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Knights Of The Dinner Table Magazine
''Knights of the Dinner Table'' (''KoDT'') is a comic book/strip created by Jolly R. Blackburn and published by Kenzer & Company. It primarily focuses on a group of role playing gamers and their actions at the gaming table, which often result in unfortunate, but humorous consequences in the game. The name is a parody of King Arthur's Round Table reinforced by the truism that roleplaying aficionados often end up sitting round their host's dinner table as it is the only one large enough to accommodate the party (4 to 8 people typically). The comic The panels are written by Blackburn, and given that he had no formal art training, the characters are drawn in simple caricatures which are scanned onto a computer and are continuously reused. Many of the stories presented in ''KoDT'' are based on actual in-game experiences of the developers or readers, who are encouraged to submit story ideas. Part of the comic's popularity stems from the reader's ability to relate to the characters and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Kenzer
David S. Kenzer is a game designer who has worked primarily on role-playing games. Career David Kenzer started the game company Kenzer & Company with friends Brian Jelke and Steve Johansson, and their initial project was ''The Kingdom of Kalamar'' (1994), a systemless fantasy setting. Kenzer was a lawyer who knew how trademark law worked, and had "suitable for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' on the back cover, and included the disclaimer text "''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' is a registered trademark of TSR Hobbies, Inc. Use of this trademark is NOT sanctioned by the holder." Following the publication of ''The Kingdom of Kalamar'', Kenzer had formed a casual relationship with Alderac Entertainment Group, AEG, who was then putting out ''Shadis'' magazine, edited by Jolly Blackburn. When Blackburn left AEG, Kenzer and the staff of Kenzer & Company wanted to get Blackburn to join their company, and the turning point came in November 1996 when David Kenzer and others were vi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Powergaming
Powergaming (or power gaming or optimization) is a style of interacting with games or game-like systems, particularly video games, boardgames, and, role-playing games, with the aim of maximizing progress towards a specific goal. Other players may consider this disruptive when done to the exclusion of all other considerations, such as storytelling, atmosphere, and camaraderie. When focusing on the letter of the rules over the spirit of the rules, it is often seen as unsporting, un-fun, or unsociable. This behavior is most often found in games with a wide range of game features, lengthy campaigns, or prize tournaments such as massively multiplayer or collectible games. Description Powergaming in roleplaying games can take several forms. One form is the deliberate creation of optimal player characters (PCs), with the aim of maximising the power the player wields in the game world. This is known as min-maxing, due to the practice of maximising desirable or "powerful" traits while mini ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rules Lawyer
A rules lawyer is a participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit, usually in order to gain an advantage within that environment. The term is commonly used in wargaming and tabletop role-playing game communities, often pejoratively, as the "rules lawyer" is seen as an impediment to moving the game forward. The habit of players to argue in a legal fashion over rule implementation was noted early on in the history of ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Rules lawyers are one of the "player styles" covered in ''Dungeon Master for Dummies''. The rules of the game ''Munchkin'' include various parodies of rules lawyer behavior. Related terms * In the US military, " sea lawyer" is used in the navy and "barracks lawyer" in the army. * The term "language lawyer" is used to describe those who are excessively familiar with the details of programming language syntax and semantics. * On English Wikipedia, a "wikilawyer" is a contributor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Risk (game)
''Risk'' is a strategy board game of diplomacy, conflict and conquest for two to six players. The standard version is played on a board depicting a political map of the world, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents. Turns rotate among players who control armies of playing pieces with which they attempt to capture territories from other players, with results determined by dice rolls. Players may form and dissolve alliances during the course of the game. The goal of the game is to occupy every territory on the board and, in doing so, eliminate the other players. The game can be lengthy, requiring several hours to multiple days to finish. European versions are structured so that each player has a limited "secret mission" objective that shortens the game. ''Risk'' was invented in 1957 by Albert Lamorisse, a French filmmaker, and it became one of the most popular board games in history, inspiring other popular games such as ''Axis & Allies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pit Bull
Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was first used in 1927. Within the United States the pit bull is usually considered a heterogeneous grouping that includes the breeds American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and occasionally the American Bulldog, along with any crossbred dog that shares certain physical characteristics with these breeds. In other countries including Britain, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is not considered a pit bull. Most pit bull-type dogs descend from the British Bull and terrier, a 19th-century dog-fighting type developed from crosses between the Old English Bulldog and the Old English Terrier. Pit bull-type dogs have a controversial reputation as pets both in the United States and internationa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Game Master
A gamemaster (GM; also known as game master, game manager, game moderator, referee, or storyteller) is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game. They are more common in co-operative games in which players work together than in competitive games in which players oppose each other. The act performed by a gamemaster is sometimes referred to as "Gamemastering" or simply "GM-ing". The role of a gamemaster in a traditional table-top role-playing game (pencil-and-paper role-playing game) is to weave the other participants' player-character stories together, control the non-player aspects of the game, create environments in which the players can interact, and solve any player disputes. The basic role of the gamemaster is the same in almost all traditional role-playing games, although differing rule sets make the specific duties of the gamemaster unique to that system. The role of a gamemaster in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HackMaster
HackMaster is a fantasy role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company. It began as a fictional game, a parody of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' played by the characters of the ''Knights of the Dinner Table'' comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn. The characters in the comic began playing fictional ''HackMaster 3rd Edition'', which was updated and published in 2001 as a numerously revised 4th edition. It has been hinted the name of the game was originally changed for copyright reasons. The current 5th edition has removed most of the parody aspects, and contains game mechanics written from scratch in order to avoid any intellectual property problems. Publication history Kenzer & Company received many requests from fans of the comic to produce an actual ''HackMaster'' game, but initially they thought that licensing ''Dungeons & Dragons'' would be impossible. In 1999 the ''Dragon Magazine Archive'' software was published where Wizards of the Coast failed to get permission to reprint many o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hack And Slash
Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as guns) as secondary weapons. It is a sub-genre of beat 'em up games, which focuses on melee combat usually with swords. Hack-and-slash action games are sometimes known as character action games. The term "hack and slash" was originally used to describe a play style in tabletop role-playing games, carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and role-playing video games. In arcade and console style action video games, the term has an entirely different usage, specifically referring to action games with a focus on real-time combat with hand-to-hand weapons as opposed to guns or fists. The two types of hack-and-slash games are largely unrelated, though action role-playing games may combine elements of both. Types of hack-and-slash games Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ball State University
Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, industrialists and founders of the Ball Corporation, acquired the foreclosed Indiana Normal Institute for $35,100 and gave the school and surrounding land to the State of Indiana. The Indiana General Assembly accepted the donation in the spring of 1918, with an initial 235 students enrolling at the Indiana State Normal School – Eastern Division on June 17, 1918. Ball State is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university is composed of seven academic colleges. , total enrollment was 21,597 students, including 15,205 undergraduates and 5,817 postgraduates. The university offers about 120 undergraduate majors and 130 minor areas of study and mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwarf (mythology)
A dwarf () is a type of supernatural being in Germanic folklore, including mythology. Accounts of dwarfs vary significantly throughout history however they are commonly, but not exclusively, presented as living in mountains or stones and being skilled craftsmen. In early literary sources, only males are explicitly referred to as dwarfs, although they are described as having sisters and daughters, while both male and female dwarfs feature in later saga literature and folklore. Dwarfs are sometimes described as short, however, scholars have noted that this is neither explicit nor of relevance to their roles in the earliest sources. Dwarfs continue to feature in modern popular culture such as in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Terry Pratchett, where they are often, but not exclusively, presented as distinct from elves. Etymology The modern English noun ''dwarf'' descends from ang, dweorg. It has a variety of cognates in other Germanic languages, including non, dvergr and goh, tw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GM Screen
A gamemaster's screen, also called a GM's screen, is a gaming accessory, usually made out of either cardboard or card stock, and is used by the gamemaster to hide all the relevant data related to a tabletop role-playing game session from the players in order to not spoil the plot of the story. It also hides any dice rolls made by the gamemaster that players should not see. In addition, screens often have essential tables and information printed on the inside for the gamemaster to easily reference during play. History The first commercial gamemaster's screen was the '' Judge's Shield'', produced by Judges Guild in 1977 for use with ''Dungeons & Dragons''. This featured three pieces of 8.5" x 11" cardstock designed to be taped together to form a three-panel screen, the two outer pieces in a vertical (portrait) orientation, and the middle piece in a horizontal (landscape) orientation. This design allowed the gamemaster to peer over the lower middle section more easily. The ''Judge's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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