Glossary

[Terquem]

I would change the definition of "Figure" to - "a token, or other small device, representing a Monster or Character on the playing surface"

Also

GM - a Game Master, when participating is a player who decides on interpretations of the rules and may control Monsters, Non-Player Characters and other environmental effects.

Hex - a defined space on the game surface, a hexagon shape which represents a space measured four feet across from one flat edge to the opposite flat edge

For your consideration - I am an Electrical Safety Compliance Professional and a member of the NFPA Certification Advisory Group our group writes tests and advises on interpretations of standards and codes
The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) has a guideline that goes something like this, if a term, which is used uniquely in the standard or code, occurs in three separate sections it should be included in the "Definitions" section of the standard or code, otherwise it should be defined when it is used.

[Terquem]

Whats the difference between a Monster and a Character?

If two players are playing a game with no GM, and one runs three halflings and the other runs four lizardmen, who is running the monsters and who is running the characters?

I would try and think about setting a definition that a "Character" is any figure controlled by a player, even the GM, and in this sense a "Dragon" is the GM's "Character" when that Figure is controlled each turn by selecting options based on the player's choice

while a "Monster" is a Figure like a Character in every regard (statistics and rules application) but a Monster will select Options drawn from a limited set defined in a scenario or from a set of Monster Action Cards

It's just something to think about I suppose

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by Terquem

Whats the difference between a Monster and a Character?

I always went by the old Gygaxian definitions; where: Characters are what the players play, and Monster are any/all creatures or NPCs controlled by the GM (DM in their case). Pretty cut and dried between players and referee - So in their parlance, an NPC human Shopkeeper is still classified as a monster from that perspective.

JK

[Terquem]

Sure, I agree - but the great, one of the great, aspects of Melee and Wizard (and by extension TFT) is that it may not actually be played by a non-participating GM

Then it becomes a little harder to define, particularly if the rules drift into specific mechanics that can be tied to those definitions

[JLV]

Terquem raises a pretty good point here. Is the term "monster" even applicable if there aren't any restrictions on what the players can play?

If I want to run a Bear (just because I like killing things and don't really care about anything else), does that make me a "monster?" Or am I just a dumb (and incapable of improving) player character with a lot of fur, teeth and claws?

Unless there are going to be restrictions placed on the players ("you may only play a character from one of the races listed in section umpty-fratz") then the whole terminology of "monster" and "character" will only serve to confuse everyone. Maybe instead it should be "Player Character" and "Non-Player Character/Creature," or something like that.

[XRaysVision]

Steve,

I think you're on the right track and I hope you stay there.

There is a natural tendency for gamers, especially RPG types, to get so immersed in games that they start focusing on details and start to lose the greater vision and intent of game as a game.

The level of detail in your initial post is, IMHO, on target. A glossary is intended to help provide some simple functional definitions to make reading easier for the unintiatated.

Go find yourself a couple of 12 year old kids and if they comprehend the glossary, you did it right. In fact, it might be a good idea to hand a draft to someone of that age group along with a highlighter and ask them to mark terms they don't understand.

I used to write user manuals for business computers and peripherals. We were engineers and too close to the products to write effective manuals so we would go to the factory floor and get someone completely unfamiliar with the equipment, bring them into engineering, sit them in front of it with a draft and do exactly that. We used to refer to this process as measuring of effectiveness with a standard of ignorance.

Though I didn't play TFT as a kid, I've read the original game books and I can certainly understand how attractive it was was to kids of that time.

Keep it simple, don't give in to the natural tendency to display symptoms of AGS (Advanced Gamer Syndrome).

[Chris Rice]

Steve, I've noticed whilst going through my old books that, other than "hits" there are a number of terms used for ST loss. I've found, "energy drain" (Wizard), "exhaustion" (Advanced Melee) and "fatigue" (ITL). It might be an idea to have a single, consistent term for this sort of ST loss and include it in the glossary.

[pyratejohn]

Melee attack – An attack with a hand weapon or with bare hands, as distinguished from magical or missile attacks.

Would you like to include thrown weapon attack in the list, since they operate under different rules? Assuming, of course, it is still -1 for each hex.

[pyratejohn]

For combat...
Round?
Turn?
Segment?
I'm not sure which you are planning on using, but it might be nice to include how long a combat round is.

Reaction Roll?

[Skarg]

When I use the word "monster", I mean a non-friendly uncivilized non-Earth-animal, but it doesn't really seem like it needs to be a specifically-defined term.

PCs are characters currently run by a player. Players can have more than one PC, and/or PC-following NPCs. Players can run NPCs (adversaries or allies or others) in some contexts, or turn NPCs into PCs, or turn PCs into NPCs.