Sean Reynolds rant about terminology

[seankreynolds]

Hmmm... it would help if it was spelled out somewhere that the generic terms for the clunky term "arcane spellcaster" is mage. I adopted that convention in my own campaign, but not because the 3e rules told me to do so anywhere. Likewise, I use "priest" as a generic term for a divine spellcaster. [/B]

I'll admit we don't spell it out overtly in the game. However, the spells mage armor and mage hand are a clue.

 

[Pielorinho]

Speak English any way you want. But when you write game rules you need to use the right terms. Peace out.

Hi, Sean! I wondered if you'd show up.

I'm thinking that if this point had been clear in the rant, there wouldn't have been nearly this hoo-hah. I think that I and a lot of people read your comments as directed at gamers in general, not just at game designers. Any chance you'd feel like clarifying this point in the rant?

And if you wanted to fix the typos, that'd be just capitol, old chap!

Daniel

[edit: I looked back over the rant, and it's not a matter of clarifying your meaning: you were very clear that you weren't just talking about game designers. Not unless game designers are now selling audio CDs on them with new game rules. Check this out:

It angers me when people don't even bother to get the terminology of D&D right when they say or write things.

(emphasis mine)

If you rewrote it to remove the ranting-against-use-of-English-in-our-games aspect, I'm sure a lot more people would agree with you.]

 

[seankreynolds]

What I find funny is that he stands on a book that calls magic weapon abilities enchantments and then chastises people for doing the same. Yes, he mentions that in his article, but that doesn't make it any less hypocritical or arrogant.

Well, I didn't write the DMG. The books I wrote that were based on material in it (such as Magic of Faerun used the DMG terminology (including the erroneous "enchant") until the managing editor for RPGs, Kim Mohan, pointed out to me the terminology problem with it, and when I pointed that out in the DMG to him, he said it was in error. So since then I haven't done it (and I believe it was corrected in MoF.

Hypocritical? No ... I'm pointing out a common mistake, a mistake I have made, and the reasons why people do it. I'm hoping that people will stop making that mistake.

Arrogant? I'm not "exaggerating {my} worth or importance in an overbearing manner." I'm telling people how things should be written so they're clear and understandable. It's no different than saying "All monster write-ups should include how many hit dice the monster has." I'm telling people how to do it right.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

There wasn't a point in his rant where I assumed he was talking about anything OTHER than "rules-related" writing.


Wulf

 

[Wolfspider]

The rules form a common basis for every player to understand the game. We share a common language in the context of the game and if you don't follow the rules of that language you're making it harder for people to understand what you really mean when you talk about the game.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[seankreynolds]

Re: Reynold's rants

Was the audience for this supposed to be game designers? If so it makes a little more sense. But if this was intended for players and dms, it's pretty sad.

FYI, it is intended for publishers, and I have updated the ran't title to make that clear.

 

[Pielorinho]

There wasn't a point in his rant where I assumed he was talking about anything OTHER than "rules-related" writing.

Not even when he objected to loose rules-terms use when you "say or write"? If he was only talking about writing, why use the word "say" in addition to the word "write"?

Since this was in the first paragraph, in the thesis sentence, it kinda flavored how I listened to or read the rant.

(Oh -- 'scuse me. You listen to things people say. You read things people write. I gotta remember this terminology! )

Daniel

 

[Pielorinho]

Sean: that title change, and the final sentence in the first paragraph, make your meaning very clear here; I'm guessing at this point, all disagreement with the rant has vanished.

Thanks!
Daniel

 

[el-remmen]

As this has gotten to 10 pages, I will close this down - if someone REALLY wants to keep this debate going feel free to start another thread and I'll post a link here.