Acronym Refresher

[schir1964]

This type of thread hasn't been done for a while so I figured I'd create a new one.
This is to help clarify what many of the Acronyms used on the board means.

Acronyms
FRED: Fith Rules EDition or Fith Revised EDition (which should it be?)
5ER: 5th Edition Revised
5th: 5th Edition
PD: Physical Defense
POD/PWD: Power Defense
FW: Force Wall
FWK: Find Weakness

This is just a start. Feel free to add onto this list.

- Christopher Mullins

[Willpower]

This type of thread hasn't been done for a while so I figured I'd create a new one.
This is to help clarify what many of the Acronyms used on the board means.

Acronyms
FRED: Fith Revised EDition (although some still use Fith Rules EDition)
5ER: 5th Edition Revised
5th: 5th Edition


Chris, not to start an argement, but are you sure on some of these. I know for a fact that FRED was originally used for standard fifth edition, not revised. It seems to be debatable whether it has or has not been expanded to that of the revised edition. In the thread we started discussing it, some seemed to feel it was correct, and others felt think it referred to the original fifth edition.

This was in fact the exact reason I had started the thread that gave FRED its name in the first place. The new book was black, and some had thought to call it the Big Black Book, but that had the same initials as the Big Blue Book (BBB), and so I thought a distinction was needed. The thread had Steve visit it, he suggested Fred (rather a nonsuggestion really) and I seconded it, and viola FRED was born.

With the advent of the Revised edition though, and some wanting to use the same name for it and other not, we are now back to what I had originally wanted to avoid in the first place. When you first told me of the changing of the anagram I thought it made more sense for the revised edition to be called FRED instead of the original, but after seeing others confusion, I am not so sure. Personally, I would like to keep using FRED for revised, as I had a big hand in its inception and revised will be what is talked of more, but if it is too confusing for people I think it would probably be better to simplify it and simply refer to them as 5E and 5ER respectively. (I also do not like the original 5th edition being cut out of the FRED name loop too, since it would feel as if that had been taken from me. So I might be biased there, but enough about that, I have mentioned my bias twice now.)

(BTW Fifth Rules EDition was the anagram I came up with for it.)

[schir1964]

Chris, not to start an argement, but are you sure on some of these. I know for a fact that FRED was originally used for standard fifth edition, not revised. It seems to be debatable whether it has or has not been expanded to that of the revised edition. In the thread we started discussing it, some seemed to feel it was correct, and others felt think it referred to the original fifth edition.
I'm not debating the history.

I just know some here use the term when referring to the Revised Edition. I could have easily reversed it to say it was Fifth Rules Edition (Fifth Revised Edition).
Frankly, it doesn't matter to me since I don't use the term and anyone I have discussions with I wlll ask for clarification if it isn't obvious from the context as to which version they are referring to.

But if enough people post here saying they use it to refer to the original version, I'll change it. Not a big deal, at least not to me.

- Christopher Mullins

[schir1964]

Updated post.

I'll leave it up the community to decide what it should be.

- Christopher Mullins

[Robyn]

FW: Force Wall
FWK: Find Weakness

FWIW, several of you have spent the last couple of weeks on a Find Weakness thread abbreviating it to FW (which confused me every single time I read it, because I always thought it meant Forcewall).

[Vondy]

Correct or not, once a usage or custom has become common, your task in "correcting it" becomes an excercise in futility.

There's a reason King David referred to the nation as "horses charging for battle."

[ghost-angel]

The Books (these are as official as you get, as they are the ones used by Steve, Darren and the rest of the Hero gang.)

5ER - Fifth Edition Revised
HSB - HERO System Bestiary
HSRK - HERO System Resource Kit
HSVS - HERO System Vehicle Sourcebook
SDK - HERO System Sidekick
EG - HERO System Equipment Guide
HCH - HERO System Combat Handbook
YGHC - You Gotta Have Character

The Ultimate Series
UMA - Ultimate Martial Artist
TUV - The Ultimate Vehicle
TUB - The Ultimate Brick
UMY - The Ultimate Mystic
UMM - The Ultimate Metamorph
USP - The Ultimate Speedster
TUS - The Ultimate Skill

Champions
CH - Champions
CU - Champions Universe
CKC - Conquerors, Killers and Crooks
MC - Millennium City
USPD1 - UNTIL Superpowers Database 1
CB - Champions Battlegrounds
VPR - VIPER- Coils Of The Serpent
RS - Reality Storm
UDOF - UNTIL Defenders of Freedom (alternately UNTIL)
SST - Sharper Than A Serpents Tooth
G&G - Gadgets And Gear
GC - Galactic Champions
TMW - The Mystic World
DSD - DEMON Servants of Darkness (alternately DEMON)
AA - Arcane Adversaries
VB - Vibora Bay
VAmk - Villainy Amok
HL - Hidden Lands
TC - Teen Champions
USPD2 - UNTIL Superpowers Database 2
CWW - Champions World Wide
EV - Everyman
EU - Evil Unleashed
C25 - Champions 25th Anniversary Limited Edition

Star Hero
SH - Star HERO
TE - Terran Empire
ST - Spacers Toolkit
AW - Alien Wars
WoE - Worlds Of Empire

Ninja Hero
NH Ninja HERO

Fantasy Hero:
FH - Fantasy HERO
FHG1 - Fantasy HERO Grimoire 1
MMM - Monsters, Minions, and Marauders
TA - Turakian Age
FHB - Fantasy HERO Battlegrounds
FHG2 - Fantasy HERO Grimoire 2
VA - Valdorian Age
NKN - Nobles, Knights, And Necromancers
AB1 - Asian Beastiary 1
AB2 - Asian Beastiary 2

Dark Champions:
DC - Dark Champions
HC - Hudson City
DCP - Predators (never techincally abbr. by Hero; done so for the Ultimate Index)
DCTAS - Dark Champions: The Animated Series

Pulp Hero:
PH - Pulp HERO
MM - Masterminds and Madmen
TP - Thrilliing Places

[Edsel]

I'd guess that once it is released TUM = The Ultimate Mentalist

[schir1964]

FWIW, several of you have spent the last couple of weeks on a Find Weakness thread abbreviating it to FW (which confused me every single time I read it, because I always thought it meant Forcewall).
You didn't see me using FW for Find Weakness, but that is why I put out a possible ancronym to help avoid confusion in the future. (8^D)

- Christopher Mullins

[schir1964]

Correct or not, once a usage or custom has become common, your task in "correcting it" becomes an excercise in futility.

There's a reason King David referred to the nation as "horses charging for battle."
Correct, which is why I started this thread. Let the community as a whole decide what to use.

For me, FRED is pretty much useless since there seems to be a division on what it stands for as far as actual use on the boards.

I'm hoping to avoid possible future confusion by suggesting acronyms for those things that may get confused with others: FW vs FWK.

- Christopher Mullins

[PhilFleischmann]

FREd does and always has referred to the original, unrevised, 5th edition. I've never seen anyone before refer to 5ER as "FREd". I believe, Chris, that you have created confusion here where none existed before.

There's a reason we give things names: so that we can talk about them clearly. It would have been very confusing to refer to FREd or 5ER as BBB or "Big Black Book." That's why we give each one its own name.

Fifth, unrevised = FREd (or FRED if you prefer)
Fifth, revised = 5ER (or 5er, or Fiver)
Fourth, with Champions included in one volume = BBB

[schir1964]

FREd does and always has referred to the original, unrevised, 5th edition. I've never seen anyone before refer to 5ER as "FREd". I believe, Chris, that you have created confusion here where none existed before.

There's a reason we give things names: so that we can talk about them clearly. It would have been very confusing to refer to FREd or 5ER as BBB or "Big Black Book." That's why we give each one its own name.

Fifth, unrevised = FREd (or FRED if you prefer)
Fifth, revised = 5ER (or 5er, or Fiver)
Fourth, with Champions included in one volume = BBB
As I said elsewhere, I don't use the term. It was other posters who have used it when referring to the latest version.

And once again, I really don't care one way or the other. If I have any doubts about what the poster is referring to, I simply ask.

So you'll need to track down those using it incorrectly if it bothers you.

- Christopher Mullins

[ghost-angel]

FREd does and always has referred to the original, unrevised, 5th edition. I've never seen anyone before refer to 5ER as "FREd". I believe, Chris, that you have created confusion here where none existed before.

There's a reason we give things names: so that we can talk about them clearly. It would have been very confusing to refer to FREd or 5ER as BBB or "Big Black Book." That's why we give each one its own name.

Fifth, unrevised = FREd (or FRED if you prefer)
Fifth, revised = 5ER (or 5er, or Fiver)
Fourth, with Champions included in one volume = BBB

Many people do refer to the Revised book as FREd, mostly newer posters and almost always does someone correct them.

FREd never has, and likely never will, stand for anything as an acronym. It's just a short hand name dervied from and off hand comment.

[Robyn]

I'd guess that once it is released TUM = The Ultimate Mentalist

Until then, TUM (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49776) stands for Tumbling ammunition ;)


FREd never has, and likely never will, stand for anything as an acronym. It's just a short hand name dervied from and off hand comment.

Which makes me wonder what sort of acronym people would have come up with had Steve Long said "You can call it GEORGE for all I care" :D

[ghost-angel]

I'd guess that once it is released TUM = The Ultimate Mentalist

ayup.

[Sean Waters]

I've always referred to the original 5th edition rules as Fred and, to avoid confusion, I'll be referring to the revised 5th edition rules as Ginger, or possibly Wilma.

I suggest that everyone makes up and uses their own acronyms, abbreviations and nicknames and we use them interchangeably.

I mean it is not as if we make a lot of sense at the best of times, is it? :D

[Lucius]

FRED or FREd means Fifth Rules EDition.

Offhand I've never seen it used to refer to the Fifth Edition, Revised.

I like FRED Jr. or ReFred for that, but that doesn't seem to be too popular. However, referring to it as just FREd would invite confusion.

In fact, now I think of it, I think I just recently referred to FRED and ReFred as such in question to Mr. Long, and he certainly seemed to understand what I was talking about.

Lucius Alexander

The palindromedary suggests Frederick, a longer name for a longer book.

[gojira]

"FREd" does indeed look to me like an acronym for Fifth Revised Edition. Pretty confusing for those of us who weren't around for the publication of 5th.

I'd kinda like to see people use the term less.

I'd also like to see first use of any term or acronym in a thread spelled out, then you can use the acronym. This is just good writing style.

[Zeropoint]

Which makes me wonder what sort of acronym people would have come up with had Steve Long said "You can call it GEORGE for all I care"

Good Edition Of a Really Great Engine?

Game Exceeding Our Radically Grand Expectations?

Guidlines Enabling Outstandingly Realistic Gaming Experiences?

[schir1964]

"FREd" does indeed look to me like an acronym for Fifth Revised Edition. Pretty confusing for those of us who weren't around for the publication of 5th.

I'd kinda like to see people use the term less.

I'd also like to see first use of any term or acronym in a thread spelled out, then you can use the acronym. This is just good writing style.
I didn't think it was a good idea to use it at the beginning, just because it is not obvious what it refers to. I don't know how many times I've seen a post asking for clarification on what or who "FRED" is.

I'd prefer it stopped being used to reduce the confusion that arises from it, but who am I? No one.

I don't have problem with typing Hero 5th Edition every time, but others do.

- Christopher Mullins

[Willpower]

The Books (these are as official as you get, as they are the ones used by Steve, Darren and the rest of the Hero gang.)



FRED was never official. More of a nickname fans used like BBB was used to describe 4th edition rules book. I am fine with however it is or isn't used, as is Chris it seems. Personally, at this point, I am thinking referring to each by the official 5E and 5ER is the best way to go though, to cut down on confusion.

[Willpower]

Correct, which is why I started this thread. Let the community as a whole decide what to use.

For me, FRED is pretty much useless since there doesn't seem to be a division on what it stands for as far as actual use on the boards.

I'm hoping to avoid possible future confusion by suggesting acronyms for those things that may get confused with others: FW vs FWK.

- Christopher Mullins

Agreed

[Willpower]

FREd does and always has referred to the original, unrevised, 5th edition. I've never seen anyone before refer to 5ER as "FREd". I believe, Chris, that you have created confusion here where none existed before.

There's a reason we give things names: so that we can talk about them clearly. It would have been very confusing to refer to FREd or 5ER as BBB or "Big Black Book." That's why we give each one its own name.

Fifth, unrevised = FREd (or FRED if you prefer)
Fifth, revised = 5ER (or 5er, or Fiver)
Fourth, with Champions included in one volume = BBB

I like this too. Wow, I am all over the board on this.

[Willpower]

FREd never has, and likely never will, stand for anything as an acronym. It's just a short hand name dervied from and off hand comment.

Sorry, I do disagree with this part of your post. I was there at the start, and it most certainly did have an acronym, as I made it, when I seconded the name in the first place, andothers seconded, and validated it as Fifth Rules Edition. Which is why it was capitalized as such F(fifth) R(rules) Ed(Edition) in the first place.

[schir1964]

Sorry, I do disagree with this part of your post. I was there at the start, and it most certainly did have an acronym, as I made it, when I seconded the name in the first place, andothers seconded, and validated it as Fifth Rules Edition. Which is why it was capitalized as such F(fifth) R(rules) Ed(Edition) in the first place.
I think he meant officially, like how 5ER is actually considered official.

- Christopher Mullins

[Robyn]

I like FRED Jr. or ReFred for that, but that doesn't seem to be too popular.

I do recall seeing ReFred used though, now that you mention it.

[Hyper-Man]

I vote that from this day forward we should refer to 5ER as Barney.
:D

[schir1964]

I vote that from this day forward we should refer to 5ER as Barney.
:D
Nooooooooooooooo!!!!

- Christopher Mullins

[ghost-angel]

FRED was never official. More of a nickname fans used like BBB was used to describe 4th edition rules book. I am fine with however it is or isn't used, as is Chris it seems. Personally, at this point, I am thinking referring to each by the official 5E and 5ER is the best way to go though, to cut down on confusion.

You'll note that FREd isn't on my list, now is it? No it's not. Therefore it's a) still not official and b) still has nothing to do with my list of books.

Apology accepted.


Sorry, I do disagree with this part of your post. I was there at the start, and it most certainly did have an acronym, as I made it, when I seconded the name in the first place, andothers seconded, and validated it as Fifth Rules Edition. Which is why it was capitalized as such F(fifth) R(rules) Ed(Edition) in the first place.

Steve refered to the book as 5E. Were it on my list that is how it would be classified, even if I do use FREd in posts.

As for the acronym of FRED - it was retconned. It is STILL a short hand name derived from an off hand comment made by Steve. Retroactive Acronymizing (is that a word? is now) doesn't change that fact. Sorry.


I think he meant officially, like how 5ER is actually considered official.

- Christopher Mullins

Correct.

[PhilFleischmann]

I vote that from this day forward we should refer to 5ER as Barney.
:D

And we had this discussion a long time ago, too. I thought Barney referred to Sidekick (after all, Barney is Fred's sidekick). I had at the time proposed FREdRIC - Fifth Rules EDition, Revised, Including Corrections, but it didn't catch on. I also liked Ginger, or even Ethel.

[Hyper-Man]

And we had this discussion a long time ago, too. I thought Barney referred to Sidekick (after all, Barney is Fred's sidekick). I had at the time proposed FREdRIC - Fifth Rules EDition, Revised, Including Corrections, but it didn't catch on. I also liked Ginger, or even Ethel.

I think you're right.

5ER should be called Wilma instead!

more fun to complain about too.

"That Wilma is such a b!+&# to understand sometimes..."

[kjamma4]

Until then, TUM (http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49776) stands for Tumbling ammunition

TUM is what's on the little tablets I need to take after reading this thread.:)

[gojira]

I think you're right.

5ER should be called Wilma instead!

Or Bam-Bam. After all, 5E begat 5ER....

[Bloodstone]

Gojira, I think you have your cartoon kids criss crossed

The Flintstones had Pebbles... and there is no way I'm calling 5ER Pebbles....

[gojira]

Oh, you're right. The Rubbles had Bambam... still what a matter with Pebbles? She was a nice kid.

[ghost-angel]

'Cuz 5ER is a lot more like a brick than a pebble. :D

[Robyn]

'Cuz 5ER is a lot more like a brick than a pebble. :D

I don't know, brick implies you can't even fit it into your mouth before you crunch down :D

[ghost-angel]

I just unhinge my jaw. . .

[Pattern Ghost]

PD: Physical Defense




I call shenanigans! Everyone knows PD is Police Department!:D

[schir1964]

I call shenanigans! Everyone knows PD is Police Department!:D
Nice...

- Christopher Mullins