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Gods II Home Page
Introduction and How to Join the Game
Quick Summary Rules
The Complete Rules
The Power Lists
Current Game Info
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Adjacent: used when referring to squares on Earth; square B is adjacent to
square A if they are physically touching on either the side or the corner, contrasted with bordering
Advantages and Disadvantages: special traits
which a character can have when first created
Aggression: a number which measures how
aggressive a race is
Aggressive Attack: a declaration of war between two races instigated by one of the
races without intervention from the gods
Archetype: the physical personification of a sphere, one possibility for a greater god
who has six cards in a single sphere (see also Primal Being)
Artifact: an item in which specific powers have been imbedded, those powers can be used by any character
who possesses the artifact
Artifact Power: a personal power which may only be imbedded into an artifact
Atheism: an abstract member of a pantheon representing the share of worship which is lost
Base Terrain: one of the six mutually exclusive
terrain types which fills each square on the Earth; includes plains, forests, deserts, mountains, water, and ice
Base Terrain Power: a creation power or history
power which alters the base terrain of one or more squares on
Earth
Blessing (also Curse): a racial attribute added to a race after it
has been created
Block: a special combat gesture which prevents damage from all other gestures but does not in
turn damage the opponent; palm flat facing toward opponent
Bordering: used when referring to squares on Earth; square B borders square A
if square B lies within the Movement Range and/or Sea-faring Range of the population in square A
Celestial Persona: one of the twelve sets of
powers which may be possessed by a celestial spirit
Celestial Spirit: a being which lives in Heaven and works for and with the gods, it is
possible for a celestial spirit to become a lesser god through the
intervention of a greater god
Century: a unit of time for organizing activities on
Earth; Era Centrum is divided into 16
centuries
Character: the fictitious persona which a player acts out or portrays, includes gods, celestial spirits, and demons
City: a special type of terrain feature
Combat: a conflict between two characters or between a character and a demesne
Combat Duel Power: a combat power which can be used both in combat or just before a duel
Combat Power: a personal power usable in combat
Coordinating the Defenses of a Demesne:
taking the part of a demesne which is under attack; the
coordinator plays the demesne in combat but may use his own powers on behalf of the demesne
Corridors of Time: one or more generic locales where gods may not build demesnes
Council Laws: laws passed by the Great Council
Council Offices: three jobs (with associated
powers) which can be assigned to any character, the Council officers
serve specific functions related to the Great Council
Creation Power: a power which causes fundamental and usually permanent changes to Earth or Heaven, usable only in Era Aleph
Cultural Level: the basic social structure of a
race, either primitive, barbarian, or civilized
Curse: see Blessing
Death or Dying: going to the Underworld for a period until returning to life, contrasted with Obliteration
Demesne: a locale
created by and owned by one or more gods, always located within
another non-demesne locale
Demesne Power: a personal power or creation
power which modifies a demesne
Demon: one of the beings who predates the gods and wishes to destroy them, demons are portrayed by players whose former characters have
been obliterated
Demonic Hordes: an abstract presence, the
demonic hordes will attack Heaven during Era Omega unless stopped by the Supreme Deity, contrasted with demons who are individual representatives of the hordes
Demonic Mana Pool: a shared supply of mana in the Void from which all demons can draw
Denouement: the final portion of Era Omega in which the new universal order is determined
Diabolism: an abstract member of a pantheon representing the share of worship which goes to demons
Diplomacy: a number which measures the
diplomatic proficiency of a race
Direct Effect Power: a personal power which affects the self or other characters
Disaster Power: a history power which inflicts damage upon one or more races
Disengage: the act of unilaterally ending and
leaving a combat
Divine Oath: a promise made by a character which has actual game repurcussions if not fulfilled, a
divine oath requires that it be witnessed by someone with the power to do so
Duel: formal combat held
in the Hall of Doom
Earth: the physical planet created by the gods where mortals live, represented abstractly in the game by the Earth
Map
Era: one of the four structural divisions of the game, each
era consists of one or more game sessions
Era Aleph: the second era, in which the gods create the Earth and the races which will dwell on it, one game session long
Era Centrum: the third and longest era, in which
the history of the Earth takes place and the gods meddle with it, two to four game sessions long
Era Null: the first era, in which players create their initial characters, one
game session long
Era Omega: the final era, in which the fate of the
universe is decided, one session long
Event: a specific occurrence in Heaven or Earth from which one or more gods can derive mana
Game Session: a single three to six hour period
during which part of the game takes place and the players act out
their characters
Gamemaster: the person(s) running and
controlling the overall game
Gesture: one of the gestures usable in combat, including rock, paper, scissors, trick,
block, and the null gesture
Gift: a special power which
is given to a character by means of a gift power (NB. the gift
power is the ability which grants the gift itself to another person, not the gift itself)
Gift Power: a personal power which grants a gift to
another character
Global Power: a creation power or history
power which affects the entire Earth
Goal: a rigorously defined aspiration of a character, when a goal is completed the character gains mana, contrasted with Objectives
God: the primary type of character in the game, one of
the beings who creates and controls the universe
Great Council: the council of all greater gods
which has certain authority in Heaven
Greater God: one of the twelve most powerful gods, a member of the Great Council,
capable of creating lesser gods
Guardian Beasts: divine animals which
protect the Primeval Wilds, represented in the game by an
abstract system of rules
Hall of Doom: the locale where the Great Council meets,
where duels are fought, and where various records are maintained
Hall of Feasts: the locale where refreshments are served, no combat is possible, and persuasion
powers are more easily used
Heaven: the abode of the gods, the place where the characters live and
interact
Heaven Powers: a creation power which changes the rules for how things operate in
Heaven
History Power: a power which affects the course of events on Earth, usable in Era Centrum or Era Omega
Hit Points: the measure of how much damage a
character can take in combat; when a character reaches 0 hit points
he must surrender or die; normally regenerated at the end of combat
Judge of Heaven: a Council Office which decides whether a character is an outlaw
Knowledge: a characteristic which can be taught
to a race, which provides the race with certain advantages (or
disadvantages)
Knowledge Power: a history power which teaches a new knowledge to a race
Lesser God: a less powerful god whose initial power was provided by a greater god, it is possible for a lesser god to become a greater god
Locale: an identifiable place in Heaven, usually a separate physical room, but some rooms may be
divided into multiple locales
Locale Power: a personal power which affects all characters in a locale or the rules of how
that locale operates
Lord: the relationship of a greater god to the minions he created
Mana: the divine "power source" which gods, celestial spirits, and demons use to perform their special abilities, in the game each character
possesses a certain number of "mana points", represented the by cards or chips
Mana Distribution Points: places where the
referees place mana which can be picked up by the appropriate gods or celestial spirits
Messenger of the Gods: a Council Office which carries messages and announces the
beginning of Great Council meetings
Migration: an order from a god to a race to move in a certain direction
Military: a number which measures the military
proficiency of a race
Minion: the relationship of a lesser god to the lord(s) who created him
Miscellaneous Power: a personal, creation, or history power which does not fit into one of the normal power
categories
Movement Range: the distance which a race can move on land or ice during a century
Mutilation: a form of permanent damage which is
not healed at the end of combat
Myths: stories written by the players about the characters
Null Gesture: a special gesture usable in combat which is
automatically beaten by all other gestures; palm flat, face up
Objective: a loosely defined aspiration of a
character, objectives are used to determined each players success at the end of the game
Obliteration: the final destruction of a god, after which the player must play a new
character, specifically a demon
Outlaw: an individual who has been sentenced by the
Judge of Heaven for breaking a Council
law
Pantheon: the set of gods
worshipped by a race, to whom they provide mana from worship; each member of the pantheon has a certain
percentage of the total pantheon
Personal Power: a power which affects people or places in Heaven, usable in Era Aleph, Era Centrum, or Era Omega
Persuasion Power: a personal power which controls the actions of another character
Player: a game participant who plays a character
Population Growth: the natural increase of
population in a race at the beginning of each century
Population Limits: the maximum number of
population units which can exist in a square
Population Unit: a unit of mortal population
in a race represented by a single counter on the map of the Earth
Power: an ability which one or more characters can use to affect the game in some way; each type of
character uses different powers: gods have sphere and common god powers, celestial
spirits have celestial persona and common celestial
powers, demons have demonic gift, random, and common demon
powers; a special category of Council Officer powers can be
held by any character type; all powers are further divided into Personal Powers, Creation
Powers, and History Powers
Primal Being: the sentient form of a sphere, one possibility for a greater god
who has six cards in a single sphere (see also Archetype)
Primeval Wilds: the locale where the sphere of Nature has greater
efficacy, entrance is controlled by the Guardian Beasts
Race: a distinct group of mortals living on the Earth
Race Power: a creation power which creates or modifies a mortal race
Racial Attribute: an inherent and usually
permanent characteristic of a race
Racial Modification: a temporary advantage or
disadvantage granted to a race
Racial Modification Power: a history power which causes a racial
modification in a race
Ragnarok: the first part of Era Omega in which the gods vie to become
Supreme Deity
Referee: a game participant who does not play a
character but handles the "mechanics" of the game world
Religious Turmoil: the state when the
pantheon of a race is in contention;
while a race is in religious turmoil, it produces no mana from worship
Resistance (also Vulnerability): a racial
characteristic which modifies how a race is affected by certain disaster powers
Round: a specific sequence in combat during which each combatant may use one power and the two combatants fight a single bout of rock-paper-scissors
Sea-faring Range: the distance which a race can move on water during a century
Sentinel of the Council: a Council Office which maintains order during meetings of the Great Council
Session: see Game
Session
Silver City: one or more locales where gods may build demesnes but which have no other special characteristics
Sneak Attack: informal combat
Sphere: one of the basic "realms" of influence
controlled by the gods, there are twelve greater spheres (which are
invariant) and an indefinite number of lesser spheres (which may vary in different games), each
sphere is represented by cards, the more cards a god possesses the more abilities he gains from
that sphere
Square: one of the approximately 600 abstract spaces
into which the Earth is divided
Supreme Deity: the leader of the gods who will allow them to slay the demonic hordes and save the universe from destruction
Surrender: a formal act of submission after losing a
combat, the victor must choose surrender terms
Surrender Terms: mandatory penalties
imposed upon characters who surrender in combat
Terrain Feature: a special form of terrain on
Earth which exists in addition to the base
terrain in a square
Terrain Feature Power: a creation power or history
power which adds terrain features to one or more squares on Earth
Toll: the loss of mana
(normally 50%) whenever it is transferred from one character to
another
Transition Phases: the time between game sessions in which game participants prepare for the next
session, characters can also perform certain actions during the
transition phases which don't require actual acting
Transmigration: the act of traveling between
two locales without passing through the intervening locales
Trick: a special combat gesture which beats rock, paper, scissors, and other tricks; fist closed,
thumb up
Underworld: the locale where dead gods and celestial spirits go, entrance is normally controlled by powers from the
sphere of Death
Void: the locale from where
demons come, egress is normally controlled by powers from demons
or the sphere of Chaos
Vulnerability: see Resistance
War: a specific conflict between two or more races
Wealth: a number which measures the material
resources of a race
Window on the World: the locale where characters can interact with
the Earth
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