History Main / AwesomeButImpractical

* ''WebVideo/TulokTheBarbarian'' discusses it with some of his builds, which are more focused on character consistency than MinMaxing. Builds that [[DumpStat dump]] [[GlassCannon Constitution]] (i.e. All Might and sans) are never really good ideas because of how vulnerable it makes you, multiclassing Monk/Barbarian isn't optimal by any means, focusing on a specific element will hobble you if the monster happens to be immune to that element, and characters who focus on [[SupportPartyMember support]] or trickery often have very little methods of actually dealing damage.

Related to the BraggingRightsReward and InventionalWisdom on occasion. See also UselessUsefulSpell, BlessedWithSuck. Contrast TooAwesomeToUse, BoringButPractical, GameBreaker, and SimpleYetAwesome. Compare ''and'' contrast DifficultButAwesome; there, the focus usually is on Impractical turning out to be Awesome. Crosses with DeathOrGloryAttack when a miss will result in nasty consequences, and PowerfulButInaccurate when lack of accuracy is the reason for the impracticality. ScaryImpracticalArmor is a SubTrope, as well as ImpracticallyFancyOutfit. In RealLife, this trope is often the reason behind IWantMyJetPack, and why a RareGun is rare in real life but common in fiction.

* AwesomeButImpractical/FanFiction

[[caption-width-right:350:So awesome... until you try [[FixedForwardFacingWeapon aiming]] or reloading it.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:So awesome... until you try aiming or reloading it.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Sure, it's deadly, but good luck trying to aim or reload it. (Not to mention the recoil might flip the truck over...)]]

Yes, it seems that the designers put so much time into maxing out the "ultimate" factor of the ultimate attack that they forgot to actually make it usable. Maybe it [[YouRequireMoreVespeneGas requires too many resources]] to use, causing its allure of "awesome" to be lost as fast as your party's money. Maybe it requires some sort of bizarre set-up to enact, making your normal attacks and spells much easier to apply inside of battle. Maybe it has a considerable chance of [[CriticalFailure failing]] or [[DeathOrGloryAttack backfiring]] that makes it unreliable from the start. Or maybe in mathematical terms it doesn't deliver as much bang for the buck as "inferior" alternatives.

Keep in mind, Awesome, But Impractical is not CoolButInefficient, which is where something appears to be awesome, but has no real benefit to using; Awesome, But Impractical ''is'' genuinely useful, it just requires such a cost that you're probably not going to use it very often. Sometimes Awesome, But Impractical moves carry a situational advantage, or are so DifficultButAwesome that even highly skilled players have trouble using them — but there '''is''' an advantage over normal moves if you can afford to pay the penalties. Sure, maybe that mini-nuke will [[TotalPartyKill irradiate and possibly kill your party]], but [[GodzillaThreshold if you're in a big enough pinch, possibility of death beats guaranteed death, so you may as well try it.]]

The very act of using a million tons of firepower on a few weaklings (a.k.a [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Overkilling]]) is also awesome but impractical.

[[caption-width-right:350:Sure, it's deadly, but good luck trying to aim or reload it. Not to mention the recoil might flip the truck over...]]

[[caption-width-right:350:Good luck aiming or reloading this monster.]]

Keep in mind, Awesome, But Impractical is not CoolButInefficient, which is where something appears to be awesome, but has no real benefit to using; Awesome, But Impractical is genuinely useful, it just requires such a cost that you're probably not going to use it very often. Sometimes Awesome, But Impractical moves carry a situational advantage, or are so DifficultButAwesome that even highly skilled players have trouble using them -- but there '''is''' an advantage over normal moves if you can afford to pay the penalties. Sure, maybe that mini-nuke will [[TotalPartyKill irradiate and possibly kill your party]], but [[GodzillaThreshold if you're in a big enough pinch, possibility of death beats guaranteed death, so you may as well try it.]]

Whatever the reason, it will get used once, as a test drive, and then never again. Yeah, it's awesome, but you've got a game to win here. Keep in mind, Awesome, But Impractical is not CoolButInefficient, which is where something appears to be awesome, but has no real benefit to using. Sometimes Awesome, But Impractical moves carry a situational advantage, or are so DifficultButAwesome that even highly skilled players have trouble using them -- but there '''is''' an advantage over normal moves if you can afford to pay the penalties. Sure, maybe that mini-nuke will [[TotalPartyKill irradiate and possibly kill your party]], but [[GodzillaThreshold if you're in a big enough pinch, possibility of death beats guaranteed death, so you may as well try it.]]

-->-- ''Riff, Webcomic/SluggyFreelance''

->''"Gimmicky shit like that has no place in a real fight. Watch, and I'll prove it."''
-->-- '''Raiden''' on Sundowner's Scissor Swords, ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''

Mind you, if you care about doing cool stuff over winning, [[TropesAreNotBad they can be quite fun]]. A [[StopHavingFunGuys competitive player]] will never look at them twice; this can be one of the good things about being a {{Noob}}.

[[caption-width-right:350:Sure, it'll one-shot anyone you fire it at, but how the hell are you supposed to aim or reload it? Not to mention the recoil might just flip the truck over...]]

[[folder:Web Originals]]
* Kiwami Japan is a Youtuber who makes knives out of anything. N. E. THING. Including soot from a candle and Jell-O. They also make them super sharp. However the practicality varies and Kiwami only makes them to be shown it can be done and can cut stuff and not to make a knife that’s actually for everyday use.
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* Kiwami Japan is a Youtuber who makes knives out of anything. N. E. THING. Including soot from a candle and Jell-O. They also make them super sharp. However the practicality varies and Kiwami only makes them to be shown it can be done and not to make a knife that’s actually for everyday use.

* Kiwami Japan is a Youtuber who makes knives out of anything. N E THING. Including shoot from a candle and Jell-O. They also make them super sharp. However the practicality varies and Kiwami only makes them to be shown it can be done and not to make a knife that’s actually for everyday use.

[[ quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_big_gun_8037.png]]

[[{{BFG}} quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_big_gun_8037.png]]

[[BFG quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_big_gun_8037.png]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/big_big_gun_8037.png]]