An everchanging gaming language?

[Olgar Shiverstone]

The most severe IMO is the term-that-must-not-be-named, but is a misappropriation of a 1e race-specific term.

Seeing it misused in print makes me want to run the offender's character sheets through a shredder.

 

[MarkB]

In purely technical terms, I cannot understand what gave people such a hard time with THAC0. Perhaps it's because I predate it. It was just a shorthand way to express attack progression when you didn't have the chart handy. Then somebody figured out that with THAC0, you really didn't need the chart.

I think it's probably because it's one of those terms that just keeps on obfuscating as you unpack each layer.

First, you have to explain that "thack-oh" an acronym, not an abbreviation.

Then you have to clarify that the last character is a number, not a letter.

Then you explain what it stands for.

Then you have to explain what "armour class" is.

Then you have to explain why the given value is for hitting an armour class different than the one they're actually trying to hit, and how to adjust the value for the purposes of the current roll.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Also, "build."

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I think it's probably because it's one of those terms that just keeps on obfuscating as you unpack each layer.

First, you have to explain that "thack-oh" an acronym, not an abbreviation.

Then you have to clarify that the last character is a number, not a letter.

Then you explain what it stands for.

Then you have to explain what "armour class" is.

Then you have to explain why the given value is for hitting an armour class different than the one they're actually trying to hit, and how to adjust the value for the purposes of the current roll.

I usually just skip to the "roll a d20." part.

 

[Salamandyr]

The most severe IMO is the term-that-must-not-be-named, but is a misappropriation of a 1e race-specific term.

Seeing it misused in print makes me want to run the offender's character sheets through a shredder.

I'm blanking on this one.

 

[Savage Wombat]

I'm blanking on this one.

Fighter-MU.

 

[Salamandyr]

I guess I don't see what the problem with that one is.

I get pretty upset about "rouge".

 

[TwoSix]

I'm blanking on this one.

He's talking about "gish", I believe, the default term for a character with both martial ability and spellcasting. The historical use of the term was for Githyanki fighter/magic-users, although that definition has largely been superseded.

 

[Savage Wombat]

Hissss!! He said the word!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hissss!! He said the word!

Ni, please!