One of my more recent pet peeves is the prevalence of Elemental Crafting in roleplaying games. I realize that the trope is a staple of the genre and, in fact, exists in many games outside of RPGs, possibly due to the influence of roleplaying games in general, plus an epidemic of Did Not Do the Research and They Just Didn’t Care. Since I started playing Dwarf Fortress over a year ago, I just can’t stand the trope.

There are a lot more factors that go into the effectiveness of a weapon or piece or armor (or any piece of equipment, really) beyond whatever the bloody thing is made from. It’s true the material plays a part in the construction, but the quality of the raw material (not all adamantium is made equal), the skill of the smith, and the technique used to craft the item. As in writing, even a master can occasionally produce a piece of utter tripe.

So, if and when I produce a game (or piece of writing) wherein such things could be considered relevant, I will endeavor to avert “Elemental Crafting” whenever possible. (Subvert it whenever funny or tragic, or invert it whenever subversion gets old.)