My current campaign has a character whose parents still live in the town where the adventure is largely based. A lot of effort is spent convincing other townsfolk not to tell his mother what he's been up to. It's fantastic.
One of my favorite player backstories was a well-to-do guy having a midlife crisis and going on adventures while still writing home sometimes to assure The Wife that he's just on a business trip.
Player 1's father is obviously the Warlord.
Player 2's father is also the Warlord. He killed the father in the same way Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker.
Player 3's mother sold their soul for the Warlord to fall in love with her.
Player 4's Father is the Warlord and Player 3's Mother. Except after they got together they settled down for a happily ever after.
Those are the best characters though. They learn and change so much.
In my experience the "smirking in a dark corner of the tavern and has no living relatives or friends" characters don't really learn or change much on average; it's often a default setting that allows for murderhobo antics, or so the player believes.
I love the "happy backstory" characters and love GMing for them. Having an auntie the next village over is just wonderfully quaint. A couple of siblings whose mess has to be cleaned up. Cousins that have to be bailed out of trouble. That is just the low stakes. Turn up the heat a little and put some conflicting interests in the mix and you have a recipe for character drama.
And then there are all the larger and societal issues that become personal. Those affected by the situation are those that matter for the pc. While out killing goblins the bank took the farm. Auntie with an anarcho-syndicalist streak is accused of witchcraft.
Or mr edgy edgelord number fifteen who cares about nothing and none. My taste is clear - homebaked apple pie and an afternoon in the hammock.
I can confirm, having placed as such a character for three years, this is actually just kind of boring. It turns out that it doesn't really make you more relatable, it just makes you never able to get any scenes or storylines that involve your backstory.
If the "not really tragic backstory" person put some connections into the setting I can see lots of potential for a relatable character. If the city's in danger and that's where their family is, that's a freebie. If there's someone in their family they don't like that's in danger, even some room for comedy.
The trick for that is to get really really invested in the other characters backstory and really want them to succeed and get their revenge or happy end. That way, you are always in the spotlight too.
hottest of takes: Personal tragedies in your backstory are overrated. Heck, having a large, complex backstory is overrated too. Many of the best characters I have ever played have had the most basic of backstories and motivations. It's so much more fun to throw your all into the story the DM is telling my inventing a reason why you care super hard, rather then wanting to have the story be about your character specifically.
