Post by Tami on Feb 21, 2007 9:33:06 GMT -5
Game Terms
Here we define a number of terms used in the rules that first-time players and new Storytellers might not be familiar with.
* Ability: These are Traits that describe what a character knows and has learned, rather than her physical and psychological make-up. Abilities are Traits such as Intimidation, Firearms and Occult.
* Action: An action is the performance of a deed, which is a consciously willed physical, social or mental activity. When players announce that their characters are doing something, they are taking an action.
* Advantage: This is a catchall category that describes the mystical Disciplines and Backgrounds of a character.
* Attribute: These are Traits that describe what a character inherently is. Attributes are such things as Strength, Charisma and Intelligence.
* Botch: 1)A naturally rolled "1," which cancels out a success die. 2) A disastrous failure, indicated by rolling one or more "1s" and no successes on the 10-sided dice rolled for an action.
* Character: Each player creates a character, an individual he roleplays over the course of the chronicle. Though "character" could imply any individual, we use it here to describe the players' characters.
* Dice Pool: This describes the dice you have in your hand after adding together your different Traits. It is the number of dice you can roll for that action.
* Difficulty: This is a number from 2 to 10 measuring the difficulty of an action a character takes. The player needs to roll that number or higher on at least one of the dice in his dice pool.
* Downtime: The time spent between scenes, where no roleplaying is done and turns are not used. Actions might be made, and the Storyteller might give some descriptions, but generally time passes quickly.
* Extended Action: An action that requires a certain number of successes, accumulated over several turns, for the character to actually succeed.
* Health: This is a measure of the degree to which a character is wounded or injured.
* Points: The temporary score of a Trait such as Willpower and blood pool -- the squares, not the circles.
* Rating: A number describing the permanent value of a Trait -- most often a number from 1 to 5, though sometimes a number from 1 to 10.
* Reflexive: A situation in which dice might be rolled, but that does not count as an action for the purpose of calculating dice pools. Examples of reflexives are soak rolls and Willpower rolls to resist mind control.
* Resisted Action: An action that two different characters take against each other. Both compare their number of successes, and the character with the most wins.
* Scene: A single episode of the story; a time and place in which actions and events take place moment by moment. A scene is often a dramatic high point of the story.
*Score: The temporary value of a Trait or combination of Traits used in a single roll.
*Simple Action: An action that requires the player to get only one success to succeed, though more successes indicate a better job or result.
*Storyteller: The person who creates and guided the story by assuming the roles of all characters not taken by the players and determining all events beyond the control of the players.
* System: A specific set of complications used in a certain situation; rules to help guide the rolling of dice to create dramatic action.
*Trait: Any Attribute, Ability, Advantage or other character index that can be described as a number (in terms of dots).
*Troupe: The group of players, including the Storyteller, who play Vampire: The Masquerade, usually on a regular basis.
* Willpower: A measure of a character's self-confidence and internal control. Willpower works differently from most Traits -- it is often spent rather than rolled.
Here we define a number of terms used in the rules that first-time players and new Storytellers might not be familiar with.
* Ability: These are Traits that describe what a character knows and has learned, rather than her physical and psychological make-up. Abilities are Traits such as Intimidation, Firearms and Occult.
* Action: An action is the performance of a deed, which is a consciously willed physical, social or mental activity. When players announce that their characters are doing something, they are taking an action.
* Advantage: This is a catchall category that describes the mystical Disciplines and Backgrounds of a character.
* Attribute: These are Traits that describe what a character inherently is. Attributes are such things as Strength, Charisma and Intelligence.
* Botch: 1)A naturally rolled "1," which cancels out a success die. 2) A disastrous failure, indicated by rolling one or more "1s" and no successes on the 10-sided dice rolled for an action.
* Character: Each player creates a character, an individual he roleplays over the course of the chronicle. Though "character" could imply any individual, we use it here to describe the players' characters.
* Dice Pool: This describes the dice you have in your hand after adding together your different Traits. It is the number of dice you can roll for that action.
* Difficulty: This is a number from 2 to 10 measuring the difficulty of an action a character takes. The player needs to roll that number or higher on at least one of the dice in his dice pool.
* Downtime: The time spent between scenes, where no roleplaying is done and turns are not used. Actions might be made, and the Storyteller might give some descriptions, but generally time passes quickly.
* Extended Action: An action that requires a certain number of successes, accumulated over several turns, for the character to actually succeed.
* Health: This is a measure of the degree to which a character is wounded or injured.
* Points: The temporary score of a Trait such as Willpower and blood pool -- the squares, not the circles.
* Rating: A number describing the permanent value of a Trait -- most often a number from 1 to 5, though sometimes a number from 1 to 10.
* Reflexive: A situation in which dice might be rolled, but that does not count as an action for the purpose of calculating dice pools. Examples of reflexives are soak rolls and Willpower rolls to resist mind control.
* Resisted Action: An action that two different characters take against each other. Both compare their number of successes, and the character with the most wins.
* Scene: A single episode of the story; a time and place in which actions and events take place moment by moment. A scene is often a dramatic high point of the story.
*Score: The temporary value of a Trait or combination of Traits used in a single roll.
*Simple Action: An action that requires the player to get only one success to succeed, though more successes indicate a better job or result.
*Storyteller: The person who creates and guided the story by assuming the roles of all characters not taken by the players and determining all events beyond the control of the players.
* System: A specific set of complications used in a certain situation; rules to help guide the rolling of dice to create dramatic action.
*Trait: Any Attribute, Ability, Advantage or other character index that can be described as a number (in terms of dots).
*Troupe: The group of players, including the Storyteller, who play Vampire: The Masquerade, usually on a regular basis.
* Willpower: A measure of a character's self-confidence and internal control. Willpower works differently from most Traits -- it is often spent rather than rolled.