D&D 4E WotC this is something you absolutely cannot screw up in 5E like you screwed up in 4E

[lin_fusan]

I checked wikipedia and found out that "dragon" is an English from French from Latin from Greek word, and thus is totally inappropriate for my games, since there is no English, French, Roman, or Greek culture in the games I run.

So I'm gonna call it an "EatAnAdventurer" from now on.



P.S. Except, I don't know how to translate that to Common...

 

[Zaukrie]

If I read this thread correctly....people that wanted to use the latin names either refused to buy 4E because WotC used other names, or refused to use latin names even if they bought 4E (like somehow WotC calling them something else kept them using the name they wanted)?

Because I don't get either of those arguments, and it amazes me that people care. I can't imagine how much some of you must have hated the AKA article back in the first era of Dragon magazine, suggesting that most villagers didn't know what monsters looked like, so they used the "wrong" names a lot....

 

[Ratinyourwalls]

I'm not saying it's not a change that should be made. It might improve the game. But the thread title makes this sound like a critical issue.

It IS a critical issue.

 

[frankthedm]

So you'd hate fighting a King Tyrantlizard, then? What about a Threehornface Horror? Armored Rooflizard?

You seem to think that these Latin names are magical and special and somehow not the same stupid fused-word naming convention we use all the time for animals.

This is why you keep the names in a foreign tongue! It hides at least some of the stupidity that creeps into all naming conventions. At least by keeping the latin, the names retain the traction in one's mind they already have. The new names are like if Capcom started translating all uses of "Hadouken" to "wave motion fist" for further releases of Streetfighter games.

 

[Cyberzombie]

Anyone who knows the difference between a brontosaurus and an apatasaurus knows what I'm talking about.

Yeah, brontosaurus is the proper name and apatosaurus is the wrong one. Even the spell check agrees with me.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Not a big deal.

Just have some ancient empire use have had latin-ish language that academics would refer to, but your peasants of the contemporary era use plain descriptive terms.

It would have historical precedence with the history of english terms for animals when the upper classes of England were french speaking after 1066 but the peasant classes were still anglo saxon, leaving us with beef and cow, lamb and sheep, pork and pig.

 

[Charleois]

How are you going to play in Pellucidar without triceratops and pteranadons?

I want Queen Diana on a brontosaurus and Tarzan spearing a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

 

[Invisible Stalker]

It IS a critical issue.

But is it a CONFIRMED critical issue?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

But is it a CONFIRMED critical issue?

Where's that dice roller go when you need it . . .

 

[Ichneumon]

But is it a CONFIRMED critical issue?

Well, being displeased with an announcement can result in a confirmed critical snit.