Trope Finder

I was thinking about this the other day. We have Apocalyptic Log and Late to the Party, but I can't remember if there's a more general "follow the letters/recordings" trope.

Those are pretty close, but not quite there.

Encyclopedia Exposita

Not that either. An example of what I'm looking for is something like this: You're asked to find a stolen thingamajig for someone in a small village, and are asked to check a suspect's house. While in the house you discover a journal written by said suspect stating that he hid it behind some trees near a pond.

Story Breadcrumbs or Info Drop?

Both of those seem to be about story or background information. What I'm looking for are almost like clues that exist mainly to tell the player what to do.

Bump.

Bumpity.

Follow the Plotted Line?

Nope, it doesn't necessarily have to be a linear plot. I'm looking for cases where there's information, conveniently left behind by someone, that helps your character solve a quest.

Looks like it doesn't exist.

Quoting from the page in question, with emphasis added:

"A particular video game plot consisting of the protagonists following a path laid out for them (although this isn't exclusive to linear games) with seemingly no real thought as to where they might end up."

Actually, Follow the Plotted Line seems to be almost the opposite of this: it's when the plot follows the protagonists around even though their actions don't give a reason for it to do so (for instance, the city they traveled to for no particular reason winds up being critical to the big bad's plans).

Also, while the article does mention non linear games, it's still about a predetermined path for a particular plot point, whereas in this it's only a clue that aids the player.

The trope I'm looking for should be focused on the idea of somebody leaving around notes that the player can use to find out what he can do, not the plot itself.

If the examples I provided earlier aren't enough, here's another one: Your character needs to enter a ruin, but the entrance is guarded by a creature that can't be killed by normal means. There are no other NP Cs in the area to help you, but somewhere nearby you find a note nearby, written by the creator of the creature, saying that no one will be able to get past it as long as they don't find and use item X.

Also, while the article does mention non linear games, it's still about a predetermined path for a particular plot point, whereas in this it's only a clue that aids the player.

The trope I'm looking for should be focused on the idea of somebody leaving around notes that the player can use to find out what he can do, not the plot itself.

If the examples I provided earlier aren't enough, here's another one: Your character needs to enter a ruin, but the entrance is guarded by a creature that can't be killed by normal means. There are no other NP Cs in the area to help you, but somewhere nearby you find a note nearby, written by the creator of the creature, saying that no one will be able to get past it as long as they don't find and use item X.

You double posted. Btw anyone got something?

Anyone? (How did this get so low on the page?)

And it's near the bottom again...

Can't think of a good trope for this, but it feels like this is some sort of unnecessary narration thing. I've seen it play out for comedy occasionally, such as when Deadpool starts confusing his little yellow boxes of internal monologue for his dialogue boxes and it occasionally plays out in real life such as that one woman with "perfect memory" whose secret is that she's been journaling her life for the last 40-odd years or the tendency of people in awkward situations to narrate their actions, "Um, I'm going to go get some more milk" as they stand up from the table where the argument is going on.

W-what? The thing, it-it doesn't even Lean on the fourth wall.

3 year bump.

Nearly every WRPG I've played uses this so I'd be surprised if this isn't a trope.

Another example: You need to summon a demon in a particular location in order to permanently slay it. Your party has no knowledge about demon summoning and neither does any NPC you meet. Luckily, while exploring ancient ruins, you find a journal written by some long-dead wizard that tells you everything you need to do to summon a demon.

Linked List Clue Methodology?

Not that either. There doesn't have to be more than one clue. I'm more looking for something about conveniently placed clues.

Edit: Never mind.

I find this a bit People Sit On Chairs-ish. Obviously with every quest you have to find a plot object that advances the quest. Or are you specifically referring to that plot object being a log or an email or any other piece of TEXT that is otherwise ridiculously out of place? (Nobody would describe the hiding spot in so much detail if they bloody well wanted their stuff hidden; no-one would lock a door with a riddle only to write the riddle, all rhymed, no less, on the door; etc.) Note that in fantasy settings finding a book detailing demon-summoning rituals isn't uncommon, so that wouldn't fit.

So if you're not after "ridiculously open-text hints", then you've troped... "a clue".

I thought I was pretty clear it was specifically about text and recordings that conveniently give out helpful information, to be honest. I'm looking for something that's about the narrative convenience of having a piece of in-universe text or message of any kind lying around to reveal to the player how they can complete something. Don't think its any more People Sit On Chairs than Exposition Fairy or similar tropes. It's a specific way to give out information that helps the player (or character) learn what to do to complete a task (excluding crafting recipes, unless required to complete a quest or accomplish any other task like unlocking a specific door or whatever). It's also info that no NPC can or will provide (except maybe under special conditions in some cases).

I think a trope about a villain stupidly leaving information telling you exactly how to stop them is a bit too specific for what I'm after, but examples of those would fall under this.

Don't see why the instructions for a specific ritual wouldnt fit my description. I don't mean it as a demon summoning manual that can be bought at a store, but a journal left by a wizard detailing how he accomplished it (maybe in a setting where it's not commonly done), thus allowing the player to complete it (by placing specific items in containers, saying a few magic words, etc.). Whether or not it makes sense In-Universe to have the information lying around, it's the method used to let the player know what to do, or explain how the character learned what to do (in games where reading a book just updates your quest journal or objectives, rather than requiring the players to read it themselves). Basically, without the information it would be difficult or maybe even impossible to know how to complete it.

You're tasked to kill a supposedly invincible monster that has destroyed everyone who has previously tried to slay it and that the last group of soldiers sentto deal with it haven't returned. While exploring the lair you come across a note on a dead soldier that says that he was badly wounded during a fight against fhe creature, but that he managed to run away and find a place to hide. It also says that they may have found a weakness (substance X), but they didn't have enough of it with them. This is a convenient way to provide the player with the info needed to slay the beast. Luckily, the soldier used his dying moments to write that down.

A few examples from games:

• In Baldurs Gate 2, you're tasked by the mayor of a small town to solve a murder crisis. You're ppinted towards a cabin to look for answers. While in the cabin, you find a journal telling you where to go (which is then unlocked on the map).
• In Arcanum, you're asked to find someone who lives in a remote location and who hasnt been heard from for a while. When you search his house, you'll find a journal he wrote that tells you that he's been investigating some strange occurrences, his discovery as to what causes them and instructions on how to stop it.
• In Skyrim, you have to solve a murder. Luckily the murderer keeps writings all over a house to help you find him.

By defining your sought trope as "piece of in-game text or recording providing hints", you're pretty much describing "a text clue". a [Diary] used as a clue. I don't believe we have a specific trope for something as generic as "a text clue".

If you narrow it down to being ridiculously out of place or way too convenient, that's kind of a Great Big Book of Everything, maybe.

Specifically, In-Universe text clues that are conveniently left behind by other characters. which excludes things like "Press start to open the menu!" or similar hints. This is something that's as much a narrative tool as it is a gameplay device. It's relatively common without it being widespread enough to count as People Sit On Chairs.

I don't think it needs to be ridiculously conspicuous, but just convenient enough where you'd say, "Good thing someone bothered to write this stuff down."

What you're describing is a plot. Finding the trigger for the next event. If it were a mystery, it would be breadcumbs leading from one to clue to the next. Or a quest chain where finding the item for one quest unlocks the next quest in the series. IF you don't, the lot can't proceed.

Yes, but a specific type of plot trigger (a piece of text or recording that's fortunately left by another character) that's common enough to, in my opinion, be a trope, at least as much of one as other tropes the site already has. Maybe it's because I play way more Western RP Gs than is healthy, but it seems like a common enough device to me

Anyway, it's clear that it doesn't exist.