Great article, and a great point that I’ve long agreed with. This got me thinking about D&D and tabletop games in general. Its actually really funny to see how these games have changed over the years as the self-fulfilling idea that “every story follows the hero’s journey” compounds over and over again in a medium that is inherently cooperative and team based.

The main inspiration for many TTRPGs are movies and video games now, so you get all these games heavily focused on violence as a solution and solitary heroes (acting as an Avengers-like team up) are the only means of enacting that solution.

Its a real shame because there are lots of games (and stories to tell with then) with many different focuses that don’t get much attention anymore. What about Traveller and being a ragtag group that’s just trying to survive on the fringes of space? What about big LARPs where political maneuvering and alliances matter more than stats and dice?

Nope, everything wants to be the easily packaged-and -sold core group battle dynamics of MMOs and service games. You need your DPS, your tank, and your support class. You need flashy superhero flaming punches to show off how cool your dude is.

I’m glad the indie RPG scene is stronger than ever and making weirder, queerer games than ever. Because we desperately need antidotes to mainstream culture (which has been completely taken over by private equity) that can offer novel visions of how we might live and dream.

Any story where someone learns something or changes is a hero’s journey. A picaresque is a classic story type which is a not a hero’s journey because no one learns anything or changes. This makes me think of Seinfeld and the sitcom form

The article’s suggestion of an ensemble cast with multiple viewpoints being a way to get around the hero’s journey is interesting. Did anyone learn anything in the classic ensemble comedy Rat Race?

I’m not sure about assigning virtue to eschewing the form, but I do think it’s worthwhile to place constraints on one’s writing

Who downvotes I wonder? I cannot wait to read and write different narratives. Superhero fatigue is real, but the brainwashing is strong.