[quote=@DeadDrop]
I like to consider people who take tropes or inspirations from other mediums or genres are also OG, no bashing on our trope-gang that runs around here but y'all are cool. I think the writing contests bring out the best writers in the guild also.
[/quote]
Absolutely. Tropes or cliches don't automatically disqualify a Roleplay from the premise of "originality". I'm more or less of the mindset that they tend to be less popular because many of them run in the same vein. I feel that it's a lack of variety that tends to be the issue. Or, rather, why they [i]seem[/i] to be less popular.
 
Are their original twists in some of these plots? Of course! The Entertainers was one that I saw while perusing that takes a few cliches and twists them in a way that is entirely unique. They exist, but I've also seen quite a few Roleplays that were literally a cliche or trope and that was the entire premise (admittedly most of these were in Free, but still).