Dammit beat me to it.

Perhaps the author of that was in a supercilious mood, or writing faster than his mind could think.

-*Most people* hail from humble origins, thus it makes sense that heroes would to. In fact, it makes less sense if the hero hails from privileged origins, as the adventures the BG series takes the protagonist on are far beneath royal standards; the 'stereotype' folk from such a background wouldn't be able to hack it (granted Anomen & Nalia in BG2 effectively break that stereotype).

-I reckon 'A devastating battle' sends most people's quiet lives 'spinning out of balance.' I know mine hasn't been the same since 9/11/01. How much more for other personal tragedies that happen to people that others would be unaware of?

-If a person is destined to make an impact, chances are they'll inevitably meet others with skills to help them on their way in some capacity or other. Meeting folk with magical & martial prowess in fantasy settings will inevitably happen to the protagonist, much like a person with ambition on Earth, if they're competent, will eventually meet folk capable of complimenting his/her own skillset in their own quest, upon knowing where to look & stuff.

-Powerful people (or at least people who show outright potential to acquire power) will inevitably draw the attention of those already in measures of power, for good or ill. Like the other points I've thus far made, how would it be a Bioware RPG Cliche, if the same exact things can & do happen in real life?

-Very rarely are evil schemes, both fantastic & on Earth, localized to one area. Thus it'd only make sense, both in fantasy & on Earth, that quests would take the protagonist beyond one location. I wouldn't limit it to only four locations either.

-Typical 'evil or sinister organizations' normally wouldn't go down without a fight, so them seeking to thwart the protagonists every effort is only to be expected. This for fantasy & RL on Earth as well.

-Most people do indeed dream when they're asleep, at least once in a while. And most people, regardless of their personal religious beliefs or agnosticism, tend to believe their dreams mean something or other.

-Most evil or sinister organizations/villains have things they're hiding (be it secret information, secret stash, another sort of secret asset; most likely varying combinations of all three), and goals that they seek to keep hidden as well. A secret & forgotten ruin could be as viable a commodity they'd seek to hide as any other thing (even in RL on Earth it can be akin to a nondescript building in an urban area).

So how are any of those things the Bioware RPG Cliche the author makes them out to be? Any of those things can & do happen in real life on Earth. If anything, it shows to me how well written their games are (or at least were, prior to their 'merger' with EA).

mwahaha :P

I genuinely like it when the first enemies you get to fight in a Western RPG are (giant) rats. Seems like some developers treat it like a running gag. Always brings a smile to my face.

The Bard's Tale (2004) does an excellent job of toying with roleplaying clichés throughout the entire game.

Well, it may sound strange, but as far as I know, there are many rules about resurrecting people in forgotten realms.

One is - you cannot resurrect somebody who's body is decayed / dismembered
you can't resurrect person killed by a certain type of monster (e.g. a demon who eats his soul)
also, person who is about to be resurrected must have the will to go back
and after certain time after death resurrection is impossible (the soul is claimed by the god)
etc etc.

yep - that's a great laugh for that (including the aforementioned 'go into the cellar/sewer and kill the rats' part, LOL )

another: people leave gold coins and jewels (and the weapon that would've helped them survive the dungeon) in easy to open chests in the middle of a dungeon.
(Though at least Baldur's Gate doesn't seem to have wolves/other animals dropping gold when they die unlike some games)

Yeah, this! Also if you play with hardcore ruleset or whatever it's called in Baldur's Gate 2, it's entirely possible that one of your party members might meet one of those conditions. For instance, when he gets smashed to bits you will NOT ressurcect him.

Yes. Also, disintegration spell, power word: kill, finger of death (i don't know if it's named like it in english ver) kill a person for good

Using this logic, almost every game in the world (excluding Tetris and such) is an RPG.

Too many RPGs - especially those made by BioWare - focus on the main playable character saving the kingdom, republic, empire, world, the Earth, or universe.

For once, I would like to see a RPG that is about a personal quest. Like avenging dead father, mother, wife, family. Or finding or saving a lost love. Or something more on a personal level.

Better yet, let's has this epic event like an all-out war going on in the background. but that is only the backrdrop. You are not to stop the war or save everyone. You are not the "chosen one", or the "last and only hope". The story or gameplay focuses on your characters and the people close to the characters, on a more personal level. Overall, your playable characters has very control or influence on what is going on in the war/world, but the gameplay focuses on how the characters progress/survive/change/interact as all the major events are going on in the background.

You mean ... Like Planescape? Or TES games for that matter, althou you CAN be the saviour there. It's just I never chose that path :D

Yea, I'd love a real War of the worlds: The game: The point'n'click adventure too.

RUSes - Rodents of Unusual Size!
(I'll plus the first person to get the ref)

I guess there's a thin line between great, powerful, legendary heroes and monsters murderers and other threats in the RPG world. At least from the peasant's point of view.

That's exactly what I like about PS:T and BG2. VtM:R is about a personal quest, too, sadly paired with the epic save the world cliché though.

Oh, and I think by now making fun of RPG clichés has become kind of a RPG cliché itself. In any case it's easier than coming up with something truly original. ;)

Gotta love it's "Obligatory Lava level"