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<blockquote data-quote="Patlin" data-source="post: 1749475" data-attributes="member: 17264">I don't think something going &quot;boom&quot; is the key elements of terrorism.&nbsp; Here's what I'd call terrorism:1.&nbsp; The target is not a military target.&nbsp; If you blow up the enemy armed forces, that's an act of war not an act of terror IMO.&nbsp; Still horrible, but not the same thing.&nbsp; If you are blowing up enemy commanders or the facilities (tank factories, etc.) that make war possible, those are military targets.2.&nbsp; The attack is done to promote fear and terror over a large number of people.&nbsp; If you blow up a plane full of people and your goal is to collect on the insurance payment (it's your plane) then you are a psychotic, sociopathic criminal but not a terrorist.&nbsp; The motivation is important to the definition, IMO.3.&nbsp; The attack is publicized.&nbsp; Without communication, terrorism is impossible.&nbsp; People simply cannot be afraid of things they've never heard about.&nbsp; One of the hallmarks of terrorism is &quot;claiming responsibility&quot; for depraved acts.Since #3 is very important, I'd say that the campaign setting most well set up for a terrorist attack is Eberron.&nbsp; They have newspapers in Khorvaire.&nbsp; You don't need a fireball to be a terrorist.&nbsp; If you go into a schoolhouse and kill all the children with a sharp stick, then make a statement to the local news sheet that you did it to protest the treatment of refugees from the mournland, and that there will be more attacks until the politics change, then you are a terrorist.&nbsp; No &quot;boom&quot; required.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Patlin, post: 1749475, member: 17264"] I don't think something going "boom" is the key elements of terrorism. Here's what I'd call terrorism: 1. The target is not a military target. If you blow up the enemy armed forces, that's an act of war not an act of terror IMO. Still horrible, but not the same thing. If you are blowing up enemy commanders or the facilities (tank factories, etc.) that make war possible, those are military targets. 2. The attack is done to promote fear and terror over a large number of people. If you blow up a plane full of people and your goal is to collect on the insurance payment (it's your plane) then you are a psychotic, sociopathic criminal but not a terrorist. The motivation is important to the definition, IMO. 3. The attack is publicized. Without communication, terrorism is impossible. People simply cannot be afraid of things they've never heard about. One of the hallmarks of terrorism is "claiming responsibility" for depraved acts. Since #3 is very important, I'd say that the campaign setting most well set up for a terrorist attack is Eberron. They have newspapers in Khorvaire. You don't need a fireball to be a terrorist. If you go into a schoolhouse and kill all the children with a sharp stick, then make a statement to the local news sheet that you did it to protest the treatment of refugees from the mournland, and that there will be more attacks until the politics change, then you are a terrorist. No "boom" required. [/QUOTE]

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