Re: Quick, short descriptions
To relate this to something Bakha mentioned about how Miracle-Gro has different products -- yes, that is true, but if the purpose of the sdesc is to say to the player 'This is Miracle-Gro', I would still argue for the sdesc 'A bag of Miracle-Gro'. When I hear 'Miracle-Gro', I think fertilizer. Maybe that's just me, but no, I am representative of all people!  . Similarly, if the purpose of the sdesc is not to be ambiguous, you want to go for the eyeball-kick of product placement. Abstracting the referant to its most common icon is I think the most effective way to communicate the message here.
I think this still works in fantasy/medieval settings, but of course it depends on the flavor of the game.
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