Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Can you guess which is which?
The typical RPG classes often work this way.
Battleships
The Hero
The Battleship (Game named after it, decently sized)
The Lancer
The Cruiser (Similar to the Battleship, but smaller)
The Big Guy
The Aircraft Carrier (Biggest ship in the game)
The Smart Guy
The Submarine (Submarines go underwater, tactical?)
The Chick
The Destroyer (Smallest ship in the game)
The more recent genre books from Hero Games like using this trope for the sample good-guy team.
Champions (4th edition)
Champions (5th edition)
Chess
Dark Champions (5th edition)
Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition Character Roles
The Hero
Defender, Leader or Melee Striker (see below)
The Lancer
Striker (Ranger, Rogue, Warlock, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Avenger, Assassin, Monk)
The Big Guy
Defender (Fighter, Paladin, Warden, Swordmage , Battlemind)
The Smart Guy
Controller (Wizard, Druid, Invoker, Psion, Seeker)
The Chick / The Heart
Leader (Cleric, Warlord, Bard, Shaman, Artificer , Ardent, Runepriest), especially those in healer roles
Sixth Ranger
Hybrid class
Exalted - First Age roles
The Hero
Solar Exalted (the glorious leaders, until they fell...)
The Lancer
Lunar Exalted (second most glorious after the Solars, and their friendly foils and fated partners)
The Big Guy
Terrestrial Exalted/Dragon-Blooded (big numbers, that is; they were the army)
The Smart Guy
Sidereal Exalted (advisors, noticed when things started going wrong)
The Chick
To some extent, the Lunar Exalted again (each is magically bound to develop an imperishable attachment toward a particular Solar upon first sight; the exact nature of that bond is up to the two of them, but this is what ensures the "fated partner" thing. They also have a double role as the Stewards of Creation, with parental undertones. On top of this, there's their apparent fate to always end up dismissed and ignored by just about everyone, even outside the context of the setting.)
Exalted - Solar castes
* With the Eclipse Caste completing the team but not really equivalent to The Chick .
Fantasy Hero (5th edition)
Magic the Gathering colors (albeit in their most stereotypical interpretations)
Magic the Gathering , Gideon's planeswalker team
Monsterpocalypse
G.U.A.R.D
Shadow Sun Industries
Terrasaurs
Elemental Champions
Uber Corp International
Empire Of The Apes
Star Hero (5th edition)
Player Archetypes as once defined by "The Five Gamers" (link defunct):
Warhammer 40000 Factions
The Hero
The Imperium of Man (By far the most focused-on, often painted in the most moral light, Jack OF All Ststs )
The Lancer
Chaos (The eternal enemies of the Imperium, the cause of most of its problems, contains many Evil Counterpart units)
The Smart Guy
The Eldar (Distant, immortal, scheming.)
The Big Guy
The Orks (WAAAAAAAGH!)
The Chick
The Tau (Considered by most to be the "friendliest" faction, as well as the smallest)
Sixth Ranger
The Necrons (Relatively recent additions, only opposed by Chaos in sheer Grimdarkness)
Team Pet
The Tyranids (The most bestial and alien of the bunch)
Warhammer 40000 Space Marines
The Hero
Tactical Marines (Jack of All Stats , the core of your force, can do anything well))
The Lancer
Assault Marines (commonly seen in numbers approaching Tactical Marine scale, especially among the Blood Angels and Raven Guard, the stabby counterpart to Tactical Marines' dakka)
The Smart Guy
Veterans (Older and have a lot more experience than the rest)
The Big Guy
Devastators (Really frakking big guns), Terminators (bigger armor)
The Chick
Scouts (The little guys)
The Mentor
Command characters
Warhammer 40000 Chaos Gods
Warhammer Factions (Not really heros so much as anti-chaos factions)
The Hero
The Empire (Most focused on, Jack of All Stats , the game is named after its founder's weapon)
The Lancer
Bretonnia (Long standing rival of The Empire, only other human nation playable, uses very different tactics)
The Smart Guy
High Elves (Immortal wizards)
The Big Guy
Dwarfs (Their Dwarfs)
The Chick
Wood Elves (Most naturey of the factions, doesn't seem to care about the other factions though, smallest, may be manipulating Bretonnia )
Sixth Ranger
Ogre Kingdoms (Not really a part of anything but will act as mercenaries for the other groups)
The Mentor
Lizardmen (oldest and most personel connection to chaos, wants to put the world back to the way it was for the "betterment" of everyone)
Werewolf: The Apocalypse / Forsaken (The auspices are about the same in both games)
Alternate
Werewolf: The Apocalypse /
Forsaken (I see it totally different):
The Hero
Galliards/Gibbous Moon (Lover of the Ways)
The Lancer
Ragabash/New Moon (Questioner of the Ways)
The Big Guy
Ahrouns/Full Moon (Protector of the Ways)
The Smart Guy
Theurges/Crescent Moon (Searcher of the Ways)
The Chick
Philodox/Half Moon (Keeper of the Ways)
Hero Quest classes