Greetings, adventurer! This page is a collection of terms used in the TTRPG hobby, industry, community, and beyond. While it may be a tad light-weight at this moment, it is being populated as time goes on. New terms will show up in the Dungeon Delve weekly newsletter. Consider subscribing to receive tabletop RPG news, free resources, quirky finds, RPG deals and discounts, and more!
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A
- Alignment
- A designation of a characters ethical or philosophical stance in relation to the society and environment of the game setting. The most common representation is the “nine alignment” system, a matrix between law and chaos, good and evil. Various TTRPGs either include alignment, devise their own system, or do not include it in lieu of other personality indicators.
B
C
- Called Shot
- An attack action which aims for a specific body part in attempt to gain a bonus or special effect, such as tripping, disarming, subduing, or causing greater damage. This often comes with a higher risk of failure.
- Crawl
- A scenario in RPGs where characters move across a geographic area divided into small segments. Segments represent paths, points, or POIs, and can be either revealed, or hidden until discovered. Crawls can be a useful mechanism for open exploration in RPGs.
- Crunch
- The mechanical complexity of a tabletop RPG, usually determined by the amount of rules, interacting systems, dice rolls, mathematics, and more. High crunch games have many variables, but are difficult to learn. Low crunch games are easy to pick up and play, but might lack a deeper experience for some players.
D
- Dice Bell Curve
- In TTRPGs, referring the probability of obtaining any specific end value when rolling multiple dice, often demonstrated with a numerical line graph.
- Drama (Threefold Model)
- Style which values in-game actions creating a satisfying storyline, whether it be delivering on genre tropes or story beats, or creating meaningful dramatic arc in character interactions. (“dramaism”, “dramatist”)
- Dungeon Crawl
- A crawl in which heroes navigate a labyrinth of monsters, traps, puzzles, and treasure. Most often, the setting is a dungeon with a square grid, but can include any other dense environment that’s an arrangement of interior rooms and passages.
E
- Encounter
- Any moment on a characters journey where they stop to interact with their environment. This can include a confrontation with monsters, crossing paths with another NPC, discovering an object to investigate, a dangerous trap, a clever puzzle, and more.
- Exploding Die
- A dice-rolling mechanic in some TTRPGs where rolling the highest number on the die prompts the user to roll that die again, and add the amounts together. This can be continued and accrue a larger and larger end value as long as the highest number is rolled on each resulting die.
F
- Fudging
- The act of reporting the end results of a dice roll, most often rolled in secret, to be something other than what it truly is. This is an act by the GM specifically. Depending on the situation and game style, fudging is at best an editorial action to nudge the flow of the game in a specific direction, and at worst is redundant and deceitful to the players.
G
- Game (Threefold Model)
- Style which values fair challenge to the players of an RPG, whether it be through tactical combat, intellectual puzzle-solving, intriguing social dynamics, or other in-game means. (“gamism”, “gamist”)
H
- Hex Crawl
- A crawl that utilizes a hex-grid which lends to more organic movement. This is often appropriate for larger geographic areas, or those not as well suited by square-or-rectangular segments. (Example: outer space, wilderness areas, exotic construction)
- House Rule
- A rule, or set of rules, practiced at a TTRPG gaming table or campaign that either appends or counters certain rules-as-written in order to better fit the preference or playstyle of the game master and/or the players.
I
- Initiative
- Score determining the readiness of a character. In most games, this determines the order which character perform their turns during action sequences (combat, encounters, chases, puzzles, etc)
J
K
L
- Lasersharking
- The act of combining two or more ‘cool’ elements in one setting, character, or game, based on the erroneous assumption that combining two cool things will result in something twice as cool. This term originated on RPGGeek.com.
M
- Modern RPG
- Referring to RPGs and systems that de-emphasize the dangerous and high stakes randomized elements in favor of balance, character optimization, and formulaic adventures, designed to be approachable, accessible, and consistent.
N
O
- OSR (Old School Renaissance)
- Referring to RPGs and systems that embrace the older days which were grounded in “tough but fair” play, including more fatal challenges, wild odds, and experiences unrestricted by newer, imposed formulas in favor of greater freedom.
P
- Point Crawl
- A crawl that leverages sequential points connected by lines rather than a grid. This provides exclusive focus on POIs while eliminating empty space. Pathways can be linear or branching.
- Point Of Interest (POI)
- A location within geographic space in an RPG world that is relevant to the world, character, plot, or encounter.
Q
R
- Rulings, not Rules
- A slogan popular within RPG circles, especially OSR. When a situation encounters a lack of rules, rules which don’t fit the situation, or desire for a specific course of action, it is up to the table to determine the best outcome. (I.E. a player describes what they are looking to do without restricting themselves to the character sheet, and the DM/table uses common sense to determine the roll, risk, and result.)
This can emphasize momentary solutions to unconventional situations, and help with the flow of the game, but can sometimes come into conflict with “Rules as Written”.
S
- Simulation (Threefold Model)
- Style which values resolving in-game events based on game-world considerations, and discouraging story interventions, instead opting to keep the game consistent to the consequences/“realism” of the setting. (“simulationism”, “simulationist”)
T
- Threefold Model
- An early 1997 model of RPG design theory which analyzes individual styles of play, and the outcomes of play at a table. The model includes Game, Drama, and Simulation. These values are not exclusive, but help illustrate an individuals game preferences.
U
- Urban Crawl
- A crawl in which characters must navigate a city or urban center filled with streets, buildings, neighborhoods, and more. Segments can be gridded or point-based.
V
W
X
Y
Z