Your Gaming Group's Jargon

[AlHazred]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Anybody else here ever visit the Gamer Jargon website?

 

For some inexplicable reason, my players consider "Stunned" to mean Unconscious, too. They use the term "Dazed" to mean Stunned. And one of them runs games at Cons, so I suppose he's spreading that insidious meme...

 

Cracked Out - a character with maximized potential in some area.

As in "Man, those goons are going to kill you!" "Nah, my HTH skills are cracked out!"

 

Blarg - an informational placeholder, used when the GM wants to give specific information but does not have that info prepared. As in "So, we ask the beggar where he saw the Man in Black. Does he have an address?" "Uh, yeah... blarg!"

[Arkham]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

My group has a few similar pieces of jargon...

We use 'ping' when we take no damage from an attack.

And 'blah' when relaying information.

 

When I, as a GM, am trying to get the players back to the

game, I say 'Anyway, we were in this canoe...' This is in reference

to a friend who was trying to relay a story about her summer

camp, and kept getting interrupted every time she started. And

of course her story was about being in a canoe...

 

When I was running Vampire, every in game evening would start

with 'Night falls. And bounces.'

 

'I am a moose' is used when using some form of telepathy

to communicate with others. Also used in the form 'I moose him'.

This comes from the groups LARPing experiences, where every

power has a hand signal, and one of the hand signals for telepathy

is placing your wide open hand, palm forward, to your head

with your thumb at your temple.

[zornwil]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

I don't think we have much jargon, as lemming and I recently discussed over in NGD. It's mostly things like constant baloney references (the base HQ only makes baloney in its food replicator, the scientist likes baloney and hasn't gotten around to fixing it - nor will he ever), "plausible deniability" (something the group often needs and one character has popularized), and references to the neighboring Mysterymen.

[Korvar]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"Cactus" - when a player whose character isn't in the current situation makes a comment, it's said to come from "the cactus in the corner". Becomes associated with the comments themselves.

 

Basically from a Deadlands game where the party was always splitting up and doing stuff on their own, and players in the other group would offer suggestions and comments, even though their characters weren't there. Got blamed on the supposedly plentiful cactii.

[Arthur]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"I got a rock"/"Kicked it"

fumble/crit

 

 

The "rock" is something that started in a RPG group I played in c. 1979 - in Merced. About 60 miles north of Fresno. Ever play with Dave Fitzgerald or any of his group? I coined it first, IIRC. It's a reference to the Charlie Brown Halloween special. Every stop, it was something like this:

 

Lucy: "I got a candied apple!"

Linus: "I got a chocolate bar!"

Charlie Brown: "I got a rock"

 

We had a variant system where we would roll for initiative every turn, with high numbers going first. We would all announce our rolls:

 

"I got a seventeen!"

"I got a twelve!"

[Looking at my d20 which rolled a 1]

"I got a rock"

 

Brings back memories.

 

This isn't exactly a "phrase", but we also started the practice of putting one's hand on one's face (thumb on the nose, index finger on forehead) to indicate that whatever was said was "out of character". It started as "thumbing one's nose" with the fingers wiggling, but settled down to the more static version. I saw the same thing done in a game 5 years later and 300 miles away. I always wondered if that filtered into the gaming community after we started it.

 

Yes, I'm old.

[Hex]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

A fav of mine is a fellow player's ever-popular variations on "Weigh that mans balls!" whenever a player of NPC does something especially... well, ballsy. There is also the token "Get a scale!"

 

Once our GM described to us players out of character how Foxbat once eluded PRIMUS by ditching his costume and escaping into a nudist beach. After the tearful laughter abaded, one player said "Aw, they could've found him no problem... he was the guy with the biggest balls."

 

I dunno... crude but hilarious.

[Pegasus]

How could I forget...

 

"Through the magic of role-playing..."

1) Inexplicable event or plot device occurs. Example: "Through the magic of role-playing...you all wake up naked."

2) Time passes. Example: "Through the magic of role-playing...it's Friday."

[DocMan]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

I've remembered another one.

 

Each campaign seems to have a "Designated Angst Boy". This is the one character in the whole party that feels bad about whatever the party has to do. A character that is all concience and no rationale.

 

Doc

[Magmarock]

Re: How could I forget...

 

2) Time passes. Example: "Through the magic of role-playing...it's Friday."

 

Yeah, I like to say, "Morning happens". Usually only for D&D games, though.

(The group prefers that to "Roll Initiative...")

 

 

Mags

[Venger]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

We have a few also. Some named, oddly enough, after the Players/GMs:

 

"Drop the Bomb, Tom" Using a brute-strength action when finesse is required

 

Actually it was "Hit the Bomb, Tom" physically doing something really dumb. Like punching an explosive bomb for no good reason.

 

And a few more,

 

By me "When all else fails ... use tactics." After the heroes regroup and defeat the bad guys.

 

When encountering a locked door, “it’s stuck†All locked doors are just stuck. BTW Bricks are very handy at opening stuck doors.

 

“Plan B – Blow it all up†When plan “A†fails, as it normally does.

 

“It’s a fountain Taser.†When a player does something dump because he just doesn’t understand the situation.

The paraphrased story.

GM “It’s a fountain Taser.â€

Taser “ I jump inâ€

GM “IT’S A FOUNTAIN TASER.â€

Taser “I jump in.â€

GM “OK you jump in. Let me see your character sheet.†After seeing the player forgot his non swimming character has a Sus to water. GM rolls 3d6 “OK, take 15 stun from the water in the fountainâ€

Taser “Ohhhhh its a fountain.â€

 

“Coo-chee-coo attack.†When attacks just bounce off doing minimal to no damage.

 

“Weaver’ed the dice†Rolling poorly. And it can spread too.

[Magmarock]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Magmarock= We have a few also. Some named, oddly enough, after the Players/GMs:

 

"Drop the Bomb, Tom" Using a brute-strength action when finesse is required

 

Actually it was "Hit the Bomb, Tom" physically doing something really dumb. Like punching an explosive bomb for no good reason.

 

 

Oh yeah... That is right. Heh, got a little confused.

 

Mags

[DocMan]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"Getting the screw" - This referred to one GM who would come out at the beginning of the evening with a large screw, and then would give it to one of the players as an indication that that person's character was going to be picked on. The physical screw hasn't been seen in years, but if it seems like the GM is picking on someone, they are "getting the screw tonight!"

 

Doc

[hfergus]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"My Hobbit drools on the doorknob" used first in D&D by one person and mainly by that person. It means "I am getting sleepy."

 

"Pulling a Romulan" Fading out - also means getting sleepy. Much more common in use.

 

"When last we left our intrepid heroes" - "Ok, stop yakking, we are starting." Someone else used this in this thread, but we use it every session.

 

"Out the window." Describes an attempt to make a dodge or savings throw that was not likely.

 

Said in unison when an explanation was obtuse or not coming - "It's magic!"

 

Sung in unison when the plot gets over the top, especially when it had changed rapidly - "Deus ex machina!"

 

"You tripped over an undead invisible turtle." From a fumble chart. Means really bad roll resulting in somthing other than a normal miss.

 

"Yark?" means "What the?...."

 

I know there are more, when I remember, I'll post them.

[The Hawk God]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

I've remembered another one.

 

Each campaign seems to have a "Designated Angst Boy". This is the one character in the whole party that feels bad about whatever the party has to do. A character that is all concience and no rationale.

 

Doc

 

Wow...another delightful necromantic thread.

 

And a storm blows in: Whenever a new GM took over the shared game, it seemed I always had the weather change...I never noticed but they did.

 

Sleeth: based on a misspelling of stealth, it amounts to the same thing.

 

I'm not going to give you the satisfaction: A character is on his/her last legs and the enemy is upon him...what does he do? Clunks himself on the head!

[Shadow Hawk]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Yahtzee! - any roll with either five 6's or five 1's. Never was popular with other numbers.

 

"The RED button" - any explanation that goes over the players head. Refers to a blind character being given orders to "Push the red button!"

 

Dusted - any minion who's doing really well in combat. Reference to PCP (angel dust).

 

"I walk into a tree" - bad perception roll.

 

"There goes the neighborhood" - miss a attack roll, especially large range attacks. First used by me to describe what a character with a RKA autofire explosion who missed his target hex. Also "Random property damage".

 

"Mood swing, slay the party" - acting out of character, like a character with 'Honorable' suggesting that we lie.

 

"Need another Timmy" - minion gets defeated, usually horribly. From the TV show 'Dinosaurs'.

 

"Viper brought a RV!" - bad guys have a combat vehicle. From 'Die Hard'.

 

"I continue to fall to my death" - characters spending too much time discussing options while someone is about to die. From a session where 15+ minutes was spent discussing how to rescue someone who fell out of a plane.

[Metaphysician]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

'Gangrel'. To most, its the name of a clan from Vampire. To us, its an adjective or a verb, referring to improbable dice luck.

 

'Getting Gangreled' means your dice luck is awful. You not only roll crappy once, but repeatedly.

 

'Gangrel Hands' means your dice luck is, by contrast, incredible. Every time you toss them, you crit succeed.

 

Also, 'Gangrel Rule' is a house rule we use in systems involving hero points. Specifically, if a PC's dice luck is such that they are getting Gangreled, as agreed by everyone, they get a hero point free.

[bubba smith]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

interesting

[mattingly]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"Assume leadership position" -- fall unconscious, from one of our characters who officially led the team, and almost always was knocked out by the end of the first phase.

[Kestrel]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"Wee gray blobbie" - Referring to the character of a player who is absent. "He's following along as a wee gray blobbie."

 

"Toasted like an English muffin." - Referring to a character or npc who took a LOT of damage.

 

"Popcorn People" - Referring to villain henchmen who die easily.

 

"My seeing eye dog is chasing a rabbit." - Failing a perception roll. Badly.

 

"All-purpose power tool." - Refers either to someone with a cosmic VPP, or a helluva lot of skills.

[Heckus]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

getting "Silver-Snaked": being beaten so far into unconsciousness that you only get recoveries at GM discretion.

 

Usage: "I'm totally gonna Silver-Snake this guy!"

 

Origin: Silver-Snake (a super invulnerable tunneling brute) made the mistake of pointing out that no Federal prison could hold him and that if the heroes went after his boss he'd just tunnel away while they weren't watching. The casual killer in the group (Mongoose) argued that they should just finish him off so that he'd no longer be a threat to mankind, but the CVKer in the group (Saint Harv) wouldn't stand for that.

 

The rules mechanic in the group (Gravnost) pointed out that his defenses were high enough to stop any BODY damage they could hope to dish out, BUT they could still inflict a tremendous amount of STUN by combining attacks.

 

So the "heroes" gathered around him and beat him into such a coma that he was never seen in the campaign again.

 

Pulling a "Mongoose": the act of "unintentionally" using excessive KAs against non-resistant-defense-having foes.

 

Origin: During a metahuman gang war, Mongoose (alien-powered secret agent) picks up a discarded M-16 from a national guardsman and turns it on Psycho-Del (leader of the "Peacemongers") assuming that, as a metahuman, he'd have resistant defenses. He did not. 4/5 AF shots hit for nearly max damage. Oops.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"Marchlew Damage" -- Named after a character in a Pendragon game. He was a ferocious warrior; he could use any weapon; he was as strong as a lion, and he hit every time. He also did the crappiest damage. Like he'd roll 8d6 for damage and roll 9 points. Every. Single. Time.

 

So now when someone rolls s**tty damage, someone inevitably says, "Ooh, Marchlew damage!"

 

"Getting the Ghoti Kill" -- From a character in a Fantasy Hero game. Ghoti was a scrawny thief-type with hardly any combat skills to speak of. The heroes would be fighting some ultimate villain, slowly whittling him down but never getting that decisive kill-shot in. Then Ghoti's turn would come around and he would inevitably do exactly one point of damage past the target's defenses... the target's last point of BODY (or STUN).

 

So a Ghoti Kill is when someone who hasn't really participated in the fight manages to bring the bad guy down.

[Lord Mhoram]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Some others we use (in addition to the post I made years ago)....

 

 

Mach-stick.

We had a speedster (named Mach) who had 36" of combat movement. We have Yardsticks with the range penalties marked on them. Anytime someone needs the yardstick, we call it the mach-stick.

[Pariah]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Pulling an Oraclese - When a character does something that's supposed to be flashy and impressive but ends up going badly and getting the character (and possibly his/her teammates) hurt and/or embarrassed. From our old speedster Oraclese, who tried to Move Through someone robbing a bank and ended up getting Blocked into the vault--running full speed into the armored back wall and knocking himself unconscious.

 

Punny Bank - Any pun, obnoxious joke, or bad (and out of context) movie/TV/literary reference made during game time is punishable by a 5¢ fine*, paid to a receptacle called the Punny Bank. Every so often, the group empties out the Punny Bank and buys pizza, movie tickets, gaming supplies, etc.

 

Great Cat of the Apocalypse - Lord Mhoram's cat used to loved to sit on/sleep on/walk across our map, which could send pieces flying or obscure chunks of landscape. When this happened, we'd cry out, "Oh no, it's the Great Cat of the Apocalypse!" RIP, Gump.

 

I know there are others; I just can't think of any at the moment.

 

--

* Or up to 25¢ if it's really bad, and if Humongous' player ever makes the "Is that a full staff, or just a publicist and a girl Friday?" joke again, it'll be a buck.

[teh bunneh]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

Great Cat of the Apocalypse - Lord Mhoram's cat used to loved to sit on/sleep on/walk across our map, which could send pieces flying or obscure chunks of landscape. When this happened, we'd cry out, "Oh no, it's the Great Cat of the Apocalypse!" RIP, Gump.

 

Yeah, we have a Catzilla, too.

[matrix3]

Re: Your Gaming Group's Jargon

 

"He Guardianed him!"

Coined before I joined this current group when the powersuit member, Guardian, went after an enemy with a full, flying move through. The enemy had launched pretty impressive power attacks, but no resistant defenses up, and was cut in half. On live, nationwide TV. Now used when a PC absolutely slaughters a single enemy, usually due to purposely using extreme firepower, but sometimes when it was just due to a really good roll.

 

"I sacrifice you all to my god!!!"

Again, before I joined this current group. D&D 3 or 3.5. One player was a bit powerhungry, and this came out in his character. One time, in a treasure trove, there were a number of gems, and they were divvied up by the party. His gem started talking to him telepathically. He was eventually convinced that powerful, old god was trapped in the gem, and by worshipping this god he could gain favors and make things happen. Time passes, and the characters are instrumental in defending a nation. The character ended up on a hill between two vast armies during a very temporary truce, and his "god" told him that if he would merely proclaim that he was sacrificing these armies to his god, there would be enough life force that the "god" could escape his jeweled prison, and the PC would be his high priest, with power and wealth aplenty. So, in the middle of these two armies eying each other, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I sacrifice you all to my god!!!"

 

And nothing happened. The gem was merely inhabited by an imp with impressive illusory powers. The PC did escape permanent injury, but the act lives on, and anytime a PC does something boneheaded out of greed, someone will pipe up with "And I sacrifice you all!" or some variant.

 

 

"Chinchillas!"

Coined ages ago in a Vampire game when the crazed, demolitions loving Noferatu couldn't find a delivery mechanism for his newest explosive. He didn't want to throw them and possibly give away his position, and he could control animals, but he wanted something clean, not those rats from the sewer. So he went to a pet store. The largest thing they had in stock were little, cute, cuddly chinchillas. Ever since, explosive chinchillas have randomly shown up in games...