In honor of Valentine’s, it’s time for an RPG romance story. And as palate cleansing contrast to the comic, this one’s actually got a happy ending.

Here’s the setup. We were in an Exalted 2e game, and two of my players decided to go for a shared backstory.  One of their PCs, a gruff old bear type, gave up the love of his life for arcane power. His lover sold her soul in despair. So she comes back out of the underworld to find him, spends the whole campaign adventuring beside him, and finally gets him to fall back in love, sacrificing his power in turn.

So it’s grand finale time, and the last scene of the last session comes around. Evil is defeated, the forces of Hell held at bay, etc. He goes in for the kiss, and the whole table is ready for Gone With the Wind: iconic tableau, lower curtain, roll credits. But she puts a hand up to stop him.

“I’ve been chasing you too long. Now it’s your turn.”

She walks off into the sunset, he swears to follow after. Lower curtain. Roll credits. End of campaign.

Given the awkwardness that intraparty romance can inflict on a table, I had prepared myself to endure a cringe-fest of a melodrama. Much to my surprise and delight, it turned out to be some of the finest role playing I’ve ever seen. Lots of drama, simmering resentment, and zero awkwardness. Player maturity eff tee dub.

How about you kids? Ever have a successful romance in an RPG?

 

ARE YOU THE KIND OF DRAGON THAT HOARDS ART? Then you’ll want to check out the “Epic Hero” reward level on our Handbook of Heroes Patreon. Like the proper fire-breathing tyrant you are, you’ll get to demand a monthly offerings suited to your tastes! Submit a request, and you’ll have a personalized original art card to add to your hoard. Trust us. This is the sort of one-of-a-kind treasure suitable to a wyrm of your magnificence.