Glossary

“When we define something, what we really define is our own prototypical understanding of a word, and our guess at what others understand. Words are imperfect ways of dividing up an indivisible world. Still, definitions have their use, for how else would you and I understand one another?”

–Dr. Joe Finch, in conversation with the Orlema Linguistic Institute

Also referred to as 'in-world' or 'in the universe of Contagion,' amongst other variations, this term describes the fictional world in which the events of the game will take place.

Short for in-character and out-of-character, these terms are used to describe whether events and objects are in the universe of Contagion (IC) or in real life (OC). For example, “I'm laughing OC, but IC I would be very serious right now”.

The OC tag can also be used to ask questions or request that a subject be toned down in an email:

They look around.
[OC: What does your PC's room look like? Also, could we take down the description of gore down a notch, please.]

Short for player character (PC) and non-player character (NPC), these terms describe characters within the Contagion universe. PCs are played by players – a list of them can be found here. NPCs are played by crew or GMs and can be found here.

Uptime refers to the in-person components of Contagion, held fortnightly at Brasenose College (see When and Where). Uptimes will involve role-playing as your character in the Bastion. More information can be found at Uptime and Sessions.

Downtime refers to the period between Uptimes. Turnsheets are used to tell us what your character gets up to during this time, and you will also be able to send emails to other players. More information can be found at Downtime and Turnsheets.

During Downtime, you may send emails to other players and GMs, representing IC communication or conversations. Emails will be able to be sent from the end of Uptime until 21:59 the Friday after Uptime. More information can be found at In-Character Emails.

Turnsheets describe the actions of your character during Downtime. These will be submitted to us through the wiki, with a deadline of 23:59 the Friday after Uptime. More information can be found at Turnsheets.

Eternities are write-ups by the GMs after the final uptime to outline how the lives of the characters (and the world around them) continue after the events of the game. Players will also have the opportunity to submit personal eternities, subject to GM approval.

Debrief is an in-person session taking place after the final uptime where players and GMs can discuss their characters and the game as a whole from an OC perspective. See When and Where for more details on the exact location and date.

Short for Campaign Organiser, this is the person in charge of Contagion. Our CAMPO is Tara.

Short for Game Master, these are the people who write Turnsheets, facilitate Uptimes and generally run the game. We can be emailed at gm@contagion.oxfordrpg.com, and more information about us can be found at GMs and NPCs.

These are people who are help run the game by playing NPCs, under the direction of the GMs. More information can be found here.

That's you! (Probably.) These are the people who are playing the game. A list of players and their characters can be found at Player Characters.

Used to describe a particularly intense emotional relationship between characters (e.g. a romance, a QPR or a torrid platonic affair). Before initiating a ballgown, you should check OC with the other person involved. Sometimes ballgowns can arise more spontaneously – if you have any doubts, then it's always best to check in OC. NPCs will not initiate ballgowns with players unless they take the Hopeless Romantic Quirk.

Short for don't worry about it and find out in play, these are terms used commonly used to avoid answering questions (or to be ominous). FOIP is generally used if the answer is intended to be discovered through playing the game. DWAI is generally more tongue-in-cheek and is more often used when the answer could, in fact, be worth worrying about.

Due to the nature of roleplaying games, it is essential to maintain a strong divide between the IC world and the OC world. This is often referred to as 'maintaining the IC/OC divide,' and in practice, means being aware of and careful that arguments, tensions, and other intense features of the IC world do not affect relations between persons in the real world. Similarly, it is good practice to be careful not to bring OC feelings IC.

This term refers to using OC knowledge (which your character wouldn't have) to influence IC actions. While we understand that such knowledge may be acquired without ill intent (e.g. through casual conversations with other players), we trust players not to abuse it.

Short for physical representation, this term refers to any clothes or accessories which you may wear to uptime to portray your character. Physrep is fairly common, but completely optional.

Short for player versus player, this term refers to conflict between PCs. Any PvP that occurs in Contagion Uptimes will require mutual OC consent from both players and is up to GM discretion. If you would like to engage in PvP, please jointly inform the GMs, and we will discuss it with you.

The skills and traits which help to distinguish your character in gameplay, predominantly affecting Emails and Turnsheets. More information can be found at Quirks.

These calls are used by the GMs to manage the flow of Uptime.

This is used by GMs to announce the beginning of the session, or resuming after a time freeze, to announce that it is time to switch into character.

This is used by GMs to interrupt roleplaying during session, so we can describe something going on that we wouldn't be able to adequately act out.

This is used by the GMs to announce the end of the session and that it is time to drop out of character.

Pointing upwards with the index and middle fingers. This is used by players and GMs to show that they are temporarily dropping out of character. This may be to ask a question OC, to pass through the playing space unimpeded, or even for GMs to listen in on secret conversations (this last one is off-limits for players). When someone is doing this, it may indicate that their character is not there.

The following calls can be used to help handle any discomforting topics or conversations. These should be used with the OC gesture for clarity, and if you forget them, you can always explain the situation using just the OC gesture.

This call is used when a conversation that your character is in makes you uncomfortable OC, and you want it to stop. When this call is made, the current topic of the conversation will be dropped and moved on from, no questions asked.

This call is for situations where you are okay with the topic continuing, but need the intensity of the situation to be decreased. Again, no questions asked.

This call can be used to simply remove yourself from the conversation if you are uncomfortable or for any other reason. Your character is simply no longer there, and you can remove yourself while the conversation continues.

For the same information on a different page, see Calls.

Home. The encampment where all the PCs live. More information can be found at The Bastion.

The highly contagious disease which turns infected carriers into zombies. More information can be found at The Contagion.

In the Contagion universe, Doctor is a term reserved for academics, while the term Medic is used for medical professionals.

In Contagion, Paranoia is a gameplay mechanic. It is the effect of your character committing repeated subversive actions against others (lying, betrayal, sabotage, etc.), normalising these actions, and in turn making your character worried that the same could happen to them. When severe enough, this will result in your character being unable to trust whether what someone is doing is subversive or not, or if what they see has something hidden beneath it or not. It can be alleviated by the opposite: collaborative actions (helping others, trusting others, altruistic actions).