EDIT: or a LOTR reference, like walking into some old Mines and after crossing an ungodly high up old rock bridge, a fire atronach comes out and you faintly hear in the background "you shall not pass"
I think http://www.wowhead.com/item=34837/the-2-ring finished off all LoTR gags for me. I am willing to be proven wrong. One of my favorites I have seen in other games is meta jokes on trashing some worn out RPG tropes.
I talk to people, ya know, ask them if they have big problems that only I can solve. You'd be surprised how many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them. Sometimes I poke through crates, too. Ya know for the extra credits.
~ Conrad Verner on making a living in RPG's.
I want to see Bethesda's take on RPG tropes.
A recent RPG staple I want to see is the NPC that stands around and complains. The complaints being inspired by the forums. Common themes I have seen in my week on the TES:Skyrim forums:
-- The land of Morrowind was much more inspired
-- The game is not a combat system
-- The world seems to small