Editing revision 17 of PiecepackGlossary

[:TOP] = Glossary of piecepack Terms = Note: words in **bold** are defined elsewhere in this glossary. This page is an expanded version of the more canonical but less comprehensive [http://www.piecepack.org/Glossary.html Piecepack Glossary] at Piecepack.org. See also EsperantoPiecepackGlossary. ---- Alphabetic quick links: [[#A]] [[#B]] [[#C]] [[#D]] [[#E]] [[#F]] [[#G]] [[#H]] [[#I]] [[#J]] [[#K]] [[#L]] [[#M]] [[#N]] [[#O]] [[#P]] [[#Q]] [[#R]] [[#S]] [[#T]] [[#U]] [[#V]] [[#W]] [[#X]] [[#Y]] [[#Z]] ---- [:A] = A = ;abstract :adj. describing a game with no **theme**. Some abstract games have a very thin gloss of a theme (like the supposed war theme in ["Chess"]) but that theme is not an integral part of the enjoyment of playing the game. ;abstract strategy game :n. an **abstract** game characterized as having **perfect information** (no **hidden information**) and no **chance elements**, usually two-**player**. Classic abstract strategy games are ["Chess"], ["Checkers"] and Go. Backgammon is not an abstract strategy game, as it uses **dice** for random moves. Stratego is also not one, as it involves hidden information. ;ace :1) n. a special **value** used on **coins**, **tiles**, and **dice**; the default numerical equivalent for an ace is 1, but **rulesets** often ascribe special meaning to the ace; an ace is represented by a **suit** symbol on tiles and dice, and by a **swirl** or **spiral** symbol on coins. ["Piecepack Expanded"] uses a stylized letter "**A**" on both the tiles and coins instead, while the JcdPiecepack uses the swirl at all locations. :2) n. the traditional name for the first card in each **suit** of a standard playing card deck. ;adaptation :n. a **ruleset** describing how to play a already existing game using a **piecepack**. See **port**. ;adaptor :n. the author of an **adaptation** **ruleset**. ;anchors :1) n. An alternate symbol used for the **blue arms suit** in some versions of **piecepack** (JcdPiecepack). Considered a **dark suit**. :2) n. one of the black suits in an **Empire playing card deck**. ;arms :n. one of the four standard **piecepack suits**; the suit of arms is represented by the **color blue** and the fleur-de-lis symbol. Some piecepack versions (["Piecepack Expanded"]) use a **shield** symbol for this suit, or an **anchor** (JcdPiecepack) instead. [[#TOP]] [:B] = B = ;bits :n. the pieces or parts of a game. Often used in the phrase "extra bits" to describe auxiliary pieces or **equipment** used in a game that are not part of the **piecepack** standard. ;black :1) adj. the **color** associated with the **piecepack moons suit**. :2) adj. the default color used for the grid lines on **tiles** and the **values** and **pips** on **coins**. :3) adj. the color associated with the **Spade** and **Club** suits from the MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion. ;blank :adj. describing the absence of any markings. See **null**. ;blue :adj. the **color** associated with the **piecepack arms suit**. ;board :n. a horizontal surface upon which a game is played, often divided into spaces that delimit the movement and/or legal positions of the pieces in the game. Boards in **piecepack** games are often constructed out of piecepack **tiles**. [[#TOP]] [:C] = C = ;chance elements :n. the features of a game that involve random actions or information. Some examples are: **die rolls** controlling movement or decisions and randomly **drawn coins** or **tiles**. ;clubs :1) n. a **piecepack suit** used in some extended piecepack sets; the suit of clubs is represented by the **color black** (MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion) or the color **green** (["Piecepack Expanded"]) or yet another **dark suit** (JcdPiecepack) and the traditional **playing card suit** symbol ♣. :2) n. one of the black suits in a traditional **playing card deck**. ;coin :1) n. a disk-shaped token marked with a **suit** symbol (in the associated **color**) on one side and a **value** (in **black**) on the other; there are six coins (one of each each **value**) associated with each suit in a **piecepack**, for a total of 24 coins in a standard set. Each coin also has a directional marker on both sides called a **pip** or **tick mark**. Coins are typically just the right size to fit inside one of the **squares** on the **grid-side** of a **tile**. :2) n. any of several embossed metal disks issued by countries as (usually fractional) currency. ;color :n. the hue associated with a particular **suit**. The **piecepack suits** use **black**, **blue**, **red**, and **yellow** or **green** for the **moons**, **arms**, **suns**, and **crowns** suits, respectively. The MesomorphGames expansion piecepack sets use black for **spades** and **clubs**, red for **hearts** and **diamonds**, **light blue** for **spring** (**flower**), **orange** for **fall** (**leaf**), , **purple** for **summer** (**fish**), and **white** for **winter** (**snowflakes**). The ["Piecepack Expanded"] set uses black, blue, red, yellow, purple, orange, white, green, and **gold** for the moons, **shields**, suns, crowns, spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs, and **stars** suits, respectively. ;combinatoric game theory :n. a mathematical discipline using surreal numbers to analyze **abstract strategy games** invented by J.H.H. Conway in his book //On Numbers and Games// and further expanded by E. Berlekamp, et al, in the book series //Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays//. ;copyright :1) n. the legal right under a countries laws of a creator to control the copying, distribution or modification of a creative work. Most countries abide by a set of international copyright laws called the //Berne Convention//. See also **public domain**. :2) n. a notice asserting the legal rights of a creator over a work. A notice must include the word "copyright" or the c-in-circle symbol ©, the year of creation, and the creator's name. See also **license**. ;crowns :1) n. one of the four standard **piecepack suits**; the suit of crowns is represented by either of the **colors green** (MesomorphGames) or **yellow** (["Piecepack Expanded"]) or yet another **light suit** (JcdPiecepack) and by a crown-shaped symbol. [[BR]] 2) n. one of the red suits in an **Empire playing card deck**. ;cut :1) v. to divide a deck or **stack** of cards or **tiles** into two parts and then placing the formerly bottom part on top to again form a single pile. [[BR]] 2) v. a method of selecting a random card or tile from a deck or stack by pulling a subset of cards or tiles off the top of the deck or stack and **exposing** the bottom card or tile of the pulled subset. [[#TOP]] [:D] = D = ;dark suits :n. the following **piecepack suits** are considered dark suits: **Moons**, **Anchors/Arms**, **Spades**, **Clubs**, **Fall**, and **Spring**. This concept was introduced by JonathanDietrich for his monochrome JcdPiecepack. ;deal :v. to evenly distribute (possibly after **shuffling**) a set of game pieces (such as cards or **tiles**) among all the **players** in a game, usually without **exposing** the **values** of the pieces. Dealing is usually done by giving a single item to each player in turn and then repeating until either a set number of items has been distributed to each player or until the whole set of items is exhausted. ;dexterity game :n. a game where the manual dexterity of the **player** is a major non-incidental part of game play. Examples are **flicking games** like //Crokinole// and //Carroms//, stacking games like //Jenga//, and balancing games like //Saturn// and //Villa Paletti//. ;diagonal :adj. related to the line connecting non-adjacent corners of a rectangle or other polygon. Diagonal movement is like that of a bishop in ["Chess"]. See also **orthogonal**. ;diamonds :1) n. a **piecepack suit** used in some extended piecepack sets; the suit of diamonds is represented by the **color red** (MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion) or the **color white** (["Piecepack Expanded"]) or yet another **light suit** (JcdPiecepack) and the traditional **playing card suit** symbol ♦. :2) n. one of the red suits in a traditional **playing card deck**. ;die :pl. dice :1) n. a cube with each side marked with one of the standard **piecepack values** (**null**, **ace**, 2, 3, 4, and 5); a piecepack has one die for each **suit** and the values on a die are marked in the **color** associated with its suit. :2) n. any of several polyhedral solids marked with numbers (or other symbols) used in games to generate random values. Standard dice are cubes marked with the values 1 to 6. Also easily available are dice with 4, 8, 10, 12, 20 and 30 sides. For everything you ever wanted to know about the possible shapes for dice, see the [http://hjem.get2net.dk/Klaudius/Dice.htm Properties of Dice] web page. ;draw :1) v. to pull a random **tile** or **coin** out of an opaque container such as a bag or cup. See also **shake**. :2) v. to pick a random a card or **tile** from a **face-down** pile or **stack**. See also **shuffle**. [[#TOP]] [:E] = E = ;economic game :n. a game whose **theme** is related to commerce or making money. Economic games often use virtual money as **victory points**. ;empire playing card deck :n. a deck of cards which expands the traditional 52 card **playing card deck** by adding two additional suits (**anchors** and **crowns**) for a total of 78 cards. ;end-game :n. the closing **phase** of a game. In the end-game **players** make their final push to win the game. See: **opening** and **mid-game**. ;equipment :n. everything needed to play a game, especially anything extra needed besides a standard **piecepack**. See also **bits**. ;expose :v. to make some piece of **hidden information** visible to all the **players** in a game. See also **peek**. [[#TOP]] [:F] = F = ;face :1) n. one of the labeled surfaces of a **die**. :2) n. the side of a **tile** showing the **suit** and **value**. :3) n. the side of a **coin** showing its **value**. See also **obverse**. ;face-down :1) adj. describing a **tile** which has its **value** and **suit** hidden. See also **suit-side-down**, **grid-side**. :2) adj. describing a **coin** which has its value hidden. See also **suit-side-up**. ;face-up :1) adj. describing a **tile** which has its **value** and **suit** **exposed**. See also **suit-side-up**. :2) adj. describing a **coin**, which has its value exposed. See also **suit-side-down**. ;facing :n. the direction indicated on a **coin** or **tile** by its **pip**. ;fall :n. one of the **piecepack suits** in the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] set; the fall suit is represented by the **color orange** and a **leaf** symbol. ;fiddly :(ant. streamlined, elegant, intuitive) :1) adj. describing a small, easily-forgotten rule, particularly one that exists only to patch a problem caused by other rules. :2) adj. describing a set of small pieces that require excessive and/or difficult movement. :3) adj. describing a game or design with an excessive number of fiddly rules, pieces, or record-keeping. ;fish :n. the symbol used to represent the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **purple summer suit**. ;flick :1) v. to propel a game piece (such as a **piecepack coin**) across the playing area with a single finger. A flick is not a sustained push, but a sudden snap or impulse. A proper flick is performed by resting a single fingertip on the playing surface with the fingernail against the game piece, then either (1) suddenly straightening the finger with the hand held motionless, or (2) suddenly straightening the whole hand at the wrist with the arm held motionless. Note that cocking your finger with your thumb results in not only loss of control but can also be very painful when your finger strikes the flicked piece. :2) n. an act of flicking a piece. ;flicking game :n. a game where the principal method of moving pieces is to **flick** them. ;flip :1) v. to turn over a **tile** or **coin** so that the side previously hidden is now **exposed**, and vice-versa. :2) v. to **toss** a **coin** in the air so that it tumbles and lands showing a random face. ;flower :n. the symbol used to represent the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **light blue spring suit**. ;four seasons suits :n. the new suits added by the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion]: **spring**, **summer**, **fall** and **winter**. [[#TOP]] [:G] = G = ;game system :n. a unified set of related components that are used to play a large variety of games. Examples are: **piecepack**, **Icehouse** and a deck of cards. ;gold :adj. the **color** associated with the ["Piecepack Expanded"] **stars suit**. ;green :1) adj. one of the two possible **colors** associated with the **piecepack crowns suit**. Note: the original specification for the piecepack design called for the crowns suit to be colored **yellow**, but green is easier to see against the color of the typical wood tiles used in many piecepack sets. See also **yellow**. :2) adj. the color associated with the ["Piecepack Expanded"] **clubs** suit. ;grid-side :adj. describing the side of a **tile** opposite the suit-side showing a 2x2 grid of **squares**. See also **face-down**, **suit-side-down**. [[#TOP]] [:H] = H = ;hearts :1) n. a **piecepack suit** used in some extended piecepack sets; the suit of hearts is represented by the **color red** (MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion) or the **color orange** (["Piecepack Expanded"]) or yet another **light suit** (JcdPiecepack) and the traditional **playing card suit** symbol ♥. :2) n. one of the red suits in a traditional **playing card deck**. ;hidden information :n. any piece of information about game state (such as the **value** of a **face-down tile**) that is either not equally known or totally unknown to all the **players** in a game. See also **peek**, **expose**, **perfect information**. [[#TOP]] [:I] = I = ;Icehouse :n. a **game system** consisting of several sizes and colors of plastic pyramids, produced by Looney Labs. Sometimes used in conjunction with the **piecepack**. [[#TOP]] [:J] = J = ;joker :n. an extra card or **tile** that does not belong to any **suit**. The standard symbol of a clown for a joker in **playing card decks** is possibly derived from the Fool card in Tarot decks. [[#TOP]] [:K] = K = ;kibitz :v. (from Yiddish) to look on and offer unwanted, usually meddlesome advice to others. The term is often used in the context of a game. ;kingmaking :v. a derisive term for the actions taken by a **player** who is in the position of being either impossible or highly unlikely to win a game and deliberately makes moves that throws the game to the player of their choice. [[#TOP]] [:L] = L = ;leaf :n. the symbol used to represent the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **orange fall suit**. ;license :n. the terms under which a creator allows others to make use of a work protected under the **copyright** laws. Common licenses used for **piecepack** games are the "Creative Commons License" and the "GNU Free Document License" (FDL). ;light blue :adj. the **color** associated with the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **spring suit (flowers)**. ;light suits :n. the following **piecepack suits** are considered light suits: **Suns**, **Crowns**, **Hearts**, **Diamonds**, **Summer**, and **Winter**. This concept was introduced by JonathanDietrich for his monochrome JcdPiecepack. [[#TOP]] [:M] = M = ;meld :n. a displayed collection of matching cards or **tiles**. The goal of most rummy like games is to form melds. ;mid-game :n. the middle phase of a game between the **opening** and the **end-game**. ;moons :n. one of the four standard **piecepack suits**; the suit of moons is represented by the **color black** or yet another **dark suit** (JcdPiecepack) and a quarter-moon symbol. ;movement points :abv. MP :n. an allowance of points that a **player** expends to control the amount of movement of one or more of that player's pieces. There is not necessarily a direct one-to-one correspondence between the number of movement points spent and the number of spaces a piece moves. ;multi-player solitaire :n. a possible derisive term for a game with very little or no interaction between the **players**. [[#TOP]] [:N] = N = ;NdM :n. a notation borrowed from Role Playing Games (RPGs) for the sum of the values obtained by rolling N M-sided dice. For example, 2d6 means the sum after rolling 2 standard 6-sided dice resulting in a value in the range 2-12. ;null :n. a special **value** used on **coins**, **tiles**, and **dice**; the default numerical equivalent for a null is 0, but **rulesets** often ascribe special meaning to the null; a null is represented by the absence of a number or symbol. See also **blank**. [[#TOP]] [:O] = O = ;obverse :n. the side of a **coin** showing the **value**. See also **face**, **face-up**, **suit-side-down**, **reverse**. ;opening :n. the beginning part of a game. In the opening, **players** establish their initial positions and strategies. See: **mid-game** and **end-game**. ;opening moves :n. **player** actions during the **opening** **phase** of a game. ;orange :1) adj. the **color** associated with the ["Piecepack Expanded"] **hearts suit**. :2) adj. the color associated with the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **fall suit (leaves)**. ;orthogonal :adj. having to do with right-angles. Orthogonal movement is to move parallel to the edges of a rectangular board or space; that is, moving like a rook in ["Chess"]. See also **diagonal**. [[#TOP]] [:P] = P = ;pawn :n. a game **token** often used to represent a **player's** position on a game board; a **piecepack** contains one pawn for each **suit**, for a total of four pawns; a pawn is marked in the **color** associated with its suit and, ideally, is marked with the suit symbol as well. ;pawn belt :n. a small strip of paper which wraps around, and is affixed to, a **pawn** which shows the pawn's **suit** and doubles as a directional indicator for the pawn. Pawn belts were invented by JonathanDietrich as his solution to the lack of directional indicators on pawns as well as a way to identify pawns without relying on colour for the JcdPiecepack. ;pawn saucer :n. a disk with a well in the top of the correct size to hold a **pawn** and a **pip** on the rim to show direction. Pawn saucers are marked in the center of the well with a **colored** dot to match the corresponding **suit** so that they may be used as stand-alone pieces. Pawn saucers were invented by MesomorphGames as their solution to the lack of directional indicators on pawns. ;peek :v. to examine some piece of **hidden information** in such a way that does not **expose** it to any other player. ;percentile dice :n. a pair of differentiated 10-sided **dice** use to **roll** the digits of a percentage value in the uniform range 00-99. 00 can be used to mean either 0% or 100% ;percentile die :n. a 100 sided (zocchihedron) die ([http://pjccmall.com/images/shop/LargeImages/dice_zocchihedronbw_large.jpg seen here]). A percentile die is not a practical die for gaming. Its many sides means that it can take a long time to come to rest (rolling too far), and makes it difficult to read the result. When a random number in the range of 0-99 or 1-100 is desired, it is much more practical to use percentile dice as noted above. Note: this is not a really a mathematically fair die. ;perfect information :n. a game with perfect information has all elements of the game known at all times to all **players**. Note that a game with a random starting setup (such as a board created with randomly placed **tiles**) can still have perfect information as long as the information is **exposed** before the start of the game. See also **hidden information**. ;phase :n. a temporal segment of a game. The term "phase" is sometimes used to denote broad parts of the flow of a game, i.e. the beginning, middle and end phases of a game. It is also sometimes used to denote the sub-parts of a **turn**. ;piecepack :1) n. a simple, flexible, public domain standard for abstract board games. See [http://www.piecepack.org/Anatomy.html Anatomy of a piecepack set] for a complete description. :2) n. a set of game components built for compatibility with the piecepack standard; a piecepack consists of 24 tiles, 24 coins, 4 dice, and 4 pawns. :3) adj. of or having to do with a piecepack. ;pip :1) n. a dot, small line, or other suitable symbol marked near the edge of a **coin** (in **black**), which can be used to indicate **facing**. See also **tick mark**. :2) n. the **suit** symbol in the corner of a **tile** (in the associated **color**) which can be used to indicate **facing**. :3) n. a dot on a standard **die**, domino, or Icehouse pyramid. ;place :1) n. used with an ordinal number to denote the order that **players** finish a race-like game or contest. The winner is in first place, the next player to finish or reach the goal is in second place, etc. Also used with "last" to denote the final finisher. :2) n. used as in 1) to denote relative player positions at any intermediate stage of a race or contest. ;player :n. a participant in a game. ;player order :n. the sequence in which **players** take their **turns** in a game. The default player order in most games is clockwise around the table in the order the players are sitting. ;playing card deck :n. the traditional deck of 52 cards (or 54 with two jokers). ;playing card suits :n. the extra suits added by ["Piecepack Expanded"], JcdPiecepack and the MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion: **spades**, **hearts**, **diamonds** and **clubs**. ;playtest :v. to play a game before its official public release with the intent to uncover flaws, **ruleset** omissions and ambiguities, broken mechanisms, and difficult to understand rules. The intent is to generate feedback for the game designer. ;playtester :n. a participant in a playtest session. ;port :1) v. to adapt a game for play using a **piecepack** possibly with a change of **theme**. See **adaptation**. :2) n. a game adapted to the piecepack. ;public domain :n. or adj. the total absence of **copyright** protection. The **piecepack** standard is public domain. ;purple :1) adj. the **color** associated with the ["Piecepack Expanded"] **spades suit**.[[BR]] 2) adj. the color associated with the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **summer suit (fish)**. [[#TOP]] [:Q] = Q = [[#TOP]] [:R] = R = ;race game :1) n. a game whose **theme** is related to a racing event, such as auto racing or horse racing. :2) n. a game where the winner is the first **player** whose piece reaches some goal in physical space, often by moving the piece along some linear course. See also **place**. ;red :1) adj. the **color** associated with the **piecepack suns suit**. :2) adj. the color associated with the suits of **hearts** and **diamonds** in the MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion. ;reverse :1) n. the side of a **coin** showing the **suit**. See also **face-down**, **suit-side-up**, **obverse**. :2) v. to change direction so as to go in the opposite direction. :3) v. to **flip** over a coin or **tile** to show its other side. ;roll :v. to throw or **toss** a **die** onto a surface causing it to tumble indeterminately so as to settle showing a random **face**. ;rotating player order :n. a game mechanic where the first **player** to take a **turn** in each **round** of a game rotates one place around the table each round. For example, in a four player game, the players would take turns in the order ABCD then BCDA then CDAB then DABC then ABCD, etc. ;round :n. a temporal segment of a game typically consisting of each **player** taking a single **turn** in some order. ;ruleset :n. a set of instructions for playing a game using a **piecepack** (possibly in conjunction with other components or **equipment**). [[#TOP]] [:S] = S = ;score :1) n. a numeric measure of a **player's** standing in a game. :2) v. to be rewarded **victory points** in a game. ;seasonal suits :n. term used by the JcdPiecepack for the **four seasons suits** due to MesomorphGames decision to trademark the name [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] ;sequence :n. a **meld** of cards or **tiles** being formed of all one **suit** and of consecutive **values** with no gaps. ;set :n. a **meld** of cards or **tiles** being formed of all the same **value** but all of different **suits**. ;shake :v. to mix **coins** by agitating them so as to create a random distribution (in an opaque cup, an opaque bag, or an enclosure created with two hands cupped together). ;shields :n. An alternate symbol used for the **blue arms suit** in some versions of **piecepack**, such as the ["Piecepack Expanded"] set. ;shove :v. to propel/push an object (overhanging the edge of a table) along a smooth surface, by hitting it with the heel of one’s hand. Used in ["Shove piecepack"]. ;shuffle :1) v. to mix face-down **tiles** so as to create a random distribution. See also **deal**. :2) v. to randomize a deck of cards; usually by dividing the deck into approximately equal parts and interleaving the parts back together one or two cards at a time, repeating several times. ;simulation :n. a game using a **theme** that attempts to accurately represent the features of some real world activity or event. Examples are: sports games such as ["Soccer"] and TabletopBocce, war games that re-enact some famous real battle, and **economic games** such as ["Taxicab"]. ;simultaneous :adj. describing events happening all together at one time. Simultaneous movement is done by more than one **player** at the same time, instead of taking **turns**. ;snowflake :n. the symbols used to represent the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **white winter suit**. ;solitaire :adj. or n. a game or puzzle played by a single **player**. See also **kibitz**. :) ;spades :1) n. a **piecepack suit** used in some extended piecepack sets; the suit of spades is represented by the **color black** (MesomorphGames PlayingCardsExpansion) or the color **purple** (["Piecepack Expanded"]) or yet another **dark suit** (JcdPiecepack) and the traditional **playing card suit** symbol ♠. :2) n. one of the black suits in a traditional **playing card deck**. ;spiral :n. the default symbol used on **piecepack** **coins** to denote the **ace** **value**. Also called **swirl**. ;spring :n. one of the **piecepack suits** in the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] set; the spring suit is represented by the **color light blue** and a **flower** symbol. ;square :1) n. a space on a board with a rectangular grid, particularly one the the four spaces on the **grid-side** of a **tile**. :2) adj. the shape of a tile. ;stack :1) n. one fourth of a standard **piecepack**; all the **bits** associated with a single **suit** (the 6 tiles, 6 coins, one die and one pawn, all of the same **color** and **suit**). See also **stash**. :2) v. to place a piece (**coin** or **tile**) on top of another, usually so that the **value** of the covered piece is completely hidden. :3) n. a pile of stacked pieces considered as a unit. ;stars :n. one of the **piecepack suits** in the ["Piecepack Expanded"] set; the suit of stars is represented by the **color gold** and a 5-pointed star-shaped symbol. ;stash :(from **Icehouse**) 1) n. a set of Icehouse pyramids in a single color, five of each size. See also **stack**(1). :2) n. the set of pieces controlled by a **player**, but not located on the board or playing field. ;suit :n. an arbitrary division or categorization of components; there are four standard **piecepack** suits: (in default order from highest to lowest) **suns**, **moons**, **crowns**, and **arms**. ;suit die :n. a **die** marked with **suit** symbols instead of **values** used to randomly select a suit. ;suit-side-down :adj. with the **suit** icon on the **piecepack** component hidden. See also **face-up**(**coin**), **face-down**(**tile**), **grid-side**. ;suit-side-up :adj. with the **suit** icon on the **piecepack** component **exposed**. See also **face-up**(**tile**), **face-down**(**coin**). ;suns :n. one of the four standard **piecepack suits**; the suit of suns is represented by the **color red** or yet another **light suit** ([JcdPiecepack]) and a sun-shaped symbol. ;swirl :n. the default symbol used on **piecepack** **coins** to denote the **ace** **value**. Also called **spiral**. [[#TOP]] [:T] = T = ;taxonomy :n. a classification of a set of objects into categories based on shared common features. See the TaxonomyOfPiecepackGames. ;theme :n. the background story associated with a game. A theme typically provides information about the goals and/or mechanisms of a game. A theme can be very weak so as to be just "pasted onto" an **abstract** game, or so strong that the game is a **simulation** of some aspect of reality. The theme of a game is often an integral part of the enjoyment of playing a game. ;tick mark :n. the directional marker on a **coin**. See also **pip**. ;tile :n. a **square** component marked with **suit** and **value** (in the **color** associated with the suit) on one side and a two by two grid (in **black** lines) on the other; a **piecepack** contains one tile for each combination of suit and value, for a total of 24 tiles. Tiles are typically 2 inches on a side or a little over twice the diameter of a **coin**. ;token :1) n. one of a collection of (possibly indistinguishable) items (stones, **pawns**, beads or **coins**) used in a game to mark positions, count points or any other purpose. :2) n. a game piece that represents a **player**. See also pawn. ;toss :v. to throw a **coin** or **die** in order to obtain a random value. See also **roll**, **flip**(2). ;traditional game :n. a game with a long history, often of unknown authorship, that is usually taught word-of-mouth. Examples are: ["Chess"], ["Checkers"], Go, many sports, billiards and many card games. ;train game :n. a game whose **theme** is related to railroad trains. Sometimes used as a derogatory term for a non-train themed game that could be easily re-themed with trains. ;turn :n. a temporal segment of a game usually devoted to the actions of a single **player**. [[#TOP]] [:U] = U = [[#TOP]] [:V] = V = ;value :n. the ordinal rank of a **coin**, **tile**, or **die** roll; there are six standard values for **piecepack** components: (in default order from lowest to highest) **null**, **ace**, 2, 3, 4, and 5. ;Vassal Engine :n. a game engine for building and playing online adaptations of board games and card games. It allows users to play in real time over a live Internet connection (in addition to playing by email). It runs on all platforms, and is free for personal use. Mentioned here because a [JonathanDietrich/VassalModule module] exists for Vassal that facilitates playing many **piecepack** games, as well as many games that rely on other components. In addition some people make use of the [JonathanDietrich/VassalModule module] to create diagrams for their **rulesets**. ;victory points :abv. VP :n. a numeric measure of of a **player's** standing in a game. Usually the player that receives the most victory points by the end of a game is the winner. See also **score**. [[#TOP]] [:W] = W = ;white :1) adj. the **color** associated with the ["Piecepack Expanded"] **diamonds suit**. :2) adj. the color associated with the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] **winter suit (snowflake)**. ;winter :n. one of the **piecepack suits** in the MesomorphGames [FourSeasonsExpansion 4 Seasons Expansion] set; the winter suit is represented by the **color white** and a **snowflake** symbol. [[#TOP]] [:X] = X = [[#TOP]] [:Y] = Y = ;yellow :adj. one of the two possible colors associated with the **piecepack crowns suit**. See also **green**. [[#TOP]] [:Z] = Z = [[#TOP]]

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