A note on context
The tabletop gaming community has real, well-founded reasons to be skeptical of AI-generated content. Uninspired adventures or flat out anatomically wrong illustrations are symptoms that point to a modern problem: ignoring the craft.
Below is how generative tools fit into our process, and where they don’t.
Art & Imagery
Our visual work comes from three sources: licensed human-made artwork, commissioned original pieces, and AI-assisted imagery that has been significantly reworked by hand. When we commission artists, they are credited by name and compensated for their work. That will always be true.
Our no-raw-output rule:
We do not publish unedited AI-generated images. When AI tools enter our visual pipeline, they function as a starting point and not the finished piece. From there, our team applies photo-manipulation, overpainting, color grading, and integration with the rest of the product.
It may be helpful to think of our use of AI-generated images as compositing with AI as just another source. We may combine multiple AI illustrations with a commissioned or licensed human-made artwork to give it a background or fit the adventure’s layout.
Final approval always rests with a human art director. We are not interested in the high-contrast, anatomically suspicious aesthetic that gives AI art a bad reputation. If a piece doesn't match the tone of the world we're building, it doesn't go in the book.
Music & Atmosphere
Our music and sound follows the same no raw output rule.
AI-generated music frequently errs in a way studio musicians would not. It might miss a chord in a progression or the harmonies may wander away from the themes. Sometimes, the transitions lack intention. Other times, the structure of a song might not return home. Because of that, every track goes through a human production process. We treat AI outputs as raw stems rather than finished tracks. We cut sections, adjust arrangements, rebuild transitions, and shape dynamics so that the final piece serves play at the table. In some cases, we replace individual stems with human-performed parts to improve consistency, tone, and musicality. What begins as a generated sketch often becomes something materially different by the time it reaches your session.
Writing, Adventures & Design
AI does not write our products.
Where it touches our writing process at all, it's early and limited. For example, we may use it to generate name lists, brainstorm room concepts, or simply “roll on ideas” the way you might roll on a random table. All final adventures, rules mechanics, narrative voice, and editorial decisions are authored, revised, and playtested by people. We do not publish unedited machine drafts. The voice you read is the voice of our writers.
How We Think About These Tools
We treat AI similarly to other tools in the production workflow, like layout software, photo editing programs, or virtual instruments. These things can increase efficiency, but they don’t replace craftsmanship, judgment, or taste (and we don't expect them to).
By using AI-assisted tools, we can expand what a small team can produce and protect the time our designers need for encounter balance, narrative structure, playtesting, editing, and art direction.
We do not misrepresent authorship. AI-assisted work is not presented as purely human-made, and commissioned artists are credited by name. When generative tools are part of our process, we are transparent about it.
Tools will evolve. Our commitment to craftsmanship, transparency, and human-led design will not.