A good reason not to have dragons, trolls, fairies, etc.

[Drey]

Originally posted by Kythag
Actually, I just used a spellchecker.  \"Naturalized\" is spelled right.  Is this another UK/America spelling difference?  Like Grey/Gray?  This occurred in another thread somewhere here.

The language you claim to be typing in is called English, no?


...Thought so, therefore the word is Naturalised.

[Draklar]

Originally posted by Drey

Originally posted by Kythag
Actually, I just used a spellchecker.  \"Naturalized\" is spelled right.  Is this another UK/America spelling difference?  Like Grey/Gray?  This occurred in another thread somewhere here.

The language you claim to be typing in is called English, no?


...Thought so, therefore the word is Naturalised.

Now if only there was only one form of English >.>

Kythag: I believe so. Americans spell things with \'z\', while brits with \'s\'. o/ou is another example (armor/armour).

[Kythag]

You know, you are a GM.  The word of the day here is \"professionalism\"!  Since you speak the English language, why don\'t you look that word up.  You need to learn what it means and apply it to what you are doing here!

[Keyaz]

easy tiger, don\'t start throwing things at my baby Drey! <3

it can be spelt either way, which way you want whenever you want, depends where you\'re born how you were brought up spelling it.

but it doesn\'t matter, its stil lthe same bloomin word, loosen off your knickers and breathe before you bust a blood vessel... or nut... whatever.. :]

[Trinx]

On the down side of having everything with weird names.  Everyone enters the world as a full grown person with the knowlege of a new born baby.

Ooh look hey whats that!  Ooh and that! lol.

Frankly I couldn\'t even tell you what race my character is.  It was just the only model I could really stand looking at for long.

No offense I know over half the races are not completed, but I don\'t like the look of most of them.  Personnal preference/opinion I know.  So don\'t try to crucify me over it.

Except for the ROUS\'s I knew what they were right off the bat when I entered the sewers.  lol.  Rodents of Unusual Size for those who haven\'t seen the Princess Bride.  Funny movie.

Basically with all the weird names it\'s kind of like learning to speak a foreign language.  Because if I see something that looks like a dragon I\'m gonna call it a dragon.

[Kythag]

I believe that the purpose of the lack of knowledge is to create suspense.  Should I attack the clacker?  How powerful is he?

[Draklar]

If someone can\'t guess the power of a clacker just by the look of it, then something\'s wrong with the game. I mean, it\'s not like it\'s some magic-wielding mystical creature to surprise anyone.

Giant spider would give you as much suspense as a clacker. Seriously.

[Karyuu]

Surprisingly enough, Draklar, there are times when giant spiders are devastating. It\'s particularly hard to judge power of insectoids - since there is almost always something hidden, and some defense mechanisms are a real treat.

[Draklar]

Compared to a dryad, which although fragile looking, can have enormous power, I don\'t think they can be all that surprising...

And I never said giant spiders are harmless puppies :P

[Trinx]

I don\'t think changing the name of something has any effect on combat or suspense.

Suspense is anytime you haven\'t fought something before and don\'t know how dangerous it is.

Whether it\'s called a Clacker or a Giant Spider if you\'ve never fought it before it doesn\'t matter.

A lack of knowledge being lets not display the level of the targetted person or creature.

Doesn\'t matter what it looks like or what it\'s called.  If you haven\'t fought it before it\'s the same.

Changing the names is neat but beyond that it\'s not exactly a game altering mechanic.

[Cyl]

Well if Clacker\'s would act as they are supposed to be, they could fell every warrior, considering that they *usually* attack in swarms of hundrets or thousands...  \"kill one and two come..\"

[Kythag]

So you\'re saying you had fought a Clacker before this game?  I\'m sorry, I just hadn\'t fought one before.  I agree that suspense comes from something you\'ve never fought before.  I had never fought a Clacker before.  Should I have used a Trepor for my example?

I also have gotten the impression that someone thinks that a Clacker is a creature that has existed before with a different name.  Not to me.  And I don\'t know about anybody else, but judging a creatures power by its size can get you into some real trouble.  If I\'m playing D&D, pull a cloak out of a closet, and yellow dust starts flying, I am going to be concerned.  What if they had decided to make the Clacker highly poisonous?  Would you be more afraid of a Clacker or a cow?  Cows are larger , you know.

[Draklar]

Originally posted by Kythag
So you\'re saying you had fought a Clacker before this game?  I\'m sorry, I just hadn\'t fought one before.  I agree that suspense comes from something you\'ve never fought before.  I had never fought a Clacker before.  Should I have used a Trepor for my example?

Have you fought a troll before in this game?
What makes you think that if you fought creature with same name but different stats and different skills system, then you\'d know its strength in all possible games?
Or do you mean knowing approximate strength of creatures? Would you expect a clacker to have strength of a dragon? Or Ulbernaut strength of a bunny rabbit? :P

I repeat, if you can\'t guess an approximate strength of a non-magical creature just by its apparence, then there\'s something wrong with the game.
Not only something like that means your character has a child\'s mind and doesn\'t know anything about the outside world, but also has problems with making basic conclusions.

And by coclusions I mean... Clackers have sharp cutting thingies and behave agressive... Cows are slow and don\'t move much, let alone being agressive. Clackers are more dangerous.

You know, I never fought wolf or cow before... But I\'m pretty sure despise the former being smaller, it is more dangerous.

[Trinx]

Exactly lets say WoW had \"Clackers\" in fact oops they do. lol.

Ok given they look completely different from each other.  Yet if I have no reason to assume having playing multiple MMORPG\'s that Clacker in PS is the same as a Clacker is WoW.

Actually they may be called \"Crackers\" in WoW but it\'s like \"Makura Clacker, or Makura Cracker\"  I think Clacker though.  Doesn\'t matter it\'s a crab vs a spider thingy.

Or if it was Giant spiders from different games, etc.  

So as I was saying no matter what you call something the first time someone comes across it in game there will be some suspense.  Untill they have killed one or two and are sure they can take them in that area.

Of course WoW is a bad example since not much suspense with anything after awhile and you figure out what level ranges and how many at each level you can take.  Of course there is still the oddball AI here and there with some special abilities that could throw off your well calculated assault.

[TheMinority]

I kind of agree that the names are pointless, since when I\'m sneaking up on something new, I probably have no clue what it\'s called either way.

But I do think that the whole dragons and faeries and whatchamajiggers should stay out, since it is too resembling of a commonly known creature. It would be very difficult to maintain a RP \"What on earth is that?\" when i\'m staring at a winged 40-foot fire breathing lizard. Even if we named it something like \"Skibbleblasters\", it would just be too close, and EVERY newbie would be calling it a dragon, making our rule of keeping as much real life references to mystical things obsolete. Even adding them in as \"legends\" is too much, since some folk would get story-happy and say that they were attacked by a dragon on the road to Hydlaa. a flat out lie, since it\'s just not possible. plus it takes away from creativeness.

\'sides, instead of a dragon legend, i think there would most likely be a \"giant rat\" legend. It stalks naughty childrens in the night and eats your garbage in one bite! fear it! *runs*