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It's meant to be character-only, mainly because there's a number of other tropes (Scrappy Weapon, Scrappy Mechanic, Useless Useful Spell, and so on) that cover most any other potential non-character use.
I see.
What if something overlaps two tropes? Where a weapon isn't exactly a scrappy one by itself, but circumstances or point of the game can easily turn it into one. Or I'm just overthinking it and it should fall under Scrappy Weapon, period
Well, is it a scrappy, or not? Scrappies by definition are hated by a majority of the fanbase. If it's only circumstantial, I don't think it really counts. Maybe under Scrappy Mechanic, but Idk.
Current Project: Incorruptible Pure Pureness
Note from YMMV.Home Page: "Be aware that Playing with a Trope cannot apply to these YMMV items". If you aren't sure something is full Scrappy try asking fans of that work on Forums and online.
Edited by Amonimus TroperWall / WikiMagic Cleanup
Is this weapon actively hated by the majority of players? If so, it's a Scrappy Weapon.
Does it serve a purpose, but only at specific points of the game? If yes, it's a case of Power-Up Letdown.
If it fits both definitions, there is no harm listing it as both.
Edited by TantaMonty
I'm the other troper. I'll provide a bit more context.
Weapons in this game are categorized into three tiers and randomly spawn at set points in the campaign. Tier 2 weapons are stronger than those in Tier 1, and Tier 3 weapons are stronger than those in Tier 2.
Our chat centered around Weapon Beta and Weapon Gamma, which are Tier 2 and Tier 3 weapons, respectively.
You would swap out your Tier 1 weapon with Beta, because it's mathematically better than your Tier 1. However, if there are other Tier 2 weapons available, no one would choose Beta because it falls short in some aspects. Same applies for Gamma.
Basically, players don't *like* using Beta and Gamma, but will use them if better things aren't available.
Edited by Benbeasted
It's a weapon that's simply outshined by everything else in its own class, BUT if you get it early on, it's actually very good due to sheer power disparity. By large, the gun is terrible in the general context and hated for the fact it's very unwieldly to use. That's Scrappy Weapon for sure. However, there is an option to unlock it early on and suddenly all the drawbacks are meaningless, since you have a "late game" weapon early on. So what it's crap when compared with its own class of weapons? Early on, it's still better than just about anything else you can get.
Hence the idea it might fit under Tier Induced Scrappy - if accessed normally, it's completely outshined by alternatives (and is very much hated as near-useless). But if accessed early, it's Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond, and nobody complains when getting it early.
Edited by Stanisz
Sounds like you are describing a Disc-One Nuke: "A player exploits access to a powerful weapon early in the game. This allows the player to rush through the first (potentially tedious) parts of the game without major challenges. (...) It's usually not enough to carry you through the entire game."
I had a small chat with other troper regarding this trope and we both realised something: that we aren't sure if this trope is characters-only, or can be applied to gear, weapons (yes, we are aware about Scrappy Weapon trope, that was part of our discussion) and other gameplay elements that might fall under TIS. Assuming, of course, that it's not a character only trope.
So... is it? Or is it a general purpose?