Glossary

Term
Description
​Action​
A specific kind of thing a character can do in a conflict. Each character takes one action per exchange. Everything a character does in a conflict must be played as one of the predetermined actions.
​Alternate​
A secondary character that represents the online persona of a Netrunner.
​Aspect​
A short and evocative statement about what makes a context (character, faction, map zone, etc…) special. May be written on the related sheet, or temporarily assigned. Can be invoked or compelled (using fate points) to affect game actions. 
​Assessment​
A scene action that represents preparations made to use an aspect. May be a simple challenge or a contest. Prepares the aspect for a free invocation.
​Border​
A line between two zones in a map, that defines the difficulty of moving between those zones.
​Character​
A person in the game world, important to the story being told. Represented with aspects, skills, upgrades and stress track on a character sheet. Every player controls one character, the referee may control multiple characters at once.
​Capability​
The name given to skills of a complex device. Works exactly the same way as skills do in game. Named differently to avoid confusion with character skills.
​Challenge​
 A tight situation whose outcome may change the story. Represented by a skill roll against a fixed difficulty determined by the referee. 
​Compel​
An offer of fate points from a player to another to alter the story based on an aspect. 
​Competency​
The name given to skills of a [faction](/the-world/factions). Works exactly the same way as skills do in game. Named differently to avoid confusion with character skills.
​Concession​
A story offered to an opposing player to end a conflict. Ends the conflict if accepted by all sides in it.
​Conflict​
Detailed and elaborate game mechanism used to resolve hairy situations that players don't want to resolve with a single challenge or contest. 
​Consequence 
A detrimental aspect voluntarily placed on a character (or other context) by the controlling player, in order to gain a boost to a skill roll.
​Contest​
A simple game mechanism to resolve a situation between opposing characters. Involves comparing skill rolls to determine the victor.
​Declaration​
An attempt by a player to declare a fact about the world, scene or other context. The declared fact is assumed to be true and written down as an aspect if the roll is successful.
Dice
Randomizing device used in challenges, contests and conflicts to add variation to the outcome. In this game, this always means four special Fudge dice rolled together and added.
​Difficulty​
A number that indicates the relative difficulty of a challenge. Determined by the referee. Usually betweeen 0 and 6 but can be less or more.
Entity
Catch-all term that refers to all the mechanically represented things in the game that can be played like a character. Includes all kinds of characters, factions, complex technology and anything else you may come up in your game that has game-mechanical representation.
​Exchange​
A standard block of fictional time that everyone involved gets to act once during a conflict.
​Extra​
A secondary character that is less important for the story, and less capable than a regular character. Usually played by the referee, occasionally by other players, either as the lieutenant of a fixer or temporarily handed over to any player by the referee.
​Faction​
A group of people working towards a single purpose. Represented in this game with its own sheet of aspects, skills (called competencies), stunts and stress tracks. Controlled by the referee or the characters when the referee allows. A player playing a Corporate character can directly control his character's faction. 
​Fate point​
Points players use to affect the flow of the game. Mainly used to invoke or compel aspects. Players have a limited supply, referee has infinite points.
​Ghost​
The collection of all the past aspects, upgrades, and peak skills of a character. 
​Goon​
A secondary character that isn't really important for the story. Less capable than regular characters or extras. Has skill categories instead of skills to facilitate creation and playing. Usually played by the referee, occasionally by other players, either as the henchman of a fixer or temporarily handed over to any player by the referee. 
​Mod​
Name given to the software based upgrades of an alternate.
​Invoke, invocation,
tag
Using an aspect to modify a skill roll, usually by spending fate points. Tags are called free invokes now.
​Ladder​
A list of adjectives matched to numbers from -4 to 8. Used to generate stories from the result of skill rolls.
​Maneuver​
An action taken by a character or other entity to place a scene aspect on something. 
​Map​
A representational map, divided into zones. Used in conflicts to represent physical or metaphorical space, and the position and movement of characters or other entities within it. 
​Mook​
Simplified representation of a group of people (or other things) that don't matter individually but can be a force when in numbers. A type of very simple secondary character. 
Player
That's you and your friends around the table. Unless otherwise specified, we also include the referee when talking about players.
​Progress​
A structured definition of something important happening in the world. Represented by aspects and stress tracks on its own sheet.
​Referee​
Player responsible for playing "rest of the world", i.e. anything not directly controlled by a regular player. Also responsible for defining the scenes, conflict maps or challenge difficulties.
​Role​
Part of a character's definition, that puts him in one of the cyberpunk stereotypes, and gives him a special ability.
Roll
A numeric result obtained by rolling the dice and adding a relevant skill. Also known as a skill roll.
​Shift​
The difference between the skill roll and the difficulty or the opponent's roll. Can be used to enhance the result in multiple ways.
​Skill​
A field that a character is skilled in. A character has multiple skills chosen from a list, at levels ranging from 1 to 4. The character's level in a skill shows how capable he is in that field, and forms the base number for skill rolls.
​Skill category​
Groups of character skills, used for the simplified representation of some secondary characters. A character is assumed to be competent in all skills in a category he has, at the level specified.
​Stress​
Abstract measure for pressure put on a character, driving him towards being taken out. Used in conflicts. There are different types of stress that can be inflicted depending on the type of conflict and the form of attack, and every character has different thresholds for different stress types.
Table
The collective authority and decision-making power of everyone playing the game. The highest form of authority in a game of Edgerunner. 
​Taken out​
 Losing control of a character (or other entity). Happens when the character suffers stress higher than his threshold. The opposing player inflicting the stress gets to determine the fate of the character.
​Threshold​
The highest level of stress a character (or other entity) can withstand without getting taken out. 
​Time track​
List of time divisions used to determine how success and failure affects time of a task dependent on a skill roll.
​Upgrade, Augmentation, Stunt
A property of a character or other entity. A special rule that allows a character to bend or override the regular game rules in a specific way. Among other things used to represent all forms of human augmentation in Edgerunner. This game mechanism replaced Stunts and Augmantations from the previous version as of December 2012 
​Zone​
An area in a map that constitutes a particular location in the physical or abstract space the map defines. Surrounded and linked to other zones by borders.

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Last updated 1 month ago

Term	Description
Action	A specific kind of thing a character can do in a conflict. Each character takes one action per exchange. Everything a character does in a conflict must be played as one of the predetermined actions.
Alternate	A secondary character that represents the online persona of a Netrunner.
Aspect	A short and evocative statement about what makes a context (character, faction, map zone, etc…) special. May be written on the related sheet, or temporarily assigned. Can be invoked or compelled (using fate points) to affect game actions.
Assessment	A scene action that represents preparations made to use an aspect. May be a simple challenge or a contest. Prepares the aspect for a free invocation.
Border	A line between two zones in a map, that defines the difficulty of moving between those zones.
Character	A person in the game world, important to the story being told. Represented with aspects, skills, upgrades and stress track on a character sheet. Every player controls one character, the referee may control multiple characters at once.
Capability	The name given to skills of a complex device. Works exactly the same way as skills do in game. Named differently to avoid confusion with character skills.
Challenge	A tight situation whose outcome may change the story. Represented by a skill roll against a fixed difficulty determined by the referee.
Compel	An offer of fate points from a player to another to alter the story based on an aspect.
Competency	The name given to skills of a [faction](/the-world/factions). Works exactly the same way as skills do in game. Named differently to avoid confusion with character skills.
Concession	A story offered to an opposing player to end a conflict. Ends the conflict if accepted by all sides in it.
Conflict	Detailed and elaborate game mechanism used to resolve hairy situations that players don't want to resolve with a single challenge or contest.
Consequence	A detrimental aspect voluntarily placed on a character (or other context) by the controlling player, in order to gain a boost to a skill roll.
Contest	A simple game mechanism to resolve a situation between opposing characters. Involves comparing skill rolls to determine the victor.
Declaration	An attempt by a player to declare a fact about the world, scene or other context. The declared fact is assumed to be true and written down as an aspect if the roll is successful.
Dice	Randomizing device used in challenges, contests and conflicts to add variation to the outcome. In this game, this always means four special Fudge dice rolled together and added.
Difficulty	A number that indicates the relative difficulty of a challenge. Determined by the referee. Usually betweeen 0 and 6 but can be less or more.
Entity	Catch-all term that refers to all the mechanically represented things in the game that can be played like a character. Includes all kinds of characters, factions, complex technology and anything else you may come up in your game that has game-mechanical representation.
Exchange	A standard block of fictional time that everyone involved gets to act once during a conflict.
Extra	A secondary character that is less important for the story, and less capable than a regular character. Usually played by the referee, occasionally by other players, either as the lieutenant of a fixer or temporarily handed over to any player by the referee.
Faction	A group of people working towards a single purpose. Represented in this game with its own sheet of aspects, skills (called competencies), stunts and stress tracks. Controlled by the referee or the characters when the referee allows. A player playing a Corporate character can directly control his character's faction.
Fate point	Points players use to affect the flow of the game. Mainly used to invoke or compel aspects. Players have a limited supply, referee has infinite points.
Ghost	The collection of all the past aspects, upgrades, and peak skills of a character.
Goon	A secondary character that isn't really important for the story. Less capable than regular characters or extras. Has skill categories instead of skills to facilitate creation and playing. Usually played by the referee, occasionally by other players, either as the henchman of a fixer or temporarily handed over to any player by the referee.
Mod	Name given to the software based upgrades of an alternate.
Invoke, invocation, tag	Using an aspect to modify a skill roll, usually by spending fate points. Tags are called free invokes now.
Ladder	A list of adjectives matched to numbers from -4 to 8. Used to generate stories from the result of skill rolls.
Maneuver	An action taken by a character or other entity to place a scene aspect on something.
Map	A representational map, divided into zones. Used in conflicts to represent physical or metaphorical space, and the position and movement of characters or other entities within it.
Mook	Simplified representation of a group of people (or other things) that don't matter individually but can be a force when in numbers. A type of very simple secondary character.
Player	That's you and your friends around the table. Unless otherwise specified, we also include the referee when talking about players.
Progress	A structured definition of something important happening in the world. Represented by aspects and stress tracks on its own sheet.
Referee	Player responsible for playing "rest of the world", i.e. anything not directly controlled by a regular player. Also responsible for defining the scenes, conflict maps or challenge difficulties.
Role	Part of a character's definition, that puts him in one of the cyberpunk stereotypes, and gives him a special ability.
Roll	A numeric result obtained by rolling the dice and adding a relevant skill. Also known as a skill roll.
Shift	The difference between the skill roll and the difficulty or the opponent's roll. Can be used to enhance the result in multiple ways.
Skill	A field that a character is skilled in. A character has multiple skills chosen from a list, at levels ranging from 1 to 4. The character's level in a skill shows how capable he is in that field, and forms the base number for skill rolls.
Skill category	Groups of character skills, used for the simplified representation of some secondary characters. A character is assumed to be competent in all skills in a category he has, at the level specified.
Stress	Abstract measure for pressure put on a character, driving him towards being taken out. Used in conflicts. There are different types of stress that can be inflicted depending on the type of conflict and the form of attack, and every character has different thresholds for different stress types.
Table	The collective authority and decision-making power of everyone playing the game. The highest form of authority in a game of Edgerunner.
Taken out	Losing control of a character (or other entity). Happens when the character suffers stress higher than his threshold. The opposing player inflicting the stress gets to determine the fate of the character.
Threshold	The highest level of stress a character (or other entity) can withstand without getting taken out.
Time track	List of time divisions used to determine how success and failure affects time of a task dependent on a skill roll.
Upgrade, Augmentation, Stunt	A property of a character or other entity. A special rule that allows a character to bend or override the regular game rules in a specific way. Among other things used to represent all forms of human augmentation in Edgerunner. This game mechanism replaced Stunts and Augmantations from the previous version as of December 2012
Zone	An area in a map that constitutes a particular location in the physical or abstract space the map defines. Surrounded and linked to other zones by borders.