Glossary

A

Against-Shtick

Playing a scene in a way that contradicts your locked one-sentence Shtick. Chapter Eight

Audience Favor

The Season-scale reward currency. Earned by committing to bits, landing gags, honoring the Shtick, and taking dramatic risks; drives Billing shifts at Season finales. Chapter Eight, Chapter Ten

Audience Reaction

The scene-scale audience meter, tracked when a scene is explicitly performed for the Audience. Chapter Eight

Audience, The

The in-universe viewership watching every cartoon short. Sometimes addressable, always watching. Source of Audience Reaction and Audience Favor.

B

Billing

A Season-scoped PC status with four states: Top Billed, Featured, Supporting, In the Back. Chapter Ten

Bit

A specific, named, rule-backed gag technique a PC can perform. Grouped by Shtick; expanded through advancement. Chapter Five

Bond

A relationship tracker between two PCs, rated from −3 (Archenemy) to +3 (Soulmate / True Ally). Moves in play through shared peril, conflict, and reconciliation. Chapter Three, Chapter Eight

C

Cartoon Physics

The in-universe ruleset by which physical impossibilities become available. On-Set physics are permissive; Off-Set physics are roughly real. Chapter Eight

Chaos

The GM-side narrative-currency track, reskinned from Peril in the Exodus NDS Core Rules. Chapter Eight

Cold Open

The opening scene of an Episode; short, gag-driven, rewards energy over setup. Chapter Ten

E

Eight Conceits, The

The core premises the universe is built on; if a proposed rule violates a Conceit, the Conceit wins. Chapter Two

Elasticity

The setting’s rename for Wounds; a toon’s ability to bounce back from cartoon harm. Chapter Eight

ENDS

Exodus NDS Studios, the in-universe studio the PCs work for. Also the acronym for the core system.

Episode

The cartoon-industry equivalent of a session: roughly three hours, one arc, one payoff. Chapter Ten

F

Featured

One of the four Billing states. Chapter Ten

Fourth Wall, The

The boundary between the cartoon fiction and its audience, treated in this book as a traversable subsystem. Gated by the Fourth-Wall skill. Chapter Eight

G

Gag Token

The setting’s rename for Fortune (the PC-side narrative currency). Chapter Eight

Gag-Craft

The cartoon-unique skill governing the architecture of a bit: setup, escalation, payoff. Chapter Four

H

Hammerspace

The inaccessible cartoon pocket dimension from which toons pull props mid-scene. Governed by Cartoon Physics; contrast Inventory. Chapter Six

Hiatus

The bookkeeping period between Seasons. Advancement, Bit swaps, and Billing recalculation all happen here. Chapter Ten

I

In the Back

The lowest of the four Billing states. Chapter Ten

In-Shtick

Playing a scene in a way that commits to your locked one-sentence Shtick. Chapter Eight

Inventory

The tracked, mundane side of a PC’s gear. Contrast Hammerspace. Chapter Six

L

Lead Track

The opposed positioning system used in the Cartoon Chase Rules. Chapter Seven

M

Mice House

Rival studio; family-friendly, brand-protective, corporate, legally terrifying. Polished public face; ironclad counsel. Chapter Two (Dossier), Chapter Nine (Penny Periwinkle, Mice House Security, Studio Lawyer Team)

Minion / Elite / Nemesis

The three adversary tiers. Minions are grouped pools (3–6); Elites are named mid-tier opponents; Nemeses are signature recurring antagonists. Chapter Nine

N

Network, The

The off-set corporate body that pays the studio and writes the cancellation slips. Represented in-fiction by the Executive. Chapter Two, Chapter Nine

O

Off-Set

The mode PCs are in when not filming an active short. Cartoon Physics are muted; off-set consequences accumulate. Chapter Eight

On-Set

The mode PCs are in during an active cartoon short. Cartoon Physics are fully available. Chapter Eight

P

Prop Credits (PC)

The setting’s currency for gear. Starting PCs begin with 500 PC; sessions typically award around 50 PC. Chapter Six

Prop Department

The in-universe quartermaster, run by Old Murgatroyd. Source of all requisitioned gear. Chapter Six

S

Season

A run of four to eight Episodes. The middle scale in the Session/Season/Studio Loop. Chapter Ten

Session / Season / Studio Loop

The three nested time scales at which the game’s economies operate. Sessions resolve gags; Seasons resolve arcs; the Studio accumulates. Chapter Eight

Shtick

A PC’s locked one-sentence identity; the mechanical hinge of the game. Does not change during a Season. Chapter Three, Chapter Eight

Shtick Paradox, The

The core design tension the book is built around: cartoons resist change, RPGs demand progression. Resolved by the layered time scales of Bits, Bonds, and Wants. Chapter One, Chapter Eleven

Signature Item

A named, plot-significant prop uniquely bound to a character. Cannot be generically restocked. Chapter Six

Standards Board

The in-universe censor’s office, run by J. Lemington Crust. Chapter Two, Chapter Nine

Sting

The final gag after an Episode’s credits. Non-negotiable. Chapter Ten

Strain

The Core Rules’ mental/emotional fatigue track. Used in this setting for stress, composure, indignity, panic, Fourth-Wall pressure, social overwhelm, and similar non-Elasticity harm. Chapter Eight

Studio, The

The in-universe cartoon studio premise; ENDS for PC-side, with rivals at Warped Bros., Mice House, and others. Chapter Two

Supporting

One of the four Billing states. Chapter Ten

T

Tab, The

The ongoing prop-damage tally the PCs owe the Prop Department. Accumulates; non-blocking; eventually collected. Chapter Six

Toon

A cartoon character. The PCs. Subject to Cartoon Physics, Elasticity, and the studio contract. Chapter Two

Top Billed

The highest of the four Billing states. Chapter Ten

Type

A starting mechanical archetype: Bruiser, Brain, Zip, Charmer, Pro, or Wildcard. Chapter Three

W

Want

A PC’s current driving desire; the long arc. Resolves, then a new one takes its place. Chapter Three, Chapter Eight

Warped Bros.

The primary rival studio. Home of Bitsy Malone and the Pie Squad. Chapter Two, Chapter Nine

Wiped Out

The setting’s rename for Incapacitation. Chapter Eight