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95-523: Sessions are run by a game master (GM), who controls the world and adjudicates the rules, with any number of players controlling the actions of a character. Most actions are resolved by rolling three six-sided dice (3d6), trying to roll below a certain number, usually a skill. GURPS uses a point-based character creation system; characters are represented by four basic stats (Strength, Dexterity, IQ and Health), and players can buy any number of advantages, disadvantages, perks, quirks and skills. GURPS consists of

190-647: A GURPS sourcebook is 10,452 for the Harvester (p. 88) in GURPS Monsters . In principle, a Game Master can balance the power of foes to the abilities of the player characters by comparing their relative point values. Characters in GURPS have four basic attributes : Each attribute has a number rating assigned to it. Normally they begin at 10, representing typical human ability, but can go as low as 1 for nearly useless, to 20 (or higher) for superhuman power. Anything in

285-438: A GURPS Basic Set , which contains the core rules required to run most games. In addition, more than a hundred supplemental books provide optional rules and details about different settings and genres ( GURPS Martial Arts , for example). By adapting the various optional rules and systems, GURPS can be run with as much or as little detail as required, and can accommodate virtually any genre, character or style of play. GURPS won

380-508: A computer or flying a fighter jet would not normally be available. Skills are rated by level, and the more levels purchased with character points, the better the characters are at that particular skill relative to their base attribute. Skills are categorized by difficulty: Easy, Average, Hard, and Very Hard. Easy skills cost few points to purchase levels in, and the cost per skill level increases with each level of difficulty. Game mechanics allow that eventually it may be less expensive to raise

475-452: A fantasy environment. Another game from the same company, Star Frontiers , was developed for science fiction –based role-playing. TSR produced other games for other environments, such as Gamma World ( post-apocalyptic adventures), Top Secret ( spies and secret agents), Gangbusters ( Roaring Twenties adventures), and Boot Hill ( American Old West ). Each of these games was set with its own self-contained rules system , and

570-465: A moderator or administrator . In MUD game masters were called " wizards ." Gamemastering in the form found in traditional role-playing games has also been used in semi-automatic virtual worlds. However, human moderation was sometimes considered unfair or out of context in an otherwise automated world. As online games expanded, gamemaster duties expanded to include being a customer service representative for an online community . A gamemaster in such

665-495: A GURPS question-and-answer seminar at Origins 1984 in Dallas. The combat system for GURPS was published in 1985 as Man to Man: Fantasy Combat from GURPS to meet the deadline for Origins 1985 and was followed up later that year by the adventure supplement Orcslayer . The Basic GURPS set was published in 1986 and 1987 and included two booklets, one for developing characters and one for Adventuring. In 1990 GURPS intersected part of

760-406: A beginning character in an average power game, the 4th edition suggests 100–150 points to modify attribute stats, select advantages and disadvantages, and purchase levels in skills. Normal NPCs are built on 25–50 points. Full-fledged heroes usually have 150–250 points, while superheroes are commonly built with 400–800 points. The highest point value recorded for a canon character in

855-509: A character is physically, the less damage he or she is capable of inflicting with such a weapon. Purely mechanical weapons (guns, beam sabers, bombs, etc.) have a set damage value. When damage is inflicted upon characters, it is deducted from their Hit Points , which are calculated with the Strength stat (prior to GURPS 4th Edition, Hit Points were derived from the Health stat). Like most other RPGs,

950-847: A character with a Dexterity of 12, is using the Climbing skill untrained. Climbing has a default of DX-5 or ST-5, which means that using the skill untrained gives him a Climbing skill level of 7 (12–5) if he tied it to the Dexterity stat. If the character had a higher Strength stat, he could have a better chance of success if he tied the Climbing skill there instead. Some skills also have a Tech Level (TL) rating attached to them, to differentiate between Skills that concern similar concepts, but whose tasks are accomplished in different ways when used with differing levels of technology. This helps during time traveling scenarios, or when characters are forced to deal with particularly outdated or advanced equipment. For instance,

1045-417: A client, or while working for a security company that makes security software. The term is generally synonymous with ethical hacker , and certifications, courseware, classes, and online training covering the diverse arena of ethical hacking have been developed. A black hat hacker is a hacker who "violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain" (Moore, 2005). The term

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1140-424: A communication structure is needed for both diegetic or non-diegetic communication. Effective gamemastering can require specialized user interfaces that are highly game specific. Certain sourcebooks simulate the decisions of a gamemaster by various means for either group or solo gaming. These include works such as Mythic Game Master Emulator, which employs an oracle system to allow players to play TTRPGs without

1235-481: A fully rounded game of any type, apart from gladiatorial combat and medieval adventures." The Games Machine reviewed GURPS and stated that "If the idea of a generic system appeals, or you want a straightforward set of rules with which to run adventures in a setting of your own making, GURPS is worth a look." Gamemaster A gamemaster ( GM ; also known as game master , game manager , game moderator , referee , storyteller , or master of ceremonies )

1330-737: A game is either an experienced volunteer player or an employee of the game's publisher. They enforce the game's rules by banishing spammers, player killers , cheaters, and hackers and by solving players' problems by providing general customer service. For their tasks they use special tools and characters that allow them to do things like teleport to players, summon items, and browse logs that record players' activities. World of Warcraft has employees of Blizzard Entertainment that serve as gamemasters to help users with various problems in gameplay, chat, and other things like account and billing issues. A gamemaster in this game will communicate with players through chat that has blue text and they will also have

1425-481: A gamemaster. Hacker (computer security) A security hacker or security researcher is someone who explores methods for breaching defenses and exploiting weaknesses in a computer system or network . Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, information gathering, challenge, recreation, or evaluation of a system weaknesses to assist in formulating defenses against potential hackers. Longstanding controversy surrounds

1520-466: A gunslinger from the Old West is facing a foe: If the gunslinger lacked these advantages, skills, and techniques, then readying, aiming, firing, aiming again, and firing again would take at least 5 seconds. If the gunslinger lacked these traits and tried to shoot two pistols at once: Damage from muscle-powered weapons, (clubs, swords, bows, etc.) is calculated based on the character's ST rating. The weaker

1615-430: A kind of credibility on their members. A script kiddie (also known as a skid or skiddie ) is an unskilled hacker who breaks into computer systems by using automated tools written by others (usually by other black hat hackers), hence the term script (i.e. a computer script that automates the hacking) kiddie (i.e. kid, child an individual lacking knowledge and experience, immature), usually with little understanding of

1710-416: A little hacking here." CLU is the software he uses for this. By 1983, hacking in the sense of breaking computer security had already been in use as computer jargon, but there was no public awareness about such activities. However, the release of the film WarGames that year, featuring a computer intrusion into NORAD , raised the public belief that computer security hackers (especially teenagers) could be

1805-494: A loss of hit points indicates physical harm being inflicted upon a character, which can potentially lead to death. GURPS calculates shock penalties when someone is hit, representing the impact it causes and the rush of pain that interferes with concentration. Different weapons can cause different 'types' of damage, ranging from crushing (a club or mace), impaling (a spear or arrow), cutting (most swords and axes), piercing (bullets), and so on. One peculiarity about loss of Hit Points

1900-405: A modern boat builder's skills will be of less use if he is stuck on a desert island and forced to work with primitive tools and techniques. Thus, the skills he uses are different when in his shop (Shipbuilding/TL8) and when he is on the island (Shipbuilding/TL0). GURPS uses six-sided dice for all game mechanics using standard dice notation . An "average roll" of three six sided dice generates

1995-632: A new character generation system for the microgames Melee and Wizard that used a point-buy system: players are given a fixed number of points with which to buy abilities. (The Hero System first used by the Champions role-playing game published two years later also used a point-buy system.) GURPS' s emphasis on its generic aspect has proven to be a successful marketing tactic, as many game series have source engines which can be retrofitted to many styles. Its approach to versatility includes using real world measurements wherever possible ("reality-checking"

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2090-430: A party have a set initiative that is entirely based upon their Basic Speed characteristic. There are two kinds of attacks: Melee (possibly with hand-to-hand weapons, or unarmed combat) and Ranged (bows, guns, thrown weapons, some Innate Attacks, etc.). Attacks made by a character are checked against their skill with the particular weapon they carry. For instance, if a character is using a pistol, as with any other skill, it

2185-455: A player makes a pick pocketing test for her character. The character has a Pickpocket skill with a level of 11. Under normal circumstances - i.e., under an average stressful situation , according to the manual - the player must roll an 11 or less for the character to succeed. If the player rolls above 11, then the character has failed the attempt at pick pocketing. There are some exceptions for very high or low rolls, deemed criticals . No matter

2280-414: A series of security briefing events. A hacktivist is a hacker who utilizes technology to publicize a social, ideological, religious or political message. Hacktivism can be divided into two main groups: Intelligence agencies and cyberwarfare operatives of nation states. Groups of hackers that carry out organized criminal activities for profit. Modern-day computer hackers have been compared to

2375-500: A special "GM" tag and Blizzard logo in front of their names. RuneScape has more than 500 moderators employed by Jagex to assist players and perform administrative duties in-game and on the site forums. These Jagex Moderators , as they are called, usually have the word "Mod" and a gold crown preceding their account names which ordinary players are not permitted to use. The game also has Player Moderators and Forum Moderators who are player volunteers helping with moderation, having

2470-523: A team to a prominent convention to compete in group pentesting, exploit and forensics on a larger scale. Hacker groups became popular in the early 1980s, providing access to hacking information and resources and a place to learn from other members. Computer bulletin board systems (BBSs), such as the Utopias, provided platforms for information-sharing via dial-up modem. Hackers could also gain credibility by being affiliated with elite groups. Maximum imprisonment

2565-527: A threat to national security. This concern became real when, in the same year, a gang of teenage hackers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , known as The 414s , broke into computer systems throughout the United States and Canada , including those of Los Alamos National Laboratory , Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Security Pacific Bank . The case quickly grew media attention, and 17-year-old Neal Patrick emerged as

2660-406: A total of 10.5; this makes an "average" skill check (a skill of 10, based on an unmodified attribute) equally likely to succeed or fail. Making statistic and skill checks in GURPS is the reverse of the mechanics of most other RPGs, where the higher the total of the die roll, the better. GURPS players hope to roll as low as possible under the tested statistic's rating or skill's level. If the roll

2755-442: A trajectory desired by the game author. To ensure proper gamemastering can take place, four components are needed: some kind of sensory system to the game allowing the game masters to know current events, providing dynamic game information; dynamic and static game information lets game masters make informed decisions; decisions need to be actuated into the game, either through the game system or through manual intervention; and finally

2850-456: A wide variety of skills intended to enable it to support any conceivable genre (such as Acrobatics and Vehicle Piloting). Each skill is tied to at least one attribute, and the characters' abilities in that skill is a function of their base attributes + or - a certain amount. The availability of skills depends on the particular genre in which the GURPS game is played. For instance, in a generic medieval fantasy setting, skills for operating

2945-403: Is a person who acts as a facilitator, organizer, officiant regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer role-playing game . The act performed by a gamemaster is sometimes referred to as "gamemastering" or simply "GM-ing." The role of a GM in a traditional tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) is to weave together the other participants' player-characters' (PCs) stories, control

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3040-473: Is an important part of any GURPS book). GURPS also benefits from the many dozens of worldbooks describing settings or additional rules in all genres including science fiction, fantasy, and historical. Many game designers began their professional careers as GURPS writers, including C. J. Carella , Robin Laws , S. John Ross , and Steffan O'Sullivan . A character in GURPS is built with character points . For

3135-457: Is beneficial to have a high level in the Guns skill. Like any other skill check, a player must roll equal to or less than the level of the skill to succeed. Failure means a miss, success scores a hit. Similarly, critical hits mean that the blow might inflict significantly more damage to its target; critical misses may lead to a rather unpleasant and unexpected event (such as dropping the weapon or hitting

3230-576: Is less than or equal to that number, the check succeeds. There is no "target number" or "difficulty rating" set by the Game Master, as would be the case in many other RPG systems. Instead the GM will apply various modifiers to add or subtract to the skill level. In this way, positive modifiers increase the chance for success by adding to the stat or skill level the player must roll under while negative modifiers deduct from it, making things more difficult. For example:

3325-461: Is one year or a fine of the fourth category. 18 U.S.C.   § 1030 , more commonly known as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act , prohibits unauthorized access or damage of "protected computers". "Protected computers" are defined in 18 U.S.C.   § 1030(e)(2) as: The maximum imprisonment or fine for violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act depends on the severity of

3420-715: Is referred to as hacktivism . Some consider illegal cracking ethically justified for these goals; a common form is website defacement . The computer underground is frequently compared to the Wild West. It is common for hackers to use aliases to conceal their identities. The computer underground is supported by regular real-world gatherings called hacker conventions or "hacker cons". These events include SummerCon (Summer), DEF CON , HoHoCon (Christmas), ShmooCon (February), Black Hat Conference , Chaos Communication Congress , AthCon, Hacker Halted, and H.O.P.E. Local Hackfest groups organize and compete to develop their skills to send

3515-463: Is that characters can achieve a relatively high Active Defense value, drawing out fights considerably. The only mechanic within the system to address this is the Feint action, which if successful will place the adversary in an unfavorable position, reducing their active defense against that character only, on the subsequent turn. Skills, advantages, and equipment, can be combined to great effect. For example,

3610-561: Is that in GURPS, death is not certain. While a very high amount of total HP loss will cause certain death, there are also several points at which a player must successfully roll HT, with different grades of failure indicating character death or a mortal injury. Depending on the nature of the attack, there will sometimes be additional effects. Character advancement follows the same system as character creation. Characters are awarded character points to improve themselves at regular intervals (usually at

3705-580: The alt.2600 newsgroup. In 1980, an article in the August issue of Psychology Today (with commentary by Philip Zimbardo ) used the term "hacker" in its title: "The Hacker Papers." It was an excerpt from a Stanford Bulletin Board discussion on the addictive nature of computer use. In the 1982 film Tron , Kevin Flynn ( Jeff Bridges ) describes his intentions to break into ENCOM's computer system, saying "I've been doing

3800-488: The FBI . Operation: Sundevil was in action at the same time, but it was completely separate. See Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service . The 1995 supplement GURPS Illuminati University introduced Agatha Heterodyne , the character who would go on to star in the popular comic series Girl Genius in 2001. A free PDF version of the GURPS rules was released in 1998 as GURPS Lite . This limited ruleset

3895-547: The Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988 , and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame . Many of its expansions have also won awards. Prior to GURPS , most roleplaying games (RPGs) of the 1970s and early 1980s were developed especially for certain gaming environments, and they were largely incompatible with one another. For example, TSR published its Dungeons & Dragons game specifically for

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3990-638: The U.S. House of Representatives on September 26, 1983, about the dangers of computer hacking, and six bills concerning computer crime were introduced in the House that year. As a result of these laws against computer criminality, white hat, grey hat and black hat hackers try to distinguish themselves from each other, depending on the legality of their activities. These moral conflicts are expressed in The Mentor 's " The Hacker Manifesto ", published 1986 in Phrack . Use of

4085-558: The hacker subculture when the company's Austin , Texas, offices were raided by the Secret Service . The target was the author of GURPS Cyberpunk in relation to E911 Emergency Response system documents stolen from Bell South . The incident was a direct contributor to the founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation . A common misconception holds that this raid was part of Operation Sundevil and carried out by

4180-493: The improvisational script is built, as well as all the bit parts and supporting characters . Gamemasters can also be in charge of RPG board games making the events and setting challenges. GMs may choose to run a game based on a published game world , with the maps and history already in place; such game worlds often have pre-written adventures. Alternatively, the GM may build their own world and script their own adventures . In early virtual worlds , gamemasters served as

4275-557: The non-player characters (NPCs), describe or create environments in which the PCs can interact, and solve any player disputes. This basic role is the same in almost all traditional TTRPGs, with minor differences specific to differing rule sets. However, in some indie role-playing games , the GM role significantly differs from the traditional pattern. For example, in Powered by the Apocalypse systems,

4370-456: The privateers of by-gone days. These criminals hold computer systems hostage, demanding large payments from victims to restore access to their own computer systems and data. Furthermore, recent ransomware attacks on industries, including energy, food, and transportation, have been blamed on criminal organizations based in or near a state actor – possibly with the country's knowledge and approval. Cyber theft and ransomware attacks are now

4465-418: The 1980s. In typical play-by-mail games, players control armies or civilizations and mail their chosen actions to the GM. The GM then mails the updated game state to all players on a regular basis. Usage in a wargaming context includes Guidon Games 1973 ruleset, Ironclad . The gamemaster prepares the game session for the players and the characters they play (known as player characters or PCs), describes

4560-420: The 8 to 12 range is considered to be in the normal or average area for humans. Basic attribute scores of 6 or less are considered crippling —they are so far below the human norm that they are only used for severely handicapped characters. Scores of 15 or more are described as amazing —they are immediately apparent and draw constant comment. Players assign these ratings spending character points . The higher

4655-437: The Apocalypse games they are called a variety of names, such as MCs (master of ceremonies). GMs are typically hobbyists; however, they are sometimes paid employees or entertainers for hire. This is more common for online games. Paid GMing was very uncommon for TTRPGs before the 2020s. In a role-playing game context, the term gamemaster was first used by Dave Arneson while developing his game Blackmoor in 1971, although

4750-791: The Keeper of Arcane Lore (in the occult -themed Call of Cthulhu ), the Hollyhock God ( Nobilis , in which the hollyhock represents vanity), the Groundskeeper (in the spooky Bluebeard's Bride ), the Mall Rat (in Visigoths vs. Mall Goths ), or the Gaymaster (in LGBTQ -centered Thirsty Sword Lesbians ). The term gamemaster and the role associated with it have been used in the postal gaming hobby since

4845-522: The Labyrinth , to form The Fantasy Trip ( TFT ), an early role-playing game. Several of the core concepts of GURPS first appeared in TFT , including the inclusion of Strength, Dexterity and Intelligence as the core abilities scores of each character. By April 1984, the core rules for GURPS (at that point referred to as the "Great Unnamed Universal Role-Playing System") was being playtested in preparation for

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4940-507: The Online Gaming Forum had only one real requirement (that is, be a member of AOL), OGFs were given powers quite similar to AOL "Guides" and could use them at will to discipline users as they saw appropriate. Battleground Europe , a medium-sized MMOFPS , has a team of Game Moderators , anonymous volunteers who moderate the game. Miniconomy , a smaller text-based MMO , has a team of Federals , experienced players that help moderate

5035-661: The ability to mute (block from chatting) other players who violate rules. In Helldivers 2 , a third-person shooter by Arrowhead Game Studios , a singular employee, named Joel Hakalax, functions as a game master for the playerbase. The game features many real-time events where territory is gained or lost, which are determined at the discretion of the game master. The now defunct America Online Online Gaming Forum used to use volunteers selected by applications from its user base. These people were simply referred to as OGFs by other members, and their screennames were indicative of their position (i.e., OGF Moose, etc.). While membership in

5130-580: The area being studied. Self-study and on the job experience take more time per character point while high tech teaching aids can reduce the time required. Some intensive situations let a character advance quickly, as most waking hours are considered study. For instance, characters travelling through the Amazon may count every waking moment as study of jungle survival, while living in a foreign country could count as eight hours per day of language study or more. The computer game publisher Interplay licensed GURPS as

5225-568: The attack with a limb or weapon), or Block (effort to interpose a shield or similar object between the attack and the defender's body). Unlike many RPG systems, an Active Defense is an unopposed check, meaning that in most cases, the success of an attack has no effect on the difficulty of the defense. Dodge is based on the Basic Speed characteristic, while Parry and Block are each based on individual combat skills, such as Fencing, Karate, or Staff for Parry, and Shield or Cloak for Block. A common criticism

5320-949: The attacks. A typical approach in an attack on Internet-connected system is: In order to do so, there are several recurring tools of the trade and techniques used by computer criminals and security experts. A security exploit is a prepared application that takes advantage of a known weakness. Common examples of security exploits are SQL injection , cross-site scripting and cross-site request forgery which abuse security holes that may result from substandard programming practice. Other exploits would be able to be used through File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), PHP , SSH , Telnet and some Web pages. These are very common in Web site and Web domain hacking. Tools and Procedures The computer underground has produced its own specialized slang, such as 1337speak . Writing software and performing other activities to support these views

5415-490: The average of 10. Attribute scores also determine several secondary characteristics . The four major ones are each directly based on a single attribute: The other secondary characteristics (Damage, Basic Lift, Basic Speed, Dodge, Move) are calculated from one or more attribute values using individual tables or formulae . GURPS has a profusion of advantages and disadvantages which enable players or Game Masters to customize their characters. The myriad options available and

5510-401: The basis for a post– nuclear war role-playing video game ( Fallout ) in 1995. Late in development, Interplay replaced the GURPS character-building system with their own SPECIAL System . Brian Fargo , one of the executive producers of Fallout , stated during an interview that Interplay dropped out of the licensing deal, following fundamental disagreements on the game's content. "[Jackson]

5605-522: The character a bit, but they mostly add role-playing flavor. Enhancements and limitations can tailor an advantage or disadvantage to suit creative players. These modify the effects and point cost of advantages and disadvantages. For example, to create a "dragon's breath" attack, a player would select the Innate Attack ability (the ability that allows a player to perform an attack most humans could not), and select burning attack 4D (normally 20 points). Then,

5700-496: The character and cost points to purchase. Selecting Disadvantages returns character points and allows players to limit their characters in one way in exchange for being more powerful or gifted in other areas. Disadvantages include such positive attributes as honesty and truthfulness which limit the way a character is played. There are also many Perks and Quirks to choose from which give a character some personality. Perks (minor Advantages) and Quirks (minor Disadvantages) benefit or hinder

5795-427: The computer underground should be called crackers. Yet, those people see themselves as hackers and even try to include the views of Raymond in what they see as a wider hacker culture, a view that Raymond has harshly rejected. Instead of a hacker/cracker dichotomy, they emphasize a spectrum of different categories, such as white hat , grey hat , black hat and script kiddie . In contrast to Raymond, they usually reserve

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5890-446: The defect in a system and publish the facts to the world instead of a group of people. Even though grey hat hackers may not necessarily perform hacking for their personal gain, unauthorized access to a system can be considered illegal and unethical. A social status among hackers, elite is used to describe the most skilled. Newly discovered exploits circulate among these hackers. Elite groups such as Masters of Deception conferred

5985-558: The differences between abilities from experience and from inborn talent, more detailed language rules, and revised technology levels. Designed by Sean Punch , the Fourth Edition is sold as two full-color hardcover books as well as in the PDF format. Role-playing games of the 1970s and 1980s, such as Dungeons & Dragons , generally used random numbers generated by dice rolls to assign statistics to player characters. In 1978, Jackson designed

6080-532: The end of a game session or story). GMs are free to distribute experience as they see fit. This contrasts with some traditional RPGs where players receive a predictable amount of experience for defeating foes. The book recommends providing 1-3 points for completing objectives and 1-3 points for good role-playing per game session. Advancement can also come through study, work, or other activities, either during game play or between sessions. In general, 200 hours of study equals one character point which can be applied for

6175-414: The events taking place and decides on the outcomes of players' decisions. The gamemaster also keeps track of non-player characters (NPCs) and random encounters , as well as of the general state of the game world. The game session (or " adventure ") can be metaphorically described as a play , in which the players are the lead actors, and the GM provides the stage , the scenery , the basic plot on which

6270-472: The fastest-growing crimes in the United States. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies facilitate the extortion of huge ransoms from large companies, hospitals and city governments with little or no chance of being caught. Hackers can usually be sorted into two types of attacks: mass attacks and targeted attacks. They are sorted into the groups in terms of how they choose their victims and how they act on

6365-500: The first usage in print may have been Chivalry & Sorcery . Each gaming system has its own name for the role of the gamemaster, such as "judge," "narrator," "referee," "director," or "storyteller," and these terms not only describe the role of the GM in general but also help define how the game is intended to be run. For example, the most famous of such terms, the " Dungeon Master " (or "DM") in Dungeons & Dragons , highlights

6460-481: The game and interactions. Transformice , an online multiplayer platformer, has a team of volunteer moderators called Mods who are experienced players that help moderate the game and interactions. ARMA 3 , an open-world military tactical shooter, has a Zeus role that allows any player slotted in that role to place down almost any asset in the game including infantry and vehicles, objectives, intelligence, and score-keeping modules. The Zeus can also modify aspects of

6555-482: The game's focus on dungeon crawling . The Storyteller System used in White Wolf Game Studio 's storytelling games calls its GM the "storyteller," while the rules - and setting -focused Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game calls its GM the "judge." The cartoon inspired role-playing game Toon calls its GM the "animator." Some games apply flavorful names to the GM to fit the genre or setting, such as

6650-408: The general public". The subculture that has evolved around hackers is often referred to as the "computer underground". The subculture around such hackers is termed network hacker subculture, hacker scene, or computer underground. It initially developed in the context of phreaking during the 1960s and the microcomputer BBS scene of the 1980s. It is implicated with 2600: The Hacker Quarterly and

6745-450: The level of the base attribute the skills depend on as opposed to purchasing higher levels of skills. Players can generally purchase a skill for their characters at any level they can afford. The lower a player chooses, the fewer points it costs to buy the skill, while higher levels cost more points. Some skills have default levels, which indicate the level rating a character has when using that skill untrained (i.e. not purchased). For example,

6840-424: The level of the skill, a die roll of 18 is always a critical failure , and a roll of 3 or 4 is always a critical success (a roll of 17 is a critical failure as well, unless the character relevant skill level is 16 or more). The Game Master may decide in such cases that, in first case (a roll of 18, or 10+ over the modified skill level), the character has failed miserably and caused something disastrous to happen or, in

6935-460: The meaning of the term " hacker ". In this controversy, computer programmers reclaim the term hacker , arguing that it refers simply to someone with an advanced understanding of computers and computer networks, and that cracker is the more appropriate term for those who break into computers, whether computer criminals ( black hats ) or computer security experts ( white hats ). A 2014 article noted that "the black-hat meaning still prevails among

7030-422: The other case, that he or she succeeds incredibly well and gains some benefit as a result. Combat in GURPS is organized in personal turns: i.e., every character gets a turn each second , and during a character's turn he or she may take an action, such as attack or move. After all characters have taken their action, one second has elapsed. Free actions are simple actions that can be done at any time. Characters in

7125-539: The other players assist the GM in creating both the NPCs and the details of the campaign setting . The role of a gamemaster in an online game is to enforce the game's rules and provide general customer service. Gaming systems have their own names for the role of the GM. For example, in Dungeons & Dragons , they are called dungeon masters , in the World of Darkness games, they are called storytellers, and in Powered by

7220-479: The player would modify it as follows: cone, 5 yards (+100%); limited use, 3/day (-20%); reduced range, x1/5 (-20%). The final percentage modifier would be +60%, making the final cost 32 points. This addition to the system greatly increases its flexibility while decreasing the number of specific advantages and disadvantages that must be listed. Finally, mitigators can themselves tailor advantages and disadvantages (see GURPS Bio-Tech for such an example). GURPS has

7315-460: The public fears in a computer criminal". A grey hat hacker lies between a black hat and a white hat hacker, hacking for ideological reasons. A grey hat hacker may surf the Internet and hack into a computer system for the sole purpose of notifying the administrator that their system has a security defect, for example. They may then offer to correct the defect for a fee. Grey hat hackers sometimes find

7410-466: The rating the more points it will cost the player, however, assigning a score below the average 10 gives the player points back to assign elsewhere. Since almost all skills are based on Dexterity or Intelligence, those attributes are twice as expensive (or yield twice the points, if purchased below 10). In earlier editions (pre–4th Edition) all attributes followed the same cost-progression, where higher attributes cost more per increase than attributes close to

7505-537: The rewards the system provides players for carefully creating their characters are attractive to gamers who enjoy a high degree of flexibility in character design. A player can select numerous Advantages and Disadvantages to differentiate the character; the system supports both mundane traits (such as above-average or below-average Wealth, Status and Reputation) as well as more exotic special abilities and weaknesses. These are categorized as physical, mental or social, and as exotic, supernatural, or mundane. Advantages benefit

7600-575: The rules for playing each game differed greatly from one game to the next. Attempts were made in Advanced Dungeons and Dragons to allow cross-genre games using Gamma World and Boot Hill rules; however, characters could only be used in a new genre by converting their statistics. Although GURPS was preceded by Basic Role-Playing ( Chaosium , 1980) and the Hero System ( Hero Games , a system that expanded to multiple genres starting in 1982), GURPS

7695-487: The spokesman for the gang, including a cover story in Newsweek entitled "Beware: Hackers at play", with Patrick's photograph on the cover. The Newsweek article appears to be the first use of the word hacker by the mainstream media in the pejorative sense. Pressured by media coverage, congressman Dan Glickman called for an investigation and began work on new laws against computer hacking. Neal Patrick testified before

7790-494: The term cracker for more malicious activity. According to Ralph D. Clifford, a cracker or cracking is to "gain unauthorized access to a computer in order to commit another crime such as destroying information contained in that system." These subgroups may also be defined by the legal status of their activities. A white hat hacker breaks security for non-malicious reasons, either to test their own security system, perform penetration tests or vulnerability assessments for

7885-414: The term bears strong connotations that are favorable or pejorative, depending on the context. Subgroups of the computer underground with different attitudes and motives use different terms to demarcate themselves from each other. These classifications are also used to exclude specific groups with whom they do not agree. Eric S. Raymond , author of The New Hacker's Dictionary , advocates that members of

7980-630: The term hacker meaning computer criminal was also advanced by the title "Stalking the Wily Hacker", an article by Clifford Stoll in the May 1988 issue of the Communications of the ACM . Later that year, the release by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr. of the so-called Morris worm provoked the popular media to spread this usage. The popularity of Stoll's book The Cuckoo's Egg , published one year later, further entrenched

8075-447: The term in the public's consciousness. In computer security, a hacker is someone who focuses on the security mechanisms of computer and network systems. Hackers can include someone who endeavors to strengthen security mechanisms by exploring their weaknesses and also those who seek to access secure, unauthorized information despite security measures. Nevertheless, parts of the subculture see their aim in correcting security problems and use

8170-420: The underlying concept. A neophyte (" newbie ", or "noob") is someone who is new to hacking or phreaking and has almost no knowledge or experience of the workings of technology and hacking. A blue hat hacker is someone outside computer security consulting firms who is used to bug-test a system prior to its launch, looking for exploits so they can be closed. Microsoft also uses the term BlueHat to represent

8265-731: The violation and the offender's history of violations under the Act . The FBI has demonstrated its ability to recover ransoms paid in cryptocurrency by victims of cybertheft. The most notable hacker-oriented print publications are Phrack , Hakin9 and 2600: The Hacker Quarterly . While the information contained in hacker magazines and ezines was often outdated by the time they were published, they enhanced their contributors' reputations by documenting their successes. Hackers often show an interest in fictional cyberpunk and cyberculture literature and movies. The adoption of fictional pseudonyms , symbols, values and metaphors from these works

8360-469: The word in a positive sense. White hat is the name given to ethical computer hackers, who utilize hacking in a helpful way. White hats are becoming a necessary part of the information security field. They operate under a code, which acknowledges that breaking into other people's computers is bad, but that discovering and exploiting security mechanisms and breaking into computers is still an interesting activity that can be done ethically and legally. Accordingly,

8455-411: The world itself including time, weather, and wildlife to create dynamically progressing stories. Neverwinter Nights and Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption are video game adaptations of tabletop role-playing games that are played online with one player acting as a traditional gamemaster. Gamemastering, sometimes referred to as Orchestration is used in pervasive games to guide players along

8550-442: The wrong target). Attack modifiers are set by the GM when factoring in things like distance, speed and cover that make a successful strike more difficult. After a successful attack, except in the case of a critical hit, the defender usually gets a chance to avoid the blow. This is called an Active Defense, and takes the form of a Dodge (deliberate movement out of the perceived path of the attack), Parry (attempt to deflect or intercept

8645-401: Was also included with various books such as GURPS Discworld and Transhuman Space . Steve Jackson Games released GURPS Fourth Edition at the first day of Gen Con on August 19, 2004. It promised to simplify and streamline most areas of play and character creation. The changes include modification of the attribute point adjustments, an edited and rationalized skill list, clarification of

8740-425: Was coined by Richard Stallman , to contrast the maliciousness of a criminal hacker versus the spirit of playfulness and exploration in hacker culture , or the ethos of the white hat hacker who performs hacking duties to identify places to repair or as a means of legitimate employment. Black hat hackers form the stereotypical, illegal hacking groups often portrayed in popular culture, and are "the epitome of all that

8835-414: Was offended by the nature of the content and where it was going. ... He saw [the opening cinematic], and he just wouldn't approve it." Jackson said "I made a lot of concessions because I want to save the project" and that he felt "all the original problems could be resolved". GURPS for Dummies ( ISBN   0-471-78329-3 ), a guidebook by Stuart J. Stuple, Bjoern-Erik Hartsfvang, and Adam Griffith,

8930-411: Was published in 2006. Marcus L. Rowland reviewed GURPS in 1986 for White Dwarf #83, and stated that "While I can applaud the idea behind the system, I can't really recommend GURPS at its present stage of development. In the long run, GURPS and all its supplements may cover more ground than other systems, possibly at less expense, but in the short term there isn't enough support material to run

9025-697: Was the most commercially successful generic role-playing game system to allow players to role-play in any environment they please while still using the same set of core rules. This flexibility of environment is greatly aided by the use of technology levels (or "tech-levels") that allow a campaign to be set from the Stone Age (TL-0) to the Digital Age (TL-8) or beyond. The immediate mechanical antecedents of GURPS were Steve Jackson's microgames Melee and Wizard , both published by Metagaming Concepts , which eventually combined them along with another Jackson game, In

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