Tropes vs Stereotypes vs Inspiration

There is nothing new under the sun.

Many GMs feel a strong drive to be original. Is it possible to be original? All things come from something, and that's what makes them important. Something with no context, something truly original, that comes from nothing and has never been seen before, cannot be. When one looks at all the "original" books, movies, and TV shows, it's hard to deny that they seem familiar. Isn't relating to a character necessary for most people to enjoy a book? Isn't feeling connection to the world important for getting a viewer invested in a show? Don't we want to see people living our dreams and fears on the big screen? To accomplish emotional connection there must be interest, which relies heavily on familiarity and association. So, there really is nothing new under the sun. All things are variations, developments, and improvements.

Inspiration

With the power of hindsight, it's possible to trace nearly every fantasy novel to classic works. And even the Odyssey came from someone who heard the story. Go back far enough and there is a grain of truth - something real. And I'll bet that real thing was inspired by something else.

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Nothing comes from nothing.

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To deny inspiration and claim originality is a bit silly. Isn't it better to acknowledge a source of inspiration and move beyond it? There are lots of ways to incorporate inspiration without being derivative and boring.

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My favorite example of someone claiming originality comes from a 4th edition game I played in very briefly. The GM was flavor-texting about a god of chaos being woken up by evil forces to lead the world into ruin. Only we, the chosen, could stand against this entity of chaos who would bathe the world with insanity. To which we, the players, replied, "So... we're fighting Cthulhu?"

Indignant, the GM went on about how this was an old god of chaos from before the world was born, etc, destined to awaken and wash the world with madness. To which we replied, "So... Cthulhu?"

Back and forth once more and the GM relented. "Yes! Okay? Like Cthulhu."

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Was this an issue? No; I don't mind playing in a Cthulhu game. What I mind is someone pissing on me and claiming to have invented the idea of piss. Call it what it is! And even if it isn't exactly Cthulu, it is okay to be like Cthulhu. Even Cthulhu is like other things.

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So how do we deal with inspirations?

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Using Tropes on Purpose

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Lampshading

Lampshading is drawing attention to the thing you might otherwise try to conceal. For example, The Port of New Hope is a hive of scum and villainy.... It's obvious to any Star Wars nerd that The Port of New Hope is inspired by Mos Eisley. That's not a bad thing. Now players can get in on the joke and ask to visit the cantina. Now it's fun. Acknowledge the inspiration and then players can learn about the differences. For example, The Port of New Hope is a sea port ruled by the Pirate Princess Felicia and it's about to be attacked by zombies. Sure, there is an inspiration, and it evokes certain ideas, but we do not have to be limited by what we call out. Acknowledging an inspiration allows the story to move past it and get into to fun stuff.​

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Inspiration as Exposition

Inspiration also acts as a shorthand for exposition. Rather than describe something in great detail, a game master can point to the inspiration and players will be able to form a basic foundational concept without a paragraph of flavor text. Not only is this method quick, but it helps the game world feel more real - the players can see the world by building on images they already have seen.

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Avoiding Tropes

We can address tropes in our worldbuilding. When dealing with plots and worlds, we have to examine what tropes we are likely to fall into, and decide how to deal with them. For example, I have a culture in my homebrew world that is divided somewhat by elemental magic. Yes, I also watched Avatar the Last Airbender. But if we expand on the trope of elemental magic and develop interesting cultural structures, we can move past the inspiration and create a more interesting blend of story telling elements.

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Elemental Magic Tropes:

1. Groups of particular elemental magics form their own communities

2. Elements are diametrically opposed.

3. Water are healers. Air is flighty. Earth is stubborn. Fire is fighty.

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Expansions on the tropes:

1. All tribes live in one land, and multiple elemental magic users live together in each tribe.

2. Opposition is between tribes, not particular elemental magic categories.

3. Individuals have personalities not necessarily tied to the element they can control.

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When we then introduce players to an aspect of the world that could be considered tropey, we can focus on the details that go beyond the tropes. This allows a setting to feel more immersive, and less shallow.

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Expectations and Subversion

One of the best things to do with a trope is to exploit it. So, the princess has been kidnapped by an evil wizard. No one will be surprised when the evil wizard is the king's scheming brother in disguise, or when the princess set the whole thing up to be with the wizard whom she loves. Those twists on the tropes are so old they have become tropes themselves. So, what to do?

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The key is, whatever you're going to do with the trope, there have to be clues, subtle, but present, that lead up to the reveal. Remember the first time you watched 6th Sense and got blindsided? But thinking back, or watching a second time, you can't believe you missed it! That's what we want. When we're twisting up a trope, make there clues just on the edges of the plot so that a clever character/player who is paying attention might catch on.

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At first it might be disappointing for players to figure out a twist on a trope, but that actually means you're doing it right! We want to surprise folks sometimes, but if someone can figure out the twist, then you've told the story, collaboratively!

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Tropes vs. Stereotypes

trope

[trohp]

noun

1. Rhetoric.

2. any literary or rhetorical device, as metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony, that consists in the use of words in other than their literal sense.

stereotype

[ster-ee-uh-tahyp, steer-]

1. Sociology. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group:

1. a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group

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When does a trope become a stereotype? It's a difficult thing to measure. First, we must be aware that we are using a trope, and then there are some questions to ask:

• Why? What is the reason I am using this trope? Does it impact my story?

• How? How am I using the trope? Will I be perpetuating a hurtful stereotype?

• Why not? What are the reasons against using this trope? How could this trope hurt someone?

 

The best way to avoid being harmful with tropes is to add complexity and be sure not to throw it in casually.​​If there is a trope  that is associated with real world harm, it should be excluded, changed, or included with clear consent from the players. It can be tempting to use the short hand of racism or sexism to indicate someone is weak, evil, or stupid. But, remember, the outside world has done, and will continue to do, real harm to people. Some of those people might be sitting at your table. We have a responsibility as GMs to be mindful of the real world harm we might be emulating in our fiction.