ORC FAQ

What is ORC Edinburgh?

The Edinburgh-based Open Roleplaying Community is a group of like-minded people who meet regularly to play roleplaying games (RPGs). We play a variety of games: the ever-popular Dungeons and Dragons, Call of Cthulhu, Pathfinder, More on our history can be found at ORC Edinburgh's History.

Where is ORC?

We're based in Edinburgh, in Scotland, UK. More specifically, we meet every Saturday at various venues throughout Edinburgh (see the Forum for details!).

Where can I buy RPGs and dice?

Ooh, all over the place. We heartily recommend supporting your local games retailers, which, if you're based in Edinburgh, can be found here although there are many online retailers such as Amazon.

Can I join ORC?

Yes you can. In fact, consider yourself a member, effective immediately. It doesn't cost anything. Now that you've passed our rigorous selection process, why not pop along next weekend? Most of ORC are in their 20s-40s, although we do have both younger and older members - we welcome anybody looking to run or play in a game. Games run to about 5.00pm. New faces are always welcome!

When is ORC?

We usually meet every Saturday for most games (although others do run on different days). Most people start to arrive between 12.15pm and 13:00pm with games starting at 1pm and run until 5pm. However, other members of ORC also run games outside the Saturday afternoons.

OK, where do I start?

Check New_to_ORC.

How do I contact other site members?

You can send and receive Personal Messages (PMs) via the ORC Messaging link, or by clicking the hyperlink under ORC Info. Please do not use it to share illegal PDFs.

How do I contact the Site Administrator/Webmaster?

You can either send a PM to Bill or use the Contact ORC form.

How do I go about submitting an Event or Venue?

The Events calendar contains all events that we know of. Submit an event by choosing "Submit an Event," clicking the icon in the right-hand corner, or clicking the Submit an Event link or Submit Venue in the main menu. For venues, provide as much information as possible - especially how to get there! Note that you can set a recurring event by choosing Daily, Weekly etc. and set the recurrence there, e.g. Weekly 2 for fortnightly like most ORC games.

How do I sign up for a game?

Each game has an entry in the ORC Events Calendar. Click on the link and you should see an "I will go this event". Tick the box, and that's it. You can also cancel your registration for it in the same way. Most games are usually full so check the description or with the GM first. Some games may also have a waiting list.

How do I change my password for the site?

You must login to do this first. Click on ORC Forum. Click on My Profile, then upon Edit Your Details. Enter your new password, and then enter it again in the "Verify Password" box. You can also use this to change your email address or name as well.

How can I get space/logins for the ORC wiki?

Either contact the site administrator via Contact ORC, or send a PM to Bill, stating who you are and what the link is to be called. You'll need to register to use it.

Why do I need to login again to the wiki?

Mediawiki and Joomla (the site backend) are separate software - they don't work together. They used to, but now require separate logins

What's on at ORC?

The ORC Events calendar details a number of games coming up. You can either submit your own event or join an existing one. Gaming Conventions and other events can also be listed.

How often do games run at ORC?

Games usually run fortnightly, but there's usually a game every week.

How do I join a game at ORC?

It doesn't take long (note that you will need to be a registered user and signed in on the site to do so):

1. Click on the Event.
2. Tick the box next to "I will go to this Event."
3. Click on Register.
4. Or just turn up on the day before 1pm.

Can anyone run at ORC?

Yes, but do try and publicise your game first - submit an event, and post in the Looking to run a game area. That way you'll be able to gauge interest too.

Does anyone run Game X at ORC?

You can find out if anyone GMs a particular game by asking in the Looking for a game area. If enough people are interested then someone will likely step up!

What are "one-shots"?

One shots are single game run on a day by a GM. They can be to test a scenario, playtest a game or simply be a one-time only game. They're useful for introducing players to a setting or system without committing to a campaign.

What services does the ORC website provide?

The Open Roleplaying Community Edinburgh website offers a number of services to gamers in Edinburgh. It is free to register and your contact details are kept private.

• Downloads. This part of the site allows you to download materials from the ORC website. Although you can download the items without registering, you need to be registered to add new materials.
• Events. This provide an events calendar for Edinburgh gamers, and lists conventions, games that are running, and other items that may be of interest to Edinburgh gamers. You must be registered to submit events.
• FAQ provides a list of Frequently Asked Questions as they relate to the ORC site and gaming in general. That's where you are now!
• The Forum is the most active part of the site and is used to discuss RPGs and other geek-chic stuff. The Introductions and Games/Players Wanted forum areas are the only parts of the forum readable to non-registered visitors - you can only post to these and the other areas if you're registered.
• Links. contains links to websites of interest to gamers, including gaming shops, RPG utilities, other clubs and other sites of interest.
• ORC Messaging provide a private Personal Messaging (PM) system among other ORC site members. You can create distribution lists and also send attachments. Your email is kept private.
• ORC Wiki. This allows GMs and players to publish information for their games. You need to be registered to create/edit pages on the wiki, but can be viewed normally.
• RSS Feeds are provided for the Events, Latest Forum posts, and recent Wiki changes.

What was the ORC Shared Campaign/New World?

The shared campaign setting of the New World came into being in late 2007. It was the result of several months work by a number of GMs. Unfortunately, the amount of work proved too much and the project fell by the wayside. It is still available for use as a shared setting.

The system used in the New World campaign was Dungeons & Dragons 3.5, although there are some custom rules. These are incorporated into the Explorer's Guide to the New World which you can access through the ORC Downloads section. Information on the setting is also available on the ORC Wiki which also features some updated rules.

The setting is similar to that of the arrival of the the Conquistadors in South America, although the native inhabitants are the Reptilian Lizardfolk.

What do these acronyms mean?

So RPGs and other gaming tend to have a selection of acronyms that need explaining.

We hope that the following is a help in guiding you through the ones we'll use on the website and in general.

Dice Info	Explanation
d4	A 4 sided dice.
d6	A 6 sided dice.
d8	An 8 sided dice.
d10	A 10 sided dice.
d12	A 12 sided dice.
d20	A 20 sided dice.
d% or d100	A percentile roll normally produced by rolling 2 d10s with acting as the tens number and the other as the units number. A result of 00 on the dice is 100.
xdy+z	The x infront of the d refers to the number of dice rolled, the y after the d refers to the type of dice rolled and the z refers to the bonus or penalty applied to the result.

Acronym	Explanation
2d20	Modiphius Entertainment's proprietary system used in Conan: Adventures in a age undreamed of, Mutant Chronicles, John Carter on Mars, the Infinity RPG,, and Devils Run.
CoC	Call Of Cthulhu. A RPG based on the works of HP Lovecraft. Published by Chaosium - http://www.chaosium.com/
d20	This is the system used to power Dungeons & Dragons which has been made 'free' to use by other manufacturers and of course Wizards Of The Coast themselves.
D&D or DND	Dungeons & Dragons - The worlds most popular RPG and classed as the one that started it all. Published by Wizards Of The Coast - http://www.wizards.com/
GM / DM	Game Master or Dungeon Master. This is the person who facilitates the game, sets the scene and controls all the NPCs/Monsters etc. DM tends to be used exclusively for D&D. For WoD games this is normally referred to as Storyteller but in essence it's the same job. may also be called a Story Guide, Referee or Facilitator.
GURPS	Generic Universal Role Playing System - One of the first game systems explicitly designed to be able to be used in ANY genre.
Heat	Points used by a GM in the 2d20 system to add challenges to the game. Players can buy extra d20s to roll with Heat.
ICC	In Character Chat - A forum or chat environment where players are acting in character.
IP	Intellectual Property. Intellectual Property refers to a setting (e.g. Dragonlance or Ravenloft) or a rules system (e.g D&D or GURPS).
LARP	Live Action Role Play - An RPG where people dress up and act out their role sometimes with rules, and sometimes without.
NPC	Non Player Character. A character used by the GM/DM during the game.
OGL	Open Gaming License. Used by gaming manufacturers to make their basic rule set free, pioneered by Wizards of the Coast.
One shot	A game that only lasts a single session, often a playtest or a filler game for folk to play. Sometimes called one-offs too.
PC	Player Character. The character used by a Player during the game.
Player	The real-life person playing the game, NOT their character
RPG	Roleplaying Game - Yes I know it looks odd but be assured that it's Roleplaying Game and NOT Role Playing Game or Role-playing Game.
SJG	Steve Jackson Games - Not the same Steve Jackson behind Fighting Fantasy books, but another Steve Jackson altogether. Responsible for GURPS, Munchkin and many many other games (including Toon!).
WoD	Sometimes shown as OWoD or NWoD (Orginal and New). This refers to the World Of Darkness series of games produced by White Wolf - http://www.white-wolf.com/ The O or N in front of the acronym refers to Old or New. White Wolf did a re-launch of their World Of Darkness setting and wiped the slate clean leading to a New World Of Darkness. The relaunch led to a bit of a split in the fanbase with many people sticking to the OWoD content refusing to move over to the NWoD.
WotC	Wizards Of The Coast - Publishers of D&D and Magic The Gathering and all round gaming company. They bought the original publishers of D&D (TSR) when that company went into financial difficulties and brought D&D 3rd Edition to our doorstep along with the d20 system.