Definitions and Terminology

From Mizahar Lore

Revision as of 13:11, 6 October 2013

The following are commonly used definitions and terminology on Mizahar. The list is always growing, so feel free to add whatever you'd like that is relevant to Mizahar.

Common Definitions and Terminology on Mizahar

Storytelling Terms

• Collaborative Storytelling - a form of writing a story in which two or more authors take turns to write a portion of the story. According to Wikipedia, "these authors may focus around a specific protagonist or character 'owned' by an author in a narrative thread, and then passes the story on to the next writer for further additions or perhaps a change in focus to a protagonist 'owned' by the next author. Alternatively, one author might write all the portions of particular subplots, and other narrative threads might be shared. Which author then integrates the whole and smooths the work into professionally submittable form depends solely on agreements between the collaborators, as does whatever percentages of remuneration are earned by each party. Thus, since royalty payments may outlive the individual authors, these matters are generally agreed to in advance, using written contractual terms, while the collaborators are outlining and designing the fictional work."

• Thread - A sequential series of posts that are made by the participants to tell a collaborative story.

• Flashback - A thread that takes place in the past - usually writing about someone's memory of a childhood event or pre-rp experience. Flashbacks do not require Storyteller permission, however if a character gains something (or even learns a skill, etc.) that item or ability cannot be used until the flashback thread is completed. Flashbacks can only be done in timestamps PRIOR to the beginning of a character's actual roleplay start date (timestamp wise). Meaning, if a PC starts in Summer of 509 AV, (August 2009) then Flashback threads can only be ran prior to that timestamp.

• Post - A single entry into a thread. Threads are made up of multiple posts. Most people post in order, meaning they take turns and wait until all other participants of a thread have posted until they 'reply' and post again.

• Timestamp - This is a notation at the beginning of a thread or post that lets the reader know when the thread or post has taken place. Timestamps always include the Season (Summer, Winter, Spring, or Fall), the day (1 - 91), and the year (currently 523). It can also include the time of day. :) See Time for more details.

Character Terms

• Player - A participant in the game. For Example, John Doe plays character Ziabian Renquist, Syliran Knight. John Doe is the player, while his PC is Ziabian Renquist.

• Player Character (PC) - A fictional character in Mizahar who is controlled by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game.

• Non-Player Character (NPC) - A character in Mizahar whose actions are not under the player's control. Non-playable characters may be family, friends, acquaintances, shopkeepers, authority figures, and even sentient creatures.

• Character Sheet (CS) - This is a collective record of all a player character's skills, abilities, XP, coin and equipment. Character sheets are maintained by the player of the player character. See Character sheet.

• Storyteller Secrets (SS) - This is the thread a Storyteller will keep on an individual player that houses all that player's secret information. Say a character is given a mysterious cloak by a figure he or she does not know. A storyteller will then record the cloak, what its stats are, and who the figure was that gifted the cloak in a secret thread so only the other storytellers can see. Characters are encouraged to place a link to their Storyteller Secrets (SS) thread in their signature so that storytellers can easily access this, look up the information, then utilize the abilities of the cloak or help the character discover who the mysterious person was in later threads if necessary. See Storyteller Secrets for more information.

Narrator Terms

• Regional Storyteller (RS) - This is a storyteller that is in control of an entire [Region]. Regional Storytellers are in charge of all the Domain Storytellers in their region and the events that take place there. See Storyteller.

• Domain Storyteller (DS) - This is a storyteller that is in control of an entire domain. Domains can be anything from a city, a ship, a set of ruins, or even a stretch of waterway. Domain storytellers are in charge of all the Assistant Storytellers in their domains and the events that take place there. See Storyteller.

• Assistant Storyteller (AS) - This is a helper storyteller that aids a Domain or Regional Storyteller in narrating action. See Storyteller.

• Storytelling - Also called moderation, this is when a non-involved player narrates the tale, controlling NPCs and determining outcomes of conflicts.

• Junior Storyteller - Also called Juniors or yellowshirts. This is an underage storyteller that assists the assistants to learn the ropes of being a storyteller.

• Experience Point (XP) - These are the rewards earned by player characters for accomplishing tasks, practicing skills or arcana, and otherwise working through issues in threads. Experience points are a broad measurement of a character's proficiency at something and grant access to more advanced skills, magic, and abilities.

Game Slang

• Godmodding - Sometimes called Powergaming. Godmodding (sometimes called Powergaming) has a whole host of definitions, but is distinctly different from Metagaming. In general, Godmodding is a term used for those that create a character that is portrayed as skilled sometimes to the point that they are virtually indestructible and incredibly good at everything they do despite their skillset listed on their character sheet. Anyone who utilizes skills at a higher level than listed on their CS is considered a Godmodder.

Godmodding is also a term used to refer to a character that describes an outcome of their own actions against another PC or NPC without giving the PC or the moderator a chance to respond. Ie. Character A swung his axe, cutting off Character B’s head! On Mizahar, its perfectly acceptable for Character A to swing to kill, just let Character B respond and at least try to dodge. In a situation where it is impossible for Character B to dodge (say hes laying prone on the ground unconscious), it can also be considered Godmodding for Character B to miraculously get away in a convenient and out of context way.

A further use of Godmodding is when a character takes too many actions in one round of combat. Some people love to write great detailed in-depth posts, but one has to remember that doing actions takes time. This is especially true with magic. So if its our badboy Character A’s turn to post again, and he casts two fireballs, throws up a shield, and creates a sword of stone all out of his awesome Reimancy, odds are he’s not going to have time for all of that at once. A fireball or two is fine, but some things take concentration and PC’s have a tendency to forget about casting time in magic. And while the wiki doesn’t specify casting time, we go by the ‘is it reasonable in those seconds’ rules. Probably four creations of oozing djed, forming it, and utilizing it aren’t.

Controlling characters that are not yours to begin with is also considered godmoding. This is not metagaming, like some people confuse it with. Metagaming is utilizing knowledge (usually a skill or some news relevant to the game) your PC does not have in thread.

Miscellaneous Terms

• IC - In Character. IC is used as a shortcut for meaning that a situation or conversation is going on in character - that is, within the game setting in the character's voice. All forums dedicated for the game are considered In Character and posters must post in their character's voice. The sole exceptions to this is the OOC THREAD for each city, which is a place to chatter about the city, ask questions, and solicit for people to join your threads.

• OOC - Out of Character. This means that the situation is going on outside the game setting in the player's voice. There are forums dedicated to OOC conversations that do not add to the collaborative storytelling of Mizahar.