Dragon's Tail Cut?

[BadMojo]

This is really, really terrible. I don't want WotC changing decisions because someone spends 30 seconds typing an ill-thought out opinion on the interweb.

Well, we don't know that people on message boards were the only ones with strong feelings about Sizzling Dragon Flank Steak, or whatever it was called.

For all we know a dozen WotC employees, Rick Baker's mother in law and his dog could have all told him the name was goofy. We really don't know how much feedback he was reacting to or where it came from.

 

[Jim DelRosso]

um, ok.

I think I'll just treat that assessment as I would any other outlier.

Pretty much everyone else on the pro-DTC side is complaining about how dull it is. To claim that "wallop" is a flavor name in the same context of DTC is such an absurd stretch of the meaning of flavor that it just can not be taken seriously. If you are wiling to stretch the concept that far beyond recognition then Power Attack and Cleave are also heavy with flavor.

Back in reality I'll stand by my preference for neutral terms that more freely allow DMs to build the world as they wish.

"Knockdown" is flavor neutral, as is "trip": they describe exactly what they do.

"Wallop" is, as I said, pretty far removed from daily speech, and it doesn't actually even refer to the effect described (no definition of walloping I've found specifically mentions putting someone on the ground). Using uncommon or out of use terms does impart flavor. For example, what if a game referred to its unarmed strike skill as "fisticuffs"? It's a perfectly valid term, but it absolutely conveys a specific flavor. Both "fisticuffs" and "wallop" have fallen out of common use; the only difference is that "fisticuffs" went out sooner. (Though I think the last time someone said that something "packed a wallop" unironically was around 1985.) And both evoke a connotation beyond the mechanical effect.

Actually, Cleave's kind of like that, too: cleaving something implies cutting it, but you can use the feat with blunt weapons. Like DTC and Wallop, it's a name that's designed to evoke an image when you read it, but the mechanics can be used to represent situations different than those evoked by the name. And once you've gone with the evocative/flavorful/fluffy name, it's just a question of whether people like it.

Many don't like DTC. Others don't like Wallop. I'm sure some don't even like Cleave. But that's all subjective. I don't mind things like Cleave for general feats, but I prefer names like DTC for the specific class powers. I also just think "Wallop" sounds goofy.

 

[Wolfspider]

Sizzling Dragon Flank Steak

LOL!

 

[JoeGKushner]

This is really, really terrible. I don't want WotC changing decisions because someone spends 30 seconds typing an ill-thought out opinion on the interweb.

Names are very important. I want WotC to have this figured out. I want them to have a plan. Whether they go flavourless or different varieties of flavourful, or both, HERO style, doesn't particularly matter. What's important is that these things are done or not done for good reason.

A few dozen message board posters saying, "This name sucks" isn't a good reason.

Remember also that many people complained about the 3e names not being flavorful enough. You'll always get complaints no matter what you do. They mean nothing.

I on the other hand, worry that this name is just the tip of the ice berg and that they're going to be much more careful about letting things out until, like the Forgotten Realms, "It's already deicded and it wasn't decided in a vacuum.... remember, we know better than you."

 

[BryonD]

Many don't like DTC. Others don't like Wallop. I'm sure some don't even like Cleave. But that's all subjective. I don't mind things like Cleave for general feats, but I prefer names like DTC for the specific class powers. I also just think "Wallop" sounds goofy.

I'm not a big fan of "wallop". But so long as it is flavor neutral, I'm fine. I've never heard anyone say that cleave was bad. If Wallop sounds goofy to you, then fine. No reason to argue that.
But if you think it has intrinsic flavor worth mentioning in the same breath with DTC then I won't argue. I'll just continue considering that assessment an extreme outlier not worth much time.

 

[BryonD]

This is really, really terrible. I don't want WotC changing decisions because someone spends 30 seconds typing an ill-thought out opinion on the interweb.

Good thing that didn't happen then.

 

[Reynard]

This is really, really terrible. I don't want WotC changing decisions because someone spends 30 seconds typing an ill-thought out opinion on the interweb.

It is to be expected when they've put all their 4E eggs in the internet basket. After all, the internet is "where people go for this kind of information."

 

[Mortellan]

LOL. Awesome new development. If this is what constitutes playtesting for us lowly fans so be it.

As a side question how many little details did the 3E crew ever take back? This team seems to be heavily under the gun.

 

[Gort]

Well, thank goodness for that. I notice he didn't say what he'd replaced it with, though!

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Man, Rich Baker sure seems to be getting a lot of crap.