QuoteCliché
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The term cliché (or cliche) is a phrase, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of losing its intended force or novelty, especially when at some time it was considered distinctively forceful or novel. It is generally used in a negative context.

The tavern or inn run by an ex-adventurer.  The mysterious stranger who approaches you with a map in hand.  The lesbian stripper ninja.

We've seen them a mojillion* times.  Been there, done that.  But why do they get overused?  Is it becuase they actually work, sometimes?

And how hard is it to pick one up, re-tool it, shine it up real good, and turn it out on your players for a good time?

Last night, before bed, my wife and I were talking.  I'd just been thinking about old-school gaming and stuff, so I said to her: "You know the old cliche of the tavern run by an ex-adventurer?  What if it were a merchant, instead?  He's been all over the campaign map, has lots of oddities in his establishment and so on?  Maybe he's real chatty, and can drop rumors on the PCs, give them reasons to go poke at stuff on their own."

"Ooh!" she replied.  "How about an inn run by a retired wizard, and it's always clean because he uses aerial servants to do everything?"

"And he doesn't cast them," I said.  "He won them from an air elemental.  Game of poker or something.  They're his retainers."

"And in his office, he has this crystal, carved into, like, a funnel cloud, and that's the focus for them."

"What if it got stolen...?" and I went on, and so did she.

Result?  In about five, ten minutes, we had two interesting locations with attendant NPCs and plot hooks aplenty, just waiting to get dropped into a game.  

Gets ya all fired up, doesn't it?  Clichés can be yo' bitches!

*That is very many.

To me, "clichés" are essential in two ways:

1. They save time. When you need to go through something in the game, get the players to point B where point A doesn't really matter, the good old Cliché is a great way to do that. Whether it be "all meeting in a tavern", or "old wizard who summons you", or "rich noble who wants to hire you" or what-have-you, it is something that everyone will already be conversant in, because its a cliché.  They won't get confused thinking that its something important, or that a certain character needs to be investigated further. They'll just get on with it.


2. Taking a cliché as a starting point, and building on. Again, the familiarity of the cliché is such that players will understand the basic archetype you're dealing with, so there's little prep work to get you to the place where you are making this particular cliché differ.

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Quote from: RPGPundit1. They save time. When you need to go through something in the game, get the players to point B where point A doesn't really matter, the good old Cliché is a great way to do that. Whether it be "all meeting in a tavern", or "old wizard who summons you", or "rich noble who wants to hire you" or what-have-you, it is something that everyone will already be conversant in, because its a cliché.  They won't get confused thinking that its something important, or that a certain character needs to be investigated further. They'll just get on with it.

I started one of my modern buddy cop games by having the PC's called into their lieutenant's office, where the Lt. immediately went into a standard rant: "You're a couple of loose cannons!" was said. "Do you know how much money it costs this department every time you blow up a car?" was asked. And I'm pretty sure I worked, "Why should we even bother having a DA in this town if you're going to keep blowing away the crooks?" or something similar in there. You get the idea. I hammed it up like a madman, but it did the trick; within about a minute of starting, they knew exactly what kind of game it was going to be, and what kinds of things they could get away with. Good stuff.

Chewing the scenery a bit can really get things going for your players, especially if they've never played the type of game you're running before.

How about the crazy old hermit who shows up to give the players a quest or seems to know everything about them?  How would you go about refurbishing that one?

The only difference between "respected archetype" and "reviled cliche" is in the eye of the beholder.

I love using cliches, because they work. There's a reason they're popular.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstChewing the scenery a bit can really get things going for your players, especially if they've never played the type of game you're running before.

How about the crazy old hermit who shows up to give the players a quest or seems to know everything about them?  How would you go about refurbishing that one?

How about making the hermit into a big game hunter?  He makes it clear that he's steering the PCs to challenges that will hone them into the ultimate prey.  When the time comes that they can beat him, he'll begin to hunt them.  Ideally, he'll be just powerful enough to discourage a stand up fight, forcing the PCs to adventure on the run until they can get that last bonus feat that evens the odds.

Quote from: Zachary The FirstHow about the crazy old hermit who shows up to give the players a quest or seems to know everything about them? How would you go about refurbishing that one?

How about the PC's have met the hermit before. He was some young, thrusting, eloquent type, and a lot younger than he is now. How did he age so much so quickly, and so on.

Quote from: JMcL63How about the PC's have met the hermit before. He was some young, thrusting, eloquent type, and a lot younger than he is now. How did he age so much so quickly, and so on.

On that note, it could actually *be* one of the adventurers, having time travelled...

Knows everything? Check!

Old? Check!

Crazy? The very least effects of a time paradox.

Plot hooks galore? HELL YES!

Dude, I OWN the "old dude who makes you go on adventures":  just ask any of my Roman Campaign players about Pliny the Elder.

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Quote from: RPGPunditDude, I OWN the "old dude who makes you go on adventures":  just ask any of my Roman Campaign players about Pliny the Elder.

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:eek:

In my campaign, he went out CHARGING against Vesuvius.  The player characters agreed, in fact, that Vesuvius must have been the Gods' way of killing off Pliny, because they knew that there was no man, beast, or microbe capable of the feat.

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In Mythus that merchant could be a former adventurer.

On his first trip (as a supernumery) to the Blatok Islands he slew the Goblin of Mount Crephoz, beat the Old Man of the Island in chess, and introduced morris dancing to the Kingdom of Righshon. With the fortune so gained he was able to sponsor a trade expedition of his own, and from the success of that and subsequent efforts was able to retire at an early age (36) and open his own bar.