''For All The Marbles'' is an ongoing story written by William_Dellinger on Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom, that can be found [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=387619 here]]. Currently in its fourth iteration, the story follows the best and brightest from Earth's history as they wake up on a strange planet.

The fourth iteration is notably distinct from the first three, and as such, the tropes for the first three can be found in the first folder, with the tropes for the latest version in the second.

There is also a story-only thread for the [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/for-all-the-marbles-updates-only.192156/ original version]], as well as the [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/for-all-the-marbles-book-i-the-awakening.230138/ second version]].





[[folder:Tropes concerning the first three iterations of the Story]]

!! Tropes found in this story include:

* AFatherToHisMen: Oliver Cromwell takes part in his soldiers’ training.
* AliensAreBastards: The Avarkian Confederation uses mankind as chess pieces, playing God, and generally being arrogant asses. There *is* a method to the madness, however…
* AlienSpaceBats: Marvin.
* AlmightyJanitor: Aboard the Hub, the place where the Opening Ceremonies for myox take place, the bartender, named Ian, virtually runs the entire game
* AlwaysABiggerFish: Kind of the point of the whole game. Once you finish off one faction, there’s plenty more to take their place.
* AnyoneCanDie: Due to many of the general’s being lead-from-the-front types, and the tactics that have to be used in the early days, expect many of the mid-ranking officers to get promoted pretty quickly.
* AppliedPhlebotinum: The cloning technology that enables Marvin to bring back the great men and women of Earth.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Kit Marlowe’s trademark fighting style.
--> ''Kit turned his attention back to the one with the sword. He could guess the man’s strategy just by looking at him. ''Accustomed to overpowering opponents. He’ll lead with an overhand strike. Move left, hit second man with foot to sternum. Strike first man at right temple. Take sword, cut throat. Block partner’s wild swing. Right foot to instep. Sword through solar plexus.'' All of these thoughts passed through Kit’s mind in a fraction of a second.''
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: These guys (and gals) got picked from the entirety of human history for a reason…
* BackToBackBadasses: Attila the Hun, Leonidas of Sparta, Niccolò Machiavelli, and Christopher Marlowe when they flush out Theodore Roosevelt’s assassin.
* BadassBoast: Patton’s speech to Mavra’s champion, when asked “Who is this little man?”
** “I am Colonel George Patton, commander of the 9th Cavalry. I’ve commanded armies that shook the Earth when we went into battle.” He stepped slowly toward the Mavra brothers. “I’ve faced down Mexican bandits, fought in the trenches of France, and wiped an army of evil from the face of the Earth. My army advanced farther, captured more enemy prisoners, and liberated more territory in less time than any other army in military history. That’s who the ''fuck'' I am. Now draw your sword, you bastard son of a whore, and prepare to be run through.”
* BadassBookworm: Nikola Tesla stands out, especially when he finally faces off against Lord Mavra.
--> "I'm not your wife. ''I hit back.''"
* BadassCrew
* BadassFamily: Charles Martel and Charles Magnus are grandfather/grandson. John Churchill and Winston Churchill are also relatives, albeit distantly descended.
* BondOneLiner: Averted after Kit Marlowe takes out the two thieves.
** “I suppose I should say something witty. But nothing seems to come to mind.”
* BoomHeadshot: How Kit Marlowe takes care of Theodore Roosevelt’s assassin.
* CharacterDevelopment: Many of the characters have their own arcs over the story, but Alexander’s stands out more than most. His growth from arrogant, petulant child to humble cog in the machine allows his absolutely terrifying military genius to soar to new heights.
* CheeseEatingSurrenderMonkeys: Averted. Having Charles Martel (AKA Charles the HAMMER) on the team, leading an armored division, has that effect.
** Richelieu’s no slouch, either.
** Napoleon!
* TheChessmaster: Machiavelli, Bismarck, Churchill, Sun Tzu, Alan Turing.
* ChristianityisCatholic: The Imperial Catholic Church consists of Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant members, though it eventually expands to include the Muslim, Jewish, and pagan characters as well.
* ChurchMilitant: The Imperial Catholic Church clergymen aren’t pushovers…
* ClarkesThirdLaw: The attitude of many of the pieces to Marvin’s technology. Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and (surprisingly) Archimedes of Syracuse are about the only ones to really come close to understanding Marvin’s technology.
* CombatByChampion: Patton for Tesla.
* CoolAirship: Due to airships being easier to construct than airplanes, the Calainian military uses airships in the beginning.
* CoolShip: The entire freaking Navy.
* CoolSpaceship: The Thande.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Charles Martel is one, though a bit more eccentric than dumb.
* CulturedWarrior: Soooo many.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: All the time. Many modern leaders are disturbed the racist and classist attitudes of older leaders. One stand out moment is a meeting between [[OhCrap Nathan Bedford Forrest and Colin Powell]]...
* FishoutofTemporalWater: The majority of the pieces. They all adapt, eventually.
* FourStarBadass: Pretty much all of them.
* GeekyTurnOn: History geeky turn-on, anyway.
* GunPorn: Every conversation between Samuel Colt and John Browning.
* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Pretty much all of them.
* TheLancer: Machiavelli to Thomas Jefferson. Hell, Machiavelli to just about everyone…
* MyCountryRightOrWrong: not an actual instance of this happening, but when Patton asks Rommel why they (the Germans) chose to follow Hitler, Rommel says that Hitler seemed to be the only one that could bring Germany out of the darkness, and for many of the Germans it was a matter of Germany first.
* TheMutiny: The Terran pieces take matters into their own hands after finding out what exactly they’re supposed to do on this alien world. It fails, due to rebelling against an almost omnipotent Alien Space Bat, but the principle is still there.
* NerdGasm: Stephen Hawking has one when he realises that '''Sir Isaac Newton''' is asking him to lecture both Albert Einstein and him (Newton) on the advancements on physics since the latter died.
* NiceGuy: Henry Clay, who is very accepting of Colin Powell despite being of African descent.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero
* NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught: seen in a very negative light here. One of the other contestants, Irving, is always mentioned as someone who constantly cheats but always manages to cover his tracks.
* RedBaron: They don’t get much better than Charles the Hammer.
* RuleOfCool: History's version of The Expendables.
* SchizoTech:
* SerialEscalation: The inventors of General Innovations, Inc. are forced to continuously build bigger and better instruments of war to fight the ever-growing threat.
* ShoutOut: Far too many to name. There’s at least one, either to pop-culture or Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom culture, in every chapter. Usually both.
* WorthyOpponent

[[/folder]]



[[folder:Tropes concerning the fourth iteration of the Story]]

[[/folder]]