Mystara acronyms
by Andrew TheisenThis is a listing of Acronyms that are commonly used in association with discussion of Mystara. It is in no way meant to serve as a requirement or set of standards for the community, but is intended merely to serve as a resource for questions regarding terminology that may be encountered. Every effort has been made to be as complete and comprehensive a list as possible.
#
3E
Third edition. Used in reference to rules from both the 3.0 and 3.5 versions of Dungeons & Dragons.
A
AC or A.C.
After Crowning (of the first Emperor of Thyatis). Basis for date calculation according to the Thyatian calendar.AC#
Series of adventures and rule supplements (OD&D). The PWAs also have AC as a code (OD&D and AD&D).AD&D
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.AD&D2E or 2E
Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, 2nd Edition.AS
Alphatian Sea. Term used to refer to the colonies of Alphatia, notably the continent itself, the Alatian Isles, and Bellissaria. Coined by the Mystara community.AY
Alphatian Year. Basis for date calculation according to the Alphatian calendar.
B
B#
Basic #. Series of adventures for basic level of play (OD&D).BC
Before Crowning (of the first Emperor of Thyatis). Basis of date calculation according to the Thyatian calendar.BECMI
An alternative way of referring to the OD&D/Cyclopedia set of rules. Refers to the Basic/Expert/Companion/Masters/Immortals rules sets for Dungeons & Dragons. Term possibly coined by Frank Mentzer.Black Box
The color of the D&D Masters rules boxed set (levels 26-36)Blue Box
The color of the D&D Expert rules boxed set (levels 4-14)
C
CAS
Clark Ashton Smith. 1920s American pulp fiction writer whose short stories have inspired Mystara's Nouvelle Averoigne.CCCI
Consolidated Converted Creature Index. A regularly updated listing of common Mystara creatures that have appeared in different editions of the D&D game.CM#
Companion #. Series of adventures for companion level of play (OD&D).CoK
Church of Karameikos. One of the two main churches of Karameikos.CoM
Champions of Mystara. Campaign extension describing the area between the KW and the SC, and skyships (OD&D).CoT
Either refers to 1.) Church of Traladara, one of the two main churches of Karameikos, or 2.) Church of Thyatis, the main church of Thyatis.
D
DA#
Blackmoor #. Series of adventures set in the Blackmoor era (OD&D). The DA refers to the initials of Blackmoor creator Dave Arneson.DDA#
Challenger adventure #. Series of adventures set in the KW (OD&D).DDC
Darokin Diplomatic Corps. Darokin's network of diplomats and spies.DMG
Dungeon Master’s Guide, usually referring to the WotC product with the version cited; ver. 3.5 Ed., for example.DMR#
Challenger rules #. Series of rules supplements (OD&D).DotE
Dawn of the Emperors. Campaign extension describing the empires of Thyatis and Alphatia (OD&D).
E
ESD
Electronic SKU Download. PDF files of out of print pre-3e D&D products that were available for purchase with select distributors online. The ESD program ended around the time that WotC was moving from 3e to 4e. (SKU stands for Stock Keeping Unit.)
F
F#
Fan Gazeteer #. Series of community created Gazetteers expanding on things Mystaran, notably as exemplified by Old Dawg's F-Gaz line.
G
G:KoM
Glantri: Kingdom of Magic. Campaign setting (AD&D 2E).GAZ#
Gazetteer #. Series of books describing the countries of the KW (OD&D).Gold Box
The color of the D&D Immortals rules boxed setGreen Box
The color of the D&D Companions rules boxed set (levels 15-25). Also sometimes referred to as the Aqua Box.GRoF
Great Rain of Fire. Cataclysmic event that destroyed Blackmoor and altered the planetary axis of Mystara.
H
HK
Heldannic Knights. A Thyatian order of Knights of Vanya that rule in Heldann.HW
Hollow World. The inner world of Mystara.HWA# and HWQ1
Hollow World Adventure #. Series of adventures (OD&D).HWR#
Hollow World Rules #. Series of campaign extensions (OD&D).
I
IM#
Immortal #. Series of adventures for immortal level of play (OD&D).IoD
Refers to either 1.) Isle of Dawn, a region east of the KW that is the site of frequent clashes between the empires of Thyatis and Alphatia, or 2.) Isle of Dread, a "lost world" region located in the Sea of Dread south of the KW.
J
JA
Joshuan's Almanac. Book describing the KW and one year of events (AD&D 2E) (AC 1013).
K
K:KoA
Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure. Campaign setting (AD&D 2E).KW
Known World. In earlier OD&D products, the region of the world that had been mentioned in module X1. Later refers to the area described in the GAZs, or, more generally, the "civilized" area of the world (from a Thyatian point of view), ranging from the Sind Desert to Alphatia.
M
M or M-
Mystara. Prefix commonly apposed to real world names to make temporary equivalents for the world of Mystara until they get a new name (e.g. MOrient, a proposed oriental setting for Mystara).M#
Master #. 1) Series of adventures for master level of play (OD&D), or 2) series of two Solo Adventures using the Invisible Ink system.MA
Mystaran Almanac. Series of fan-created electronic books describing the world and one year of events each (AC 1014 and beyond).MMB
Mystara Message Boards. The Other Worlds message board for Mystara at Wizards of the Coast.MML
Mystara Mailing List. Where Mystarans discuss the world.MoA
Mark of Amber. CD Adventure (AD&D 2E).
N
NoS
Nucleus of Spheres. Artifact, source of the Radiance.NW
Norwold. Region north of the Known World.
O
O#
One-on-one #. Series of one-on-one adventures (one Player, one DM). (OD&D)OB
Outer Beings. Fan created powerful evil beings that warred against the Immortals long ago but are now imprisoned in an outer plane.OD&D
“Original” D&D. Though not strictly the first edition of the D&D rules, used to refer to the Basic through Immortals line of rules sets (later combined into the Rules Cyclopedia)OHP
Orc's Head Peninsula. Peninsula on the westernmost portion of the Savage Coast occupied primarily by orcs.OW
Old World. Alternative term for the areas of the Known World coined by the Mystara community. Generally considered to include the Gazetteer areas (Gaz's 1-14, plus Thyatis and Sind).
P
PC#
Creature Crucible #. Series of campaign extensions for monster races as PCs (OD&D).PHB
Player’s Handbook, usually referring to the WotC product with the version cited; ver. 3.5 Ed., for example.PWA#
Poor Wizard's Almanac #. Series of books describing the world and one year of events each (OD&D and AD&D) (AC 1010-1012).
R
RC
Rules Cyclopedia. Compilation of the old rules, with Mystara extension (OD&D).Red Box
The color of the D&D Basic rules boxed set (levels 1-3)RS
Red Steel. Name of the setting describing the SC. Also, the name of a substance found only there (AD&D 2E).
S
SC
Savage Coast. An area of Mystara west of the KW suffering from the Red Curse.SCMC
Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium. An AD&D 2E accessory.SE
Shadow Elves. The underground elves of the KW.
T
TM#
Trail Map#. Trail maps of the Eastern and Western KW (OD&D).ToL
Tree of Life. Living artifacts of the elves of Alfheim, incarnations of Ilsundal.TSR
TSR, Incorporated. The original creators and developers of the D&D game. (TSR at one time stood for Tactical Studies Rules, the publishing company predecessor to TSR, Inc.)
V
Vaults or VOP
Vaults of Pandius. Website dedicated to Mystara, officially endorsed by WotC.VotPA
Voyage of the Princess Ark. Series of Dragon Magazine articles written by longtime Mystara product manager Bruce Heard that developed many of the previously unexplored areas of the world of Mystara.
W
WotC
Wizards of the Coast. The owners of the D&D game and Mystara license.WotI
Wrath of the Immortals. Adventure and campaign extension describing events from AC 1004 to AC 1010, and the Immortals (OD&D).
X
X# and XL1
Expert #. Series of adventures for expert level of play (OD&D).XS#
Solo #. Series of solo adventures (OD&D).