After the last episode of #InTooDeep on @RuleOfLore , I found myself riding a high of enjoyment and satisfaction. I've done some thinking about why I enjoyed it so much.

**This contains spoilers for the show (and Dragon Heist), so if you care about that, read no further!

The short explanation is this: Representation. For those that don't know, the cast (including myself) is entirely LGBTQ+. During this episode, the party received an old, run down tavern and decided to fix it up to run as a business.

While there are *several* issues with WotC, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is one of their best modules when it comes to LGBTQ representation (I suspect, because there were several awesome people involved with it's creation, such as @matthewmercer ).

This became very apparent when the party went to meet the neighbors. The first one they went to was a non-binary wood elf who owned an apothecary/potion shop (with a little greenhouse on the top floor). I could feel the joy and love the party felt for this one NPC immediately.

This continued through the rest of the neighbors. ESPECIALLY when it came to the married gay couple who ran the local blacksmith's shop. The party was so utterly engaged and smitten by the neighbors of Trollskull Manor.

One player even said "Oh yeah, I forgot there was a main plot going on" when I introduced a plot hook. The amount of enjoyment and joy that they experienced in the episode was infectious, to the point where I actually forgot to tell them they leveled up at the end of the episode!

Now what was the reason for this joy? As I mentioned at the beginning: Representation. They were so happy and excited to see these NPCs that represented the LGBTQ+ community. I did my best to highlight these wonderful NPCs, and it paid off heavily.

If, for whatever reason, you need a reason why representation is important: Watch Episode 2 of In Too Deep. The sheer joy and engagement that the cast had is reason enough.

That being said, Wizards of the Coast should learn from moments like this, and take that as a sign to take big steps towards hiring diverse staff and representing all communities in D&D. These communities are the future of TTRPGs.

Now that the rant is over, here's where you can watch the show if you'd like! (As well as other shows from @RuleOfLore because they're fantastic).

Twitch (VOD available now!): https://www.twitch.tv/ruleoflore 
Youtube (In Too Deep VODs go up on Saturdays): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Lsf28S6i9hSKJ0qmJzv6A