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  The Provisional Glossary

by Ron Edwards <sorcerer@sorcerer-rpg.com

<mailto:sorcerer@sorcerer-rpg.com>>

Copyright 2004 Adept Press

Many thanks to Vincent Baker, Emily Care Boss, Steve Samson, Julie

Stauffer, and Ralph Mazza for their help with the first draft for this

project.

As the title implies, this is a provisional version of what I hope will

become a standing Glossary for the Forge. Everyone is invited to comment

according to the following guidelines:

    *

      We can debate endlessly about the exact perfect phrasing for a

      definition, but let's not. Please take into account that at least

      a hundred other people have just as much justification for their

      favored phrasings as you do for yours. If you propose an alternate

      phrasing, please do so by backing up your point with thread

      references.

    *

      The purpose for the Glossary is solely to provide help to people

      as they enter into discussions at the Forge. It is not supposed to

      be the primary teaching instrument for any concept, nor is it a

      belief system that must be accepted or agreed with in order to

      participate.

The main reason this whole thing has taken so long is that I do not see

an easy way to separate a Forge Glossary authored by myself from a

presentation/essay about my particular take on issues discussed at the

Forge. It is flatly impossible for me to please everyone by representing

all of their individual takes on these issues ? some of you may find

terms that I've pegged as controversial as perfectly clear; others may

find terms that I don't peg controversial as being so. So I say these

two things:

    *

      Yes, I wrote this document. So yes, it reflects a lot of my values

      and the framework for role-playing that at present I think makes

      the most sense.

    *

      My goal, as I stated above, is utility for others, especially

      those who haven't been involved in debating these issues for

      years. So bear that in mind ? it's not supposed to represent your

      sophisticated understanding of controversial nuances. Evaluate it

      from the eyes of someone who needs it.

So if you think that my personal take on the issues has clouded the goal

for any particular term, then say so and try to back up your argument

with clear logic. I'm willing to make changes on this basis, but not on

the basis that you ?feel? a newcomer will be confused.

I haven't included the actual links to the indicated threads, mainly

because that would delay this posting by at least a week, and it's time

to get it off the ground. They'll get added in the next iteration. I

figure maybe a month of discussion about this version is a good plan. If

you can think of other relevant threads (remember: helpfulness), then

suggest them. I'm also interested in getting links to articles by others

for specific terms (e.g. M.J./s 'Applied Design/, etc); the question is,

which terms.

Finally, some of the terms are desperately in need of discussion and

revision: ?Metagame? as a character component really sucks; and I'm

proposing ?Positioning? instead. In fact, ?metagame mechanics? seems to

be a broken term as well (an older thread convinced me). And a few

others. I'm certainly happy to see what people think of these, but

again, please do the reading and reflection necessary before you bomb in

with your reactions.

    Part One: the Big Model

The following key concepts and how they inter-relate form a foundation

for nearly all of the other terms, which provide examples, refinements,

or sub-sets for them.

The key concepts are:

*The Big Model, Social Contract, Exploration, Shared Imagined Space,

Creative Agenda, Techniques, Ephemera, Lumpley Principle, and Coherence*

Most of the other terms on the list only take on their meaning when

considered in the framework of these concepts and their interactions.

Big model pic (PDF) <http://indie-rpgs.com/_articles/bigmodelpic.pdf>

Big model, the

    A description of role-playing procedures as embedded in the social

    interactions and creative priorities of the participants. Each

    internal "box," "layer," or "skin" of the model is considered to be

    an expression of the box(es) containing it. See the discussion in

    /Narrativism: Story Now/ and /The big model - this is it/.

Coherence

    The degree to which one or a combination of Creative Agendas are

    accepted and reinforced among members of a role-playing group.

    Coherence may also be applied to game design, but only indirectly,

    in terms of whether it does or does not facilitate such a shared

    agenda.

Creative Agenda (CA)

    The aesthetic priorities and any matters of imaginative interest

    regarding role-playing. Three distinct Creative Agendas are

    currently recognized: Step On Up (Gamist), The Right to Dream

    (Simulationist), and Story Now (Narrativist). This definition

    replaces all uses of "Premise" in /GNS and other matters of

    role-playing theory/ aside from the specific Creative Agenda of

    Narrativist play. Creative Agenda is expressed using all Components

    of Exploration, but most especially System.

Ephemera

    Moment-to-moment or sentence-to-sentence actions and statements

    during play. Combinations of Ephemera often construct Techniques.

    Changes in Stance represent one example of an Ephemeral aspect of play.

Exploration

    The imagination of fictional events, established through

    communicating among one another. Exploration includes five

    Components: Character, Setting, Situation, System, and Color. See

    also Shared Imagined Space (a near or total synonym).

Lumpley Principle, the

    "System (including but not limited to 'the rules') is defined as the

    means by which the group agrees to imagined events during play." The

    author of the principle is Vincent Baker, see Vincent?s standard

    rant: power, credibility, and assent and Player power abuse.

Social Contract

    All interactions and relationships among the role-playing group,

    including emotional connections, logistic arrangements, and

    expectations. All role-playing is a subset of the Social Contract.

Techniques

    Specific procedures of play which, when employed together, are

    sufficient to introduce fictional characters, places, or events into

    the Shared Imagined Space. Many different Techniques may be used, in

    different games, to establish the same sorts of events. A given

    Technique is composed of a group of Ephemera which are employed

    together. Taken in their entirety for a given instance of

    role-playing, Techniques comprise System.

    Part Two: the terms list

I've tried to avoid outright tautology (B says "see A," A says "see B"),

but if you encounter a term that uses lots of other terms in the

definition, then you know you're pretty deep down in the key concept

framework.

Abashed

    Game design which displays features of one or more Creative Agenda

    that, in their applications, are operationally contradictory. It is

    a minor form of design Incoherence. However, an Abashed design is

    easily correctable by ignoring or altering isolated portions of the

    rules (minor Drift) during play. See /Abashed Vanillaism/ and /my

    review/ of Little Fears.

Actor Stance

    The person playing a character determines the character's decisions

    and actions using only knowledge and perceptions that the character

    would have. This stance does not necessarily include identifying

    with the character and feeling what he or she "feels," nor does it

    require in-character dialogue. See Stance.

Address Premise, to

    To establish, develop, and resolve a Premise during play, with

    emphasis on the decisions made by the protagonist characters. See

    also Premise, Protagonism, and Story Now.

Author Stance

    The person playing a character determines the character's decisions

    and actions based on the person's priorities, independently of the

    character?s knowledge and perceptions. Author Stance may or may not

    include a retroactive "motivation" of the character to perform the

    actions. When it lacks this feature, it is called Pawn Stance.

Authority

    The privilege given to a person, process, or written material to

    establish anything into the Shared Imaginary Space. A controversial

    topic; see also Credibility.

Balance

    This term is undefined. Used without clarification by the user, it

    typically diminishes the value of discussions about role-playing.

    See the discussion in /Gamism: Step On Up/.

Balance of Power

    How the "buck stops here" authority regarding resolution in play is

    distributed among members of a role-playing group. A feature of

    Social Contract, related to Credibility and GM-tasks, which directly

    affects System. This term was first applied to role-playing

    interactions by Hunter Logan.

Bang

    The Technique of introducing events into the game which make a

    thematically-significant or at least evocative choice necessary for

    a player. The term is taken from the rules of Sorcerer. See also

    Kicker.

Beeg Horseshoe Theory, the

    A proposed visual model for the relationship among the three

    Creative Agendas around a flat circle, with an "open space" for

    Simulationist play, because it may not exist. First proposed by

    Jared Sorensen as a criticism of Simulationist play (or

    pseudo-play), then re-proposed by Mike Holmes in an effort to

    validate Simulationist play. A controversial topic; see /The Beeg

    Horseshoe Theory/, /Beeg Horseshoe Theory revisited/, and /The Roots

    of Sim II/.

Big Model, the

    /This is a key concept/. See the first section.

Black Curtain

    The effects of a variety of Techniques a GM may employ to keep his

    use of Force hidden from the other participants in the game, such

    that they are at least somewhat under the impression that their

    characters' significant decisions are under their control. See

    Illusionism, Force, and the discussion in /Narrativism: Story Now/.

Blood Opera

    Play in which character generation focuses on potentially

    irreconcilable differences among at least some of the characters,

    and in which scenario generation is designed to put as much pressure

    on these differences (and therefore on unexpected alliances as

    possible). Notable for high mortality rates among characters. An

    example of Situation. Term coined by Ralph Mazza, Jake Norwood, and

    Ron Edwards.

Bob

    The Technique of withholding response or otherwise mandating a

    "rest" in the action of play. Term coined in /Sex & Sorcery/.

Breaking the game

    A dysfunctional Technique of Hard Core Gamist play, characterized by

    rendering other participants' efforts ineffective without recourse.

Calvinball

    A potentially-dysfunctional Technique of Hard Core Gamist play,

    characterized by making up the rules of a game as it is played,

    especially in the immediate context of advantaging oneself and

    disadvantaging one's opponents. "Tagged you! Tags mean you're out!"

    "It's Tuesday! Tagging doesn't work on Tuesdays!" Most so-called

    "rules-lawyering" is actually Calvinballing. The term is taken from

    the comic strip /Calvin & Hobbes/; see also /The Unofficial Official

    Rules of Calvinball/.

Challenge

    The Situation, i.e., adversity or imposed risk to player-characters

    of any kind, in the context of Gamist play. It's the imaginative

    arena for the Creative Agenda of Step On Up. See the Gamble and the

    Crunch.

Character

    A fictional person or entity which may perform actions in the

    imaginary situation. One of the Components of Exploration.

Character Components

    The System-specific features of a role-playing character. All are

    present for all characters, even if one or more is not explicitly

    part of the textual rules. See Effectiveness, Positioning, and

    Resource; also see Currency.

Coherence

    /This is a key concept/. See the first section.

Color

    Imagined details about any or all of System, Character, Setting, or

    Situation, added in such a way that does not change aspects of

    action or resolution in the imagined scene. One of the Components of

    Exploration.

Competition

    Conflicts of interest such that goals achieved by one person bring a

    disadvantage to one or more others. Competition may operate

    independently (a) among people engaged in role-playing or (b) among

    imaginary characters. An example of a Dial during play. Competition

    may or may not be associated with Gamist play, but when it is

    present among people, Gamist play is very likely to be occurring.

    See /Gamism: Step On Up/.

Components of Exploration

    In combination, the necessary parts of the imaginary content of a

    role-playing situation. Separately, they include Character, Setting,

    Situation, System, Color; see Exploration.

Conflict resolution

    A Technique in which the mechanisms of play focus on conflicts of

    interest, rather than on the component tasks within that conflict.

    When using this Technique, inanimate objects are conceived to have

    "interests" at odds with the character, if necessary. Contrast with

    Task resolution.

Congruence

    Play in which two or more different Creative Agendas may be

    expressed in such a way that they neither interfere with one another

    nor are easily distinguished through observation. The term was

    coined by Walt Freitag in /GNS and "Congruency"/. A controversial

    topic.

Creative agenda (CA)

    /This is a key concept/. See the first section.

Credibility

    The degree to which a given statement is adopted into the imaginary

    events of play, with or without reference to rules. A feature of the

    Lumpley Principle. Credibility may be applied to the statement

    (imaginary event) itself or to the person who supplies it; see also

    Authority.

Cross

    The Technique of introducing effects from previous scenes into

    current scenes, although the scenes do not contain the same

    player-characters. Term coined in /Sex & Sorcery/.

Crunch, the

    An application or type of Challenge, based on high predictability

    relative to risk. A feature of Gamist play.

Currency

    The exchange rate within and among Character Components. Currency

    may or may not be explicit (e.g. "character points"), but it is a

    universal feature of System, specifically as it relates to Character.

Death spiral

    The effects of a mechanic which not only has negative effects on a

    character, but also diminishes the Effectiveness of the ability to

    resist the re-application of the mechanic.

Deprotagonize (Paul Czege)

    To limit or devalue another person's opportunity to establish their

    character as a protagonist during Narrativist play. Note that this

    is specific to Paul's use of Protagonism strictly in the limited

    Narrativist context.

Design

    This term is used in two distinct ways. (1) Referring to actual

    play, it is the sum of interactions among Techniques. (2) Referring

    to text, it is the written version of such interactions with the

    implication of author intent.

DFK

    Short for Drama, Fortune, and Karma, referring to the Resolution

    mechanics of a given System, which may include any combination or

    blending of the three. Terms originally presented in the game

    /Everway/; altered in current usage.

Dial

    A feature of System by which a given aspect of the imaginary

    material may be increased or decreased, in terms of Effectiveness,

    Color, or Points-of-Contact. Depending on the system, dials may be

    "spun" before play (in which case their value is expected to be

    fixed) or during play. The term was first presented in /Champions

    Millenium/.

Diceless

    Usually but not always referring to the absence of Fortune-based

    resolution during play. Alternatively, refers to relying on Drama

    Techniques for Resolution. See /GNS and other matters of

    role-playing theory/ as well as /Dice and diceless: one designer?s

    radical opinion/. A controversial topic.

Dickweed character

    A character defined and played according to conflicts of interest

    with the other characters; potentially a primary source of

    adversity. The presence of a dickweed character does not require or

    imply inter-player competition.

Director Stance

    The person playing a character determines aspects of the environment

    relative to the character in some fashion, entirely separately from

    the character's knowledge or ability to influence events. Therefore

    the player has not only determined the character's actions, but the

    context, timing, and spatial circumstances of those actions, or even

    features of the world separate from the characters. Director Stance

    is often confused with narration of an in-game event, but the two

    concepts are not necessarily related.

Drama

    Resolving imaginary events based on stated outcomes without

    reference to numerical values or (in some cases) statements that

    have been previously established (e.g. written on a character

    sheet). See also DFK and Resolution.

Dramatism

    One of the three styles of role-playing identified by Mary Kuhner in

    the Threefold Model, but not recognized as a distinct Creative

    Agenda in the Big Model.

Drift

    Changing from one Creative Agenda to another, or from the lack of

    shared Creative Agenda to a specific one, during play, typically

    through changing the System. In observational terms, often marked by

    openly deciding to ignore or alter the use of a given rule.

Dysfunction

    Simply, role-playing which is not fun. Most Forge discussions

    presume that un-fun role-playing is worse than no role-playing.

Effectiveness

    A Character Component: quantities or terms which are directly used

    to determine the success or extent of a character?s actions during

    play.

Egri, Lajos

    The author of /The Art of Dramatic Writing/ (1946); see Premise.

El Dorado

    A term for the unrealizable ideal of consistently addressing Premise

    through explicitly Simulationist play. This term is often

    mis-interpreted as Simulationist-Narrativist hybrid play or any

    number of other concepts. Coined by Paul Czege; see /Simulationism

    and Narrativism under the same roof/ and /El Dorado/.

Ephemera

    /This is a key concept/. See the first section.

Exploration

    /This is a key concept/. See the first section..

Fantasy Heartbreaker

    A published role-playing game which retains specific aesthetic

    assumptions from pre-3rd edition versions of Dungeons & Dragons. See

    /Fantasy Heartbreakers/ and /More Fantasy Heartbreakers/.

Five elements of Exploration

    See "Components of Exploration."

Force

    The Technique of control over characters' thematically-significant

    decisions by anyone who is not the character's player. When Force is

    applied in a manner which disrupts the Social Contract, the result

    is Railroading. Originally called "GM-oomph" (Ron Edwards), then

    "GM-Force" (Mike Holmes).

Fortune

    A method of resolution employing unpredictable non-behavioral

    elements, usually based on physical objects such as dice, cards, or

    similar. See also DFK and Resolution.

Fortune-at-the-End (FatE)

    Employing a Fortune Resolution technique (dice, cards, etc)

    /following/ the full descriptions of actions, physical placement,

    and communication among characters. See "Fortune in the Middle" and

    associated links.

Fortune-in-the-Middle (FitM)

    Employing a Fortune Resolution technique (dice, cards, etc) prior to

    fully describing the specific actions of, physical placement of, and

    communication among characters. The Fortune outcome is employed in

    establishing these elements retroactively. This technique may be

    employed with the dice/etc as the ultimate authority of success or

    failure (e.g. /Sorcerer/) or with the dice/etc outcome being

    potentially adjusted by a metagame mechanic (e.g. /HeroQuest/). See

    /my review/ of Hero Wars, see also discussions in the /Alyria forum/.