Rock Beats Laser/Playing With

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Basic Trope: An army beats their oppressors, despite being at a technological disadvantage.

  • Straight: The people of Troperia are able to beat back the invading Evil Empire by sheer force of will - even though the Empire has the latest and greatest technology.
  • Exaggerated: Troperia never advanced past the Stone Age, and the Evil Empire has tech that makes the people living in Star Wars look like Luddites. But they still lose to Troperia.
    • The evil empire invades with humungous mecha that fall to pieces when kids throw stones at them.
  • Justified: The war is on Troperia's terrain, which they know - and the Empire doesn't.
    • Alternatively, the tech, for all its bells and whistles, is able to break down - but the human spirit of Troperia isn't.
    • Or, Troperia has a large numerical advantage and uses human wave tactics to overwhelm the Evil Empire.
    • Alternatively, Troperia can use magic.
    • The evil empire discovers too late that Troperians happen to be immune to their weaponry, either through some freak mutation or magic makes their weaponry not work.
    • If the Empire cut loose with everything it had, it could win easily by levelling everything. Fortunately for the natives, it wants to capture Troperia intact for use and doesn't have terraforming technology, so nuking it to the bedrock and restoring it afterwards is impractical. Therefore, they must rely on vulnerable boots on the ground.
  • Inverted: The invading force is at a distinct technological disadvantage.
  • Subverted: It turns out that Troperia had some great technology of their own.
  • Double Subverted: But while it's by no means old, it's still ancient compared to the Empire's brand-new machinery.
  • Parodied: The people of Troperia only fight with sticks and rocks - and beat the Empire in five minutes flat.
  • Deconstructed: Troperia won the battle - but the numbers they lost aren't so easily replaced compared to the Empire, who can replace those soldiers at a moment's notice.
    • Troperia won the battle. The spiteful Empire, deciding that If I Can't Have You, then neither can they, decides to utterly level Troperia with scorched earth saturation artillery/aerial/orbital/kinetic bombardment. The Troperians can't do anything to save themselves because of their low tech.
  • Reconstructed: However, Troperia made such an impression on the Empire that they don't try to invade again.
  • Zig Zagged: Troperia has some pretty good tech, but it's pretty crappy compared to what the Empire is packing. But then Troperia's top scientists unveil the newest Super Prototype.
    • Troperia is relatively "modern" in some levels but is technologically stunted in some others. The invasion proceeds to cause Troperia to copy the Evil Empire's tech.
  • Averted: The more technologically-advanced side wins handily.
  • Enforced: "Alright, let's get cerebral with this one. Have the good guys win with strategy instead of superior firepower."
  • Lampshaded: "How are they winning?! They don't even know what a robot is!!!"
  • Invoked: The leader of Troperia gives a Rousing Speech to tell them not to give up right before the war.
  • Defied: "I'm sure their spirit is unsinkable and all that. But I don't care. Get more robots in there right now!"
  • Discussed: "How are we winning?" "We have weapons that won't jam or break, and they don't know how to fight once you break their pretty space swords!"
  • Conversed: "In a real war this wouldn't work... but these are the heroes defending their homeland, so of course a man with a rock can beat a soldier in futuristic space armor."

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