History Main / ArtificialInsolence

Sometimes, this doesn't happen, and the units can ignore or outright disobey those orders. Can sometimes be the result of a RandomNumberGod feeling particularly nasty that day, a MoraleMechanic or a StatusBuff or {{Status Effect|s}} (often with a name like Berserk or Confusion). This can be a form of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, when a PlayerCharacter's [[ButThouMust apparent refusal to obey the player's commands]] indicates CharacterDevelopment or some other piece of characterization.

Do not confuse with TheComputerShallTauntYou.

* ''TabletopGame/FATECore'': The GameMaster can "Compel" a PlayerCharacter in exchange for a [[LuckManipulationMechanic Fate Point]], invoking one of their defining Aspects in a way that creates unexpected problems. For example, a character with StickyFingers could be compelled to steal a souvenir during a museum tour.

** If your heroes get infected with the Crimson Curse, the disease is generally ineffectual while dormant. However, infected heroes who go for long enough without ingesting The Blood will enter a "wasting" phase, taking stat debuffs and acting erratically until their thirst is quenched with a vial of The Blood. An infected hero downing The Blood at other disease phases enters Bloodlust, gaining a temporary stat boost but also acting erratically, including attacking their allies.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon,'' heroes will contract various mental illnesses when their [[MoraleMechanic Stress]] hits 100. They may become Paranoid, and refuse to accept help, or Selfish and refuse to help anyone else. Masochistic heroes sometimes break formation, shoving their way up to the front and demanding that enemies attack them, or even cut themselves. The Flagellant has only one affliction, Rapturous, which acts like the "Confusion" status: he attacks at random. All over-levelled heroes will also refuse to enter dungeons they feel are "beneath" them.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* The ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'' series has suppressed and pinned as StatusEffects for infantry units that are under heavy fire (and so FearIsTheAppropriateResponse). Suppressed isn't actually this trope since suppressed units are only slowed to a crawl, have reduced ability range, and fight back with much less effectiveness instead of entirely disobeying orders - but units that are [[PinnedDown pinned]], will do literally nothing (aside from team weapons which still have...''some'' ability to fire) except lying there and providing sight to their player while they still draw breath (which usually won't be for very long since they're probably getting shot up by a machine-gun); so now the only order they will obey is [[TacticalWithdrawal to retreat]]. A bug similarly can cause infantry units to be delayed in their retreat despite commanding it which may cost more losses than expected. Individual soldiers can also TakeCover automatically which is usually useful, [[ArtificialStupidity unless they were formerly ordered to stand just outside of an enemy gun team's firing arc and proceeded to take cover within that arc]].

** Due to units functioning as squads, individual units in a squad will often hold still or move the wrong way as they wait for their squadmates to catch up with them (such as after being blown away by an artillery blast). Unfortunately, this also means they don't attack despite being in range of an enemy until the squad is back together, but the enemy has no problems shooting ''them.'' Defeat-in-detail ensues.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'': There's a section where Atreus and Kratos have a falling-out. Until they reconcile, Atreus won't obey your commands in combat, attacking on his own initiative instead.

** If you give a Neopet an object that has the same amount of letters as their name, they will refuse to use it.

* ''TabletopGameFATECore'': The GameMaster can "Compel" a PlayerCharacter in exchange for a [[LuckManipulationMechanic Fate Point]], invoking one of their defining Aspects in a way that creates unexpected problems. For example, a character with StickyFingers could be compelled to steal a souvenir during a museum tour.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'': Most visible in [[VideoGame/TiberianDawn early]] [[VideoGame/RedAlert games]]:
** Units tend to move towards the location of the unit they're ordered to attack rather than attack it at maximum range. Particularly visible with artillery units, who routinely get shot by the very defenses they're supposed to outrange.

* VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries:

Sometimes, this doesn't happen, and the units can ignore or outright disobey those orders. Can sometimes be the result of a RandomNumberGod feeling particularly nasty that day, a MoraleMechanic or a StatusBuff or StandardStatusEffect (often with a name like Berserk or Confusion). This can be a form of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, when a PlayerCharacter's [[ButThouMust apparent refusal to obey the player's commands]] indicates CharacterDevelopment or some other piece of characterization.

Sometimes, this doesn't happen, and the units can ignore or outright disobey those orders. Can sometimes be the result of a RandomNumberGod feeling particularly nasty that day, a MoraleMechanic or a StatusBuff (often with a name like Berserk or Confusion). This can be a form of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, when a PlayerCharacter's [[ButThouMust apparent refusal to obey the player's commands]] indicates CharacterDevelopment or some other piece of characterization.

** The Stupidity rule (usually seen on big ugly monsters) prevents them from moving or taking any action if they fail a Leadership roll. A notable case of the rule used by a non-animalistic unit is the Slaaneshi champion Sigvald the Magnificent, [[TooDumbToLive who can occasionally ignore the battle in favor of admiring himself in his retinue's mirror-polished shields.]]

* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': The Stupidity rule (usually seen on big ugly monsters) prevents them from moving or taking any action if they fail a Leadership roll. A notable case of the rule used by a non-animalistic unit is the Slaaneshi champion Sigvald the Magnificent, [[TooDumbToLive who can occasionally ignore the battle in favor of admiring himself in his retinue's mirror-polished shields.]]

* The ''VideoGame/CompanyOfHeroes'' series has suppressed and pinned as StandardStatusEffects for infantry units that are under heavy fire (and so FearIsTheAppropriateResponse). Suppressed isn't actually this trope since suppressed units are only slowed to a crawl, have reduced ability range, and fight back with much less effectiveness instead of entirely disobeying orders - but units that are [[PinnedDown pinned]], will do literally nothing (aside from team weapons which still have...''some'' ability to fire) except lying there and providing sight to their player while they still draw breath (which usually won't be for very long since they're probably getting shot up by a machine-gun); so now the only order they will obey is [[TacticalWithdrawal to retreat]]. A bug similarly can cause infantry units to be delayed in their retreat despite commanding it which may cost more losses than expected. Individual soldiers can also TakeCover automatically which is usually useful, [[ArtificialStupidity unless they were formerly ordered to stand just outside of an enemy gun team's firing arc and proceeded to take cover within that arc]].

* ''VideoGame/EmpireEarth'': You can use a flare to signal allies to send troops at that point. AI players will either obey or respond with various degrees of snark, such as mentioning that all their bombers are busy at the moment (even in the Stone Age).

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Until you [[DefeatMeansFriendship defeat her and Lancer in a battle]], Susie will ignore any commands given to her and will blindly attack the enemy closest to her no matter what. Even after she's come around, she'll still refuse to swap her equipment if doing so would result in her stats lowering, saying ''"I'm too good for that"'', and will refuse some armor point-blank because she dislikes how it looks.

* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': Characters can be given scores in various Personality Traits, which can sometimes require a roll to determine how they act. Most commonly, a player's minions might [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee battle]] on a failed "Brave" test or turn against them on a failed "Loyal" test, but even innocuous Traits can sometimes come into play to override the player's wishes.

** [[EmpathicWeapon Intelligent items]] resist being used in a way that conflicts with their purpose or alignment. Depending on the edition and the item, they might refuse to activate their special abilities, inflict penalties, or even try to [[WeaponWieldsYou take control of their owner]]. In ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFourthEdition 4th Edition]]'', artifacts always eventually [[ButNowIMustGo disappear]] from their owner's possession forever, whether on good terms or bad.
** In ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition 5th Edition]]'', this is a hazard of SummonMagic:

* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'': [[KarmaMeter Shadow corruption]] gives characters permanent Flaws, such as "Brutal" or "Thieving". The GameMaster can invoke a Flaw to increase the chance of a roll failing or aggravate the effects of a failure, representing the character's darker impulses taking over.

** Chaos Dreadnoughts (which were renamed Hellbrutes in 7th Edition) had the "Crazed" special rule, which works as described above, until the rule was changed to a pure buff in 8th edition.
** {{Commissar}} units in Imperial Guard armies have a special ability to execute a random trooper to [[MoraleMechanic "restore" the squad's morale]]. The ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}''-inspired Catachan Jungle Fighters have a special rule to roll a d6 if a player chooses to do this; on a bad result, the troopers kill the commissar instead.

* At one point in the InteractiveComic ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital,'' the players voted that the protagonist (later named Fern Green) should try to [[MakesSenseInContext seduce a transdimensional alien who looks like a rotten hamburger.]] She becomes so incensed that she refuses to comply for the rest of that particular story arc.

** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRubySapphireAndEmerald'' and ''VideoGame/PokemonFireRedAndLeafGreen'', Mew and Deoyxs are programmed to always disobey the player unless they were obtained in a "fateful encounter" (AKA, given out via a real-life distribution event, which is the only way to legitimately obtain them).

[[folder:Non-Video Game Examples]]

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/ArsMagica'': Characters can be given scores in various Personality Traits, which can sometimes require a roll to determine how they act. Most commonly, a player's minions might [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee battle]] on a failed "Brave" test or turn against them on a failed "Loyal" test, but even innocuous Traits can sometimes come into play to override the player's wishes.
* In ''TabletopGame/BloodBowl,'' some Chaos players (the units themselves, the people playing the game are called "coaches") will ignore orders unless ordered to kill someone. Moreover, the entire team considers killing at least half of the opposing team more important than actually winning the game, and can't (read: refuses to) score until that happens.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragonsFifthEdition''
** The spells Conjure Celestial and Conjure Fey summon powerful magical creatures that bow all of your orders to a letter unless those orders violate their InUniverse CharacterAlignment. For example, a good-aligned unicorn will use it's healing touch whenever you tell it to, but it won't burn down an orphanage full of terminally ill puppies, because that'd be evil.
** Conjure Elemental is a concentration spell that summons a strong elemental, but if you lose concentration on the spell the elemental does not disappear. Instead, it becomes hostile to you and takes whatever actions it chooses.
** Summon Greater Demon and Infernal Calling summon powerful fiends, but you need to make repeated charisma checks versus their insight (Infernal Calling) or the fiend will make charisma saves at the end of each of its turns (Summon Greater Demon). If the fiend succeeds, it no longer has to obey you and can do whatever it wishes for a certain number of rounds before it disappears.
* ''TabletopGame/TheOneRing'': [[KarmaMeter Shadow corruption]] gives characters permanent Flaws, such as "Brutal" or "Thieving". The GameMaster can invoke a Flaw to increase the chance of a roll failing or aggravate the effects of a failure, representing the character's darker impulses taking over.
* ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasy'': The Stupidity rule (usually seen on big ugly monsters) prevents them from moving or taking any action if they fail a Leadership roll. A notable case of the rule used by a non-animalistic unit is the Slaaneshi champion Sigvald the Magnificent, [[TooDumbToLive who can occasionally ignore the battle in favor of admiring himself in his retinue's mirror-polished shields.]]
* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'':
** Chaos Dreadnoughts (which were renamed Hellbrutes in 7th Edition) had the "Crazed" special rule, which works as described above, until the rule was changed to a pure buff in 8th edition.
** {{Commissar}} units in Imperial Guard armies have a special ability to execute a random trooper to [[MoraleMechanic "restore" the squad's morale]]. The ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}''-inspired Catachan Jungle Fighters have a special rule to roll a d6 if a player chooses to do this; on a bad result, the troopers kill the commissar instead.
** Simplistic [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Tyranid]] units (man-sized and below, basically, as well as the nearly-brainless Pyrovore) have the "Instinctive Behaviour" special rule, which comes in a variety of flavours. When outside of "Synapse" range, the rule dictates their behaviour, but within it, they take orders as usual. This is to simulate how the Tyranids are a collection of hungry animals under the dominion of the HiveMind. A unit's Instinctive Behaviour may be to immediately burrow into the nearest piece of Difficult Terrain (Nesting), Fall Back (Flight), or Charge the nearest enemy (Fight). It's implied that the Hive Mind chose each creature's Instinctive Behaviour to benefit itself somehow.