often denoted by a boldface Z or blackboard bold Z standing for the German word Zahlen, ℤ is a subset of the sets of rational and real numbers and, like the natural numbers, is countably infinite. The integers form the smallest group and the smallest ring containing the natural numbers, in algebraic number theory, the integers are sometimes called rational integers to distinguish them from the more general algebraic integers. In fact, the integers are the integers that are also rational numbers. Like the natural numbers, Z is closed under the operations of addition and multiplication, that is, however, with the inclusion of the negative natural numbers, and, importantly,0, Z is also closed under subtraction. The integers form a ring which is the most basic one, in the following sense, for any unital ring. This universal property, namely to be an object in the category of rings. Z is not closed under division, since the quotient of two integers, need not be an integer, although the natural numbers are closed under exponentiation, the integers are not. The following lists some of the properties of addition and multiplication for any integers a, b and c. In the language of algebra, the first five properties listed above for addition say that Z under addition is an abelian group. As a group under addition, Z is a cyclic group, in fact, Z under addition is the only infinite cyclic group, in the sense that any infinite cyclic group is isomorphic to Z. The first four properties listed above for multiplication say that Z under multiplication is a commutative monoid. However, not every integer has an inverse, e. g. there is no integer x such that 2x =1, because the left hand side is even. This means that Z under multiplication is not a group, all the rules from the above property table, except for the last, taken together say that Z together with addition and multiplication is a commutative ring with unity. It is the prototype of all objects of algebraic structure. Only those equalities of expressions are true in Z for all values of variables, note that certain non-zero integers map to zero in certain rings. The lack of zero-divisors in the means that the commutative ring Z is an integral domain
10.
Ars Magica
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The players involvement revolves around an organization of magi and their allies and foes both mundane and supernatural. The game was developed by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein·Hagen. The current edition was written by David Chart, and published in 2004 by Atlas Games, Ars Magica was one of the first examples of a Troupe system. Early editions recommended that the players collaborate to create the world and story. This scheme has been de-emphasised in recent editions, in Fifth Edition it is relegated to a play style described at the back of the book. Alternatively a troupe may select one player as alpha story guide with responsibility for the overall plot, Each player having more than one character, when the primary character lacks opportunity or reason to participate in a session, a secondary character is played. To enhance the authenticity of the setting, the game uses medieval Latin for a number of key terms, particularly in the games most prominent feature. The first two editions were published by Lion Rampant Games, with several modules published by Atlas Games, in 1991, Lion Rampant merged with White Wolf Magazine to form White Wolf Game Studio. White Wolf published several adventure modules for the game before adding its Third Edition rulebook, publishing rights were sold in 1994 to Wizards of the Coast, who produced several supplements. The fourth edition came out in 1996, in 1998 the rights were sold to Atlas Games, who then continued to publish the 4th edition, added several new stories, and continued to expand peripheral material and the line of Tribunal books. The 5th edition in 2004 included extensive changes to the system, especially the mechanics for combat, experience, and character creation. Many players felt that the alterations to the system were long overdue, especially the rules for armour. Ars Magica 5th edition won the Origins Award for Best Role Playing Game of 2004, since 2014, the 4th Edition has been distributed for free at Warehouse 23 fronted by Steve Jackson Games. The setting, Mythic Europe, is based on Europe of the 12th and 13th centuries, the geography is the same. However, in Ars Magica the Medieval paradigm - the way the world was described or understood in time period - is the literal truth. In this setting, Faeries actually do steal lost children, Demons cause disease and crop failure, Angels help the righteous, player characters typically alternate between the role of a magus, and a companion. Companions are select skilled non-magi who help wizards conduct their affairs, additionally, there are a number of Grogs who can be controlled by any player. The wizards generally gather in specialized strongholds called covenants, which are built in places of power
11.
Aria: Canticle of the Monomyth
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Aria, Canticle of the Monomyth was a role-playing game published by Last Unicorn Games in 1994. Magic is largely open for the game master to decide, in terms of how magic is performed, how one learns it. As with most other aspects of Aria there are no set rules on how magic has to work, Aria is based on the concept of the monomyth, the fundamental story that is at the core of most if not all myths, legends and fairy tales. Archived from the original on 2008-05-31
12.
Learning
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The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, plants and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow a learning curve, Learning does not happen all at once, but it builds upon and is shaped by previous knowledge. To that end, learning may be viewed as a process, Learning produces changes in the organism and the changes produced are relatively permanent. Human learning may occur as part of education, personal development, schooling and it may be goal-oriented and may be aided by motivation. The study of how learning occurs is part of psychology, neuropsychology, learning theory. Learning may occur consciously or without conscious awareness, Learning that an aversive event cant be avoided nor escaped is called learned helplessness. Play has been approached by several theorists as the first form of learning, children experiment with the world, learn the rules, and learn to interact through play. Lev Vygotsky agrees that play is pivotal for childrens development, since they make meaning of their environment through playing educational games, non-associative learning refers to a relatively permanent change in the strength of response to a single stimulus due to repeated exposure to that stimulus. Changes due to such factors as sensory adaptation, fatigue, or injury do not qualify as non-associative learning, non-associative learning can be divided into habituation and sensitization. Habituation is an example of learning in which the strength or probability of a response diminishes when the response is repeated. The response is typically a reflex or unconditioned response, thus, habituation must be distinguished from extinction, which is an associative process. In operant extinction, for example, a response declines because it is no longer followed by reward. An example of habituation can be seen in small song birds—if a stuffed owl is put into the cage, soon the birds react less, showing habituation. If another stuffed owl is introduced, the birds react to it again as though it were a predator, habituation has been shown in essentially every species of animal, as well as the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica and the large protozoan Stentor coeruleus. Sensitization is an example of learning in which the progressive amplification of a response follows repeated administrations of a stimulus. An everyday example of this mechanism is the repeated stimulation of peripheral nerves that occurs if a person rubs their arm continuously. After a while, this creates a warm sensation that eventually turns painful. The pain results from the progressively amplified synaptic response of the peripheral nerves warning that the stimulation is harmful, sensitisation is thought to underlie both adaptive as well as maladaptive learning processes in the organism
13.
GURPS
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The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting. It was created by Steve Jackson Games and first published in 1986 at a time when most such systems were story- or genre-specific. Players control their in-game characters verbally and the success of their actions are determined by the skill of their character, the difficulty of the action, characters earn points during play which are used to gain greater abilities. Gaming sessions are story-told and run by Game Masters, GURPS won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988, and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame. Many of its expansions have also won awards, prior to GURPS, roleplaying games of the 1970s and early 1980s were developed especially for certain gaming environments, and they were largely incompatible with one another. For example, TSR published its Dungeons & Dragons game specifically for a fantasy environment, another game from the same company, Star Frontiers, was developed for science fiction–based role-playing. TSR produced other games for other environments, such as Gamma World, Top Secret, Gangbusters, each of these games was set with its own self-contained rules system, and the rules for playing each game differed greatly from one game to the next. This flexibility of environment is greatly aided by the use of levels that allow a campaign to be set from the Stone Age to the Digital Age or beyond. Role-playing games of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Dungeons & Dragons, GURPS, following the lead of the Hero System first used by the Champions role-playing game, assigned players a specified number of points with which to build their characters. These points were spent to get attributes, skills, and advantages, additional points can be obtained by accepting lower-than-average attributes, disadvantages, and other limitations. GURPS emphasis on its generic aspect has proven to be a marketing tactic. Its approach to versatility includes using real world measurements wherever possible, GURPS also benefits from the many dozens of worldbooks describing settings or additional rules in all genres including science fiction, fantasy, and historical. Many popular game designers began their careers as GURPS writers, including C. J. Carella, Robin Laws, S. John Ross. GURPS worldbooks set in historical periods can often be used as reference books as they include a bibliography suggesting additional sources. The immediate mechanical antecedent of GURPS was The Fantasy Trip, an early role-playing game written by Steve Jackson for the company Metagaming Concepts. Several of the concepts of GURPS first appeared in TFT, including the inclusion of Strength, Dexterity. A Basic GURPS set was published in 1986 and 1987 and included two booklets, one for developing characters and one for Adventuring, in 1990 GURPS intersected part of the hacker subculture when the companys Austin, Texas, offices were raided by the Secret Service. The target was the author of GURPS Cyberpunk in relation to E911 Emergency Response system documents stolen from Bell South, the incident was a direct contributor to the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
14.
Character class
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This glossary of video game terms lists the general video game industry terms as commonly used in Wikipedia articles. 1-up In games where players have a number of lives to complete a game or level, 1v1 Abbreviation of 1 versus 1, which means two players battling against each other. 8-bit A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the generation of video game consoles. 16-bit A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the generation of video game consoles. 2D graphics The game features 2-dimensional objects,2. 5D graphics A game consisting of 3D graphics set in a 2D plane of movement, where objects outside of this 2D plane can have an effect on the gameplay. 32-bit A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the generation of video game consoles. 4X A genre of video games, short for explore, expand, exploit. 64-bit A descriptor for hardware or software that arose during the generation of video game consoles. AAA A high-budget game with a development team, or game studios that make them. AAA games are usually multiplatform, have multimillion dollar marketing budgets, abandonware The idea of a game being forgotten about, or abandoned by the developers for multiple different reasons, one being copyright issues. Act See Level Action point A subunit of a players turn, for example, during each turn, a player can take a set number of actions, each costing a point. Action role-playing game A genre of role-playing video games where battle actions are performed in real-time instead of a turn-based mechanic. Actions per minute The total number of actions the player can perform in a minute, ADS Aiming Down Sights, or, Aim Down Sights. Refers to the alternate method of firing a gun in an FPS game. AFK Abbreviation of Away From Keyboard, generally said through a chat function in online multiplayer games when a player intends to be temporarily unavailable. Often used in gaming to grind, sometimes facetiously used in reference to irritated bystanders. Aimbot A first-person shooter cheat that lets players shoot other player-characters without aiming, in most cases, the reticle locks on to a target within the players line of sight and the player only has to pull the trigger. Aimbots are one of the most popular cheats in multiplayer FPS, alpha release An initial, incomplete version of a game, alpha versions are usually released early in the development process to test a games most critical functionality and prototype design concepts
15.
Fantasy tropes
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Fantasy tropes are a specific type of literary tropes that occur in fantasy fiction. Worldbuilding, in particular, has many common conventions, as do plot and characterization, to a lesser extent. Many works of fantasy operate using these tropes, while others use them in a revisionist manner, making the tropes over for reasons such as for comic effect. The conflict of good against evil is a theme in the popular forms of fantasy, normally, evil characters erupt from their lands to invade. In some works, mostly notably in sword and sorcery, evil is not opposed by the unambiguously good, heroic characters are a mainstay of fantasy, particularly high fantasy and sword and sorcery. Such characters are capable of more than ordinary behavior, physically, morally, sometimes they might have to grow into the role ordained for them. This may take the form of maturation, which is often through Coming of Age, many protagonists are, unknown to themselves, of royal blood. Even in so fanciful a tale as Through the Looking-Glass, Alice is made a queen in the end, commonly, these tales revolve around the maltreated hero coming into his or her own. This can reflect a wish-fulfillment dream, or symbolically embody a profound transformation, the forces of evil are often personified in a Dark Lord. Besides possessing vast magical abilities, a Dark Lord often controls great armies, the villain of the Demon Sword video game is also literally called Dark Lord. In the Lone Wolf gamebooks, the Dark Lords are a race of powerful evil beings. The protagonists of the Overlord video game franchise are classic Dark Lords in the vein of Sauron, the Dark Lord is usually seen as unmarried, though there has been occasion when one has attempted to claim a bride. Quests, a trope in literature, are common in fantasy. They can be anything from a quest to locate the MacGuffins necessary to save the world, in fantasy, magic often has an overwhelming presence, although its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in a world, or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands. A common trope is that the ability to work magic is innate, as a consequence the person who uses it, usually called a magician, wizard, sorcerer, warlock, mage, or magus, is a common figure in fantasy. Another feature is the item, which can endow characters with magical abilities that are not innate. Among the most common are magic swords and magic rings, self-fulfilling prophecies are amongst the most common forms of magic because they are an often used plot device
16.
Physical strength
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Physical strength is the measure of an animals exertion of force on physical objects. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training, an individuals physical strength is determined by two factors, the cross-sectional area of muscle fibers recruited to generate force and the intensity of the recruitment. The genetic inheritance of muscle fiber type sets the outermost boundaries of physical strength possible, individual muscle fiber ratios can be determined through a muscle biopsy. Other considerations are the ability to recruit muscle fibers for an activity, joint angles. For a given cross-section, shorter limbs are able to more weight. A one-repetition maximum test is the most accurate way to determine maximum muscular strength, there are various ways to measure physical strength of a person or population. The external reactive moments and forces on the joints are used in such cases. The strength capability of the joint is denoted by the amount of moment that the force can create at the joint to counter the external moment. Skeletal muscles produce reactive forces and moments at the joints, one of the first sagittal-plane models to predict strength was developed by Chaffin in 1969. Based on this model, the external moments at each joint must not exceed the muscle strength moments at that joint. Mj/L < Sj Where, Sj is the muscle strength moment at joint, j, and Mj/L is the moment at the joint, j, due to load, L. Top-down analysis is the method of calculating the reactive moments and forces at each joint starting at the hand, all the way till the ankle, in a 6-segment model, the joints considered are elbow, shoulder, L5/S1 disc of the spine, hip, knee and ankle. It is common to ignore the wrist joint in manual calculations, software intended for such calculation use the wrist joint also, dividing the lower arm into hand and forearm segments. Static strength prediction is the method of predicting the strength capabilities of a person or a population for a particular task and/or posture
17.
Wisdom
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Wisdom or sapience is the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight. This implies a possession of knowledge, or the seeking of knowledge to apply to the given circumstance and it often requires control of ones emotional reactions so that the universal principle of reason prevails to determine ones action. In short, wisdom is a disposition to find the truth coupled with a judgement as to what actions should be taken. Charles Haddon Spurgeon defined wisdom as the use of knowledge. Robert I. Sutton and Andrew Hargadon defined the attitude of wisdom as acting with knowledge while doubting what one knows as was said by Lucy of the North. The ancient Greeks considered wisdom to be an important virtue of Petross the Great, personified as the goddesses Metis, Athena is said to have sprung from the head of Zeus. She was portrayed as strong, fair, merciful, and chaste, to Socrates and Plato, philosophy was literally the love of Wisdom. Aristotle, in his Metaphysics, defined wisdom as the understanding of causes, i. e. knowing why things are a certain way, the ancient Romans also valued wisdom. It was personified in Minerva, or Pallas and she also represents skillful knowledge and the virtues, especially chastity. Her symbol was the owl which is still a representation of wisdom. She was said to be born from Jupiters forehead, Wisdom is also important within Christianity. Jesus emphasised by Petross the wise, Paul the Apostle, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, argued that there is both secular and divine wisdom, urging Christians to pursue the latter. Prudence, which is related to wisdom, became one of the four cardinal virtues of Catholicism. The Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas considered wisdom to be the father of all virtues, in the Inuit tradition, developing wisdom was one of the aims of teaching. An Inuit Elder said that a person became wise when they could see what needed to be done and do it successfully without being told what to do. In many cultures, the name for third molars, which are the last teeth to grow, is linked with wisdom. Public schools in the US have an approach to character education, eighteenth century philosophers such as Benjamin Franklin, referred to this as training wisdom and virtue. Traditionally, schools share the responsibility to build character and wisdom along with parents and he teaches that new knowledge and technological know-how increase our power to act which, without wisdom, may cause human suffering and death as well as human benefit
18.
Human physical appearance
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Human physical appearance is the outward phenotype or look of human beings. There are infinite variations in human phenotypes, though society reduces the variability to distinct categories, humans are acutely sensitive to their physical appearance. Some differences in appearance are genetic, others are the result of age, lifestyle or disease. Some people have linked some differences, with ethnicity, such as skeletal shape, different cultures place different degrees of emphasis on physical appearance and its importance to social status and other phenomena. Various factors are considered relevant in relation to the appearance of humans. Humans are distributed across the globe with the exception of Antarctica, in adults, average weight varies from around 40 kilos for the smallest and most lightly built tropical people to around 80 kilos for the heavier northern peoples. Size also varies between the sexes, the dimorphism in humans being more pronounced than that of chimpanzees. The colouration of skin, hair and eyes also varies considerably, with darker pigmentation domination in tropical climates and lighter in polar regions. Aging Hair loss Blushing, crying, fainting, hiccup, yawning, laughing, stuttering, sexual arousal, Sweating, shivering, nose bleeding, clothing, including headgear and footwear, some clothes alter or mold the shape of the body. As for footwear, high heels make a person look taller, for example, the same persons appearance can be quite different, depending on whether they use any of the aforementioned modifications. Exercises, for example, bodybuilding Capes Goggles Hair ornaments Hats and caps Headdresses Headphones/Handsfree phone headset Jewelry Masks Prosthetic limbs Sunglasses Watch
19.
Dice notation
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Dice notation is a system to represent different combinations of dice in role-playing games using simple algebra-like notation such as 2d6+12. In most role-playing games, die rolls required by the system are given in the form AdX, a and X are variables, separated by the letter d, which stands for die or dice. The letter d is most commonly lower-case, but some notation uses upper-case D, a is the number of dice to be rolled. X is the number of faces of each die, if the final number is omitted, it is typically assumed to be a six, but in some contexts, other defaults are used. For example, if a game would call for a roll of d4 or 1d4 this would mean, 3d6 would mean, roll three six-sided dice. Commonly, these dice are added together, but some systems could direct the use them in some other way. To this basic notation, a modifier can be appended, yielding expressions of the form. The plus is sometimes replaced by a sign to indicate subtraction. B is a number to be added to the sum of the rolls, so, 1d20-10 would indicate a roll of a single 20-sided die with 10 being subtracted from the result. These expressions can also be chained, though usage is less common. Additionally, notation such as AdX-L is not uncommon, the L being used to represent the lowest result, for instance, 4d6-L means a roll of 4 six-sided dice, dropping the lowest result. This application skews the probability curve towards the higher numbers, as a result a roll of 3 can only occur when all four dice come up 1, rolling three or more dice gives a probability distribution that is approximately Gaussian, in accordance with the central limit theorem. In some games, the notation is expanded to allow for a multiplier, as in AdX×C or C×dX, where, × denotes multiplication. For example, 1d6×5 or 5×d6 means roll one 6-sided dice, 3d6×10+3 means roll three 6-sided dice, add them together, multiply the result by 10, and then add 3. Multiplication can also mean repeating throws of similar setup,3 x means roll two 6-sided dice adding four to result, repeat the roll 3 times adding the results together, often, the variable X in the above notation will be 100, alternatively written %. Although 100-sided dice exist, it is common to use a combination of two ten-sided dice known as percentile dice. One die represents units and the tens, typically these are distinguished by color. Twenty-sided dice intended specifically for use as percentile dice typically have no tens notation, a roll of 0 on both dice may be interpreted as either 0 or 100, depending on the game rules
20.
Tunnels & Trolls
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Tunnels & Trolls is a fantasy role-playing game designed by Ken St. Andre and first published in 1975 by Flying Buffalo. St. Andre, a librarian in Phoenix, Arizona, liked the idea of fantasy role-playing after reading a friends D&D rule books but found the actual rules confusing. The first edition of Tunnels & Trolls was self-published in April 1975, in June 1975, publisher Flying Buffalo Inc. released a second edition of the game, and Tunnels & Trolls quickly became D&Ds biggest competitor. Tunnels & Trolls had similar statistics, classes, and adventures to Dungeons & Dragons, according to Michael Tresca, Tunnels & Trolls presented a better overall explanation of its rules, and brought a sense of impish fun to the genre. The game underwent several modifications between the release and when the 5th edition of the rules was published in 1979. This edition was translated and published abroad in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Finland, Japan. In 1999 Pyramid magazine named Tunnels & Trolls as one of The Millenniums Most Underrated Games, editor Scott Haring said of the game everybody knows this was the second ever fantasy roleplaying game. But to dismiss it as just an opportunistic ripoff would be grossly unfair, Flying Buffalos T&T had its own zany feel – it was much less serious than D&D – and a less-complicated game system. In 2005, Flying Buffalo updated the 5th edition rules with a 5.5 publication that added about 40 pages of extra material. That same year, Fiery Dragon Productions produced a 30th Anniversary Edition under license in a tin box complete with CD, map, and monster counters, the 30th Anniversary rules are generally known as the 7th edition. One of the most significant innovations of 7th edition is the introduction of a skills system, the 7.5 edition was released in 2008 by Fiery Dragon, being an update and clarification on the 30th Anniversary Edition. In 2012, Tunnels & Trolls was re-introduced in French-speaking markets by Grimtooth under license by Flying Buffalo. The French rulebook, which is officially the 8th edition, is based on the 7th edition, the interior artwork includes the illustrations of the 5th edition, plus new inks by Liz Danforth. Several other products have already been released via Lulu. com, the production work for the 8th edition prompted Flying Buffalo to start working on a Deluxe Edition of the rulebook. As Rick Loomis, head of Flying Buffalo Inc. put it, I wanted to have a deluxe edition even better than the French one. Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls, written by St. Andre with additional input and editing from longtime players Liz Danforth. The 5th editionTunnels & Trolls core ruleset does not detail a specific setting, saying only that gameplay occurs in a world somewhat, in an interview in 1986, Ken St. The current Deluxe Edition includes Ken St. Andres house campaign setting, along with additional material by early players Jim Bear Peters and Liz Danforth
21.
DC Heroes
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DC Heroes is an out-of-print superhero role-playing game set in the DC Universe and published by Mayfair Games. Other than sharing the same licensed setting, DC Heroes is unrelated to the West End Games DC Universe or the more recent Green Ronin Publishing DC Adventures game, DC Heroes was critically well received. The game system in DC Heroes is sometimes called the Mayfair Exponential Game System, DC Heroes uses a logarithmic scale for character attributes. For example, a value of 3 is double a value of 2, the scale allows characters of wildly different power levels to co-exist within the same game without one completely dominating a given area. For example, although Superman is many orders of magnitude stronger, conflicts are resolved using an Action Table and two ten-sided dice. The die-rolling system involves re-rolling any double result, so that any result is possible, depending on the result on the Action Table, play moves to a Results Table to determine the degree of success if an action succeeds. Characters have a set of Attributes, Powers, and Skills, Attributes are the nine qualities every character has. Powers and Skills reflect innate ability or training, Attributes are divided into three categories and three attribute types. For example, when Superman punches someone, he uses Dexterity to see if he connects, Strength to see how hard he hits, the value of a Power usually serves as both Active Value and Effect Value resisted by the targets Resistance Value. All actions taken, even against inanimate objects, use that system, for example, investigators use AV and EV against a RV to determine the quality of information their efforts gather. Hero Points, which are used as points, can be spent during play to influence Action Table Results. Hero Points are also used in the creation of original characters, as in other points-based games, abilities cost a certain number of Hero Points to buy and improve. Because the power level of characters in the DC Universe varies, some of DC Heroes notable design features include, A unified scale measuring weight, distance, time, volume, money, and information. This allows for quickly evaluating the feasibility and impact of many actions, for example, your Strength in APs minus the weight of an object in APs is the APs of distance you can throw that object. This rapid progression intends to handle both Superman and Jimmy Olsen without using huge numbers but without drowning the differences between characters, a 3×3 grid of physical, mental and mystical/social character stats expressing precision, force, and resilience in each area. Action resolution based on 2d10 and two universal tables, a list of broad Advantages, Drawbacks, and Skills that covers most characters. A list of powers describing concrete effects rather than abstract game concepts, a system of Hero Points spent by characters to enhance their actions. This expresses endurance, willpower, narrative immunity, luck, and/or story flow, a simple system of Genre to change the texture of the game system depending upon whether players want silly Silver Age stories or gritty Iron Age stories
22.
Unearthed Arcana
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Unearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing material that expanded upon other rules, the original Unearthed Arcana was written primarily by Gary Gygax, and published by game publisher TSR in 1985 for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules. The book consisted mostly of previously published in magazines, and included new races, classes. The book was notorious for its number of errors, and was received negatively by the gaming press whose criticisms targeted the over-powered races and classes. A second book titled Unearthed Arcana was produced by Wizards of the Coast for Dungeons & Dragons third edition in 2004, the designers did not reproduce material from the original book, but instead attempted to emulate its purpose by providing variant rules and options to change the game itself. The original Unearthed Arcana was written by Gary Gygax with design and editing contributions by Jeff Grubb and Kim Mohan, respectively, Gygax reportedly produced the book to raise money as TSR was deeply in debt at the time. He announced in the March 1985 issue of Dragon magazine that Unearthed Arcana would be released in the summer of that year. He proposed the book as a volume to expand the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook, as the information was spread out in several places. Unearthed Arcana was to include material previously published in Dragon, written by Gygax, the book would also contain previously unpublished material, some of it written by other contributors to Dragon. According to British writer Paul Cockburn, some of the material in Unearthed Arcana had been published in Imagine magazine. The original Unearthed Arcana contains errors in its text, which discovered and reported to Dragon magazine. Even some positive reviews of the pointed out the considerable number of mistakes. Dragon editor Kim Mohan, with ideas from Gygax, Frank Mentzer, Dragon also devoted the entirety of its Sage Advice column in the January 1987 issue to answering readers questions about Unearthed Arcana, as a follow-up to Mohans prior column. However, the errata were not incorporated into later printings of the manual and this reprint is the first printing of the book to be modified with the errata previously published in Dragon magazine incorporated into the corrected text. The 128-page Unearthed Arcana was written for use with the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition rules and was divided two sections, one for players and one for the Dungeon Master. The book provided new races, classes, and other expansion material, the book gives details on using subraces of the standard races, such as dark elves, and deep gnomes, for use as player characters and non-player characters. Unearthed Arcana includes the barbarian, cavalier, and thief-acrobat character classes, the book presents a large addition to the range of character races, including the drow and svirfneblin. The book includes new weapons, and revised information on character level maximums for non-human player characters, Unearthed Arcana details the weapon specialization rules, in which a fighter or ranger can adopt a weapon as a special arm, and receive bonuses in its use
23.
Magic (gaming)
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Magic or mana is an attribute assigned to characters within a role-playing or video game that indicates their power to use special abilities or spells. Magic is usually measured in points or mana points, shortened as MP. Different abilities will use up different amounts of MP, when the MP of a character reaches zero, the character wont be able to use special abilities until some of their MP is recovered. Much like health, magic might be displayed as a numeric value, here, the first number indicates the current amount of MP a character has whereas the second number indicates the characters maximum MP. In video games, magic can also be displayed visually, such as with a gauge that empties itself as a character uses their abilities, the magic system in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons is largely based on patterns established in the novels of author Jack Vance. In this system, the character can only memorize a fixed number of spells from a list of spells. Once this spell is used once, the character forgets it, mana is a word that comes from a Polynesian language meaning something along the lines of supernatural power. The concept of mana was introduced in Europe by missionary Robert Henry Codrington in 1891 and was popularized by Mircea Eliade in the 1950s. It was first introduced as a fuel used to cast spells in the 1969 short story, Not Long Before the End, by Larry Niven. It has since become a staple in both role-playing and video games. Because skills and abilities are not usually lost, a designer might decide to limit the use of such an ability by linking its use to magic points. This way, after using an ability, the player is required to rest or use an item to replenish their characters MP and this is done for balancing, so that each skill does not have an infinite casting ability with equal results every time. Magic is often restricted to a class of character, such as a mage or spellcaster. In video games, MP can often be restored by consuming magic potions or it may regenerate over time, status effects are temporary modification to a game character’s original set of stats. A character may cast a spell that inflicts a positive or negative effect on another character. In both tabletop role-playing games and role-playing video games, magic is most usually used to cast spells during battles, however, in tabletop RPGs, unlike in video games, magic has many uses outside of combat situations, such as using love spells on NPCs to gain information. Some games base the strength and amount of a characters magic on stats such as wisdom or intelligence and these stats are used because they are easy to keep track of and develop in pen-and-paper RPGs. Some games introduce a point system per skill
24.
Dice
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Dice are small throwable objects with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers. Dice are suitable as gambling devices for games like craps and are used in non-gambling tabletop games. A traditional die is a cube, with each of its six faces showing a different number of dots from 1 to 6. When thrown or rolled, the die comes to rest showing on its surface a random integer from one to six. A variety of devices are also described as dice, such specialized dice may have polyhedral or irregular shapes. They may be used to produce other than one through six. Loaded and crooked dice are designed to favor some results over others for purposes of cheating or amusement. A dice tray, a used to contain thrown dice, is sometimes used for gambling or board games. Dice have been used since before recorded history, and it is uncertain where they originated, the oldest known dice were excavated as part of a backgammon-like game set at the Burnt City, an archeological site in south-eastern Iran, estimated to be from between 2800–2500 BCE. Other excavations from ancient tombs in the Indus Valley civilization indicate a South Asian origin, the Egyptian game of Senet was played with dice. Senet was played before 3000 BC and up to the 2nd century AD and it was likely a racing game, but there is no scholarly consensus on the rules of Senet. Dicing is mentioned as an Indian game in the Rigveda, Atharvaveda, there are several biblical references to casting lots, as in Psalm 22, indicating that dicing was commonplace when the psalm was composed. Knucklebones was a game of skill played by women and children, although gambling was illegal, many Romans were passionate gamblers who enjoyed dicing, which was known as aleam ludere. Dicing was even a popular pastime of emperors, letters by Augustus to Tacitus and his daughter recount his hobby of dicing. There were two sizes of Roman dice, tali were large dice inscribed with one, three, four, and six on four sides. Tesserae were smaller dice with sides numbered one to six. Twenty-sided dice date back to the 2nd century AD and from Ptolemaic Egypt as early as the 2nd century BC, dominoes and playing cards originated in China as developments from dice. The transition from dice to playing cards occurred in China around the Tang dynasty, in Japan, dice were used to play a popular game called sugoroku
25.
World of Warcraft
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World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe. Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2,2001, the game was released on November 23,2004, on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise. The first expansion set of the game, The Burning Crusade, was released on January 16,2007, the second expansion set, Wrath of the Lich King, was released on November 13,2008. The third expansion set, Cataclysm, was released on December 7,2010, the fourth expansion set, Mists of Pandaria, was released on September 25,2012. The fifth expansion set, Warlords of Draenor, was released on November 13,2014, the sixth expansion set, Legion, was released on August 30,2016. In January 2014, Blizzard announced that more than 100 million accounts had been created over the games lifetime, players may instead use a trial account that lets the player character reach level 20 for free but has many features locked. To enter the game, the player must select a server, each realm acts as an individual copy of the game world and falls into one of four categories. RP – a variant of PvE, where players roleplay in-character, rP-PvP – roleplay-PvP – a variant of PvP, where players are in-character and cross-faction combat is assumed. Realms are also categorized by language, with support in the language available. Players can make new characters on all realms within the region, to create a new character, in keeping with the storyline of previous Warcraft games, players must choose between the opposing factions of the Alliance or the Horde. Characters from the factions can perform rudimentary communication, but only members of the same faction can speak, mail, group. The player selects the new race, such as orcs or trolls for the Horde. Players must select the class for the character, with such as mages, warriors. Most classes are limited to particular races, as characters become more developed, they gain various talents and skills, requiring the player to further define the abilities of that character. Characters can choose two primary professions that can focus on producing items, such as tailoring, blacksmithing or jewelcrafting or on gathering from resource nodes, characters can learn all four secondary skills, archeology, cooking, fishing and first aid. Much of World of Warcraft play involves the completion of quests and these quests are usually available from NPCs. Quests usually reward the player with some combination of points, items
