Xanatos Gambit/Playing With

Basic Trope: One character starts a plan that benefits them regardless of whether it succceds or fails, either because of consolation prize or a hidden plan that is fullfiled by the foiling of the first.

Straight: The Evil Chancellor orders his pet Dragon to kidnap the young Princess and sends the brave Knight to save her. If the Dragon kills the Knight, he will then eat the Princess, leaving The Kingdom with no heir, in the hands of the Chancellor. If the Knight, by chance, slays the Dragon... well, then the Chancellor will be freed of the too independent familiar, and the Princess' secret Virgin Power will be conveniently sealed away, too.
Exaggerated: Gambit Roulette or Gambit Pileup. Or both at the same time. Add some Xanatos Speed Chess too for extra fun.
- Complexity Addiction
- Crazy Prepared
Justified: The Chancellor is an experienced planner and expert at seeing the silver lining.
Inverted: If the Dragon kills the Knight and the Princess, he will become powerful enough to break free of the Chancellor. If the Knight wins, he and the Princess will have enough evidence to expose the Chancellor. Either way, the Chancellor loses.
- Pyrrhic Victory
Subverted: The Knight has no chance to survive the battle but when he does, it suddenly proves beneficial for the Chancellor in the long run. Later on, he admits that this was pure chance.
Double Subverted: He lies, as usual.
Parodied: The evil chancellor claims that everything that happens is all part of his master plan... even when things are going horribly for him and the knight has him at swordpoint.
- The hero responds that he also had a plan that the villain has walked right into, and the villain says that he knew that and went along with as part of his plan, lulling the hero into a false sense of security. The hero replies that he was expecting him to do that and planned for it, but villains says...(etc.)
Deconstructed: The Knight distrusts the Chancellor and instead of charging head on, checks the tabs and discovers his previous involvement with the Dragon. He then walks up to the Dragon and tells him the truth, breaking the gambit.
Reconstructed: The Knight and the Dragon then conspire to take revenge upon the Chancellor. They know that the Chancellor is well guarded, so they send the Princess back alone to tell him that the Dragon and the Knight killed each other. If the Chancellor tries to marry the Princess himself, the Dragon will kill him at the public marriage ceremony. If he attempts to simply kill her instead, the Knight will secretly kill the assassins until the Chancellor has no more trusted lieutenants and that's where he will sneak in and kill the villain.
Zig Zagged: ???
Averted: The Chancellor simply unleashes his Legions of Hell to Take Over the World, no secret plans prepared.
Lampshaded: "You see, Sir Knight, either way you acted, you would have played right into my hands..."
Invoked: "I'm going to need a nice, near-unbeatable plan, something that will benefit me no matter what happens. Something where I end up controlling the kingdom no matter what... I've got it!"
- This strategy was inspired by my hero, the greatest strategist of all time... David Xanatos!
Defied: "My plans are going to be simple enough that my minions can follow them, even if it means an occasional defeat. I've lost more plans to idiot Mooks than to heroic knights, and I'm not going to make any more plans that my dumbest foot soldier can't pull off. What use is a plan if the idiot slaves can't do what I want them to do?"
Discussed: "This guy always seems to come out on top. It's like he's planned for every outcome."
Conversed: "Doesn't matter what they do, the Chancellor is going to come out smirking. Just watch."

Your return to Xanatos Gambit is part of The Plan.

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