We should make a Dictionary of Den-speak

Libertad · Post by **Libertad** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:21 pm

A casual view of the boards shows that the Gaming Den created its own slogans and terms for various RPG tropes.

I believe that this board needs a dictionary of sorts for all the terms. If such a thread exists already, I apologize for wasting 30 seconds of your life.

I'll start.

Mister Cavern: MC for short, Mister Cavern's a term for the gamemaster in the RPG Draci Doupe Plus. DD+ was first published in the Czech Republic during the days of the old Soviet Union. Adopted by the Gaming Den as an alternative to the Dungeon Master label.

Magical Tea Party: MTP for short. A term for describing the "make it up" advice in RPG texts when some event or action is not covered by the rules.

It's _______ Outside: A nickname for the various 3.5 environment books. Eventually gained popularity on many other D&D message boards. I cannot confirm the origin of the term, but it's earliest posts seem to be here. Clarification?

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Wed May 30, 2012 9:44 pm

Sounds good.

Dumb-ass melee fighter: DMF for short, refers to a character who exclusively depends on melee weaponry and lacks the capacity to handle threats that are airborne, highly mobile, or otherwise difficult/impossible to reach in hand-to-hand.

Fighters can't have nice things: Refers to the philosophy that fighters have no abilities beyond hitting people with swords, and thus cannot fly, mind-control people, leap tall buildings in a single bound

ishy · Post by **ishy** » Wed May 30, 2012 10:15 pm

Well I've seen this thread :
http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?t=26663

And this one has some terms as well:

http://tgdmb.com/viewtopic.php?p=31962

like: Skip Hates Sorcerors: Tome & Blood

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:03 pm

The book nickname list is missing Book of Bad Touch = Book of Vile Darkness, and I think there's a similar name for Book of Exalted Deeds.

...You Lost Me · Post by **...You Lost Me** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:13 pm

I thought it was Book of Vile Body Piercings

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:17 pm

and I think there's a similar name for Book of Exalted Deeds.

Book of Exalted Deeds: Book of Exalted Furries, though I admit that I came up with that title before I even read a single Exalted book. Because the Exalted 2E player's manual is a much better fit than the BoED. But whatever.

Vanilla Action Hero: A character common to action movies who has no reliable access to or unilateral control of phlebtonium and has to rely on plot armor and mundane if preternatural human abilities to accomplish things. VAHs are allowed to use their plot armor to bend probability--such as being shot at by twenty bad guys and having them all miss--but can't use it to do something that's impossible to a layman's WSoD--such as surviving a harpoon to the heart. Has a lot of overlap with Dumbass Melee Fighter, but it's important to note that not all DMFs are VAHs (Rock Lee is a DMH, but not a VAH) and not all VAHs are DMFs (Robin Hood is a VAH, but not a DMF). Most DMFs are VAHs, however.

koz · Post by **koz** » Wed May 30, 2012 11:54 pm

Oooh, ooh, I got one!

Suck a barrel of cocks: A generic insult employed on the Gaming Den when a generic denigration of problems in behaviour, assumptions or design is required, and the specifics should be obvious.

Example case: The PF fighter sucks a barrel of cocks.
Example case 2: Your writing sucks a barrel of cocks. Try using actual grammar, punctuation and spelling next time.
Example case 3: Bruce Cordell's takes on psionics suck a barrel of cocks no matter what edition they're from.

Etymology

A signature of one of the Denizens, in relation to an event where a somewhat-high-brow insult was employed, leading to that Denizen's confusion. To quote:

Some Denizen somewhen wrote:...If he had told me to go suck a barrel of cocks, I would have taken it in my stride.

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:28 am

Steve the Crap-Covered Farmer: The not-particularly-important peasant who is either being saved, unable to meaningfully interfere in the plot, being casually devastated by one side or the other, or otherwise of minor direct importance. Occasionally receive powerful magic items or get turned into Spawn or something.

Sashi · Post by **Sashi** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:38 am

The Turnip Economy[/i]: The only economy accessible to Steve the Crap-Covered Farmer. An economy in which people regularly barter baskets of root vegetables for basic services and small quantities of handmade goods.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:05 am

I totally want to make Steve the Crap Covered Farmer a recurring npc in my game now...

deaddmwalking · Post by **deaddmwalking** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:36 am

Mister_Sinister wrote:Oooh, ooh, I got one!

Suck a barrel of cocks: A generic insult employed on the Gaming Den when a generic denigration of problems in behaviour, assumptions or design is required, and the specifics should be obvious.

Man, did I wildly misinterpret that. I thought it was used like, "DeadDMWalking, what a brilliant post - you should reward yourself by sucking a barrel of cocks". Not to my taste, as it were, but everyone is so urbane, sophisticated and literate, I just assumed the majority of regular posters were homosexual and meant that in the kindest, most encouraging way possible.

My bad.

Ravengm · Post by **Ravengm** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:42 am

You could add Padded Sumo and Rocket Launcher Tag.

Orion · Post by **Orion** » Thu May 31, 2012 3:02 am

deaddmwalking wrote:I just assumed the majority of regular posters were homosexual

That's odd, considering that the majority of people who suck cocks are not homosexual. Surely the more logical assumption would be that the Den is a Girls' Club?

koz · Post by **koz** » Thu May 31, 2012 7:39 am

Orion wrote:
deaddmwalking wrote:I just assumed the majority of regular posters were homosexual
That's odd, considering that the majority of people who suck cocks are not homosexual. Surely the more logical assumption would be that the Den is a Girls' Club?

That would be hilarious to contemplate.

Prak · Post by **Prak** » Thu May 31, 2012 7:40 am

Yes, we're all secretly women, except for Koumei* and Maj who are in fact men, as was Crissa, back when she fouled these waters.

*also a tentacle monster.

Dean · Post by **Dean** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:09 am

Rocket Launcher Tag: Combat that is so offense heavy that the only indicator of who will win is who fires first (surely leading to the other person's death).

Magical Tea Party: A part of a roleplaying game where no rules dictate what will happen or why.

WWSSF: Stands for "Written While Still Smellin Funky". A common inclusion at the end of a post to indicate that the response was written immediately post-coitus. This is to apologize for the possibility of mistakes in grammar or hazy comprehension demonstrated within the post. The polite response is GfGFB in the following post. Which stands for "Gratz for Gettin Funky Bro".

koz · Post by **koz** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:40 am

deanruel87 wrote: WWSSF: Stands for "Written While Still Smellin Funky". A common inclusion at the end of a post to indicate that the response was written immediately post-coitus. This is to apologize for the possibility of mistakes in grammar or hazy comprehension demonstrated within the post. The polite response is GfGFB in the following post. Which stands for "Gratz for Gettin Funky Bro".

...I have never, ever seen this employed on the Den. Source?

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Thu May 31, 2012 11:57 am

Mead Review - A Frank Trollman joint. Where delicious alcohol is required to get through the book, rather than to help enjoy it.

Desdan_Mervolam · Post by **Desdan_Mervolam** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:04 pm

Mister_Sinister wrote:
deanruel87 wrote: WWSSF: Stands for "Written While Still Smellin Funky". A common inclusion at the end of a post to indicate that the response was written immediately post-coitus. This is to apologize for the possibility of mistakes in grammar or hazy comprehension demonstrated within the post. The polite response is GfGFB in the following post. Which stands for "Gratz for Gettin Funky Bro".
...I have never, ever seen this employed on the Den. Source?

Didn't you know? Everyone here at the Den are all Super Cool Guys who go to all the cool parties and ride motorcycles without a helmet because they just don't give a shit and eat their steaks raw and totally fuck women all the time, man.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:06 pm

I say that we should stick to using terms that have appeared at least three other non-quoted times by other posters in different thread. Rather than using the dictionary to stick peoples' shitty forced memes into it.

The well is feeling dry? Here's a few: Gygaxian (TGD uses that term in a different context than most of the Internet), Off the RNG, and Basket Weaving.

koz · Post by **koz** » Thu May 31, 2012 12:10 pm

Paizil: A fan of Paizo's work, who typically exhibits a lack of analytical proof for their preferences, instead citing Paizo marketing or putting forward stupid arguments that don't come from evidence. Typically believes that Pathfinder fixed all problems of 3E, and tends to feel smugly superior to fans of 4E, despite being hardly any better.

Example case: Paizils keep shitting in our thread with their claims that CMB/CMD actually works.

Example case 2: That's some serious Paizil logic there! Are you seriously trying to argue that fighters actually contribute?

Example case 3: Paizils, like 4rries, are a species apart - bound in religious logic, except about TTRPGs.

Etymology: First begun by Roy, as a compound of 'Paizo' and 'fail'.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:37 pm

Could Winds of Fate be included? I've only heard the term used here, but I could be mistaken.

nockermensch · Post by **nockermensch** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:41 pm

Don't forget to define knot cutting. This is an awesome term and should seriously be in more use.

Chamomile · Post by **Chamomile** » Thu May 31, 2012 6:17 pm

Add Combat Advantage Number and Really Abstract Locations if we're going to do that. Not discussed as heavily as WoF, but relevant to its discussions.

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Thu May 31, 2012 6:58 pm

Playing Super Smash Bros.: Refers to gameplay or story bits in which one or more players are rendered superfluous for an extended amount of time and would be better off playing this game than having to sit uselessly at the table. Fun game by the way.

Phlebtonium: Actually a TvTropes term, this refers to a fictional power source (or a real-world power source pushed past its limits into fiction; genetic engineering and nanotechnology are popular) that allows the paranormal or supernatural things in a series to work. While not all things impossible to the real world in a story need phlebtonium in order to operate, readers find it easier to accept that a wizard casts a fireball through manipulating the mana leylines rather than 'just because'.

Forming Voltron: Combining individually inconsequential and unrelated mechanics or tactics to create a powerful effect. Usually used in the 'gameplay derailment' sense.

Gangbang/Focus Fire: Several team members ganging up on one person and concentrating attacks. Usually used in a pejorative sense for systems which mechanically encourage this tactic while fluffedly discouraging it.

Conan the Barbarian: Used as an exemplar of 'low' fantasy which exalts the Vanilla Action Hero. Only has just enough magic in the fantasy to justify it being called so. Character not only gets to muscle and VAH their way through the setting but is also the MVP character. Note that this is not how the character actually behaves in the comics or movies, this is just the pop cultural perception of him.

Elennsarian: When a poster desires or believes in something that is at first glance plausible but is actually contradictory and holds on to this contradiction even after being pointed to an alternative or how to undo the contradiction. Named after a poster who wanted things like races to matter while also not having them define your character, wanted individual effort to matter in WH40K so the setting would be less grimdark, etc..

Gygaxian: 1.) A style of game design or dungeon-mastering where game and story decisions are unilaterally decided or enforced by the DM, against the will of the players, the rules, real-world examples or counterexamples, and common sense.

2.) A style of game design or dungeon-mastering in which negative things frequently and incorrigibly happen to players without any real connection to the plot, existing rules, or player actions.

Popeye: Used as an example of a 'martial' character who does blatantly impossible and supernatural things while not actually using phlebtonium. Activities such as punching a pile of wood into a fully functional house, creating a tornado by spinning in place very fast, etc.. Popeye Music specifically refers to the time period a powerful buff lasts.

Steve the Crap-Covered Farmer: See above.

(this isn't actually the name for this concept, since it's nameless but it pops up frequently enough that it needs to be stated)
Rule Negative One: Cooperative game optimization is not limited by in-game effectiveness. Optimization is limited by how 'reasonable' your proposed method is, up to and not limited to: How long your explanation is, how out-of-genre your method is, how much jealousy your methods induce at the table, and how much you go against an average DM's expectations.

Rule Negative Two: Because of rule Negative One, for any rules discussion or mechanics cobbling meant to be used at a real gaming table, always interpret ambiguity in the most Gygaxian fashion possible.