Need Help on Generic Cliche RPG Game

[Fri]

Okay, I'm going to run a somewhat light hearted, RP-heavy(there at least two bard already, one more drunk than sober, one a rockstar from another plane), cliche, generic RPG. The setting is in a.... you know, a generic fantasy land with damsel in distress waiting for rescue, knight in shining armors, and dragons waiting to be slayed.


Oh, I already have some plans, but do you guys have more idea about what things (quests, encounter, story plots, or anything) I can thrust into my player's face :smallbiggrin:?

[Starsinger]

Grand List of Role Playing Game Cliches (http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html)

Apply as much of this list as humanly possible.

[Mewtarthio]

Dragons with insane compulsions. They get absolutely nothing out of stealing treasure and kidnapping princesses, but they do it anyway, because they just can't help themselves. You see, the First Dragon kidnapped a princess on a whim once, and then she kept nagging him until he brought her a massive treasure hoard, so he covered up his failure by declaring the theft of princesses and treasure to be a "grand and noble dragon tradition" (being the First Dragon lets you define anything you do as "tradition").

A race of sapient wood creatures. When its time is up, this creature selects a single item that it considers valuable, then swallows it whole and crawls away to a secluded place, such as a trap-infested dungeon, to die. Upon death, said creature turns into a treasure chest.

[EvilElitest]

Grand List of Role Playing Game Cliches (http://project-apollo.net/text/rpg.html)

Apply as much of this list as humanly possible.

those are video games, not table top
from
EE

[Starsinger]

those are video games, not table top
from
EE

And yet, they're both RPGs... funny that. The difference in medium is not a difference in genre.

[EvilElitest]

And yet, they're both RPGs... funny that. The difference in medium is not a difference in genre.

except with video games, those cliches are almost tied into the medium. SOme of the table top games are tied into them, but they certainly aren't nearly as arbitrary as the video games
from
EE

[Ascension]

those are video games, not table top
from
EE

These are table top, not video game. (http://atrocities.primaryerror.net/rpgcliches.html)

[Solo]

Need moar GRIMDARK

[Tallis]

The grand vizier is trying to take over the kingdom.
Good outlaws and pirates fight evil rulers.
Every drow village spawns 1 good adventurer type.
The peasants are revolting! The nobles on the other hand are quite handsome.

[Xuincherguixe]

Sometimes I think about doing something a bit like this. It would be pretty much a joke campaign. "Mwa ha ha! I will summon the lord Quagamungo to devour all!"
"I've been meaning to ask. Why are you trying to summon him?"
"... You know. You have a good point. Why am I? There's no good reason to do something like this. I'll suffer when the world gets eaten too."
"What's up with your minions too. Why did they not seem to care if they died or not?"
"Yeah! That really bugged me. When they all showed up to apply for the position they seemed kind of eager to die really. Which I guess explains why they joined the cult."
"So, any chance you can just, you know, give up and not summon him?"
"Yeah, that's a good... AAACK Can't. Control. Self. Something. Forcing. Me. To. Summon. Evil. Thing."

[Behold_the_Void]

Don't forget this one, it's very important:

"I'm sorry, but the princess is in another castle."

[Roderick_BR]

Sometimes I think about doing something a bit like this. It would be pretty much a joke campaign. "Mwa ha ha! I will summon the lord Quagamungo to devour all!"
"I've been meaning to ask. Why are you trying to summon him?"
"... You know. You have a good point. Why am I? There's no good reason to do something like this. I'll suffer when the world gets eaten too."
"What's up with your minions too. Why did they not seem to care if they died or not?"
"Yeah! That really bugged me. When they all showed up to apply for the position they seemed kind of eager to die really. Which I guess explains why they joined the cult."
"So, any chance you can just, you know, give up and not summon him?"
"Yeah, that's a good... AAACK Can't. Control. Self. Something. Forcing. Me. To. Summon. Evil. Thing."
There's a villain in the Earthworm Jim series that is like that. He is always trying to destroy the universe. In one episode, one of his henchmen asks what he'll do after the universe is destroyed, and he says "You know, I didn't really thought about it yet."

So, a fun thing to do is subvert the classics. Like the heroes going to fight the dragon, and finding out that the dragon is the princess' prisoner, and he sent the false letter to attract the heroes to save him, and he'll give his treasure if they free him.
Some recurring villain that is trying to conquer/destroy the world... for no good reason. When asked, he will just shrug it off.
A classic trope that is already a subversion by itself: A group of rogues that does more real patroling against bandits and invaders from other kingdoms than the city guard, that is corrupt.

[Fri]

Woah, thanks for your ideas guys. I'll use everything :D