border gore

English

The pre-2015 India-Bangladesh border had many enclaves, making it a real-life example of border gore.

The current borders between Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

Alternative forms

bordergore, border-gore

Etymology

From border +‎ gore (“murder, bloodshed, violence”), jokingly suggesting that such borders are so gruesome they might cause someone to become physically ill.

Pronunciation

Audio (US): (file)

Noun

border gore (uncountable)

(grand strategy games, slang) Political borders which appear extremely messy and unaesthetic when viewed on a map, typically due to being extremely jagged or involving many enclaves.
You started a world war, killing millions, just to fix some of your border gore?
- 2018 November 27, Jason Rodriguez, “Crusader Kings II: Best And Worst DLC Expansions”, in PCInvasion‎^[1], archived from the original on 2022-12-04:
  For the most part, you can enjoy a game of Crusader Kings II without ever playing as a merchant republic. Although, it's worth noting that their trade posts can cause quite the border gore when using its specific map mode.
- [2020 October 11, Robert Macilraith, Joshua Walker, “Tutorial Level: Crusader Kings 2- More Than Just a Colourful Map”, in The Oxford Student‎^[2], archived from the original on 2022-06-26:
  The Kingdom of France can end up having more Finnish land than French. The Spanish King might decide to conquer just the north of Ireland. An Indian prince may end up ruling Poland. This delightful phenomenon is known 'bordergore' and adds a flavour to the game that many others struggle to replicate.]
- 2021 September 22, Andy Brown, “Royal Court DLC for 'Crusader Kings 3' will let players formally beg for help”, in NME‎^[3], archived from the original on 2021-10-22:
  The developers add that this new feature "will allow you to ask for things directly without resorting immediately to war, which will remain a last resort when you need to topple a king whose tolerance of border-gore clearly proves their illegitimacy".
- 2022 August 24, Ruth Cassidy, “Crusader Kings 3 update looks to tone-down the 'border gore' of endless conquest”, in PC Gamer‎^[4], archived from the original on 2022-10-03:
  France, but the shape of a giraffe, with a number of its counties belonging to Wales, with an odd little exclave far up North in Norway? That's border gore.
- 2022 November 4, Chris Hall, “Hearts Of Iron IV: By Blood Alone Review: Planes and More!”, in KeenGamer‎^[5], archived from the original on 2023-01-19:
  I will be blunt dear reader, I was never a fan of the Peace Conference system in Hearts Of Iron IV up until this point; it felt underdeveloped, was prone to border gore, and it was hard to get a decent settlement for your efforts.
- 2023 January 18, Grayson Quay, “One State Unveils Crazy Plan That Just Might Save America”, in The Daily Caller‎^[6], archived from the original on 2023-01-23:
  South Georgia could unite with Florida. Eastern Colorado could join Kansas. We might end up with some ugly boundary lines — what map-based video game enthusiasts call "border gore" — but that's a small price to pay for a little more harmony.