Dungeon Masters, Game Masters, and Potatoes

After going back and forth with Tommi, I think I realized I should probably clear something up about some nomenclature I’m going to be using in my blog.

Firstly, I’m going to use the term “Dungeon Master,” or DM. Even though I rarely roll Dungeons and Dragons or any other D20 system. I just prefer the term to “Game Master,” or GM. Why? I don’t know. Nostalgia. The same reason people still ask for a Kleenex or use Google as a verb. The same reason I still call them stewardesses. Because some names and terms come with a certain cachet.

Game Master sounds so formal, Dungeon Master has that je ne sais quoi. I feel Game Master is to Dungeon Master as “You do 14 Damage” is to “You cut off his head with a dastardly blow.”

Also, while we’re working on a little nomenclature, I should clarify something else. I’m not prone to use the word ‘game’. I’ll use the word ’session’ to describe an adventure, an evening with the players. I’ll use the word ‘campaign’ to indicate multiple, successive sessions featuring the same setting and the same PCs. I’ll use ’setting’ to refer to the world of the campaign. And I’ll use the word ’system’ to refer to the rule set. I will use the word ‘game’ to refer to HALO and Clue.

Last, but certainly not least, unless I’m specifically writing about female role players (Geek’s Dream Girl, I’m looking at you), I’m going to stick to the gender pronoun ‘he’. Nothing sexist, but it’s what I’m going to use. I don’t really feel the need to defend the decision.

That’s it. I’ll probably revisit nomenclature later.