I was just talking about this article in one TTRPG group yesterday, so I'll copy my notes from there, and also add some extras:

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The tabletop roleplaying game feels like the perfect landscape for romance and sex stories to thrive within - especially when it comes to more modern TRPGs, where the goal is often to develop bonds between characters rather than win battles.

I wish they'd elaborate on this rather than list their wishes and examples of TTRPGs that don't quite get to it.

Putting the pen in the players’ hands gives them the opportunity to create the kinds of romantic and/or sexual narratives that they haven’t found elsewhere. Being able to play out those fictional stories themselves, without the looming creative dampener of a film executive or video game publisher, could be extremely liberating for players. Or it could just be an excuse to create your own playable White Lotus fan fiction.

This feels more like an endorsement for fanfics, independent writing or any sort of creation. And on that front I agree completely, as I've genereally given up on any sort of representation or genuine heartfelt creation that comes from a major studio or production, preferring small time artists instead. But extending that logic to TTRPGs don't make sense to me, because they aren't stories with characters, they're cooperative worldbuilding with real people, and people aren't predictable, controllable or easily manageable.

Personally speaking, I don't enjoy the thought of romance in TTRPGs, much less intimacy, for that exact reason. We already have to worry about lines, veils, and several other personal issues and barriers, not to mention trusting each other enough to be open about those subject matters and about opening ourselves, not to count the possibility of "bleeding". Adding a dedicated focus on romance and sex on top of that is yet another deep layer of discomfort and vulnerability that I doubt most people are ready for.

Are those themes viable in TTRPGs? Definitely so. Is it the ideal medium for it? Absolutely not, IMO.

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Adding to that, I don't think it is a coincidence that the games mentioned in the article somewhat succeed at having romantic relationships, much like other games succeed in having combat or violence; Because they're torrid, somewhat thoughtless and ultimately shallow (These aren't negative points).

No one is going to think of all the consequences or developments of having a fight in D&D or Masks or Blades, much like no one is going to overly elaborate on their feelings and thoughts in Monsterhearts or TSL. You're going to sink in those intense feelings of a flash crush or fight, deal with it then move on.

An actual romance would, first of all, involve genuine deep feelings between two characters, something you can't just write on a sheet of paper or mandate, and then develop those with personal, intimate actions and declarations.

I wouldn't say its impossible, but its far from easy or optimal.