Cliches are all over the place in RPGs.  Hawt Elf chicks who marry noble fighter-types, evil corporations who drop asteroids on hackers, wizards in high towers who plot the end of worlds.

You love 'em, you know you love 'em.  You just won't admit it at the game table.

So which ones are your favorites?  Which embarrassing, old-as-dirt cliches do you secretly love and wish you could drop into your games?

Me, I can't get enough of odd couples.  The more out of place they seem, the more I love to stick 'em together.  ("Illiterate barbarian, meet merchant princess from beyond the staaaaaaaaaaaars!")  Romance, comedy or multiversal beatdown, I just love watching the straightman and the stooge.

And, God help me, I long for the day I can shamelessly drop them into every game I run.

The "crazy old genius kook". I've used him a lot, but rarely as impactfully as in my Roman campaign, where Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger both ended up being that cliche, and ended up affecting the campaign in huge ways (and scarring my players for life).

The "Big Fat Warrior Simpleton". Another character cliche of mine that shows up a lot.

There are lots of other Cliches I know I use (overuse?? I guess you'd have to ask my players that), but I can't think of them at this time, since I'm on the verge of collapse from lack of sleep.

RPGpundit

The Man With No Eyes

The Misunderstood Villian Who Is Actually Saving The World

The Dragon With A Thorn In Its Paw

fun stuff like that.

Evil Necromancers!

Dungeons with room after room of large carnivorous monsters and eeeeeeeeeevil humans with no sense of "ecology" or anything lame like that.

Chuck

Cthulhu-esque cultists who worship Things-Man-Was-Not-Meant-To-Know.  (Strangely, I use this a lot in FRPGs, but never actually run CoC.)

The good-and-powerful-guy-turns-out-to-be-evil switcheroo on the players half-way through the campaign.

Quote from: SettembriniEvil Necromancers!

Yeah, those guys rock.

(My God, I actually agreed with Settembrini on something.  :eek: )

Nazis/fascists/Scarlett Brotherhoodists/Whatever : everybody likes kicking totalitarian racist butt !

Quote from: SettembriniEvil Necromancers!

Yeah, them too.

Even better : Nazis Necromancers unknowingly worshipping Something Man Wasn't Meant To Know...

The retired fighter who owns a tavern and has a magic weapon hidden behind the bar.

The scary child.

Theiving bastard yet cheerful halflings.

Quote from: One Horse TownThe retired fighter who owns a tavern and has a magic weapon hidden behind the bar.

The retired fighter who owns a tavern and has a magic weapon on display behind the bar.

QuoteThe retired fighter who owns a tavern and has a magic weapon on display behind the bar.

Now, that´s so a must, that I took it for granted...

Quote(My God, I actually agreed with Settembrini on something.  :eek: )

Didn´t know I´m such a polarizing person :confused:

The tired old fighter who goes on One Final Adventure.

I use the hell out of that one, unapologetically and enthusiasitically.

QuoteThe tired old fighter who goes on One Final Adventure.

Cool as an NPC, but utterly bodacious if you can reactivate your own grognard as a player.

The Evil Overlords Girlfriend/Daughter Who Might Be Saved
The Evil Overlords Girlfriend/Daughter Who Pretends That She Might Be Saved

The Younger Version Of A PC
(young street urchin/apprentices, who show them what/who they were)

Young Conan

Quote from: fonkaygarryWhich embarrassing, old-as-dirt cliches do you secretly love and wish you could drop into your games?

Embarrassed?  Ha!  I'm utterly shameless.  I reach out and grab old cliches and make them my own.  I celebrate them at every opportunity.  I start adventures in bars.  I send players out to rescue princesses.  Gods appear in dreams and send my PCs on urgent missions.  If it's been in a cheesy novel or B movie I won't hesitate to use it.

The Stupid Paladin.
 
Player Character waking up the next morning in bed together, cuddling.
 
Wearing armor, to bed!