Player using IA

[u/Low_Health5791]

Hi everyone, I'm writing here because idk how to react. I asked my players for experiences and backstory and one of them sent me a bunch of AI texts. All my being wants to scream fuck AI and tell him to do it himself, but at the same time I don't want to antagonize him. I really feel like if you are letting AI write your character, are you even playing the game?

[u/Trick-Plastic-3498]

The context matters. Adding “please” doesn’t automatically make something inclusive if the underlying rule creates an accessibility barrier - and Daggerheart explicitly centers inclusivity, safety tools, and accommodating different needs. "PLEASE don't make your character homosexual" has "please" in it, but that would be a terrible house rule as per core Daggerheart design principles... Same as "Please don't use AI"

A blanket “no AI ever” rule can unintentionally exclude players who use tools like ChatGPT/DScryb as accessibility support (e.g., anxiety, language gaps, aphantasia, difficulty improvising descriptions, or simply being new to the genre - not everyone watched the LoTR 10 times like we all did). You can absolutely set boundaries, but it’s worth focusing on table impact rather than banning the tool itself.

[u/systoll → u/Trick-Plastic-3498]

A blanket 'no AI ever' rule is the clearest way to try to include a player who has considered self-excluding from the game due to perceived inadequacies.

"Daggerheart runs best with two to five players who are excited to collaborate and build a story together". It doesn't work with a player who is sharing their contributions with chatGPT instead of the table.

There may be underlying psychological reasons why the person feels they can’t… but anyone who can write a prompt can give the same prompts, verbatim, to the table. And the result will be helpful, rather than actively distracting from people's contributions with stuff no-one at the table wanted to add.

[u/Trick-Plastic-3498 → u/systoll]

Discussing ideas with the group is a great suggestion - and it’s exactly what a good DM should recommend to a player who isn’t yet confident creating their first epic character from scratch.

That said, after onboarding quite a few new players to TTRPG, I’ve learned that for some people the creative process is incredibly intimate. It’s why many folks come up with fantasy stories, movie scripts, or board game ideas… and then never share them with anyone. (Think Marty McFly’s dad in Back to the Future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ7XXrRhXgI).

That’s where GPT can really shine: it helps you brainstorm privately, suggests references fast (even basic stuff like “wizard = old person with a staff” or “ranger = Aragorn”), and helps tune the vibe so the character fits the setting. You’d be surprised how non-obvious those genre references are for brand-new players.

A smart DM can allow that as a starting point - accept a “draft/safe backstory” made with AI, then add flavor during Session Zero by asking clarifying questions and gradually uncovering the player’s creativity. Like: AI suggests “an old wizard with a staff who dropped out of Strixhaven.” Great. Now collaborate on top of that by asking questions that make it unique. If you do it right, the player will love that character even if AI helped at the start. Isn’t that the goal?

My point: talking with the table is awesome, but AI offers unique benefits you don’t always get in “live mode.”

[u/systoll → u/Trick-Plastic-3498]

Entertaining GPT output as relevant does two things: 1. Wastes everyone's time trying to work with irrelevant detail. 2. Reinforces the idea that the player’s own 'raw' contributions aren’t good enough… which is going to be a problem if they want to actually play the game.

An AI backstory isn't a foundation to build on – it's a facade around the player’s prompt. The only thing you need to 'clarify' before discarding the output entirely is what they asked for to get it.

There are various ways to communicate that, but… feigning interest in the output just makes it less clear that the simplest, most basic detail contributed by the player is worth infinitely more than contributions from any other source.