History BoringButPractical / TurnBasedStrategy

*** The Skirmisher, another HeroUnit... That specializes in moving easily, moving the enemy, and making a lot of attacks. They specialize in making TakeCover a DefiedTrope.
*** The Templar, the third HeroUnit. They can, upon killing an enemy with a melee attack, deflect the next attack they receive taking no damage. Guess who GotVolunteered to be TheBait from now on?
*** Covert Actions. You can deploy soldiers for operations. An Operation lasts 10 days, but you can assignan Engineer to cut that to 6. Covert Operations can delay the NonstandardgameOver pretty much indefinitely, procure supplies, procure upgrades to your gear, procure unique gear, the list goes on. If a [[RecurringBoss Chosen]] is active in the area your agents operate in, they risk getting captured... Unless you spend resources to prevent that risk. The only other risks are Injury (your soldiers ar unavailable for a few days) and Ambush, which is a mission where your units must reach the evacuation zone alive. Cover Actions gives NonCombatEXP to the participating troops, and improves the RelationshipValues between the soldiers taking part in the Covert Ops, and even often gives the participating solider a permanent stat boost.

** For High Elves, the bulk of any army is probably going to be Spearmen and Archers. Not as flashy or powerful as [[AnAxeToGrind White Lions of Chrace]] or [[AmazonBrigade Sisters of Avelorn]] or [[MasterSwordsman Swordmasters]] or [[NotAfraidToDie Phoenix Guard]] or the ''[[actual dragons]]'', but given the Elves are a DyingRace, you need some militia troops (who are still fairly competent for the roles they are equipped for - living as long as elves do, you get to be very good at fighting) who can pad out the numbers between your small warrior cults.

*** Then, the MEC suit subsystems: the first tier allows you to choose between a RocketPunch and a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]]. Both are extremely awesome, but the RocketPunch is often chosen just for the extra 3 tiles of mobility it gives. This stacks with a Foundry Upgrade giving an additional 3 extra tiles of movement to MEC Troopers and [[AttackDrones SHIVs]], allowing a MEC Trooper to [[LightningBruiser move 6 extra tiles per turn, or 12 if they make a double move during their turn]]. Tier 2 MEC suits can have either a GrenadeLauncher, or the Restorative Mist, basically an area of effect medikit.

** The Telekinetic Field PsychicPower. +40 defense in a large radius, as good as full cover. The other choice is MindControl.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' series is famous for its more outlandish weapons, but the simplicity and utility value of weapons like the Shotgun (fires in a straight line, two shots, a maximum of 25 damage each with a correspondingly small blast radius) frequently outweighs this. Particularly given that big, flashy weapons have a higher chance of backfiring or at least damaging the shooter. The Bazooka and Grenade also demonstrate this, but nothing fits the description of Boring, but Practical quite like the Shotgun.

** Nanofiber vests. +2 Health, which could easily mean the difference between life and death for your soldier that's about to get promoted in the early game. Very cheap too. Less useful in the late game, but still a solid choice when equipping your soldiers in the first missions.
** Medikits. Dirt cheap. Heals 4 HP once per mission. A soldier carrying one is immune to poison. It cure poison affecting the person it's used on. Can receive a Foundry upgrade to heal 6 Hp instead of 4. A [[CombatMedic Field Medic specced]] [[SergeantRock Sergeant]] Support soldier can use it three times per mission, a [[MajorlyAwesome Major]] support 4 in the Enemy Within expansion, can be used by a Lieutenant support to revive critically wounded soldiers instead of merely stabilizing them, allowing them to keep on fighting, and in the end of a [[ColonelBadass Colonel]] support, heals 8 HP per use. 10 with the aforementioned Foundry Upgrade. Nothing fancy, but really useful.
** While we are on the subject of Supports... They get a smoke grenade. Makes friendly soldiers harder to hit.
*** Corporal support can get the sprinter perk, allowing them to move 3 extra tiles. Good for reaching that perfect full cover over there, or a wounded soldier, or a civilian, or a meld cannister...
*** Instead of reviving soldiers, Lieutenant supports can get the Rifle suppression skill. Penalizes the aim of an alien by 30%, gives a reaction shot if he moves. Great for pinning down an alien for safe capture.
** In Enemy Within, the Tactical Rigging Foundry Upgrade allows for every soldier to carry two item. In case you don't want to be forced to make a choice between two boring but practical items. The obvious choices are two of the above - the SCOPE and Medikit. Suddenly, all your troops are hitting most of their shots and can patch up their teammates.

** The Ammo Conservation Foundry project. This upgrade doubles the amount of times a soldier can fire before having to reload. And that's it. Especially useful on a Heavy who can get the ability to fire twice in a turn but can only fire three bursts before having to reload...
** While MEC Troopers are an awesome cross between a MiniMecha and a {{Cyborg}}, a few of their abilities are Boring, but Practical. Collateral Damage, their first ability, deals limited damage to aliens in exchange for [[DefiedTrope destroying]] [[TakeCover cover]]. Expanded Storage, a Captain ability gives them one extra use for a few abilities as well as well as an extra shot before having to reload. This stacks with the aforementioned Ammo Conservation, tripling their shooting capacity (which was their main weakness, as they could only shoot twice before needing a reload). Then, the MEC suit subsystems: the first tier allows you to choose between a RocketPunch and a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]]. Both are extremely awesome, but the RocketPunch is often chosen just for the extra 3 tiles of mobility it gives. This stacks with a Foundry Upgrade giving an additional 3 extra tiles of movement to MEC Troopers and AttackDrones, allowing a MEC Trooper to [[LightningBruiser move 6 extra tiles per turn, or 12 if they make a double move during their turn]]. Tier 2 mech suits can have either a grenade launcher, or the Restorative Mist, basically an area of effect medikit.

*** New Guy. Gives a level to any soldier in your rooster who still doesn't have it, and all newly recruited soldiers gain their first level (and since they only get a class assigned when they gain that level, they start with a class). Useful if some of your high level soldiers got killed and you need to replace them quickly.

* The trend is continued in ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'':
** Basic infantry. Low movement range, weak attack, go down fast. They're also one of only two land units that can cross mountains and rivers (albeit slowly) and capture properties (including the enemy's HQ, an InstantWinCondition). No matter what flashy weaponry you have, you ''will'' need these guys and they '''will''' be integral to the success of your strategy.

** Ashe from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' lacks Bernadetta's AwesomeButImpractical setup and Ignatz's utility skills, forcing him to rely on raw stats to do his job. However, his semi-unique combination of both an axe and bow boon allows him to easily go Brigand at Level 10 to get Death Blow and set his study plan to bow/authority for the entirety of the run. This gets the player a Sniper with Death Blow at minimal cost, and effectively a free tutoring slot for the rest of the game.
** Linhardt from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' lacks the awesome factor of his fellow healers, as he lacks Mercedes's mass-heal in Fortify and ability to easily use the Magic Bow; or Marianne's access to [[AntiMagic Silence]], various magic-based combat arts, and class flexibility. In fact, Linhardt has no budding talent and only excels in two skills, [[BlackMagic Reason]] and [[WhiteMagic Faith]]. However, Linhardt is the only character in the base game to learn both Physic and Warp, meaning he's rarely deadweight, and due to his low charm, he can simply equip the Seiros Holy Monks and become the Stride caster until the player gets access to the Gautier Knights.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' allows units to equip up to five skills with various passive effects. Some of the best skills in the game are the stat-boosting skills, since unlike the stronger "blow" skills, which are applied when a unit attacks another unit, the stat boosts also apply when enemy units attack the unit with the skill.
** From ''Three Houses'', Windsweep doesn't seem all that impressive as a Combat Art, but it prevents the enemy from retaliating. It's thus highly useful on [[HarderThanHard Maddening]], helping players damage enemies without fear of them retaliating.

** As for backup weapons, the two best picks early on are wooden sticks or knives. Wooden sticks have a special ability to stun enemies for a single turn and fair anti-armour performance. Knives have almost no fatigue penalty to carry, and a bunch of brothers surrounding a heavily-armoured enemy and [[AttackItsWeakPoint Puncturing]] them to death is an easy way to net decent chainmail armour for nothing. The Dagger Mastery perk also allows a brother to attack three times in a turn.
** Nets. Often overlooked and picked up for cheap from fishing villages, they allow you to ensnare and isolate powerful enemies like Orcs and Direwolves, enemies that will mess you up if you allow them free reign.

** The 2010 remake takes this even further, ensuring that any non-character-exclusive prestige class that doesn't have copious amounts of AT will be at a severe disadvantage beyond the early stages. You'll be using Rune Knights/Valkyries a lot in chapter one, and once they become available, Ninjas and Rogues rule the day. Keep a few Archers around (they still kick ass here) and a Cleric or two to heal status effects and banish undead, and you're set for the entire game.

** The 2010 remake takes this even further, ensuring that any non-character-exclusive prestige class that doesn't have copious amounts of AT will be at a severe disadvantage beyond the early stages. You'll be using Rune Knights/Valkyries a lot in chapter one, and once they become available, Ninjas and Rogues rule the day. Keep a few Archers around and a Cleric or two to heal status effects and banish undead, and you're set for the entire game.

** The 2010 remake takes this even further, ensuring that any non-character-exclusive prestige class that doesn't have copious amounts of AT will be at a severe disadvantage beyond the early stages. You'll be using Rune Knights/Valkyries a lot in chapter one, and once they become available, Ninjas and Rogues rule the day. Keep a few Archers around and a Cleric or two to heal and banish undead, and you're set for the entire game.

** The 2010 remake takes this even further, ensuring that any non-character-exclusive prestige class that doesn't have copious amounts of AT will be at a severe disadvantage beyond the early stages. You'll be using Rune Knights/Valkyries a lot in chapter one, and once they become available, ninjas and rogues rule the day. Keep a few Archers around and a Cleric or two to heal and banish undead, and you're set for the entire game.

** Both like and unlike the above-mentioned example, Armor Knight are kind of notorious for this, with a particularly large emphasis on the 'boring' part. They have the worst Move of any class in the game, and ''usually'' have low Speed and Resistance to cap it all off, leading to a class that - barring lucky level-ups from the RNG - won't be proving to be much of an offensive powerhouse in most circumstances[[note]]unless they happen to have a high Speed growth or, more rarely, a good Speed base, in which case they become an outright LightningBruiser only inhibited by bad Movement[[/note]]. This often leaves them with few real applications relative to raw offense, but relative to ''defense'' it's pretty hard to go wrong with them, as they're often able to shrug off the wide majority of enemy units and are bar none the best class when it comes to holding a chokepoint or defensive map. This is further compounded by the fact that AntiArmor weapons are a distinct rarity among the enemy army, so that pretty much leaves magic as the only thing you need to worry about - which, even then, is slowly becoming null in several games with Armor Knights having high Resistance to boot.

** At least in ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyTacticsA2 A2]]'', a Time Mage is at top efficiency when it spends most of its turns using Haste, its most basic spell.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' allows units to equip up to five skills with various passive effects. Some of the best skills in the game are the stat-boosting skills, since unlike the stronger "blow" skills, which are applied when a unit attacks another unit, the stat boosts also apply when enemy units attack the unit with the skill.

** Due to the high cost and [[BreakableWeapons limited usage]] of stronger weapons, the basic iron and steel weapons remain an important part of your arsenal throughout the entire game thanks to their low cost and better durability.

** Also, "350 gold" heroes who, by virtue of just existing, grant you 350 gold per day. They refund themselves after eight days and come up with small army to aid your main hero, not to mention granting you another hero to pick-up resources and flag settlements.

** ''Civ VI'''s 'New Fronteir' DLC added Gran Colombia and its leader Simon Bolivar as one of the new leaders. It was quickly singled out as one of the best new civs in the game. Not for the free mini-Great Generals or their powerful unique unit -- it was because all their units have one extra movement point. In a turn-based game based on efficiency and the amount you can get done in a single turn this is a huge benefit, especially when it applies to all units for the entire game. Builders bring resources online sooner, Settlers claim land more-easily and set up new cities sooner and Colombia's cavalry-heavy army gets a bonus to the main strength of cavalry -- maneuverability.

** [[BlowYouAway Wind magic]]. Weaker than other magic types, but rarely misses and low weight means you'll be double-attacking with it more often than not. It's also super-effective against ''all'' flying units, including the normally Resistance-heavy Pegasus Knights, and a heavy-hitting wind spell is more or less a death sentence for a Wyvern Rider. In the GBA games, Anima magic takes this role, having a good balance of power, weight and cost-effectiveness compared to the weak but accurate Light tomes and heavy but powerful Dark tomes.

* ''VideoGame/{{XCOM2}}'' is not lacking in Boring, but Practical things either.

* In ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' one of the Sniper's ability choices at Colonel, Double Tap, is this. All it does is allow you to use both your actions to attack enemies. The other choice, In The Zone, is [[DifficultButAwesome potentially more useful, but demands luck and setup.]] Double Tap doesn't.
** The [[FunWithAcronyms S.C.O.P.E]]. Takes the item spot that could be used for [[StuffBlowingUp grenades]] or Combat Stims. Gives a +10% hit rate, and, if upgraded through the Foundry, a +10% critical hit chance. Useful so that rookies don't miss most of their shots. They are also very cheap.
** Nanofiber vests. +2 Health, which could easily mean the difference between life and death for your soldier that's about to get promoted in the early game. Very cheap too. Less useful in the late game, but still a solid choice when equipping your soldiers in the first missions.
** Medikits. Dirt cheap. Heals 4 HP once per mission. A soldier carrying one is immune to poison. It cure poison affecting the person it's used on. Can receive a Foundry upgrade to heal 6 Hp instead of 4. A [[CombatMedic Field Medic specced]] [[SergeantRock Sergeant]] Support soldier can use it three times per mission, a [[MajorlyAwesome Major]] support 4 in the Enemy Within expansion, can be used by a Lieutenant support to revive critically wounded soldiers instead of merely stabilizing them, allowing them to keep on fighting, and in the end of a [[ColonelBadass Colonel]] support, heals 8 HP per use. 10 with the aforementioned Foundry Upgrade. Nothing fancy, but really useful.
** While we are on the subject of Supports... They get a smoke grenade. Makes friendly soldiers harder to hit.
*** Corporal support can get the sprinter perk, allowing them to move 3 extra tiles. Good for reaching that perfect full cover over there, or a wounded soldier, or a civilian, or a meld cannister...
*** Instead of reviving soldiers, Lieutenant supports can get the Rifle suppression skill. Penalizes the aim of an alien by 30%, gives a reaction shot if he moves. Great for pinning down an alien for safe capture.
** In Enemy Within, the Tactical Rigging Foundry Upgrade allows for every soldier to carry two item. In case you don't want to be forced to make a choice between two boring but practical items. The obvious choices are two of the above - the SCOPE and Medikit. Suddenly, all your troops are hitting most of their shots and can patch up their teammates.
** The Telekinetic Field PsychicPower. +40 defense in a large radius, as good as full cover. The other choice is MindControl.
** The Ammo Conservation Foundry project. This upgrade doubles the amount of times a soldier can fire before having to reload. And that's it. Especially useful on a Heavy who can get the ability to fire twice in a turn but can only fire three bursts before having to reload...
** While MEC Troopers are an awesome cross between a MiniMecha and a {{Cyborg}}, a few of their abilities are Boring, but Practical. Collateral Damage, their first ability, deals limited damage to aliens in exchange for [[DefiedTrope destroying]] [[TakeCover cover]]. Expanded Storage, a Captain ability gives them one extra use for a few abilities as well as well as an extra shot before having to reload. This stacks with the aforementioned Ammo Conservation, tripling their shooting capacity (which was their main weakness, as they could only shoot twice before needing a reload). Then, the MEC suit subsystems: the first tier allows you to choose between a RocketPunch and a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]]. Both are extremely awesome, but the RocketPunch is often chosen just for the extra 3 tiles of mobility it gives. This stacks with a Foundry Upgrade giving an additional 3 extra tiles of movement to MEC Troopers and AttackDrones, allowing a MEC Trooper to [[LightningBruiser move 6 extra tiles per turn, or 12 if they make a double move during their turn]]. Tier 2 mech suits can have either a grenade launcher, or the Restorative Mist, basically an area of effect medikit.
** The Officer Training School (or OTS) has some good gems, which costs only credits (no rare resources grabbed only by killing enemies, just money), which are:
*** Squad Size 1+2. It does nothing except increasing the ArbitraryHeadcountLimit to five and six respectively, which means more actions and more flexibility due to the class system.
*** Wet Work. A straightforward EXPBooster that increases XP from kills by 25%. Anymore needs to be said?
*** Rapid Recovery. Soldiers heal faster from injuries, allowing you to get them back into the battlefield faster.
*** Iron Will. Improves soldier Will gain from level ups. Makes them more resilient to psionic attacks.
*** New Guy. Gives a level to any soldier in your rooster who still doesn't have it, and all newly recruited soldiers gain their first level (and since they only get a class assigned when they gain that level, they start with a class). Useful if some of your high level soldiers got killed and you need to replace them quickly.

* In VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic a hero will get a variety of spells, including teleports, fireballs, massive buffs and even ressurections... Yet utility of a simple "Bless" (which makes creatures do maximum damage) never ceases to amaze, especially for ranged units.
** You could also consider the spell "Town Portal" to be like this. It may not be something that wipes out armies, but it's probably the most useful spell in the game anyways.
** In ''Armageddon's Blade'', first addition to third installment in the series, we have Sir Mullich. While other heroes boost creatures' statistics, have better spells or enhance abilities, Sir Mullich has... Speed, which gives all of his units +2 to movement speed. There's a reason he's banned on tournaments.
** Also, "350 gold" heroes who, by virtue of just existing, grant you 350 gold per day. They refund themselves after eight days and come up with small army to aid your main hero, not to mention granting you another hero to pick-up resources and flag settlements.
** On that note, Estates which work exactly the same though not to the same extent. Then again, some of those "350 gold" characters usually start with Estates...
** Logistics which give you bonus movement speed, Pathfinding which negates penalties for difficult terrain and Navigation which is Logistics on water(although it tends to suffer from CripplingOverspecialization). Boring and comes in handy almost every time.
** Two of the best spells in all of the games are the simple Haste and Slow spells which make your army faster and the enemy army slower respectively. Especially from the fifth game onwards, since those spells also affect how quickly units get turns.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Worms}}'' series is famous for its more outlandish weapons, but the simplicity and utility value of weapons like the Shotgun (fires in a straight line, two shots, a maximum of 25 damage each with a correspondingly small blast radius) frequently outweighs this. Particularly given that big, flashy weapons have a higher chance of backfiring or at least damaging the shooter. The Bazooka and Grenade also demonstrate this, but nothing fits the description of Boring, but Practical quite like the Shotgun.
** The Shotgun is practical because it actually subverts many conventions of the game, which is the "you can't move after you shoot" and "You can only hit one target per turn". With a Shotgun, and aiming skills, you can either bunge two Worms in one turn, push two onto landmines, blow up two Oil canisters, knock two opposing worms into very bad positions, do any combination of those, or just one and go back into hiding. The tactical flexibility of the Shotgun is what makes it practical.
** The Fire Punch and the [[KiManipulation Dragonball]]. They're melee attacks that inflict a consistent 25 and 30 damage, respectively -- keyword being ''consistent'' (contrast other weapons, which inflict varying damage), so hitting an opponent that has less health than either weapon will take off is a guaranteed kill. Alternatively, you can use these attacks to knock your opponent into a mine, or better yet, off the screen or [[SuperDrowningSkills into the water]].

* The trend is continued in ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'':
** Basic infantry. Low movement range, weak attack, go down fast. They're also one of only two land units that can cross mountains and rivers (albeit slowly) and capture properties (including the enemy's HQ, an InstantWinCondition). No matter what flashy weaponry you have, you ''will'' need these guys and they '''will''' be integral to the success of your strategy.
** Mech units, that is infantry with heavier firepower. They can do everything infantry can do, but can take on vehicles at the cost of movement range. In that they are so cheap to produce, using these guys to take out or at least cripple expensive enemy vehicles is an unflashy, but ''effective'' tactic that lets you utilize funds elsewhere. Yes, the Mech Rush tactic also works here too.
** The basic tank. One might be tempted to forego it for its more expensive bigger brothers like the Medium Tank, but where these other units have higher firepower the basic light tank has the most ammo, the highest mobility, the highest range of vision, and are only topped by neotanks in fuel capacity. They won't OneHitKO units like the Megatank, but anyone who discounts them as "too weak" will find themselves on the ass end of an ass kicking in very short order.

* The erotic RPG ''Dragon Knight 4'' features several MutuallyExclusivePartyMembers, the majority of which force the player to choose between a male character and a female one. Due to the nature of the game, the female characters receive quite a few more scenes (erotic and otherwise), so the player is naturally more incentivized to pick them. To balance things out, the male characters all have slightly higher stats across the board, meaning that while you'll lose out on some characterization by choosing them, you'll generally have an easier time in battle.
* If you're trying to go for a rush strategy in ''LordsOfTheRealm2'', an army of around 50 peasants (50 being the minimum army size) makes for an effective battle of attrition starter, as armies can destroy fields that take several turns to reclaim. If you want something more armed, Macemen are great as they are the second cheapest unit to make and are the second fastest. They can also hold their own pretty well.
* Game mechanics cause this to be very prevalent in ''VideoGame/TacticsOgre''. From beginning to end, one of the most effective units in the game is the humble archer, a low level female unit with very high dexterity (ranged attack), the ability to traverse watery terrain, and amazingly high avoidance. Ranged attacks are at a great advantage because any time a melee class attacks an enemy, the enemy will be allowed a counterattack while ranged units never get counterattacked, resulting in far less damage taken by ranged units. Not only that but the game extends bow range according to terrain height so that archers can easily achieve the longest range if they get into a high spot (far longer range than mages, at least until you get the gamebreaking spells at the end of the game), [[NoArcInArchery shoot over obstacles]], and their avoidance means they will even dodge a great many attacks against them! Even when an army of angels, dragons, hydras, golems, and terror knights are at your disposal end game, many players opt for a full third of their attack party being archers.
* In ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'', the simple Assault Shuttle buildable from the very start will remain your primary option of anti-planet attack for a long while. Bio-missiles can be vaccinated against, the really large anti-planet weapons like the Siege Driver are AwesomeButImpractical because they are too far up the tech tree to be available quickly and the majority of ship-to-ship weapons aren't too good for bombardment, leaving the Assault Shuttle as the most reliable option - at least until ''Argos Naval Yard'' introduced the ''Advanced'' Assault Shuttle.

* Sensei's CO Powers in ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars 2]]'' and ''Dual Strike'', which airdrops infantry (or Mech in the case of the SCOP) units with 9 HP on all cities under your control. They're the most basic units in the game, but depending on how many cities you have, it can easily turn into a widescale ZergRush.
** Any CO with a small CO Power meter (Sensei included) can be considered this. Their CO Powers aren't as awesome as Samurai Spirit or Lightning Strike, but have high value for only costing 5 stars. Notably, Colin Best of all, these allow players to use them OFTEN so that it's possible to overwhelm opponents and deny them optimal use of their Super CO Powers.
* ''VideoGame/EmpireTotalWar'' and ''VideoGame/NapoleonTotalWar'' have many different classes of [[WoodenShipsAndIronMen sailing ships]], from tiny brigs to massive heavy 1st rates (over 50 cannons per side). And yet the games' resident GlassCannon, a bomb ketch (essentially, a tiny brig with a mortar on its bow), can bring down small fleets when deployed en masse thanks to the mortar's long range and fairly good aim. A fleet consisting entirely of bomb ketches and arranged in a concave crescent formation can quickly obliterate up to three heavy first rates (which cost a lot more to build in terms of money and time), especially since the computer tends to come at you in a standard battle line (i.e. one target at a time). In fact, smaller but faster ships may serve the enemy much better as they provide a smaller target and can get in range of their cannons quicker. A single mortar shell exploding in the middle of the deck can wipe out several dozen crewmembers, including, possibly, the admiral, wreck a good number of cannons and shred sails, not to mention the hull damage. And that's not even counting the fact that they also tend to set ships on fire. And even if the enemy first rate manages to get in range of its guns (it still has to turn to present its broadside), at most, you might lose a single bomb ketch to the barrage.
** There are also rocket ships, considered to be a more advanced version of the bomb ketch. However, rocket ships are even flimsier than bomb ketches, and the rockets have atrocious aim. Their main advantage is killing morale and setting ships on fire (sometimes, themselves). They also cost more than bomb ketches, and the campaign generally limits the number you can have.
** Also from ''Empire'', Sweden very notably only has ''one'' special unit, a kind of Finnish light cavalry that really not much special, and everything else is just your bog standard European army list. However, their standard infantry are pretty decent in quality, perhaps not quite as good as Britain, France or Prussia but far beyond everyone else's. Also, Sweden gets more men in cavalry units as standard - on large settings, a Swedish cavalry unit can contain 60 men as opposed to 45 for everyone else, and this is a big advantage. The same goes for Austria in ''VideoGame/NapoleonTotalWar'', though for infantry units instead of cavalry, and at the cost of inferior stats (which the Swedish cavalry do not suffer from).
** Irrespective of which faction you play, the backbone of your army will be Line Infantry (or Bargir if you're playing as the Indian Maratha). Nothing more than rows of ordinary fighting men with muskets, they'll do everything: screening for your more elite infantry, guarding your artillery, blunting a cavalry charge, you name it.
* From ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar'', longbow units. English longbowmen from the vanilla game might not be much to look at, but with their fast-firing, long range projectiles that are also armour-piercing, the shortbowmen and crossbowmen of other factions stand not a hope in Hell of winning the range game, and longbowmen are completely unrivalled at range until the really high-end gunpowder units come into play. They can also plant wooden stakes in front of them during the deployment phase, which render any frontal assault from cavalry a laughable joke. But wait, there's more. For the ''Kingdoms: Britannia'' mini-campaign, [[http://m2tw.warlore.org/img/unit_info/wales/saethwyr_info.jpg Welsh Saethwyr]] are even less exciting but even more impressive than their English counterparts; even the most generous person couldn't bring themselves to call that a kilt, but with more men in a unit and more ammunition, they are the undisputed kings of pointy stick death, girly skirt or no.
* The various Ashigaru units in ''VideoGame/TotalWarShogun2''. They make up for their inferior stats in comparison with their Samurai counterparts through shorter production times, cheapness, and low upkeep. A few units of Yari Ashigaru can hold the middle of a formation with a spear wall while stronger units manoeuver around the enemy, or be placed around the flanks and protect the meat of your army from cavalry, Bow Ashigaru provide a cheap skirmishing element which at higher experience can even contend with their Samurai counterparts, and a few garrisoned Matchlock Ashigaru can turn even the most lopsided of sieges into a meat grinder. If you want to field an army without breaking your bank, expect Ashigaru to be the spine of your forces.
* ''VideoGame/SidMeiersPirates'' players (especially on the classic versions) will usually grab a cutlass. It hasn't got the reach or the speed of the rapier or longsword, but you can defeat enemy captains in a hurry by getting in close, slashing low, and following up with a high thrust.
** Additionally, Sloops can be Boring, but Practical ships: Not as many guns as their bigger counterparts, but are so fast and agile they can dodge enemy attacks. Slipping in between a barrage can help you ram a massive War Galleon with minimal damage to ship and crew.
* Often times, when there's a hard battle in the Franchise/{{Disgaea}} games, it's very easy to just go and grind several levels to bulldoze through it, but you know what can get you through a lot of battles without grinding much? Lifting. Not the most cool looking ability, but knowing how to take full advantage of lifting can easily get you through even the toughest battles.
* In ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' one of the Sniper's ability choices at Colonel, Double Tap, is this. All it does is allow you to use both your actions to attack enemies. The other choice, In The Zone, is [[DifficultButAwesome potentially more useful, but demands luck and setup.]] Double Tap doesn't.
** The [[FunWithAcronyms S.C.O.P.E]]. Takes the item spot that could be used for [[StuffBlowingUp grenades]] or Combat Stims. Gives a +10% hit rate, and, if upgraded through the Foundry, a +10% critical hit chance. Useful so that rookies don't miss most of their shots. They are also very cheap.
** Nanofiber vests. +2 Health, which could easily mean the difference between life and death for your soldier that's about to get promoted in the early game. Very cheap too. Less useful in the late game, but still a solid choice when equipping your soldiers in the first missions.
** Medikits. Dirt cheap. Heals 4 HP once per mission. A soldier carrying one is immune to poison. It cure poison affecting the person it's used on. Can receive a Foundry upgrade to heal 6 Hp instead of 4. A [[CombatMedic Field Medic specced]] [[SergeantRock Sergeant]] Support soldier can use it three times per mission, a [[MajorlyAwesome Major]] support 4 in the Enemy Within expansion, can be used by a Lieutenant support to revive critically wounded soldiers instead of merely stabilizing them, allowing them to keep on fighting, and in the end of a [[ColonelBadass Colonel]] support, heals 8 HP per use. 10 with the aforementioned Foundry Upgrade. Nothing fancy, but really useful.
** While we are on the subject of Supports... They get a smoke grenade. Makes friendly soldiers harder to hit.
*** Corporal support can get the sprinter perk, allowing them to move 3 extra tiles. Good for reaching that perfect full cover over there, or a wounded soldier, or a civilian, or a meld cannister...
*** Instead of reviving soldiers, Lieutenant supports can get the Rifle suppression skill. Penalizes the aim of an alien by 30%, gives a reaction shot if he moves. Great for pinning down an alien for safe capture.
** In Enemy Within, the Tactical Rigging Foundry Upgrade allows for every soldier to carry two item. In case you don't want to be forced to make a choice between two boring but practical items. The obvious choices are two of the above - the SCOPE and Medikit. Suddenly, all your troops are hitting most of their shots and can patch up their teammates.
** The Telekinetic Field PsychicPower. +40 defense in a large radius, as good as full cover. The other choice is MindControl.
** The Ammo Conservation Foundry project. This upgrade doubles the amount of times a soldier can fire before having to reload. And that's it. Especially useful on a Heavy who can get the ability to fire twice in a turn but can only fire three bursts before having to reload...
** While MEC Troopers are an awesome cross between a MiniMecha and a {{Cyborg}}, a few of their abilities are Boring, but Practical. Collateral Damage, their first ability, deals limited damage to aliens in exchange for [[DefiedTrope destroying]] [[TakeCover cover]]. Expanded Storage, a Captain ability gives them one extra use for a few abilities as well as well as an extra shot before having to reload. This stacks with the aforementioned Ammo Conservation, tripling their shooting capacity (which was their main weakness, as they could only shoot twice before needing a reload). Then, the MEC suit subsystems: the first tier allows you to choose between a RocketPunch and a [[KillItWithFire flamethrower]]. Both are extremely awesome, but the RocketPunch is often chosen just for the extra 3 tiles of mobility it gives. This stacks with a Foundry Upgrade giving an additional 3 extra tiles of movement to MEC Troopers and AttackDrones, allowing a MEC Trooper to [[LightningBruiser move 6 extra tiles per turn, or 12 if they make a double move during their turn]]. Tier 2 mech suits can have either a grenade launcher, or the Restorative Mist, basically an area of effect medikit.
** The Officer Training School (or OTS) has some good gems, which costs only credits (no rare resources grabbed only by killing enemies, just money), which are:
*** Squad Size 1+2. It does nothing except increasing the ArbitraryHeadcountLimit to five and six respectively, which means more actions and more flexibility due to the class system.
*** Wet Work. A straightforward EXPBooster that increases XP from kills by 25%. Anymore needs to be said?
*** Rapid Recovery. Soldiers heal faster from injuries, allowing you to get them back into the battlefield faster.
*** Iron Will. Improves soldier Will gain from level ups. Makes them more resilient to psionic attacks.
*** New Guy. Gives a level to any soldier in your rooster who still doesn't have it, and all newly recruited soldiers gain their first level (and since they only get a class assigned when they gain that level, they start with a class). Useful if some of your high level soldiers got killed and you need to replace them quickly.
* ''VideoGame/XCOMLongWar'', a mod of VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown, adds a few examples:
** The new Infantry class, derived from the Assault class, has no special powers, fancy flanking maneuevres, or flashy explosives. They do, however, get to shoot twice in a turn provided they didn't move. Combined with good Aim and a battle rifle, Infantry can pump out more damage than any other class.
** The new [[TheMedic Medic]] class. They can only equip [=SMGs=] and so have mediocre firepower at all ranges except close, but they ''will'' save your soldiers' lives.
** Flashbangs. Take an equipment slot, does no damage, but cripples the stats of affected aliens and ''very few'' are immune.

* ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'':
** Basic melee units tend to be like this. None of them have the special bonuses other unit types possess, but neither do they have any special disadvantages, they are quick to produce or cheap for their eras and usually don't need strategic resources, meaning that most of the units in your armies will be them.
** In ''Civ IV'', India's special unit is a cross between this trope and HeartIsAnAwesomePower. The Fast Worker is a Worker unit with an extra movement point. Wowee, so that means India gets shafted, right? Wrong. Fast Workers let you build tile improvements a bit faster than other civs, which means more growth and industry for cities, which means you can pump out units and city buildings faster. They're also much more efficient for maintaining large empires. Oh, and Fast Workers are never made obsolete: you have them from the stone age all the way through to the modern age.
** ''Civ VI'''s 'New Fronteir' DLC added Gran Colombia and its leader Simon Bolivar as one of the new leaders. It was quickly singled out as one of the best new civs in the game. Not for the free mini-Great Generals or their powerful unique unit - it was because all their units have one extra movement point. In a turn-based game based on efficiency and the amount you can get done in a single turn this is a huge benefit, especially when it applies to all units for the entire game. Builders bring resources online sooner, Settlers claim land more-easily and set up new cities sooner and Colombia's cavalry-heavy army gets a bonus to the main strength of cavalry - manouvrability.
* In ''VideoGame/MordheimCityOfTheDamned'', using just a single one-handed weapon confers a 10% bonus to the warrior's Dodge chance, thanks to the free hand giving better balance while the warrior ducks and weaves around. Forgoing armour also confers a 10% Dodge chance. The fighters don't look particularly impressive, but their survivability goes through the roof, especially low-level warriors who will often be killed easily. Their initiative will also be very high; having an impressive-looking warband is pointless if their enemies go first and damage or kill them before they can even get their first turn in.
** Even better, taking a one-handed weapon ''with a shield''. Not only does the shield improve your parrying chances, but it also increases the likelihood of an enemy missing you with a ranged or melee attack and this improves with better quality shields. Having a single weapon means that your unit does not get the tiring penalty nor the dual-wield reduced damage penalty, for a unit that can do many attacks this could mean they do more damage than with dual-wielding or using a 2-H weapon.
** Some of the most useful weapons in the game are the simplest. The humble [[BladeOnAStick spear]] and [[CarryABigStick mace]] are a boon to low-level troops for handing increased chance to bypass dodge and parry and increased hit chance respectively, making sure they get these crucial hits in. Plus they offer bonuses to initiative, increasing the chance troops holding these go first.
* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' has several examples:
** When playing as TheEmpire, you get lots of nice elite units, most notably the Demigryph Knights. However, it is more likely than not that even in the end-game, your army will mostly consist of bottom-tier State Infantry, i.e. Swordsmen, Spearmen and Halberdiers. Their good cost-effectiveness, ease of replenishment, and the fact that the right research path and Lord build can net these units some very nice bonuses keeps them more than viable throughout the game.
** For Dwarfs, it's the Dwarf Warriors. In spite of technically being a bottom-tier melee infantry unit, their comparatively heavy armor and high morale will have them holding their own.
** In the case of the Vampire Counts, it's the Zombies. Zombies are completely useless on paper, being mediocre-to-awful, even by bottom-tier infantry standards, at everything except hitpoints. However, their relatively high hitpoints, cheapness and immunity to morale effects make them indispensable as missile-sponges and tar pits, and can be put to very good use keeping your enemies' elite units bogged down and disrupting their formations. Also you can raise a unit of them behind an engaged enemy battle line and hit them with a double whammy of morale penalties.
* ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammerII'' has some as well:
** Lothern Seaguard, especially those with shield. Essentially a unit that combines the anti-cavalry staying power of a spear unit with the long-range death of an archer unit. You can easily make entire armies of only this unit.
* ''VideoGame/AncientEmpires'':
** The basic Soldier, the very first unit in the game. In combat, it's weaker than almost everything else. However, being the cheapest unit (except for Skeletons, which are raised for free but require a grave) they can be produced in large numbers. They are also one of only two units that can capture buildings, essential for healing and gold production. The only other unit that can do so, the King/Commander, is much less expendable (especially in the first game where the king's death results in loss for their side).
** The Archer counts as well. The second unit, it has the same stats in combat as the Soldier with one crucial exception: a ranged attack. That might not seem like much, but it's one of only two ranged units in the game, and the other (the Catapult) has disadvantages like being slower and much more expensive. Ranged attacks are potent in this game because they can't be countered, not even by another ranged unit. Range also makes them extremely versatile: Archers can be used in raids as they can stay behind stronger units and attack from a position of safety, or used for base defense by placing them on buildings where they can each cover a small area around them. Moreover, they get a damage bonus against Wyverns/Dragons, making them an effective counter to what is otherwise the strongest unit. And as the second-cheapest unit, they can also be produced in large numbers.
* ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' has all kinds of special orders you can give, from buffing and healing specific units (or even ''all'' units) for a single turn, to calling in mortar strikes and even covering most of the battlefield in a destructive artillery barrage. One order that'll get a ton of usage all the way to the endgame, however, is Retreat, the first order you learn from the Aged Gentleman, which allows you to instantly pull any still-conscious unit from the battlefield. Perfect for when you've got a unit that's in serious trouble as soon as its the enemy's turn to move, or when you want to move a unit across the map to your newly captured enemy camp, but it would take too long for them to get to the nearest camp and withdraw normally.
* ''VideoGame/InfiniteSpace'' allows players to fire all weapons with the "Barrage" command or shoot out a WaveMotionGun, depending on the command players use. The most efficient way to play the game? Buy a lot of hangars, invest in Multi-Role fighters, send them to the field and let them take care of the enemies while the command ship is charging up its weapons and firing it at the enemy. Or the enemy ships get destroyed by the fighters themselves.
* The ''VideoGame/BattleTech'' turn based tactical game provides several examples of very plain but very useful powers. Notably, all four of the starter skills are dull, but priceless.
** Multi-Targeting allows the pilot to split their weapons fire between two or more targets. This is great when you have multiple weak targets to eliminate, want to suppress multiple enemies and remove their evasion stacks, or just have a weapons loadout with different optimum ranges and want to use each weapon for best effect.
** Sure Footing gives a 'Mech an extra evasion stack and, provided it didn't run, jump, or charge in for a melee strike, will also reduce the stability damage it takes. This makes the 'Mech harder to hit in the first place, and still tough to knock down.
** Bulwark grants a passive +20% boost to damage reduction if in cover or while guarded. This effectively increases your 'Mech's armor value by 40% as long as you are in cover.
** Sensor Lock allows the pilot to detect enemies as well as jam their sensors, remove evasion stacks, and break an ECM bubble. This allows pilots to deny the enemy's attempts at stealth or electronic warfare.

** Multi-Targeting allows the pilot to split their weapons fire between two or more targets. This is great when you have multiple weak targets to eliminate, or want to suppress multiple enemies and remove their evasion stacks.

** For characters in themselves, Lana from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]'' fits in perfectly. For the most part she's a rather efficient WhiteMage, but the perk is that her mother Adean was ''already'' a pretty good healer, so Lana can get what she needs the most to work well from her ''and'', with some more effort, will get her hands on powerful staves... while her older brother Lester, a HorseArcher, is ''very'' easy to screw up if he and Lana get the "wrong" father. As a result the players tend to choose a husband for Adean basing themselves almost solely on how Lester will turn out, since they know Lana will "do her job" well no matter what.