Schrödinger's Gun: Difference between revisions

Content added Content deleted
VisualWikitext
m (update links)
m (clean up)
Line 6: Line 6:
In the former case, the advantage to this trope is obvious- a [[Game Master]] in a [[Tabletop Game]] could be badly hamstrung by a sufficiently [[Genre Savvy]] player anticipating the general direction of the campaign and being [[Crazy Prepared|prepared for anything]]. The subtle [[Retcon]] this trope provides is essential to keeping things interesting. Likewise, if it's necessary for the plot in a [[Video Game]] to have the [[Player Character]] meet [[The Rival]] early on but they're technically [[Wide Open Sandbox|free to go anywhere they want]], this trope is essential to keeping the plot together.
In the former case, the advantage to this trope is obvious- a [[Game Master]] in a [[Tabletop Game]] could be badly hamstrung by a sufficiently [[Genre Savvy]] player anticipating the general direction of the campaign and being [[Crazy Prepared|prepared for anything]]. The subtle [[Retcon]] this trope provides is essential to keeping things interesting. Likewise, if it's necessary for the plot in a [[Video Game]] to have the [[Player Character]] meet [[The Rival]] early on but they're technically [[Wide Open Sandbox|free to go anywhere they want]], this trope is essential to keeping the plot together.


The trope has also become increasingly important in more traditional fiction as of late because the Internet's technological revolution is such that an author's "[[Movie Twist List|twists]]" could easily be predicted ahead of time if enough [[Fanon|clever fans]] [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|put their heads together]] and [[Wild Mass Guessing|talk things over]]. (And [[Epileptic Trees|over.]]) Catching wind of this, an author might then avoid being predicted by "coalescing" Schrodinger's Gun into a [[Trick Twist|sniper rifle]], [[Flashback Twist|uzi]], or [[Pound of Flesh Twist|rocket launcher]] as the situation requires. Since these cases involve more conscious improvisation, readers are more likely to consider the possibility that the writer doesn't actually know what they're doing and is just [[Jossed|jerking them around]], if not [[Writing by the Seat of Your Pants|making it up entirely]] [[Indy Ploy|as they go along]].
The trope has also become increasingly important in more traditional fiction as of late because the Internet's technological revolution is such that an author's "[[Movie Twist List|twists]]" could easily be predicted ahead of time if enough [[Fanon|clever fans]] [[Tropes Will Ruin Your Life|put their heads together]] and [[Wild Mass Guessing|talk things over]]. (And [[Epileptic Trees|over.]]) Catching wind of this, an author might then avoid being predicted by "coalescing" '''Schrodinger's Gun''' into a [[Trick Twist|sniper rifle]], [[Flashback Twist|uzi]], or [[Pound of Flesh Twist|rocket launcher]] as the situation requires. Since these cases involve more conscious improvisation, readers are more likely to consider the possibility that the writer doesn't actually know what they're doing and is just [[Jossed|jerking them around]], if not [[Writing by the Seat of Your Pants|making it up entirely]] [[Indy Ploy|as they go along]].


In interactive media such as video games, this trope can take the form of setting details retroactively warping themselves around the player's choices in ways that cannot be logically caused by the player character's in-universe choice -- for example, when the real location of [[MacGuffin|an artifact]] you seek throughout the campaign is dependent on the order in which you visit its possible locations.
In interactive media such as video games, this trope can take the form of setting details retroactively warping themselves around the player's choices in ways that cannot be logically caused by the player character's in-universe choice—for example, when the real location of [[MacGuffin|an artifact]] you seek throughout the campaign is dependent on the order in which you visit its possible locations.


A helpful way to look at this is how sometimes [[Mystery Fiction]] authors will constantly feed the audience [[Red Herring|"clues"]] supposedly narrowing down the possible suspects, only to select the "right" clue as a [[Chekhov's Gunman]] by the denouement and fit the facts around it. Similarly, in movies it is common practice to write most of the story - and only then pick the ending that [[Focus Group Ending|resonates the best with the test audience.]]
A helpful way to look at this is how sometimes [[Mystery Fiction]] authors will constantly feed the audience [[Red Herring|"clues"]] supposedly narrowing down the possible suspects, only to select the "right" clue as a [[Chekhov's Gunman]] by the denouement and fit the facts around it. Similarly, in movies it is common practice to write most of the story - and only then pick the ending that [[Focus Group Ending|resonates the best with the test audience.]]
Line 70: Line 70:
* Included as an explicit character creation option in the [[Tabletop RPG]] ''FATE''. When using this option, players start play with an essentially "blank" character sheet, and fill in skills as the play progresses. For example, if a character is stuck behind a locked door, the player can declare that his character has the lockpicking skill and fill it in in one of his skill slots.
* Included as an explicit character creation option in the [[Tabletop RPG]] ''FATE''. When using this option, players start play with an essentially "blank" character sheet, and fill in skills as the play progresses. For example, if a character is stuck behind a locked door, the player can declare that his character has the lockpicking skill and fill it in in one of his skill slots.
* The "Gizmo" advantage in ''[[GURPS]]''. This advantage allows the player to be carrying around an unspecified "gizmo", which he may at any time "pull out" and declare it to be whatever device he wants it to be (that he could have reasonably possessed). Additionally, the gizmo does not "enter play" until activated, so it cannot be damaged, lost, stolen, or uncovered in a search.
* The "Gizmo" advantage in ''[[GURPS]]''. This advantage allows the player to be carrying around an unspecified "gizmo", which he may at any time "pull out" and declare it to be whatever device he wants it to be (that he could have reasonably possessed). Additionally, the gizmo does not "enter play" until activated, so it cannot be damaged, lost, stolen, or uncovered in a search.
** The same is true in ''[[Toon (game)|Toon]]'' -- Steve Jackson games love this trope.
** The same is true in ''[[Toon (game)|Toon]]''—Steve Jackson games love this trope.
* This is essentially how ''[[Burning Wheel]]'' works: If you say that you want to kick a bowl of fruit into the guard's face to create a distraction, then there will be a bowl of fruit right there for you to kick. It wasn't there until you said it was. Essentially, the players all have Schrodinger's Gun, to an extent.
* This is essentially how ''[[Burning Wheel]]'' works: If you say that you want to kick a bowl of fruit into the guard's face to create a distraction, then there will be a bowl of fruit right there for you to kick. It wasn't there until you said it was. Essentially, the players all have Schrodinger's Gun, to an extent.
** ''Houses of the Blooded'' is similar. When a player rolls for something, it's generally the right to decide things about the scene or how actions turn out. The rules explicitly state that you can decide pretty much anything that hasn't specifically been established yet.
** ''Houses of the Blooded'' is similar. When a player rolls for something, it's generally the right to decide things about the scene or how actions turn out. The rules explicitly state that you can decide pretty much anything that hasn't specifically been established yet.
Line 76: Line 76:
** ''Adventure!'' handles this with a game mechanic: players can spend points to perform a Dramatic Edit and declare that there is e.g. a [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer|convenient manhole cover]] in the blind alley they've run down. This is great when the players ''only'' need to use it to collaboratively make situations more awesome, but less great when, as it sometimes does, it becomes a sort of ablative defense against railroading (why would the GM decide it was a blind alley in the first place?).
** ''Adventure!'' handles this with a game mechanic: players can spend points to perform a Dramatic Edit and declare that there is e.g. a [[Absurdly Spacious Sewer|convenient manhole cover]] in the blind alley they've run down. This is great when the players ''only'' need to use it to collaboratively make situations more awesome, but less great when, as it sometimes does, it becomes a sort of ablative defense against railroading (why would the GM decide it was a blind alley in the first place?).
** In ''Wushu'', everything happens exactly as the players describe it. Additionally, the more complicated and [[Rule of Drama|dramatic]] a description is, the more dice the players receive, providing massive incentive to weave complicated and dramatic descriptions. To prevent complete insanity, actions can be vetoed by another player or the GM, and there's generally a "pool limit" maximum dice cap.
** In ''Wushu'', everything happens exactly as the players describe it. Additionally, the more complicated and [[Rule of Drama|dramatic]] a description is, the more dice the players receive, providing massive incentive to weave complicated and dramatic descriptions. To prevent complete insanity, actions can be vetoed by another player or the GM, and there's generally a "pool limit" maximum dice cap.
* ''[[Nobilis]]'' has The Monarda Law, which states that the answer to a PC's question should almost never be a flat-out "no". Additionally, in that game, prophecies explicitly work by the GM throwing out a lot of [[Ice Cream Koan|meaningless]] [[Faux Symbolism|symbolism]] -- when the PCs offer a plausible explanation, it is assumed to be true, and any action they take on it gains a bonus.
* ''[[Nobilis]]'' has The Monarda Law, which states that the answer to a PC's question should almost never be a flat-out "no". Additionally, in that game, prophecies explicitly work by the GM throwing out a lot of [[Ice Cream Koan|meaningless]] [[Faux Symbolism|symbolism]]—when the PCs offer a plausible explanation, it is assumed to be true, and any action they take on it gains a bonus.
** {{spoiler|The John Tynes [[Call of Cthulhu (tabletop game)]] scenario ''In Media Res'' uses a very similar device: You're given a whole heap of weird symbolism to throw at the players, and whatever they decide it means, it means.}}
** {{spoiler|The John Tynes [[Call of Cthulhu (tabletop game)]] scenario ''In Media Res'' uses a very similar device: You're given a whole heap of weird symbolism to throw at the players, and whatever they decide it means, it means.}}
*** And really, the whole idea of it is a pretty common [[Game Master]] trick: Throw out an ambiguous scenario with a lot of plot hooks, see which one the players respond to, and run with it like it's the baton at a relay.
*** And really, the whole idea of it is a pretty common [[Game Master]] trick: Throw out an ambiguous scenario with a lot of plot hooks, see which one the players respond to, and run with it like it's the baton at a relay.
Line 83: Line 83:
** Then there's the Omni-Gadget, Omni-Connection, etc advantages. "Whaddya know, this 8 AP opmni-gadget in my belt is an 8 AP FORCE FIELD gadget!", or "Paradyne technologies? What luck, an old buddy of mine from college is the VP in charge of Marketing there!" and so on.
** Then there's the Omni-Gadget, Omni-Connection, etc advantages. "Whaddya know, this 8 AP opmni-gadget in my belt is an 8 AP FORCE FIELD gadget!", or "Paradyne technologies? What luck, an old buddy of mine from college is the VP in charge of Marketing there!" and so on.
* It is explicitly written into the rules of ''[[Paranoia]]'' that anything the GM says goes. ''Anything''. The GM is perfectly free to roll a 5 and declare it a 17. Similarly, players may discover that they had mutations they were unaware of, that the NPC they're assigned to kill suddenly belongs to their secret society now, or that their weapon was actually sabotaged by Communists, or that while they were fleeing from a renegade robot they caused an Ultraviolet citizen a twenty minute delay in his routine. If it doesn't contradict established fact, or if the GM can invent a justification for why it doesn't, then it's all good. (Although, considering that this is ''Paranoia'', contradicting established fact is perfectly acceptable behavior.)
* It is explicitly written into the rules of ''[[Paranoia]]'' that anything the GM says goes. ''Anything''. The GM is perfectly free to roll a 5 and declare it a 17. Similarly, players may discover that they had mutations they were unaware of, that the NPC they're assigned to kill suddenly belongs to their secret society now, or that their weapon was actually sabotaged by Communists, or that while they were fleeing from a renegade robot they caused an Ultraviolet citizen a twenty minute delay in his routine. If it doesn't contradict established fact, or if the GM can invent a justification for why it doesn't, then it's all good. (Although, considering that this is ''Paranoia'', contradicting established fact is perfectly acceptable behavior.)
* In the new Czech RPG Střepy snů (''Dreamshards''), this is a mechanic given to the players -- if you want to have done something in the past that could help you in the current situation (or if you simply want something to be a certain way), you can burn one of your dream points and it's part of the game now. Hiding in a basement and the only way out is besieged by zombies? One dream point later, you can leave through the secret door (that you most certainly installed) into the tunnels below.
* In the new Czech RPG Střepy snů (''Dreamshards''), this is a mechanic given to the players—if you want to have done something in the past that could help you in the current situation (or if you simply want something to be a certain way), you can burn one of your dream points and it's part of the game now. Hiding in a basement and the only way out is besieged by zombies? One dream point later, you can leave through the secret door (that you most certainly installed) into the tunnels below.
* ''[[Spirit of the Century]]'' is fond of this one. The languages that a character knows need not be specified at creation. A character can spend "Fate Points" in order to make declarations about the scene in their favor or create weird coincidences (e.g. "I declare that the guard holding us hostage was my college roommate"). Players can use knowledge skills to make similar declarations (so an expert in architecture can "create" a secret passage in a building by declaring that he or she learned such in his or her research). Furthermore, numerous stunts allow for Schrödinger's Gun situations, like Personal Gadget, which gives the player a gadget less fancy than the standard, but the player can create it on the spot when he or she needs it (they had it all along), or Master of Disguise, which allows a character to effectively stop playing, then later declare that any unimportant character "is really ''me'' in disguise!" The game also gives rules for on the fly character creation, which works similar to the ''FATE'' example above -- unsurprisingly, as it's based on another version of the same system.
* ''[[Spirit of the Century]]'' is fond of this one. The languages that a character knows need not be specified at creation. A character can spend "Fate Points" in order to make declarations about the scene in their favor or create weird coincidences (e.g. "I declare that the guard holding us hostage was my college roommate"). Players can use knowledge skills to make similar declarations (so an expert in architecture can "create" a secret passage in a building by declaring that he or she learned such in his or her research). Furthermore, numerous stunts allow for Schrödinger's Gun situations, like Personal Gadget, which gives the player a gadget less fancy than the standard, but the player can create it on the spot when he or she needs it (they had it all along), or Master of Disguise, which allows a character to effectively stop playing, then later declare that any unimportant character "is really ''me'' in disguise!" The game also gives rules for on the fly character creation, which works similar to the ''FATE'' example above—unsurprisingly, as it's based on another version of the same system.
* ''Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies'' and other [[Prose Descriptive Qualities|PDQ]] system games are fond of this one - there's usually a power currency (Style Dice, Hero Points) to let the players declare significant facts about the game, such as inventing useful NPCs or giving them new abilities. S7S even encourages players to make flat statements that something exists and tossing a Style Die down, as opposed to asking if it's so and having to pay the cost the GM sets (though the GM should ask for more dice on particularly large changes anyway).
* ''Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies'' and other [[Prose Descriptive Qualities|PDQ]] system games are fond of this one - there's usually a power currency (Style Dice, Hero Points) to let the players declare significant facts about the game, such as inventing useful NPCs or giving them new abilities. S7S even encourages players to make flat statements that something exists and tossing a Style Die down, as opposed to asking if it's so and having to pay the cost the GM sets (though the GM should ask for more dice on particularly large changes anyway).
** PDQ2 rules game ''Vox'' has a starting scenario to run character creation similar to a FATE game, where you choose what you can do as you need to do it until all your abilities are set.
** PDQ2 rules game ''Vox'' has a starting scenario to run character creation similar to a FATE game, where you choose what you can do as you need to do it until all your abilities are set.
Line 92: Line 92:
* Some computer games (especially [[Interactive Fiction]], given that it is just one step away from a table-top RPG) can do this. For example, in the ''[[Homestar Runner|Peasant's Quest]]'' game, at one point, there are four bushes with a trinket hidden in one of them. No matter what order you go to the bushes, the trinket is ''always'' in the fourth bush you look in.
* Some computer games (especially [[Interactive Fiction]], given that it is just one step away from a table-top RPG) can do this. For example, in the ''[[Homestar Runner|Peasant's Quest]]'' game, at one point, there are four bushes with a trinket hidden in one of them. No matter what order you go to the bushes, the trinket is ''always'' in the fourth bush you look in.
* Plenty of [[Interactive Fiction]] games use this to let the player configure his character.
* Plenty of [[Interactive Fiction]] games use this to let the player configure his character.
** The classic [[Infocom]] game ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' does this, where you have to go to the bathroom, and whatever room you choose -- ladies' or men's -- ends up being the correct one.
** The classic [[Infocom]] game ''[[Leather Goddesses of Phobos]]'' does this, where you have to go to the bathroom, and whatever room you choose—ladies' or men's -- ends up being the correct one.
** A less known IF game called ''Enlisted'' pulls it off for the same reason, where you get your uniform out of a dispensing machine, and what settings you set it to (short, tall, etc), turn out to be the right ones.
** A less known IF game called ''Enlisted'' pulls it off for the same reason, where you get your uniform out of a dispensing machine, and what settings you set it to (short, tall, etc), turn out to be the right ones.
** In an even less known IF game called ''Amnesia'' the main character closes his eyes and visualizes his appearance, to check how badly he's affected by the titular condition: your choices of features turn out to be completely wrong. [[Mind Screw|Dude be whack.]]
** In an even less known IF game called ''Amnesia'' the main character closes his eyes and visualizes his appearance, to check how badly he's affected by the titular condition: your choices of features turn out to be completely wrong. [[Mind Screw|Dude be whack.]]
* ''Moonmist'' does this with your favorite color -- which color you choose determines how your bedroom is decorated, and also (no causal relationship) who the villain is.
* ''Moonmist'' does this with your favorite color—which color you choose determines how your bedroom is decorated, and also (no causal relationship) who the villain is.
* ''Aisle'' type one-move games take this to the logical extreme: you get only one move and the world need not be internally consistent since each world instance ends after that single move. For example, in the parody game ''Pick Up The Phone Booth and Aisle'', climbing shows you to be {{spoiler|a mountain climber}}, whereas entering the titular object reveals {{spoiler|that you're a spy}}.
* ''Aisle'' type one-move games take this to the logical extreme: you get only one move and the world need not be internally consistent since each world instance ends after that single move. For example, in the parody game ''Pick Up The Phone Booth and Aisle'', climbing shows you to be {{spoiler|a mountain climber}}, whereas entering the titular object reveals {{spoiler|that you're a spy}}.
* Some IF designers call this the Magician's Choice, and it's a very good way to turn an initially wide-open map into a small one. Whatever direction the hero goes, that's the right way to go. See ''[[Photopia]],'' for instance.
* Some IF designers call this the Magician's Choice, and it's a very good way to turn an initially wide-open map into a small one. Whatever direction the hero goes, that's the right way to go. See ''[[Photopia]],'' for instance.
* [[Sierra]] [[Adventure Game|Adventure Games]]. If the programmers can't kill your character off with something because you noticed it, they may not bother with it at all. Your car only has a fault if you don't perform the safety inspection. (''[[Police Quest]] 1''). The policeman's only there if you're indecent. (''[[Leisure Suit Larry]]''). There's only a car coming if you don't look at the street. (''[[The Dagger of Amon Ra]]''). The biggest example is in the latter: giving the wrong item to a speakeasy doorman would make the game [[Unwinnable]], so it also causes a completely random person to walk in from offscreen and stab the protagonist to death. The game then quotes [[Have a Nice Death|knife crime statistics]].
* [[Sierra]] [[Adventure Game]]s. If the programmers can't kill your character off with something because you noticed it, they may not bother with it at all. Your car only has a fault if you don't perform the safety inspection. (''[[Police Quest]] 1''). The policeman's only there if you're indecent. (''[[Leisure Suit Larry]]''). There's only a car coming if you don't look at the street. (''[[The Dagger of Amon Ra]]''). The biggest example is in the latter: giving the wrong item to a speakeasy doorman would make the game [[Unwinnable]], so it also causes a completely random person to walk in from offscreen and stab the protagonist to death. The game then quotes [[Have a Nice Death|knife crime statistics]].
* In the horror RPG/adventure game ''[[Elvira Games|Elvira 2 - The Jaws of Cerberus]]'', there are three places where Elvira may be hidden. No matter in what order you reach them, the first two Elviras will be fake and transform into monsters.
* In the horror RPG/adventure game ''[[Elvira Games|Elvira 2 - The Jaws of Cerberus]]'', there are three places where Elvira may be hidden. No matter in what order you reach them, the first two Elviras will be fake and transform into monsters.
* In ''[[Fire Emblem the Sacred Stones]]'', there's a plot choice point of which main character to follow. Excluding the main character, you get all the current secondary characters ''and'' the same new characters (with a few exceptions) appear in each chapter. Your chosen lord will even have the same encounters with the [[Big Bad]] and {{spoiler|the [[Big Bad]] will always take the Sacred Stone from whichever lord you picked.}}
* In ''[[Fire Emblem the Sacred Stones]]'', there's a plot choice point of which main character to follow. Excluding the main character, you get all the current secondary characters ''and'' the same new characters (with a few exceptions) appear in each chapter. Your chosen lord will even have the same encounters with the [[Big Bad]] and {{spoiler|the [[Big Bad]] will always take the Sacred Stone from whichever lord you picked.}}
Line 120: Line 120:
* The ''[[Blade Runner]]'' [[Adventure Game]] had several plot points (such as whether characters were replicants or not) decided either at random in each game, or depending on the choices the player made.
* The ''[[Blade Runner]]'' [[Adventure Game]] had several plot points (such as whether characters were replicants or not) decided either at random in each game, or depending on the choices the player made.
* ''[[Dead Rising]]'': {{spoiler|Did Barnaby manage to bite Jessie when he started turning into a zombie? Only if you start case 8-1. If the truth vanishes into darkness before then, no he didn't.}}
* ''[[Dead Rising]]'': {{spoiler|Did Barnaby manage to bite Jessie when he started turning into a zombie? Only if you start case 8-1. If the truth vanishes into darkness before then, no he didn't.}}
* At two different points in ''[[Persona 3]]'', you can join one of three clubs. No matter which club you choose, the characters for the related social link will ''always'' be members of that club. It's most obvious with the Culture Clubs, as Yukari says Fuuka is a member of one of them, but can't remember which -- it turns out to be whichever one you end up joining.
* At two different points in ''[[Persona 3]]'', you can join one of three clubs. No matter which club you choose, the characters for the related social link will ''always'' be members of that club. It's most obvious with the Culture Clubs, as Yukari says Fuuka is a member of one of them, but can't remember which—it turns out to be whichever one you end up joining.
** To a lesser degree, the Athletic Club in ''[[Persona 4]]'' -- you're still hanging out with [[Those Two Guys|Kou and Daisuke]] -- only difference is which one is the focus character.
** To a lesser degree, the Athletic Club in ''[[Persona 4]]''—you're still hanging out with [[Those Two Guys|Kou and Daisuke]]—only difference is which one is the focus character.
* Happens in ''[[Radical Dreamers]]'' the so-called "prototype" to ''[[Chrono Cross]]''. Depending on which room you entered first and what you did; Magil is either a ''[[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|time-traveling guitar playing rockstar detective from Mars who plays with hand-puppets]]'', the forgotten lover to Ridell, or a demon from hell. Likewise Kid is sometimes else raised by a nunnery that Lynx killed off, raised by Lynx's daughter Shea, or a ''gigantic berserk magic-wielding sunflower''. Lynx himself is a nobleman, a ghost, a [[Humongous Mecha]], or a ''giant space octopus''.
* Happens in ''[[Radical Dreamers]]'' the so-called "prototype" to ''[[Chrono Cross]]''. Depending on which room you entered first and what you did; Magil is either a ''[[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|time-traveling guitar playing rockstar detective from Mars who plays with hand-puppets]]'', the forgotten lover to Ridell, or a demon from hell. Likewise Kid is sometimes else raised by a nunnery that Lynx killed off, raised by Lynx's daughter Shea, or a ''gigantic berserk magic-wielding sunflower''. Lynx himself is a nobleman, a ghost, a [[Humongous Mecha]], or a ''giant space octopus''.
* In ''[[Myst|Riven]]'', the passcode near the end of the game {{spoiler|which unlocks Catherine's prison}} is randomly generated the first time you see it, retroactively setting the lock to that code. It is impossible to open the lock without having first seen the passcode. This prevents a [[Medium Awareness|medium-aware]] player from saving the game early, finding out the code, loading the saved game, and then opening the lock much earlier in the game, which would have required the designers to come up with a completely different ending. (Note that the ''other'' randomly-generated passwords are not Schrödingified, so you can use this trick to unlock them ahead of time.)
* In ''[[Myst|Riven]]'', the passcode near the end of the game {{spoiler|which unlocks Catherine's prison}} is randomly generated the first time you see it, retroactively setting the lock to that code. It is impossible to open the lock without having first seen the passcode. This prevents a [[Medium Awareness|medium-aware]] player from saving the game early, finding out the code, loading the saved game, and then opening the lock much earlier in the game, which would have required the designers to come up with a completely different ending. (Note that the ''other'' randomly-generated passwords are not Schrödingified, so you can use this trick to unlock them ahead of time.)
Line 176: Line 176:
* Also appears in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' by the same creator, starting [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0179.html here]. It also appears in a more amusing variation, Schrodinger's Bodyguard, seen [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0211.html here].
* Also appears in ''[[Darths and Droids]]'' by the same creator, starting [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0179.html here]. It also appears in a more amusing variation, Schrodinger's Bodyguard, seen [http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0211.html here].
* In [[Chainmail Bikini (webcomic)|"Chainmail Bikini: The Nightmarish Legend of Deuse Baaj"]], the players are sent to retrieve a farmer's pigs in return for a sword. Instead of fighting the goblins that have stolen the pigs, they set a siege and wait until the goblins have run out of food and surrender, thus totally ruining the adventure the [[Game Master|GM]] had written. (And then they go and slaughter the goblins anyway.) The GM gets back at them by having the farmer's village been attacked and razed by the minions of the [[Big Bad]] [[Diabolical Mastermind]] by the time the characters return.
* In [[Chainmail Bikini (webcomic)|"Chainmail Bikini: The Nightmarish Legend of Deuse Baaj"]], the players are sent to retrieve a farmer's pigs in return for a sword. Instead of fighting the goblins that have stolen the pigs, they set a siege and wait until the goblins have run out of food and surrender, thus totally ruining the adventure the [[Game Master|GM]] had written. (And then they go and slaughter the goblins anyway.) The GM gets back at them by having the farmer's village been attacked and razed by the minions of the [[Big Bad]] [[Diabolical Mastermind]] by the time the characters return.
** Not to mention, a player thoughtlessly wonders why the starving goblins didn't simply eat the stolen pigs; at which point the rescued pigs suddenly transform into a pile of bones as the gamemaster quickly [[Retcon|retcons]] the situation.
** Not to mention, a player thoughtlessly wonders why the starving goblins didn't simply eat the stolen pigs; at which point the rescued pigs suddenly transform into a pile of bones as the gamemaster quickly [[retcon]]s the situation.
** In the sort-of prequel ''[[DM of the Rings]]'', during a dice roll for an enemy attack, the dice accidentally drops beneath the table to an inconvenient spot. The player who the attack was targeted towards then calls himself an "Uncertainty Lich" between life and death (though the issue is quickly cleared up).
** In the sort-of prequel ''[[DM of the Rings]]'', during a dice roll for an enemy attack, the dice accidentally drops beneath the table to an inconvenient spot. The player who the attack was targeted towards then calls himself an "Uncertainty Lich" between life and death (though the issue is quickly cleared up).
* Hilariously occurred in ''[[Gold Digger (Comic Book)|Gold Digger]] Tangent''. The comic had a forum right beneath it, where people often speculated. One person yelled out, without spoiler tags. "Ooh! That one guy we saw taking a bath is going to swoop in and pull a [[Big Damn Heroes]], making him a Chekhov's gun!" The artist's response? "Great, now I need a new way to bail them out!" He figured it out.
* Hilariously occurred in ''[[Gold Digger (Comic Book)|Gold Digger]] Tangent''. The comic had a forum right beneath it, where people often speculated. One person yelled out, without spoiler tags. "Ooh! That one guy we saw taking a bath is going to swoop in and pull a [[Big Damn Heroes]], making him a Chekhov's gun!" The artist's response? "Great, now I need a new way to bail them out!" He figured it out.
Line 191: Line 191:
== Web Original ==
== Web Original ==


* In [[The Spoony Experiment]]'s [[Let's Play]] of the FMV game ''Phantasmagoria2'', Spoony mocks how the game tries to get around this--that the protagonist Curtis could experience the various supernatural death threats in a different order--by having him seem newly surprised in each clip, as though every one was the first (which it could be, depending on what the player does). In the finale of the [[Let's Play]], {{spoiler|Spoony is trapped in a similar setting and actually gets '''more''' exaggeratedly shocked every time something supernatural happens}}.
* In [[The Spoony Experiment]]'s [[Let's Play]] of the FMV game ''Phantasmagoria2'', Spoony mocks how the game tries to get around this—that the protagonist Curtis could experience the various supernatural death threats in a different order—by having him seem newly surprised in each clip, as though every one was the first (which it could be, depending on what the player does). In the finale of the [[Let's Play]], {{spoiler|Spoony is trapped in a similar setting and actually gets '''more''' exaggeratedly shocked every time something supernatural happens}}.


== Western Animation ==
== Western Animation ==
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Schrödinger%27s_Gun"