Batman Gambit/Tabletop Games


 * In Warhammer 40000: The Eldar, all the time. Because they specialise in reading the various futures that arise from each course of action, they know exactly how to manouevre their enemies into doing what they want. The Eldar call this pragmatism; everyone else calls them a bunch of underhanded bastards.
 * The "Social Combat" rules in the New World of Darkness allow someone to do this. Between Sway (persuading or manipulating others), Anticipation (predicting people or events) and Setup (organising people in order to set events in motion), it is possible to make such plans (or retroactively work them in after the fact).
 * A good Tabletop RPG Game Master will do this to some extent to prevent things from going Off the Rails without the players feeling Rail Roaded. Have the players decided to take the left hand path or a right hand path? Doesn't matter. The Bandits just happened to set up the ambush on whichever route the players choose.
 * In the card game Werewolf, Mafia, Doppelganger, or whatever you want to call it (pretty much all the same), there is one option that can put all of the suspicion off of an attacking player - choosing to attack themselves. If this player can manipulate the nurse/haywitch/whatever to protect them for that round, then they'll be safe, and probably in a good position to win. However, this is very risky, and if it doesn't succeed, then they immediately lose.