[Guide] : Using ChatGPT and AI Tools to Create Worlds Inspired By Your Favourite Authors

Introduction

Whether you’re designing a new tabletop RPG, building a play-by-post adventure, or developing a scenario for your group, AI tools like ChatGPT and other creative AI technologies can be powerful assets.

They can help you emulate the writing style of your favorite author, create immersive worlds, and generate dynamic content that feels authentic to the works of the author you admire.

This guide will walk you through how to use AI tools to create elements of your RPG campaign, drawing inspiration from a specific author’s unique voice, themes, and tone.

1. Analyzing the Author’s Style

Before you start creating RPG content in your chosen author’s style, it’s essential to understand their writing style. Here’s how ChatGPT can assist in analyzing and emulating that style:

Example Tasks:

• Analyze Dialogue: Ask ChatGPT to analyze common patterns in dialogue from your favorite author. For instance, you could prompt ChatGPT with:
  “Can you analyze the dialogue style of J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters in The Lord of the Rings and summarize their tone, vocabulary, and syntax?”
  ChatGPT can help identify the specific traits, such as formal or poetic language, pacing, and character tone.
• Tone and Atmosphere: If you’re drawn to a particular author’s atmosphere—like the eerie and mysterious tone of Stephen King or the dark humor of Terry Pratchett—ask ChatGPT to break down the elements that make the tone unique. For example, you might prompt:
  “Explain the elements that create the ominous, suspenseful tone in Stephen King’s writing.”

Using AI:

Once you’ve identified key aspects of the author’s style, use this information to guide your RPG content creation.

2. Worldbuilding and Setting Design

When building a world for your RPG, you can ask ChatGPT to generate ideas that fit the specific atmosphere and themes of the author. For example, creating a fantasy world with the same complexity and depth as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth or the vibrant, multi-layered world of Ursula K. Le Guin.

Example Tasks:

• Creating Detailed Lore: If your author is known for detailed lore (e.g., Tolkien’s Silmarillion), you could ask ChatGPT to create mythologies or histories that fit the world you’re building.
  “Create a mythological backstory for an ancient civilization that fits into a world with high fantasy, much like Tolkien’s Middle-earth.”
• Descriptive Locations: To generate locations that match the author’s style, ask ChatGPT to describe a specific setting. For example:
  “Describe a forest filled with ancient magic and hidden dangers in the style of J.R.R. Tolkien.”

Using AI:

AI can help generate vast, interconnected lore, character histories, and environmental details that match the thematic depth of your chosen author. These elements will make your world feel as immersive as any classic novel.

3. Creating Characters and NPCs

Role-playing games rely heavily on rich characters, and AI can help you generate characters that fit into your author’s universe. Whether you’re creating protagonists, NPCs, or villains, ChatGPT can assist in designing compelling, multi-dimensional characters.

Example Tasks:

• Character Backstories: Ask ChatGPT to create a backstory for an NPC based on the themes of your chosen author. For example:
  “Generate a backstory for a noble warrior with a tragic past in the style of George R.R. Martin.”
• Character Dialogues: To capture an author’s unique voice in their characters’ dialogue, you could ask ChatGPT:
  “Write a conversation between two NPCs in a medieval fantasy setting, using language and tone similar to that of J.R.R. Tolkien’s characters.”

Using AI:

Once you have a clear idea of how your author’s characters speak and behave, you can use AI to populate your RPG world with rich, authentic personalities. Whether you need an ally, a mentor, or a villain, AI can give them unique voices and motivations, all in your favorite author’s style.

4. Crafting Story Arcs and Quests

AI can also help generate plot ideas and quests that are in line with your favorite author’s storytelling techniques. Whether you’re after epic, sweeping narratives or character-driven subplots, ChatGPT can help you brainstorm and flesh out your ideas.

Example Tasks:

• Quest Generation: Ask ChatGPT to create a quest that matches the moral complexity of a George Orwell or Aldous Huxley novel.
  “Generate a quest where the hero must make a morally ambiguous decision, similar to themes in George Orwell’s 1984.”
• Narrative Arcs: If you want an overarching story in the style of an author who uses intricate plots (like George R.R. Martin), you can prompt:
  “Create a multi-layered plot involving political intrigue, betrayals, and war, in the style of A Song of Ice and Fire.”

Using AI:

AI tools can help shape the backbone of your story, suggesting twists, conflicts, and resolutions that follow the tone and style of the author you admire. This is invaluable for creating complex narrative arcs that keep your players engaged.

5. Generating Unique Art and Visuals

Although AI tools like ChatGPT focus on text, other tools like DALL·E can help you create unique visuals. You can use AI-generated art to illustrate characters, settings, or key scenes, and you can guide the tool to reflect your favorite author’s aesthetic.

Example Tasks:

• Setting Concepts: Ask DALL·E to generate a concept art image based on a location you’ve created in your world, like a dark forest or an ancient ruin, in the style of your favorite author’s descriptions. For example:
  “Create an image of an ancient city overtaken by nature, with stone buildings crumbling and lush greenery growing through, inspired by the style of J.R.R. Tolkien’s descriptions of ancient places.”
• Character Portraits: For your NPCs or players, ask DALL·E to generate portraits based on descriptions of characters in the author’s style, such as:
  “Create a portrait of a wise old wizard, with a long white beard and a staff, inspired by the characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s works.”

Using AI:

AI-generated art will allow you to visually represent your world and characters, enhancing the immersive experience for your players or readers. You can even create unique handouts or campaign materials that feel like they were drawn from your chosen author’s world.

6. Crafting Play-by-Post Scenarios

For play-by-post RPGs, AI tools can help you generate scenarios that unfold slowly over time, offering players new challenges, revelations, and moments of character growth.

Example Tasks:

• Scene Creation: Ask ChatGPT to generate scenes with rich descriptions, just as a novel might. For example:
  “Write a detailed scene in which the players discover a forgotten temple deep in the forest, with eerie statues and a hidden trap, in the style of classic high fantasy novels.”
• Player Prompts: ChatGPT can help you create prompts to guide players, reflecting the tone of your favorite author. For example:
  “Provide a prompt for players to role-play a tense negotiation between two rival factions, written in the style of George R.R. Martin.”

Using AI:

For play-by-post, AI-generated scenes and prompts can keep the story engaging, creating opportunities for players to interact with each other and the world in ways that feel both natural and inspired by the author’s narrative style.

Conclusion

AI tools like ChatGPT, DALL·E, and others offer an exciting opportunity to bring your RPG ideas to life, all while capturing the essence of your favorite author’s style. From worldbuilding and character creation to quest design and visual art, these tools can enrich your creative process and make your RPGs feel deeply authentic to the literary worlds you love.

By analyzing the writing style, themes, and tone of your chosen author, you can generate content that feels seamless and true to their voice, whether you’re designing a tabletop RPG campaign or a play-by-post adventure.