In recent years, artificial intelligence has seeped into many facets of our lives, from personal assistants to smart home devices. The best-known of these platforms is probably OpenAI’s ChatGPT, an AI language model that can engage in conversations, answer questions, and even generate “creative” content, though labelling it as such will raise more than a few protests. But, can it enhance your tabletop roleplaying game experience?
Maybe.
There are definite uses for AI language models like ChatGPT in this context. The ability to generate instant NPC Dialogue on the fly can be very handy. Creating and managing numerous NPCs can be challenging for any GM. ChatGPT can generate instant and varied dialogues, making interactions smoother and more dynamic. Whether you need a shopkeeper’s quirky banter or a villain’s menacing monologue, this is something that the platform can really deliver on.
What about if you’re stuck in a creative rut? ChatGPT can help brainstorm plot twists, new quests, or intriguing story hooks. By providing a few keywords or a basic premise, you can receive a slew of innovative ideas to rejuvenate your campaign. Whatever you get will likely need a little bit of work to make it fit your game, but that’s okay.
There’s also technical uses. While ChatGPT isn’t a substitute for the official rulebooks, it can quickly offer clarifications or summaries of specific rules. This can help keep the game flowing without constant interruptions to look up information. I wouldn’t necessarily assume reliability on this, however; many is the time I have asked a question only for it to make up a “creative” answer rather than provide an accurate one.
Finally, painting vivid images of new locations can be tough. ChatGPT can craft detailed descriptions to bring your settings to life. Whether it’s a bustling city market or a dark, eerie forest, this AI can set the scene, and anything it creates can be supplemented by AI-generated “art” from another platform.
It’s not all rosy, of course. There’s no getting away from the fact that this is algorithmically-generated text. By definition it lacks emotional nuance. One of the core elements of RPGs is the emotional connection between players and characters. While ChatGPT can generate dialogue, it often lacks the depth and nuance that human interaction provides. This can sometimes make conversations feel flat or unengaging. I say this despite the apparent surge in popularity for AI chatbots that seem designed to prey upon the lonely.
AI-generated content can occasionally be inconsistent, especially in long-running campaigns. Keeping track of intricate details and ensuring continuity in the storyline can be a challenge for ChatGPT, leading to potential plot holes or contradictions. The longer a conversation with these AI platforms goes, the more cognitive drift you seem to see.
I previously mentioned the possibility of using ChatGPT for rules clarifications. While ChatGPT can offer rule clarifications, its understanding is based on its training data and might not always align with the official rules or the DM’s interpretations. This can cause confusion or disputes during gameplay.
If you do find these tools useful, that can become a problem in itself. Leaning too heavily on ChatGPT can stifle the creativity and spontaneity that make RPGs unique. Players and DMs can easily become dependent on the AI, which could diminish the collaborative and imaginative spirit of the game. We play these games for a shared experience; a human connection. Removing the intrinsic humanity is really counter to the whole ethos, at least to me.
I don’t know about you, but I like these language models as a concept, and taken in context for what they actually are, with all of their limitations. I find them useful for automating routine things. But do I want my games to be routine? I roleplay to escape routine. I roleplay to engage with other people. I can see the value of AI in helping with some prep work prior to a game, but I worry about the spread of it. I don’t like seeing it used during games. I like to feel connected to other players and my GM.
No Rerolls 
I meant to respond to this sooner, as it’s often a matter of discussion among my friends.
ChatGPT, as a tool, is fantastic to extrapolate an existing idea a person had on their own, filling in minor details. I use it for this purpose extensively. However, I also do not use any of the output “as is”, as it often lacks the “human touch” required to really work for an RPG or Tabletop scenario or background.
It is similarly bad at writing dialogue, as it’s effectively just a glorified auto-suggest spellcheck on steroids. That, and it copies with abandon a lot of existing styles in writing without understanding how and why it works, leading to awkward verbiage.
However, I can’t hate on it entirely. My friends often get annoyed if I bounce ideas off of them all the time, or worse, if they are active players in any rpg I’m running, it gives away the plot! And relying entirely on Reddit or Facebook to bounce ideas of off isn’t any more creative most of the time. ChatGPT is that tool for me, letting me see how far I can take a setting idea before ruling it as viable or not. And occasionally it surprises me with a genuinely good idea.
But it isn’t at the point of full maturity to be used AS a game engine on its own, driving dialogue and more. I run a Large Language Model on my home computer, with no real safety guardrails for text output(which given ChatGPT’s restrictions), which is needed to properly workshop an idea that may run foul of copyright.
But the problem is, the sheer energy needed to run these systems is gargantuan, and while ChatGPT is probably smart enough to run a game, it’ll hallucinate after a bit as it reaches the maximum “tokens” it can remember. If ChatGPT, running on massive amounts of power, cannot remember a long campaign, it’s useless in the long term.
And a better question may instead be, can we AFFORD to use it as a tool like this? It’s horrible on the environment, and unless it’s powered by renewable energy sources efficiently, it’s not something I see being used for mere “gaming”, no one can afford to. RPGs and tabletop explore themes thar 100% breach what ChatGPT is willing to discuss, and home models aren’t at the point we can use, and given the energy cost….I doubt they ever will be.
I do fear what it’s done to blogging is irreversible; blogs generated by AI content now pollute the space to a degree that getting actual human content in a search is getting hard. And that’s without mentioning that data used in these models is pulled without care to copyright half the time, with even my own paltry blog being used as a source for VBCW content! I can’t say I’m thrilled about that, but it is what it is.
I do think it has merit, but one must be cautious on how it’s used. Beyond being a trap creatively, it has far more dangerous potential. I’m not doomsaying necessarily, just cautioning those who rely on it too heavily.
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I hadn’t considered the environmental element, but you’re correct.
The point about it being a big ol’ text predictor is something I think a lot of people don’t understand, leading them to having a higher opinion of it.
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