Greetings gamers from all systems, places and timelines!
Five years ago, the concept of having AI run a D&D, or any TTRPG, for a player would have sounded about as much of a fantasy as the game itself. And I know that some of you genuinely believe that entertaining this is making the world a worse place for various reasons. However, as someone who used to play a D&D game on my computer back in the day, which had literally zero graphics and reading choose-your-own-adventure style books, I’m willing to give this a shot.
Now, let me preface this by saying my observations are based on four different solo adventures, which I had ChatGPT run for me. Two were D&D campaigns, both set in unique worlds that DM Chris and DM Dave created. The other two were superhero-related, set in the Marvel and DC universes. One allowed me to add substance to the closing of an established character. Where in the other, a new street-level hero was born. But this is not entirely an AI love letter, so let’s dig into this and look at the good and the far from it.
Pro #1
It has a vast understanding of gaming regarding rules, mechanics, and lore. With some easy prompts, guidelines, and expectations, it can create a character for you quickly, and you can be playing in the campaign setting of your choice with nearly zero prep or world building. All of which ChatGPT can walk you through to get a feel for what you are looking for.
Con #1
Its memory is not infallible. While it can handle many details, it sometimes gets random things like your Armor Class wrong. Or it will start addressing you by a different character’s nickname. So, you definitely want to keep a character record that is separate from the chat the game is being held in, because it’s more than likely to forget some things about your character during the journey.
Pro #2
If you have a character idea and want to test it out, this is a decent place to do so. Because there is nothing quite like having seven character concepts and being in one game, which meets once a month. This will allow you to try and familiarize yourself with how the different classes and their abilities work. And if you don’t like how one of your concepts for a character is playing out, you can always just drop it and start a new one.
Con #2
It acts like the “Friend DM,” which means no isn’t something it says often. For example, if your 1st level character is looking to buy a piano, odds are you will not only find one, but it will be very reasonably priced. Which can be alright, but you need to look and not take advantage of the AI DMs generosity, which often is harder than it sounds.
Pro #3
You are the star of this show. If you need some main character energy in your life, it’s right here. You are the protagonist; unlike in video games, if you don’t feel like doing something, you won’t have to. In fact, you can tell it right from the get who you want to meet, what your goals are, and it’s happening. So it’s like you’re not only the driving force behind the show, but the director owes you money.
Con #3
While it can handle combat, because it’s a gentle parent, none of it is particularly challenging. To which you could add prompts to increase the difficulty for sure, but its normal setting feels more like easy mode. At times, my character would take his action, and then it would ask me what I would like to do next. To which I say, everyone else also gets their turn, and it’s like, “oh, of course, the three other hostile gladiators should do something, good point!”
Pro #4
You can explore new worlds or even old ones. Using ChatGPT, it allowed me to visit the Far East of Nanpa Shima (Dm Chris’ homebrew world) and the harsh land of Zaprora (DM Dave’s homebrew world). Both are homebrews that DMs Chris and Dave ran at different times, which I had not been a part of. They had been shelved in the archives, at least until now. So if you ever wanted to see what you missed out on, or revisit something that you really enjoyed but is long over, now is your chance.
Con #4
No computer program is going to have the magic of an actual tabletop game, at least in the respect where you will find yourself getting together with your real-world friends consistently, and sharing meals and a lot of laughs. And to be fair, the AI can have some funny moments and make some endearing characters, but nothing that’s going to make you want to retell a story that’s still funny weeks later.
Pro #5
What’s wrong with some lonely fun? It’s the same thing as playing a video game, except you don’t have to spend time learning the controls. Also, you can accomplish things in the story even when not sinking a great deal of time into it. If you find yourself free between 7:35 and 8:00 on a Wednesday night, you can go run a quest which actually can move the story along, and it will still feel somewhat rewarding.
Con #5
Some of its character dialogues have similar issues to its writing. You know where you tell it to shorten something, and the sentences are still somehow wordy? Like a person who didn’t read the assignment and now needs to talk about the topic for an additional five hundred words.
For example, in its descriptive texts, when I found a magical sword, it would say something to the effect of “this weapon of war is not just a sword, or a forgotten dream, but also a promise.” And I’m like, “wow, this +1 short sword sure has a lot going on huh?” Maybe it could describe what it looks like, instead of sounding like a rambling fortune cookie?
Final Thoughts
So, with our tour through the world of solo TTRPGs being leveraged by AI, I come to my final thoughts on the subject…
It can be fun and a great time killer, but don’t worry DMs, we aren’t out of a job yet!
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