Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-27060727-20170222030619/@comment-25926288-20170503195628

The neck snap is just a flaw of the magic system of Once. No one ever gets neck snapped unless they are an extra. But at times, Regina and Rumple just choke people to death but choose that over a quick victory. (It's like whenever they use fireballs. Never killed a person except one, even when they hit).