Basic Trope: A character constructs/places a barricade that is obviously not going to stop anyone.
- Straight: Bob places a wooden chair to block a wooden door. Alice breaks through it easily.
- Exaggerated: Bob places a small stone to block a wooden door. Alice breaks through it easily.
- Downplayed:
- Bob places tough (but still easily movable) wooden chairs to block a wooden door. Alice breaks through it easily.
- Bob sets up a barricade with a heavy dresser and several nailed boards to stop Alice — who he's previously seen walk through a brick wall. Alice breaks through it easily.
- Justified:
- Bob built the barricade out of what little he had around him, needing to buy only a second or two once Alice arrives.
- A defense is only as strong as the weakest point, and Bob, perhaps due to time pressure, was too focused on making the parts he can obviously see strong to notice the one in his before Alice arrived.
- Inverted: Bob's barricade is strong enough to block someone with ten times Alice's strength.
- Subverted: Bob's barricade was just a distraction to make Alice believe that the rest of the building was not covered in tons of traps...
- Bob sets up a rickety antique chair behind the door and Alice breaks through the door and smashes the chair behind it into splinters only for the splinters to bore more holes than swiss cheese in her. Bob knew that Alice's kind were fatally weak against peach wood.
- Double Subverted: ...that are also just as ineffective.
- Parodied: Bob places a small stone to block a wooden door. Alice does not break through easily.
- Zig Zagged: Bob set up traps in the barricade, except the traps were equally ineffective, but they managed to lure Alice into a false sense of security which causes her to set off later traps, but Bob changes his mind and goes to rescue Alice... except he can't get past his own terrible barricade.
- Averted: Bob's barricade is well-built with objects of strong material.
- Enforced: They have to use non-destructible props so the only "destroyable" furniture they have to work with is a reusable collapsing chair.
- Lampshaded: "Your barricade looks like something out of a cartoon."
- Invoked: Bob barricades his door even though he has no idea of how he should do so.
- Exploited: Bob now finally has an excuse to do something with those wooden chairs he hoarded beforehand which were only taking space in his house.
- Defied: Bob doesn't even try to barricade the door, considering he only has fragile stuff at his disposal.
- Discussed: "Did you really think that chair would stop me from getting the door open?" "It might have made you reconsider!"
- Logical Extreme: Bob constructs an elaborate barricade consisting of reinforced steel doors, concrete walls, and electrified fencing, all designed to stop Alice. However, Alice effortlessly bypasses the entire barricade using her teleportation abilities.
- Lampshaded: "You know, Bob, I appreciate the effort you put into this barricade, but I have a feeling it won't pose much of a challenge for Alice."
- Conversed: In an unrelated conversation, two characters discuss the trope of ineffective barricades in movies and how they never seem to stop anyone.
- Played for Laughs: Bob comically stacks an assortment of random objects, including inflatable pool toys and kitchen utensils, as his barricade. Alice bursts into laughter upon seeing it and easily walks through.
- Played for Drama: Bob desperately constructs a barricade out of heavy furniture and reinforced doors, hoping to protect himself from Alice, who poses a serious threat. The tension rises as Alice gradually breaks through each layer, intensifying the sense of impending danger.
- Played for Horror: Bob's feeble barricade crumbles under Alice's relentless assault, creating a sense of helplessness and fear as she gets closer to him.
- Implied: The scene cuts from Bob hastily setting up the barricade to later, with the barricade in shambles and Alice standing triumphantly nearby, implying that she easily broke through.
- Unparodied: Bob's barricade, which initially appears comical and ineffective, ends up successfully preventing Alice from entering, surprising both Bob and Alice.
- Untwisted: Despite the setup suggesting that Bob's barricade will fail, it manages to hold up against Alice's attempts, proving surprisingly effective.
- Deconstructed: The story explores the consequences of relying on ineffective barricades, highlighting how they give a false sense of security and can lead to dangerous situations. Bob's barricade fails to stop Alice, resulting in dire consequences for him.
- Reconstructed: Bob's barricade, although initially seeming ineffective, serves as a temporary delay, giving him enough time to enact an alternate plan to confront Alice more effectively. The barricade's purpose shifts from a physical obstacle to a strategic tool.
