Rock scissors paper in fantasy RPGs

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Is there any general tendency for rock scissors paper concepts in fantasy RPGs? If so, please point it out.

 

I'd say only if the developers are lazy. Not that RPS combat doesn't have its perks, but there are just so many opportunities to do better than that. Is it a general tendency? I don't think so. At least not in the kind of RPGs this site covers. Modern (i.e. dumbed down) RPGs tend to (ab)use this more often than older ones. For instance, Mass Effect has shields, armor, and health, and abilities that effectively deal with each bar. Of course, if you see frost troll in D&D, you're obviously gonna go for your fire spells, but there are a lot of other ways to effectively deal with one as well. On the other hand, without proper planning, you generally end up with a smorgasbord of different abilities, many of which may be entirely useless and a few which are overpowered. This can be a particular problem in games with competitive game modes (like PvP in MMOs).

I think RPS mechanics are better suited to strategy or fighter games than they are to RPGs, but it depends on the game and execution.

 

I will say that a lot of RPG's incorporate some form of "X is better the Y but gets beaten by Z" system in their mechanics, if only to benefit balance.
Still, this is not so much pronounced as an actual game of RPS - usually it's still possible to beat an opposing weapon/skill even when at a disadvantage.