Monster Power. Rebel Heart. Gay Sword: Queer Structures and Narrative Possibility in PbtA Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Abstract

Much of the scholarship on tabletop roleplaying games (TRPGs) has focused on representation of queer characters and ‘cues’ that signal to queer audiences [1]. Yet recent independent TRPGs have moved beyond cues that queer play is merely tolerated and instead integrate ludonarrative structures that actively encourage queer interactions. Drawing from queer game scholarship and discussions by queer game designers, this article uses the idea of the ‘playground’ of game design [2, 3] to identify queer structures in three Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) TRPGs: Voidheart Symphony (2020), Thirsty Sword Lesbians (2021), and Apocalypse Keys (forthcoming). In this case study, I show how these games frame key elements (safety tools, Conditions, personal doom, Bonds, and media inspirations) as structures [4] that actively support queer narrative possibility. I argue that these structures engender shared outcomes, namely: encouraging emotions, showcasing messy characters, clarifying the power of fiction, recognizing tension between community and self, reframing violence, and building inter-player support.