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11->''"Stop right there, criminal scum! Nobody breaks the law on my watch!"''
12-->-- '''Guards''', ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''
13
14The City Guards are the local authorities. They strut about between one tile square and another, looking busy, decked out in more armour than your [[InformedEquipment hero]] and generally acting superior. In stories, the training and equipment of city guards varies according to the wealth and power of the city or town. A wealthy MerchantCity's guard may be an elite unit equipped with gleaming armor, costly swords, and elegant uniforms; they have a high morale and will be a formidable adversary in a battle. A dingy small town's guards may be old, worn-out soldiers with battle-dented breastplates and rusty weapons; they are poorly trained and will likely make only a token resistance before yielding. Even within a given city guard, there is a range of ranks and skills, from raw recruits to skilled swordsmen and experienced officers who lead them.
15
16Beyond the duties implied in their name--guarding gates to the city--the guards also enforce laws and regulations and patrol the city. The degree of discipline and adherence to law and order varies a great deal. The city guard to a wise, good king will be just and fair, but the guards to a sleazy dictator will be the mirror to their boss, and they will likely be [[CorruptCop corrupt]].
17
18Every once in a while, the hero will encounter a LockedDoor guarded by one or two grunts in armour. Generally, they will stand around until you give them the proper item, such as a pass, bribe them with food or occasionally real money, or just get to the right point in the plot. Bad guys attacking the city walls, threatening to break in and murder everyone in sight, are great occasions for checking out guarded rooms.
19
20Often, the city guards (and the guards in general) will be better equipped in appearance than your hero, such as in games where there is no armour for you. Despite this, you're probably stronger than them ([[InvincibleMinorMinion unless you aren't]]), and let them stand in your way only out of respect for the law or... [[KarmaMeter something]]. Of course, that in itself can get stupid in its own ways, such as when you're in an enemy town. As for the ones in Good Guy towns... do they have no idea what [[TakeYourTime urgent]] plot points they're keeping you from? Don't they know that the EvilOverlord is marching his forces upon their hapless town? No?! TheGuardsMustBeCrazy.
21
22City Guards are a common form of the BrokenBridge, in which case they may well be {{Invincible Minor Minion}}s in order to make SequenceBreaking impossible.
23
24A common cause of NPCRoadblock. See also IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon.
25----
26[[foldercontrol]]
27
28!!VideoGame Examples:
29
30[[folder:Action Adventure]]
31* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI'' almost entirely takes place in the cities of Damascus, Acre, and Jerusalem, and the city guards are a constant obstacle during every stage of every assassination. While on the ground their encircling tactics can be nastily effective, Altaïr, the protagonist can take to the rooftops to fight in his element. Due to the social stealth aspect of the game, the guards are infamous for their quirks. For example, after stealthily assassinating a guard, Altaïr can sit down on a nearby bench, [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy eliciting no suspicion from guards who come to investigate]], despite the small armory he wears.
32** On the flip side, however, these guards will be out for your blood if you happen to do such incredibly suspicious things as ride a horse at a speed exceeding 1/2 MPH on an otherwise empty road or get pushed by some random crazy person.
33** In [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII the sequel]], the guards are back, though they're somewhat smarter and don't usually attempt to kill you for bumping into people.
34* Soldiers stand guard all throughout the city area in ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil,'' and they [[NPCRoadblock prevent you from accessing certain parts of the city]] at first. More of them appear throughout the town as the game progresses, as the government grows more paranoid. Interestingly, they start out as {{jerkass}}es toward the heroine. But once you acquire a sidekick who happens to be one of them, they [[DevilInPlainSight immediately become polite and upright]]. ''Hmmm...''
35* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
36** For more specific examples see below but in general the role of the guards in this series can be summed up as one of the three: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess incompetent]], [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker non-existent]], or an [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast active hindrance]] to the player character.
37** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'': The guards are in the employ of the villains -- ''they hold their own princess captive'' and try to arrest Link for it later. The oft-ignored guard on Hyrule Castle's battlements will comment on how [[JustifiedTrope most of the guards lost their minds]] since [[EvilChancellor Agahnim]] took over, and muses that it'll only be a matter of time before he's affected too.
38** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'': Many guards are seen in key parts of Market or protecting the nearby Hyrule Castle. You have to [[StealthBasedMission sneak past them]] early in the game to get to Zelda.
39** In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'':
40*** The guards wouldn't let you out of Clock Town in the beginning of the game (because you're trapped in the body of a young Deku Scrub). Later, when you're back to human form, they try to protest that it isn't safe for children, but then decide that this particular young child is carrying a sword, and therefore will be perfectly fine.
41*** At one point in the game, an old lady walks through a field in front of a guard when she is mugged and completely ignores her cries for help. If that weren't enough, after running around a bit the mugger escapes through the very door he is guarding. It seems the only job these guys were hired for was keeping small children from going outside.
42** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'': The game depicts the guards of Hyrule Castle Town as [[TheGuardsMustBeCrazy generally useless cowards]], although they thankfully never really get in your way either. Well, they ''try'' if you run around as Wolf in town.
43** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'': The guards stationed around Hyrule Town never antagonize Link and will comment on the king's strange behavior. You do have to sneak past the guards at Hyrule Castle in the later parts of the game, just like in ''Ocarina''.
44** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'': The guards outside Gerudo Town will prevent Link from entering [[LadyLand because he's a man]].
45** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': Lookout Landing is a makeshift settlement built right outside the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town. It has Hylian guards at each of the four entrances, and they'll recognize Link on sight due to him being LegendaryInTheSequel. As you complete the main story quests, the Hylian guards will be joined by Rito, Goron, Zora, and Gerudo guards, with the [[BirdPeople Rito]] in particular patrolling from the sky.
46* In the Nintendo 64 game ''[[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon]]'', one necessary path is blocked by two guards. After getting the required pass, the guards [[LampshadeHanging complain]] that now they have nothing else to do but stand there for [[NoFourthWall the rest of the game]].
47* In a sequence in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', you are required to sneak past a door guarded by two weak, early-game monsters, even though you could probably kill them at this point with a flick of your Reflector.
48** Also, the very literal Sei-An City guards, who you have to sneak past.
49** Receiving unusual mercy because [[WhatMeasureIsAMook they can talk]].
50* ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'''s marines will almost always target you over the nearby infected horrors, even if you're just running away while Hunters [[{{Determinator}} chase you to the ends of the earth]]. Justified in that you are their primary target.
51** Averted at one point when the Blackwatch forces are told that defending a particular truck is their primary objective, and they immediately cease to attack you, [[VideogameCrueltyPotential even you start butchering them]] [[ImAHumanitarian for health.]]
52* The two [=BribeClaw=] in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' will let you pass -- for the rest of the game -- in exchange for 25 scarabs. (The second one, though, [[spoiler:can be bypassed using a Staff Power. If you do this, the [=BribeClaw=] will behave as though you had bribed him, and will therefore let you past every time you approach.]] You only need to pass him once, however, if you know what you're looking for.
53* ''VideoGame/StarTropics'' was well-practiced at using this trope. In at least half of the towns you come to, plot requires you speak with the mayor/chief/head honcho of the town. However, a guard will be standing in the way, barring passage inside unless you talk to absolutely everyone in town at least once first. This, obviously, was a less than subtle way of making you talk with all of the citizens before moving on.
54[[/folder]]
55
56[[folder:Browser Game]]
57* ''VideoGame/PeasantsQuest'' has a guard guarding the mountain that leads to Trogdor. In order to pass, you must prove that you are a peasant, which includes being on fire.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Eastern RPG]]
61* In ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIII'', Mayor [=McNeil=]'s mansion is guarded by two types of guard: the lazy ones who are easily bribed and {{only in it for the money}}, and the serious ones who will throw you out if they catch you. They [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience wear different colors so you can tell them apart]].
62* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' a pair of guards blocks a path early on... and when they move, ''your own party members'' will tell you you have more important things to do. Damn.
63** One of the more amusing sequences in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXII'' is when you scare off a pair of guards that had been blocking the path to Mosphoran Highwaste with a [[HorseOfADifferentColor chocobo]].
64* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'' there is a guard who you have the option of either bribing ''every'' time you walk past hm, or just beating the crap out of him. In retaliation, though, he will sarcastically bitch at you for the rest of the game.
65* Saffron City's guards in the original ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon|RedAndBlue}}'' weren't necessarily well-armed, but they did [[BrokenBridge prevent you from accessing an entire city]] for a good portion of the game, simply because they [[FetchQuest were thirsty]].
66[[/folder]]
67
68[[folder:MMORPG]]
69* ''VideoGame/{{EvE Online}}'' has CONCORD, the neutral police force. If you attack an another player in high-security space without a [[strike:war declaration]]bribe, retribution is swift, deadly and unavoidable. In fact, successfully evading them is a bannable offense on the basis that [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat it all but requires hax to do so]]. Factions also maintain their own navies, but those are at least escapable, if not survivable.
70* ''VideoGame/EverquestII'' has guards in major cities. Some which are harder than high end raid bosses.
71* ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' used these too...and were attackable. They weren't actually programmed the same way most City Guards are actually...and players would regularly kill them for experience. It's even been lampshaded how guards don't have a very long lifespan.
72* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' has guards in every city and town (as well as invisible elite guards that only appear to opposite faction players). Guards will give you directions if you ask them, however in some cities (specifically the ones in Stormwind for starters) are rather unpleasant about this. The ones in Undercity basically demand to know what you want for talking to them. To sum it up, all guards are somewhat AxCrazy with FantasticRacism and will attack/kill players of the opposite faction on sight whether they're causing trouble or not.
73** Notably, town guards are usually level-appropriate to the area their town is located in. So they do a good job of driving off enemy-faction players questing in the area, but provide laughably weak resistance to high level players intent on killing everyone in town ([[HideYourChildren except the kids]]).
74** Guards vary on how helpful they are to players in need. Some guards, like Booty Bay Bruisers, will rush to your aid if you've got monsters after you. Other guards won't lift a finger unless the monster attacks ''them.'' Certain guards will react to [=PvP=] combat by killing everyone involved, even if one player didn't do anything. For awhile, this was a very common cause of {{Grief|er}}ing.
75** Some guards got the InvincibleMinorMinion treatment as of Cataclysm. In all starter areas but Quel'Thalas and The Exodar there are level 90 Elite guards that can kill most level 85s in three hits or less. Should the player ever [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential feel the need to wipe out a town of the opposing faction]] guards will spawn with several times the player's health pool just to be an annoyance. The latter type [[DeathIsCheap respawns instantly]] on death and [[{{Determinator}} begins to chase you until you leave the town.]]
76** Of note is that there is an achievement for killing the leaders to the opposing faction. So while guards in large cities provide more than enough deterrent to keep lone players of the wrong faction wandering around the place, they are deliberately set as a level-appropriate obstacle for a large group - if you can get through the guards, you probably have a decent chance of taking out the leader as well.
77** In neutral settlements, such as Booty Bay, the guards will attack any player that picks a fight with a player from another faction. Unfortunately, if the latter fights back, they will attack him, too.
78[[/folder]]
79
80[[folder:Roguelike]]
81* ''VideoGame/NetHack'':
82** Minetown has guards that will simply stand by and watch as you and its inhabitants try to kill each other, but God help you if you [[spoiler:dry up one of the town's two fountains]], in which case every last one of them will be out for your blood.
83** They will also attack you if you directly assault a shopkeeper. [[spoiler:The key word being 'directly': If you anger the shopkeeper by zapping him with a wand or throwing things at him, the guards won't care, and any subsequent beating will apparently be considered self-defense.]]
84** There's also the guards that come if you're raiding a vault, though they can easily be sent away by [[spoiler:telling them that you are Croesus]]. God help you if [[spoiler:Croesus is dead]], though...
85[[/folder]]
86
87[[folder:Simulation]]
88* Each town in ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing: Wild World'' has two armed canine guards at the north gate. You can't even leave your own town until you get friend codes. The trouble is that you can't get friend codes within the game; you have to get them from other players.
89* In ''Videogame/EliteDangerous'', populated ([[AnarchyIsChaos non-anarchist]]) systems have System Authority vessels that respond to danger and patrol around nav beacons and space stations. SA vessels are very dangerous and piloted by aces, but their response time outside of usual patrol routes can give pirates enough time to swoop in and harass traders. Each of the major Powers has their own city guard (i.e. Zachary Hudson's Federal Agents) that patrol their owned systems to keep out criminals and foreign powers.
90* ''VideoGame/CityBuildingSeries'':
91** ''{{VideoGame/Pharaoh}}'': Police officers are an unfortunate necessity in the city, as crime levels go up automatically, only reducing when a police officer (or magistrate, or upgraded priest of Ra) walks by. They also have PunnyNames referencing fictional cops.
92*** In the expansion, they get a new purpose: stopping tomb robbers from stealing grave goods interred in a monument.
93*** They also kill wild animals when running into them, but animals aren't limited to roads like officers. During an enemy invasion, they'll also join the fight, but unless present in stupidly huge numbers won't even serve as a speedbump.
94** ''VideoGame/ZeusMasterOfOlympus'': Watchmen serve the same function as police officers, but they're only really needed on difficulties higher than Normal.
95** ''VideoGame/EmperorRiseOfTheMiddleKingdom'': City guards serve the extremely important purpose of catching spies and saboteurs. Unfortunately, your citizens limit how many watchhouses you can have in the city without causing unrest.
96* Similar to the above, each of the Houses in ''VideoGame/{{Freelancer}}'' has their own police force and their own SpaceNavy, with the former patrolling the trade routes to scan for contraband and the latter acting as general muscle, particularly in frontier systems without trade routes. Each are distinct factions with their own AllianceMeter, so you can be wanted by the police of one House while their navy doesn't care (and vice versa), and a different House's forces care even less about what you did in a rival's territory. Police and Navy of the same House are always allied with each other, though, so opposing one too much will also turn the other hostile eventually. Some police forces are state agencies, others are private corporations, but they all act the same regardless. As usual, all of them can be bribed to make them non-hostile again in case your relations with them have deteriorated to this point, but the randomly generated bribe offers tend to make this approach somewhat unreliable. How dangerous these forces are depends solely on their House due to how the campaign is structured, with Liberty guards being complete pushovers while Kusari guards put up more of a fight. They all become trivial in the endgame, though, and they generally [[PoliceAreUseless fare poorly against all but the worst-equipped criminal factions]].
97* In the ancient Egyptian city simulation game ''Videogame/ImmortalCitiesChildrenOfTheNile'', you can employ these yourself, as distinctly separate from your main army. They're even literally called City Guards. Mostly they just go around stopping vagrants, thieves, and protesters, as they are fairly useless against a real army.
98* ''VideoGame/{{Majesty}}'': The player’s Palaces and Guardhouses will automatically spawn City Guards and Palace Guards, respectively, who will fight against enemy forces and monsters who get too close. While they cost nothing to use, they are roughly as strong as a baseline-level 1 hero and cannot level up, making them the game’s RedshirtArmy. Even the Veteran Guards from the leveled-up Guardhouses are only marginally stronger.
99[[/folder]]
100
101[[folder:Stealth]]
102* In the ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' games, guards abound. Even if they'd be sympathetic to the plot you're trying to advance, who has the time to explain it to them? Besides, getting around them is the majority of the game's objectives, and even in Thief 3's between-mission sandbox, they're really no more a deterrent than citizens, whether you're playing as intended, Thief-like, or going berserk. They do have some amusing exchanges to eavesdrop.
103[[/folder]]
104
105[[folder:Western RPG]]
106* Picking a lock with any other creature (even a cat) on screen in the original ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' yields the delightful phrase 'Someone has noticed you. You heard the guards being summoned'. This would be followed up by high-level, well-equipped guards (though how powerful, exactly, depends on the in-game area you were in) showing up to confront you. Some of them can be bribed to go away, some just kill you.
107** If you are [[KarmaMeter sufficiently evil]], extra groups of guards will spawn when you enter a town just to attack you. For some reason they don't have the same dislike for all the evil characters you'll meet throughout the games.
108* ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'':
109** The standard variant is present throughout much of the series. While not inherently superior to the PlayerCharacter in terms of strength, they are more numerous and typically attack in groups. They can be killed, though each one killed adds significantly to the bounty the character must pay off to avoid jail time, and unlike most [=NPCs=] they respawn endlessly, making it neither possible nor practical to kill them all. Unlike in most video games, the city guards will always remember who you are. If you are wanted, they will try to apprehend you on sight. Given how much of the series is spent in cities, it is usually a good idea to just accept the fines or jail-time they offer you rather than fight them. Further, they will attempt to arrest you rather than kill you immediately. You may choose to pay the fine or go to jail if arrested, though in either case, the guard will confiscate any stolen items you may have. You can also choose to resist arrest, which will make all guards in the area immediately hostile to you. The exception is if you have such a high bounty (usually 5000 gold, which is 5 murders worth fines or stealing one priceless item) that they mark you for death on sight. At that point, your only hope is to have the ThievesGuild [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections make your bounty go away]]. Specific examples and exceptions are below.
110** The very first installment, ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsArena Arena]]'', has no bounty system at all. Instead, if you commit a crime, the guards will try to execute you on the spot. Luckily, it's very easy to flee them since they don't chase you out of/into buildings or towns, and the lack of a bounty system also means that once you escape, [[KarmaHoudini you won't suffer any long-term consequences for your crimes]].
111** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIDaggerfall Daggerfall]]'', it is more reasonable to flee as criminal records only apply within a given territory and decrease over time. For example, if you commit a crime in Daggerfall and flee, you can simply stay outside of Daggerfall for a while until your bounty goes down.
112** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'' has several different types of guards. [[TheClan Hlaalu, Redoran, and Telvanni]] guards each patrol the towns and villages under their faction's authority. [[ChurchPolice Ordinators]] patrol [[CorruptChurch Tribunal Temple]] holdings. Imperial Guards patrol the Imperial settlements. Mournhold is patrolled by [[EliteMooks High Ordinators]] and King Helseth's [[PraetorianGuard Royal Guards]]. The [[NobleSavage Skaal]] village has Skaal Honor Guards. Belonging to the same faction as the guards will increase their disposition and cause them to be more polite to you, but they'll still attempt to arrest you for committing a crime.
113** In ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'', if the guards witness you attacking/killing someone, there is a pretty good chance that they will [[{{Determinator}} literally chase you across the entirety of the game world]]. One player was apprehended three weeks after attacking a civilian, on nearly the opposite edge of the map, [[InspectorJavert by the SAME GUARD that witnessed the attack]].
114** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' manages to avoid some of the previous problems with the city guards. To note:
115*** While they'll still chase you down and try to arrest you, you can still attempt to flee, as each of the holds (read: city/provinces) tracks crime separately. Kill a man in Riften, and the guards in Whiterun won't care. Also, if you commit a crime and leave the city, the guards ''will'' remember you; an overt crime that earns a bounty will cause them to arrest on sight, while a covert crime like thieving (without getting caught) will periodically result in a guard who will comment "Wait a minute, I know you...." If you stop to talk to said guard, he'll realize you're apparently behind the theft or other crime and try to arrest you.
116*** If you are the Thane in a hold, you can sometimes get guards to look the other way in regards to some of your crimes, but you can only do this once. If you've done enough jobs to get Thieves' Guild influence in the hold, you can bribe a guard for half your bounty to make the problem go away.
117*** In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCHYvLdHhn8very rare cases]], guards will [[ArtificialBrilliance stop to actually interrogate you if you linger near the scene of a murder]].
118** In-universe, this city guard duty is one of the peacetime duties of the [[BadassArmy Imperial Legion]]. They almost exclusively make up the guard units in Cyrodiil itself, capital of the Empire, but also serve as the guards of Imperial settlements in the provinces.
119** Where this gets frustrating is that, as quick as the guards are to arrest you for crimes, in the base game they'll do absolutely nothing if you're attacked by thugs in front of them (but they won't charge you for killing them either since you were defending yourself). At least one mod made it so if you're attacked by thugs with guards nearby, they'll actually do their job and help you.
120* Creator/SpiderwebSoftware's ''VideoGame/{{Exile}}'' (and ''VideoGame/{{Avernum}}'') series features guards that aren't really all that tough versus various miscellaneous enemies and tend to get killed easily when defending the town... Except for when YOU piss them off. When that happens, all of their stats (and their attacks/round) instantly triple.
121* ''VideoGame/FableI'' abounds in City Guard antics, from the obnoxious BrokenBridge that bars you from entering Bowerstone North until after a certain point in the main plot, to their willingness to accept 1000-gold "sponsorship" for "guard breaks", to their annoying propensity to get in the way whenever you have to team up with them on various [[EscortMission good-aligned quests]].
122* Creator/{{Bethesda}}, in keeping with their above example, included guards in some locations in ''VideoGame/Fallout3''. The most notable is Rivet City, which has a practically unlimited amount of guards with combat armor and small arms in defense. Of course, almost everybody in Rivet City can be slaughtered, leaving only the guards and [[HideYourChildren a few kids]] to take care of.
123** ''VideoGame/Fallout2'' has guards in cities with functioning governments: Vault City, the NCR capital, and San Francisco. They typically have slightly better equipment than a player first finding the city would have, barring SequenceBreaking. Everywhere else, theft or assault is punished by random civilians pulling their guns and trying to shoot you.
124** ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' has Securitrons patrolling the Strip in New Vegas, and if one specific path is taken in a quest NCR soldiers will take up guard duty in Primm.
125* In the ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights'' mod game ''VideoGame/ADanceWithRogues'', every city guard is single-handedly capable of killing you, and it's impossible to bribe or evade them if they either spot you committing a crime or someone ''else'' reports you to them. This necessitates the use of stealth over brute force, which is the focus of the game. The one leeway you're given is that they'll only give you a verbal warning if it's a minor crime (like walking around with your weapon unsheathed).
126* On the other side of the coin, some of the guards in earlier ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' games were just way stronger than your characters, at least at first. In addition, many [[MassivelyMultiplayerOnlineRolePlayingGame MMOs]] use City Guards which are pretty well leveled, largely to keep [[PlayerVersusPlayer PVP]] from getting out of hand.
127** For example the guards in ''VideoGame/UltimaOnline'' are nigh-invulnerable teleporters who kill with one hit.
128* This is an old staple of the ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'' series. Unusually, the first two games require you to kill guards in order to win. In the first game, you need to kill a jester in a castle to gain a key, which causes the guards to turn hostile. In the second game, killing guards is the only way to gain keys which in turn are the only way to unlock essential doors, plus one of the plot-critical items is found inside a prison, which has an unmoving guard standing in the doorway. The guards are the biggest threat in parts III-V due to the battles taking place on a separate combat map. What looks like a single creature in the main gameworld can turn out to be anywhere between 1-10 enemies in combat. Guess whether the guards are always packed full? The guards are also frequently some of the strongest enemies in the entire game. ''VideoGame/UltimaVII'' begins in the walled-off town of Trinsic, and the guards ask for a password in order to let you ''out'' through the city gates.
129* ''VideoGame/DarkMessiah'' has some unexpectedly competent guards, in terms of both story and gameplay. In gameplay terms, each is about equal to a single enemy EliteMook, and is capable of holding his own even during endgame combat. In cutscenes and setpieces, they prove to be unexpectedly competent, often surviving what seem to be designated RedShirt moments, and being generally good at their job.
130* ''Franchise/DragonAge''
131** The city guards of Denerim in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' don't appear to do much; their leader, Sergeant Kylon, says that the guard is basically a dumping ground for "Lord Such-and-Such's illegitimate, untrained, moronic whelps," and cleaning up the crime-ridden city is basically left to the player character and any other mercenaries willing to take a job. The guard ''will'' come down on you if you're caught stealing, however. The dwarven city of Orzammar also has a city guard, which appears to be the main job of the Warrior caste when they're not campaigning in the Deep Roads. They're basically decorative, but they do try to apprehend the player character at the end of the Dwarf Commoner origin story.
132** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'', Hawke's companion Aveline joins the Kirkwall City Guard and later becomes the captain, so Hawke can take jobs here and there on Aveline's behalf. Kirkwall being a LandOfOneCity, the Guard also does double duty as the city's army and primary defense (though they're actually outnumbered by the [[ChurchMilitant city's templars]], leading to considerable JurisdictionFriction between the civil government, which controls the Guard, and the Chantry, which controls the templars).
133[[/folder]]
134
135[[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]]
136* The ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series has Space Police, which scan cargo bays for contraband and attack pirates. Their bigger brothers, the Border Patrol, keeps an eye on jumpgates leading to the other faction's sectors, and they use higher-end ships. [[PoliceAreUseless Both generally still get wiped out]] by {{Space Pirate}}s, because the Police apparently can't afford anything bigger than [[ScrappyWeapon Impulse Ray Emitter pea-shooters]]. The various racial military groups and [[NGOSuperPower corporate fleets]] generally do a much better job of defending their area-of-operations courtesy of being backed up by {{Mile Long Ship}}s in [[TheBattlestar various]] [[MacrossMissileMassacre flavors]], but do not scan for pirate smugglers.
137[[/folder]]
138
139!!Other Examples:
140
141[[folder:Art]]
142* ''Art/TheNightWatch''
143[[/folder]]
144
145[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
146* ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone'': the guards that are found in the Pyar, Guardians, and Circle cities (and quite possibly the cities for the other Power Groups as well, though the four never visit them). The four are initially impressed by the Pyar cities' guards' friendliness and helpfulness, and they're rather awed by their efficiency when they witness the guards taking down bad guys. And ''then'' they find out that the guards are also empowered as JudgeJuryAndExecutioner, at least up to city or town limits.
147** The Power Group city guards reflect the groups' general attitudes: the Guardians guards are smiling, obedient, heavily armed, and very military-like, while the Circle guards are laid back and lightly armed.
148[[/folder]]
149
150[[folder:Gamebooks]]
151* In any ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' entry with a WretchedHive as a setting, expect to bump into plenty of patrolling guards while exploring the city streets, where more often than not they will interrogate you, have you detained if you couldn't bribe your way past, and in extreme cases, force you into an unavoidable fight. Notably in ''Literature/CityOfThieves1983'', ''Literature/ArmiesOfDeath'', ''Literature/MidnightRogue'', ''Literature/{{Magehunter}}'' and the second installment of the ''Literature/{{Sorcery}}'' series.
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154[[folder:Literature]]
155* This trope is done deliberately in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', where Creator/TerryPratchett's Ankh-Morpork City Watch take every associated trope up to and past eleven. This is reflected in the computer games based on the Discworld, such as ''VideoGame/DiscworldNoir''. Note that they're the ''main characters'' in most of the books in which they appear, and the fact they regard "heroes" with suspicion is largely justified; Sir Terry "wanted to give them a day in the sun, but it turned out to be a full tropical holiday".
156* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' has the City Watch of King's Landing, also known as the Gold Cloaks for that prominent feature of their armor. They are extremely corrupt, tending to work for whomever pays them the most.
157* ''Literature/VillainsByNecessity'': Sam and Arcie early on get hauled off to a dungeon by the Bistort city guards. During their escape, Sam takes on two with ease (neither is killed). Later, he kills another trying to rape a girl in a different town. It's mentioned most have grown lazy and incompetent as a result of most criminals now having gotten {{brainwashed}} so there's less for them to do.
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160[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
161* Just as with the [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire book saga]], ''Series/GameOfThrones'' and ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon'' have the City Watch of King's Landing. Their gold-colored cloaks are revealed to have been implemented by Prince Daemon Targaryen in the latter series, and they engage in much JudgeJuryAndExecutioner behavior and PoliceBrutality under his command.
162* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Several units of dwarf guards are seen guarding the entrance to Khazad-dum or patrolling the city wearing complete armor and weapons.
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165[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
166* This trope is [[ExaggeratedTrope taken to it's logical conclusion]] in ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' with the demon Sondok, whose literal ''reason for existing'' is to guard things (thus the title "She-Who-Stands-In-Doorways"). She's ''so'' good at her job, that some of the merchants who summon her have formed a cult expressly devoted to her as a form of contract.
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169[[folder:Real Life]]
170* These are rather ubiquitous in RealLife. In many places around the world they tend to be known as "the police". In many historical cities, they actually had surprisingly few guards however (usually called "the watch" or something similar), with a very low ratio in comparison with other citizens. Sometimes guards or watchmen were [[LawEnforcementInc paid for privately]], to cover specific districts. Even some ancient cities such as Constantinople though had police forces similar to modern ones. However, these dissipated in the West after Rome fell, and didn't reemerge until much later in the 1600s. The invention of gas lamps also helped, as before it was very difficult to police the city at night (while punishments for crimes committed then were also much greater). Frequently other citizens were expected to help, either through something like conscription to serve as guards, raising the "hue and cry" after crimes has been committed in public and serving in posses when called on to pursue criminals. This remained the case in rural areas much longer as more cities gained professional police forces similar to those now existing. However, organized law enforcement is still OlderThanFeudalism, dating back to ancient civilizations like Mesopotamia, Egypt and China.
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