Poll: Most cliche RPG classes of today

Michalson · 2006-11-05T11:34:16

The most central piller of RPGs is the cliche that they must exist in some Lord of the Rings type medieval fantasy world. As a result we see almost the same character types (gameplay wise) in just about any game that calls itself an RPG. This of course goes way back before computer gaming, to the days of D&D with it's penultimate set of 4 cliche classes: Fighter, Cleric, Magic User and Thief. My question is, in 25 years, have the cliche classes changed or been expanded, or are they the same as they where at the dawn of unwashed nerd basement roleplaying. To answer that, I want you to write your opinion of what todays "cliche classes" are. You can nominate a list of oup to 8 classes that you feel best represents the current most overused class archtypes in electronic gaming. Remember that much like the D&D archtypes, you don't need to name every specific class, just the archtypes that make them up (for example in D&D most of the sub-class are supposed to be hybrids of the basic classes - Paladin being a warrior/cleric hybrid for example) You can also site what you think are new or innovative class roles that have been seen in more then one game, or classes from a single game that you think should be seen in others.

Game Design and Theory Game Design

Started by Michalson October 27, 2006 08:24 AM

25 comments, last by Adriac 17 years, 5 months ago

Ceoddyn

192

November 01, 2006 07:17 PM

General in every MMO the thief archtype is by far the most overplayed.

Edtharan

607

November 01, 2006 09:32 PM

Quote:General in every MMO the thief archtype is by far the most overplayed.

Or is that Loot Ninjas? :D

JBourrie

1,204

November 02, 2006 11:32 AM

Quote:Original post by Edtharan
Quote:General in every MMO the thief archtype is by far the most overplayed.

Or is that Loot Ninjas? :D

In Ultima: Online, "thief" and "player killer" were almost interchangeable.

That's why I quit. [crying]

Check out my new game Smash and Dash at:

http://www.smashanddashgame.com/

tHomahwk

122

November 02, 2006 03:40 PM

I would love to see a pvp character that actually effected other ppl's psyche or other various parts of the game for that character. Like that (I want to say GameCube) game, where you had a sanity meter and it would start doing tricks on the player, like turning the sound down, flipping the world upside down, etc. tricks that will actually confuse the player instead of just effecting your "stats".

tHom

Ezbez

1,164

November 02, 2006 04:09 PM

I think that paladins are the most cliched from the point of view of their character. 99% of Paladins are the exact same character. It's always a blindly righteous religion-following fanatic. Even the big, dumb fighter has more variations than the Paladin.

Okay, so that wasn't exactly what you were looking for, but it's related.

JBourrie

1,204

November 02, 2006 04:58 PM

Quote:I think that paladins are the most cliched from the point of view of their character. 99% of Paladins are the exact same character. It's always a blindly righteous religion-following fanatic. Even the big, dumb fighter has more variations than the Paladin.

I swear I mention Deus Ex about three times per GARPGD* thread, but once again it is shown to be the ultimate in creativity. The "Paladins" are the Knights Templar (which you can join with late in the game), and they are anything but righteous. Crazed religious fanatics bent on eliminating all "impurities" of the human race. A fascinating take on the Paladin ideals.

* GARPGD - Generally Accepted RPG Definition

Check out my new game Smash and Dash at:

http://www.smashanddashgame.com/

Adriac

100

November 05, 2006 11:34 AM

A user of melee such as warrior, barbarian, fighter
A user of ranged equipment ranger, hunter
A user of magic mage
A user of holy magic cleric, priest, monk

More diverse classes such as Druid, World of Warcraft's Shaman, Necromancer/Warlocks, and Guild War's Ritualist are less "expected" in a game. Everyone expects to have the option to play the warrior, the ranger, the mage, and a healer plus some others being made up by Game Designers.

Poll: Most cliche RPG classes of today

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Poll: Most cliche RPG classes of today

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