Daddy says that, in a dilemma, it is helpful to change any variable, then re-examine the problem.
Here's an index dealing with characters coming up with solutions to solve certain problems or to deal with a situation.
Compare Improvised Index and The Plan.
Tropes:
- The All-Solving Hammer
- Bedsheet Ladder: An imprisoned character escapes by climbing out of a window using a ladder made of bed sheets tied together.
- Bomb Disposal: Heroes need to keep a bomb from blowing up. The solution is to disarm it.
- Cut the Juice: The problem with a machine is solved by turning off or unplugging it.
- Cutting the Knot: Solving or bypassing a puzzle with brute force rather than actually trying to think to figure out the solution.
- Defusing the Tyke-Bomb: A character tries to get through to a messed-up kid who's used as a weapon.
- Duct Tape for Everything
- Dungeon Bypass
- Eating Solves Everything
- Every Man Has His Price
- Final Solution: Getting rid of the enemy through genocide.
- Franken-vehicle: Making a new vehicle with salvaged pieces of other vehicles.
- Giving Them the Strip: A character avoids danger by removing an article of clothing that has caught on something, been grabbed by someone trying to capture them or has come in contact with a hazardous substance.
- Have You Tried Rebooting?: Solving a problem with the computer by just turning it off and then turning it back on.
- Hit Them in the Pocketbook: To hurt a wealthy Big Bad, make them poor.
- Idea Bulb: A visual gag where a lightbulb appears over a character's head to indicate that they have an idea on how to solve the problem.
- Improvisational Ingenuity
- Indy Ploy: A plan hastily made in the face of imminent danger in the hope that it will work.
- Injury Bookend
- Judgment of Solomon: If two groups argue over something valuable, whoever settles the dispute decides to cut it in halves.
- Justice by Other Legal Means: If the criminal manages to get off scot-free for the crime you're trying to charge him with, try getting him in trouble for another illegal action you can pin on him.
- Life-or-Limb Decision: A character who is trapped by one of their limbs getting stuck frees themselves by cutting the trapped limb off.
- MacGyvering: A character makes something to solve the problem using whatever materials happen to be lying around.
- Mundane Solution: The problem is solved in an effortless and non-dramatic manner.
- Murder Is the Best Solution: A character always resorts to solving their problems by killing the people obstructing them.
- Percussive Maintenance: Fixing wonky machines by hitting them.
- Percussive Shutdown
- Perfect Solution Fallacy: Using the fallacy that a solution is useless if it isn't 100% effective.
- Plug the Volcano
- Pressure-Sensitive Interface: Pushing an interface's buttons harder makes it work better.
- Scarecrow Solution
- Seal the Breach
- Sheathe Your Sword: Non-violence is the only answer.
- A Simple Plan
- Simple Solution Won't Work
- Start X to Stop X
- Stating the Simple Solution
- Stupidity Is the Only Option: The only way to proceed is by doing something idiotic.
- Superficial Solution: A solution that doesn't tackle the roots of the problem.
- Take a Third Option: When a character has to make a choice, they pick one that wasn't among the options given to them.
- Talking the Monster to Death: Defeating the enemy by talking to them.
- This Is No Time for Knitting
- Three Approach System: A game where there are three different types of gameplay styles to approach obstacles.
- To Win Without Fighting
- Tricked into Another Jurisdiction
- Unfolding Plan Montage
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Storytelling approach where you don't let the audience know the specifics of a plan so they're kept in suspense if it plays out correctly.
- Victory Through Intimidation
- Violence is the Only Option
- Violence Really Is the Answer
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…
- Your Answer to Everything
- Zany Scheme: A character comes up with a ludicrous plan for solving their problems.
