TTP-RPG support with AI
01. Overview
Storytelling and pretend play are not mere hobbies, but core human behaviors which persist across different times and cultures. Collaborative storytelling facilitates meaningful communication and deep social bonds.
In modern times, a version of those age-old activities grew to become a structured hobby, where a group gathers to weave together a story using one of many possible game systems, which is a knows set of rules designed to facilitate a desired experience and help participants collaborate their creative work.
The TTP-RPG (TableTop Roleplaying games) field supported buy a large industry with a high rate of content generation, and driven by a community or amateur creators passionate about developing their own “homebrew” versions and ideas.
02. Challenge
To illustrate an example of the challenges faced by new (and often veteran players) wishing to join a group using a system unfamiliar to them, one can attempt to explore the full content of the “Werewolf the Apocalypse” franchise, which to date ( 3/2025 ) spans over 120 books detailing story elements, abilities and rules. While only one core book is strictly necessary, passionate fans are well versed in the full span of content and it’s variations. This creates a crates a rift between new and experienced players, leading newcomers to feel too inadequate to participate fully in the hobby.
How can the use of AI support players while maintaining the core experience of gaming a human-centered and expressive endeavor?
03. Research
Research for this project focused on interviews with players of various styles and experience levels.
15 Players were interviewed about their style of play, their habits and challenges during gaming sessions and their motivations for participating in the hobby. After a qualitative analysis of the gathered data, I was able to devise the core principles of design for this system.
04. Design process
1. A non-persona AI: Players emphasized their goal in gaming sessions is to socialize and create with other people, expressing disdain to the idea that an AI system will take a social-like role in the experience.
2. Respect for personal creativity: Players are often highly invested and emotionally attached to their characters and stories. The system’s role is to help the user by making the content and rules accessible, but never generate content or take par tin the creative process.
3. Unintrusiveness: Many new or system-illiterate players find themselves embarrassed too embarrassed to ask for help, feeling they are slowing the group down or distracting other players from the main activity. The system must give quick useful answers while not interrupting the group dynamic.
I chose chat interface accompanying a GUI of the players character sheet was chosen to achieve these aims.
The practical aspect of design included creative various conversation flows modeled in the process players described during research. These flows were validated first through a “Wizard of Oz” method, than with the developed chatbot.
05. Outcome
Due to the course time constraints, a Proof-of-concept VoiceFlow chatbot was created and trained on the “Changeling the Lost-second edition” game system, due to it’s relative low volume of official content at the time.
The PoC was presented in a basic webpage mockup featuring the chat alongside a character sheet.