AFK:

Abbreviation for "Away From Keyboard."

Attributes:

describe a natural, in-born characteristics shared by all characters, such as physical strength or wisdom

Autoing:

A form of godmoding. The act of making decisions and/or actions for the target of your roleplay. Acts such as this are highly dishonorable and possibly the worst form of godmodding that can be acted upon

Blending :

(IC/OOC Confusion): Where player mixes or "blends" realities between their character and themselves, or uses OOC knowledge that wouldn't otherwise be known to their character either in active RP or in SLs.

BRB:

Abbreviation for "Be Right Back."

DM (Dungeon Master):

In many Role Playing games there is a referee or judge who defines the fantasy world and plays its NPCs. This is usually true in any plot driven role playing games. Also called a GM for "Game Master."

Free Form Role-playing: Role-playing where complete freedom is given to the players to control their own characters within the setting of the room. Free form role playing tends to be more character driven than plot driven and the need for a DM is less.

Godmoding:

This is a term used to describe two poor behaviors of players.

Godmoding is almost always frowned upon by other members of the game, because it is regarded as a form of cheating against the game's tacit rules.

Passive godmodding:

Godmoding can occur when a character describes an event or a series of events he or she has taken against another character or interactive object, most often with the purpose of rescinding negative effects previously encountered or granting some other effect inconsistent with an innocent view of the narrative.

Godmoding is thus often used like a "Get Out of Jail Free card" when things don't go the way a player wants, rather than working with previously unfolded events. It is also used to describe the act of creating or playing with an invincible character or unbreakable armor, limitless power, etc. Some players will create a brand new character, and that character is automatically gifted with skills, and nearly impossible to take on right from the start. This happens when a newer character goes against an established one, and the newer character god-modes themselves as if they've been around the same length of time.

Active Godmoding:

Godmoding can also refer to the case where a player definitively describes the outcome of their own actions against another character or interactive object. For example, if player A states, "A strikes B and B takes damage", they could be considered to be godmoding. Another example of this might be where a character is facing multiple enemies, and they redirect one foe's attack onto another. For example, Player A states, "B misses A completely, and strikes C instead."

IC (In Character): Anything that pertains to your character; their thoughts, actions, dialogue, etc. The part of role-playing that maintains the illusion of the fictional reality where your character dwells.

Lurk:

This is slang for when a player is in a chat room but not playing. Many experienced gamers will lurk in a room for a few minutes to get a feel for what's happening before they role-play their character's entrance.

Metagaming:

This is the use of out-of-character knowledge in an in-character situation. A character played by a metagamer does not act in a way that reflects the character's in-game experiences and back-story..

Examples of metagaming include:

* Adjusting a character's actions if the player has some foreknowledge of the long-term intentions of the outcome.

* Using certain types of attack or defense based on the strengths and weaknesses of a monster/other characters the character knows nothing of, for example a weakness to fire-based magic.

* Acting on technical and/or scientific knowledge that the character is not or could not be aware of (such as creating gunpowder in a dark ages or middle ages setting).

* Adjusting a character's behavior towards other player characters based on real-life relationships with other players.

* Using knowledge of the game's mechanics to gain an advantage in the game.

* Deciding on a character's course of action based on how the game's mechanics will affect the outcome.

* Any action that is based upon the knowledge that one is playing a game.

* Another form of metagaming occurs as a form of powergaming during character creation, when a player takes flaws or liabilities that they know is unlikely to fully exploit, thereby acquiring extra creation options without paying a corresponding penalty.

Traditionally, metagaming is generally frowned upon in role-playing communities, as it upsets the suspension of disbelief and affects game balance.

OOC (Out Of Character):

Things pertaining to the real world and/or you as a person, and not to the character that you are playing. Try to keep OOC material to a minimum, but if you need to talk OOC use ((double parenthesis)) to show that you are not communicating IC.

NPC (Non-Player Character):

This is usually a minor character that has no player, but is controlled by either another player, a site wizard, or an automated script. It can sometimes refer to playing a second character interacting with your own and others.

PC (Player Character):

The fictional persona that one takes on when they RP (role-play) within the room.

Powers:

describe extraordinary abilities which make a character special, such as flight or telepathy

Powergaming:

This is when a player insists on calling actions for someone else's character.

This practice is not conducive to cooperative role-playing. Powergaming is a particular way of playing in which the emphasis lies on developing a player character that is as powerful as possible, usually to the detriment of other aspects of the game, such as character interaction.

In text-based online (RP) games that emphasize role-play over acquiring levels or skills, a player can be described as a powergamer if (s)he presumes or declares that his or her own action against another player character is successful without giving the other player character the freedom to act on his own prerogative.

They may also be a player who tries to force others to participate in role-playing they don't want to engage in. For instance, a player who unilaterally describes his character as doing something with (or to) another character that would usually require the other to play along — such as having a fight or a sexual encounter — is considered to be powergaming.

Powermodding:

The act of constant regeneration and/or dodging of attacks and actions. This is commonly found in battle-situation role-plays. Classifications such as these are usually only used by the more experienced roleplayers, usually to be only used after a certain level of experienced is reach. Acts such as this are not entirely dishonorable, for they are hard to notice, however this classification usually halts the SL ((Storyline)) from advancing any further, making the story both unfair and simply 'not fun.'

Example: After being struck by the blade aiming for his jugular 'name of preference' would immediately use his anti-matter shield to regenerate within a matter of seconds. This would repeat throughout the SL ((storyline)) halting it completely.

Race: In role-playing games, "race" typically refers to any species that can be played as a player character. Many fantasy stories and worlds call their main sentient humanoid species "races" rather than species. In most such worlds, these races are related, typically having evolved from one root species (most often either elves or humans) by magical or divine influence. A race can be Human, Dwarf, elven, vampire, etc.

Session: A single meeting of a role-playing group.

Setting: The world in which the game takes place.

Skills: describe learned capabilities, such as spoken languages horse riding or computer hacking

SL (Storyline): Usually, the tale of a character's life. SLs can intertwine between characters, and the term can also refer to just a portion of a story, either written and/or role-played.