History GoddamnedBats / TabletopGames

* Kobolds in 4th edition ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the [=PC=]s to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush, trap, or difficult terrain). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* TableTopGame/{{Battletech}} has Light mechs, light and medium vehicles, light Battle Armor and infantry. The average heavy mech costs between 1500 and 2000 Battle Value. You can get between three and eight light mechs for that, between five and twelve light vehicles, between ten and thirty light battle armor, or between fifteen and ''sixty'' infantry units. In infantry's case, this becomes a major time consuming play by your opponent, because A) Weapons that are good vs. Infantry are rarely of any value vs. anything else, so relatively few mechs are equipped to face infantry; B) Even if you manage to kill 2 platoons per turn (optimistic goal), it will still take you 20+ rounds to clear them all. The only saving grace is they are slow and short-ranged (except for field guns). Used properly they can be dangerous against an unprepared or reckless opponent, but most of the time they are time-consuming cannon fodder.

* The Nightmare cards in ''Onirim''. There are ten of them, and if you draw one, you must either give up a key card, discard five cards from the deck, or discard your entire hand. You can eliminate them by playing a Prophecy and discarding a card.

* The pawns in ''TableTopGame/{{Chess}}'' are the weakest pieces in the game, but there are four times as many of them as any other piece in the game. Pawns are constantly used to protect or attack strategic locations and placement of pawns determines how all of the other pieces are able to move. Even their relatively low value often works in their favor, as trading anything other than a pawn to get rid of a problematic opposing pawn will almost always worsen your position in the game. This is fully acknowledged in the MetaGame as well, as François-André Danican Philidor, commonly regarded as the best chess player of the 18th century, is best known for writing "Pawns are the soul of chess", a maxim still well-known to modern chess players.

* The pawns in ''TableTopGame/{{Chess}}'' are the weakest pieces in the game, but there are four times as many of them as any other piece in the game. If your opponent has any skill their pawns will most likely block or protect almost every single strategic location or enemy piece you can find. Even their 1 on 1 weakness against other pieces can work in their favor, since sacrificing anything other than one of your own pawns to get rid of one of the pests will almost always worsen your position in the game. This is fully acknowledged in the MetaGame, where the pawns, as a collective, are considered the most important pieces in the game after the king himself.
** François-André Danican Philidor, commonly regarded as the best chess player of the 18th century, is best known for writing "Pawns are the soul of chess", a maxim still well-known to all chess players.

* The pawns in ''TableTopGame/{{Chess}}'' are the weakest pieces in the game, but there are four times as many of them as any other piece in the game. If your opponent has any skill their pawns will most likely block or protect almost every single strategic location or enemy piece you can find. Even their 1 on 1 weakness against other pieces can work in their favor, since sacrificing anything other than one of your own pawns to get rid of one of the pests will almost always worsen your position in the game. This is fully acknowledged in the MetaGame, where the pawns, as a collective, are considered the most important pieces in the game after the king himself.

* Kobolds in 4th edition ''DungeonsAndDragons'' have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the [=PC=]s to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush, trap, or difficult terrain). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* The pawns in ''[[TableTopGame/Chess]]'' are the weakest pieces in the game, but there are four times as many of them as any other piece in the game. If your opponent has any skill their pawns will most likely block or protect almost every single strategic location or enemy piece you can find. Even their 1 on 1 weakness against other pieces can work in their favor, since sacrificing anything other than one of your own pawns to get rid of one of the pests will almost always be a bad idea. This is fully acknowledged in the MetaGame, where the pawns, as a collective, are considered the most important pieces in the game after the king himself.

* Kobolds in 4th edition ''DungeonsAndDragons'' have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the [=PC=]s to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush, trap, or difficult terrain). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* Pugwumpi/jackalrats in ''{{Pathfinder}}'': tiny, very squishy humanoid fey with just enough damage reduction and spell resistance to be annoying at the low levels in which they're normally encountered, and no particular offensive prowess besides the mind-bogglingly annoying "bad luck" ability that, in game mechanics terms, forces players to roll their dice twice and use the lowest result. Since low-level parties are particularly dependent on the grace of the RandomNumberGod to get anything done, this can make fights against the little wretches annoyingly drawn-out, despite the fact that a solid blow from even a low-level fighter could kill them.
* Battletech has Light mechs, light and medium vehicles, light Battle Armor and infantry. The average heavy mech costs between 1500 and 2000 Battle Value. You can get between three and eight light mechs for that, between five and twelve light vehicles, between ten and thirty light battle armor, or between fifteen and ''sixty'' infantry units. In infantry's case, this becomes a major time consuming play by your opponent, because A) Weapons that are good vs. Infantry are rarely of any value vs. anything else, so relatively few mechs are equipped to face infantry; B) Even if you manage to kill 2 platoons per turn (optimistic goal), it will still take you 20+ rounds to clear them all. The only saving grace is they are slow and short-ranged (except for field guns). Used properly they can be dangerous against an unprepared or reckless opponent, but most of the time they are time-consuming cannon fodder.

* Kobolds in 4th edition ''DungeonsAndDragons'' have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the PCs to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush, trap, or difficult terrain). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* Kobolds in 4th edition [[DungeonsAndDragons]] have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the PCs to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* Kobolds in 4th edition [[Dungeons and Dragons]] have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the PCs to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, ''especially'' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* Kobolds in 4th edition [[Dungeons and Dragons]] have shades of this, as their Shifty ability means they can move in, take a swipe at a target, then dart back away, forcing the PCs to come at them if they want to get a swing in (often into an ambush). Of course, Kobolds in D&D have always had this sort of characteristic, 'especially' if the DM plays up their love of traps. And then there are [[DemonicSpiders Tucker's Kobolds]]...

* Battletech has Light mechs, light and medium vehicles, light Battle Armor and infantry. The average heavy mech costs between 1500 and 2000 Battle Value. You can get between three and eight light mechs for that, between five and twelve light vehicles, between ten and thirty light battle armor, or between fifteen and ''sixty'' infantry units. In infantry's case, this becomes a major time consuming play by your opponent, because A) Weapons that are good vs. Infantry are rarely of any value vs. anything else, so relatively few mechs are equipped to face infantry; B) Even if you manage to kill 2 platoons per turn (optimistic goal), it will still take you 20+ rounds to clear them all. The only saving grace is they are slow and short-ranged (except for field guns). Used properly they can be dangerous against an unprepared or reckless opponent, but most of the time they are time-consuming cannon fodder.

* Pugwumpi/jackalrats in ''{{Pathfinder}}'': tiny, very squishy humanoid fey with just enough damage reduction and spell resistance to be annoying at the low levels in which they're normally encountered, and no particular offensive prowess besides the mind-bogglingly annoying "bad luck" ability that, in game mechanics terms, forces players to roll their dice twice and use the lowest result. Since low-level parties are particularly dependent on the grace of the RandomNumberGod to get anything done, this can make fights against the little wretches annoyingly drawn-out, despite the fact that a solid blow from even a low-level fighter could kill them.

* In ''{{Warhammer}}'', there are a number of units that will have the player using them laughing in glee as the opposing player growls in frustration. The [[LizardFolk Lizardmen]] have Skink skirmishers-- small and skittish blowpipe users with PoisonedWeapons that love hiding in terrain and can shoot in any direction.