Tropes are Good Actually
Found family is one of, if not the most, popular tropes in TTRPGs. It is almost built into prototypical party dynamics. Unless you are playing a family of adventurers, a hired group that hates each other or some such other niche game. PCs end up becoming closer to the party than most blood relatives. TTRPGs also make this trope so easy to find at tables because of how players tend to write back stories. Whether it’s the orphaned rogue or paladin who watched their parents hang or wizard whisked away to an academy at a young age, many players have little to no family in the picture. So, particularly for long form campaigns, this dynamic develops naturally.
In the larger story telling picture it looms nearly as large across all fantasy. From Wheel of Time to LotR. It is a trope so powerfully resonant that it transcends fantasy and is found in genres like romance and historical fiction. Staying with TTRPGs though, when looking at the player base, it becomes clear that it is just not mechanically or narratively convenient that this trope arises. In so-called “nerd” or “geek” spaces there has always been an over representation of neurodivergent individuals. In the last 10-15 years there has been a significant increase of LGBTQIA+ people in these same spaces. And many more who identify with both.
The kind of individuals who often suffer from loneliness and feelings of estrangement or disconnection from their peers and often even their family. The trope of found family is almost a way of meta gaming. The closeness of the party is a direct reflection of the bonds at the table. A sort of magic that is greater than the sum of its parts, defying even laws of physics. When players care about each other and the story something truly special happens. It creates a feedback loop where greater investment in the game results in a deeper connection with your fellow players at the table. Thus resulting in each player wanting to do more and do better, for the table. Leading others to do the same. This feedback loop however loses no capacity or capability on each transference. Instead growing and strengthening the bonds and improving the experience exponentially.
Actors play TTRPGs. Writers play TTRPGs. Software engineers, busboys, and stay at home dads play TTRPGs. All for different interests and reasons but almost all of us long for what I described in the above paragraph. And despite the fact that our little family is more forced than found, I am so glad to be a part of the very special game that is Lantern Cove. These people have become a part of my life forever. Wherever I go, whatever I do, no matter if I keep playing forever or stop when Sera stops recording on our last episode, I will always look back fondly at this time and feel a warmth in my heart. And it won’t just be because of Raw Dawg. These people are more than my fellow cast members and friends. They are family.
David
