Strategy Game Tropes

A list of tropes related to Strategy Games.

Describing the different types of factions that appear in strategy games. A type of Fan Fiction for strategy games that involves a blow-by-blow description of a mission and / or campaign. An attack, weapon, munition, ability, etc. that is really effective against flying enemies. An attack, weapon, munition, ability, etc. that is really effective against mounted enemies. All weapons of a specific type will look and play exactly the same. Arbitrary requirement that stops you from having too many characters in a party or unit. Attacks that hit a wide area, rather than a specific target. An attack, weapon, or munition that rips through the armor or special shield that your enemies wear. A mission that does not provide you with a base in strategy games where bases are generally required. A contrived battle where you fight your own side. Units are colour coded so the player can tell their units from the enemy's. In Real Time Strategy games, having to build a base to churn out units right on the battlefield. Nothing ever gets built unless the player specifically orders it. Although both sides in a battle may be from vastly different technologies, their statistics and attacks will be exactly the same. Units are so specialized that they are completely useless against units that fall outside their specialty. Whenever a structure is damaged, it's shown as being on fire. Lessens the obscurity of Fog of War. A unit that has two different functions that can be switched between. You don't need to worry about feeding your troops or keeping up supplies - that all happens automatically. Capture an enemy base, and churn out your own enemy units! Describing the different dynamics of a strategy game depending on the number of factions involved. Wood is always shown in bundles. You can only see the parts of the map where you have units. Structures that allow units to take cover. Terrain affects tactics. One of your units is a NPC that must not be allowed to die. A mission where you have to prevent the enemy completing their objective before time runs out. An option to convert your workers into basic fighters. A universal hand tool whose user can magically fix any machine or structure simply by waving it at the target from close range. The player is a general or commander in a strategy game who may not actually even exist. Protect a stationary object from enemy attack. You need to purchase "upgrades" to capabilities in each campaign, even if your forces already had it in the last one. All buildings can be produced and military units trained in a ridiculously short amount of time. A map which shows you delineated areas so you can choose which campaigns to wage. Some sub-factions are said to be different in composition, outlook etc., but really only differ in their color palette. In the real-time variety, being able to issue commands to your units more efficiently gives you an edge. Abusing an attack's Splash Damage or Area of Effect to get enhanced performance. Clicking too often on a unit will make them insult or nag you. In strategy games, you sometimes have units at the start that you can't train or create more of. It's easier to destroy something made of armored steel, like a tank, than to destroy an ostensibly flesh and blood character. The player receives support from things that are not included on the in-game map. Strategy games divide your units into three types, each of which is strong and weak against each of the other types. Strategy games let you research new abilities for your units. An attack that always deals damage and can't be blocked, but can be dodged or interrupted. Infantrymen are ridiculously large when compared to vehicles and buildings. Fake use of a time scale means that empires rise and fall in the time it takes to take the trash out. Weather drastically affects units. A non-combatant unit dedicated to constructing buildings or gathering resources. Where you have to spend time researching things that should be patently obvious. Strategy games make you gather resources. AI players in are able to acquire resources faster than the player or don't need any resources at all. You need to use "basic" resources to create "advanced" ones. You can't scavenge debris for usable materials. Sending waves upon waves of cheap, weak units in order to overwhelm a more tech-aware enemy with sheer numbers.
 * A Commander Is You
 * After Action Report
 * Anti-Air
 * Anti-Cavalry
 * All Swords Are the Same
 * Arbitrary Headcount Limit
 * Area of Effect
 * Armor-Piercing Attack
 * Baseless Mission
 * Civil Warcraft
 * Colour Coded Armies
 * Construct Additional Pylons
 * Command and Conquer Economy
 * Cosmetically Different Sides
 * Crippling Overspecialization
 * Damage Is Fire
 * Defog of War
 * Dual Mode Unit
 * Easy Logistics
 * Enemy Exchange Program
 * Faction Calculus
 * Firewood Resources
 * Fog of War
 * Garrisonable Structures
 * Geo Effects
 * Hero Must Survive
 * Hold the Line
 * Instant Militia
 * Magic Tool
 * Non-Entity General
 * Protection Mission
 * Reinventing the Wheel
 * Ridiculously-Fast Construction
 * Risk Style Map
 * Separate but Identical
 * Some Dexterity Required
 * Splash Damage Abuse
 * Stop Poking Me
 * Starting Units
 * Strong Flesh, Weak Steel
 * Support Power
 * Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors
 * Tech Tree
 * Unblockable Attack
 * Units Not to Scale
 * Video Game Time
 * Weather of War
 * Worker Unit
 * You Have Researched Breathing
 * You Require More Vespene Gas
 * Not Playing Fair with Resources
 * Refining Resources
 * No Recycling
 * Zerg Rush