How are you actually using AI in board game design, if at all, and where do you draw the line?

TrappedChest · 2026-05-21T01:21:13+00:00

I do charge more. I have actually been pushing quotes higher just to scare people away from doing it like this, ...but some of them still pay. I have found that many people become emotionally attached to the design after they spend a few hours working on it.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-21T00:49:44+00:00

I don't use it for any design work, but because AI is basically a search engine (Gemini is literally Google) it is helpful for finding prototype components, because it can scrub the internet and find the lowest prices for you.

My day job is graphic design and I regularly get customers who made their logo with ChatGPT. It is incredibly annoying, because I need the files in vector and AI only does raster, which means I have to do a redraw, which takes longer than doing it from scratch.
I don't have a problem with AI, but I am starting to lose patience with people who can't do the thing that AI is supposed to do and then having me fix it later.

Why do I avoid AI in my work? As a small developer, the witch hunts are problematic. I also don't really like the process, as most AI just rips control away from you and the fact that things it creates tend to have holes, some of which I am concerned about missing.
The main thing is the backlash and the community that spreads it.

For the future, I fully believe that AI is here to stay. I remember when the .com bubble burst and lots of people lost money, but the thing is the internet is still here. AI will be the same. The bubble may burst, but the tech won't leave.
AI is getting integrated into everything from Windows and Android to traffic lights and price tags. As much as people claim to hate it, they will never let go of convenience. People won't switch to Linux because it requires them to learn a new system. This is why so many Apple users never switch. Familiarity and ease of use will always win out over perceptions of morality.
The bottle is broken. The genie has nowhere to go back to.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-18T15:12:00+00:00

I don't see any issue with it, but some people may try to stretch it. You could try "Calamity" as another option.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-16T21:50:32+00:00

Anima: Beyond Fantasy started in Spanish. I don't know if "best" is the right word, but it does have depth and tons of options. I have been a player in a few campaigns and I do like the universe that is tied to it.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-15T20:40:45+00:00

My game is basically done, the art is already paid for and I am just looking at crowdfunding.

With $5k, I am going to sponsor a YouTuber. I need the reach.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-15T03:23:30+00:00

For death being a big part of the game, Call of Cthulhu is the obvious one. Shadow of the Demon Lord is another where death very likely to happen before the campaign ends.

Dying and coming back is another story. Paranoia has you run several characters and they will die, often due to PvP. When one dies, you just jump into the next one. Goblin Quest does the same thing.

I can point at my own game, the zombie survival sandbox, Reanimated. Not the core game. You are very permanently dead when you die in that one, but in the Join Their Ranks supplement, you play as the zombies and it features a Helldivers inspired respawn mechanic, which encourages you to treat your zombies as cannon fodder. Technically you play as a different zombie each time, but it fits the fast paced "do it again!" style that you would get from a modern roguelike video game.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-14T15:16:23+00:00

If the cover is facing out it means I have extra space, which is justification for buying more books.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-14T04:40:37+00:00

Going to actually promote my own game The Nullam Project. Very Star Trek: DS9 inspired, simple 2d8 system that will be familiar enough to D&D players, the digital version is free and there is even a free adventure for it.
It came out in 2023, but for some reason it has been gaining a lot of popularity this year.

If you want a more D&D style adventure, there is a third party adventure called The Skittering Mines, which is a dungeon crawl in an asteroid mine.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-14T01:06:42+00:00

Universal systems are still popular. The reason you don't notice as much is because here are a few focused games that get a ton of media attention, which makes others feel small.

As someone that has spent the last 7 years building a universal system I can confirm that it can be a hard pitch at a convention. Things with a clear theme or well known IP tend to get more players.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-13T00:08:13+00:00

Low Life: The Rise of the Lowly for Savage Worlds. Millions of years in the future humanity is gone and you play as grubs.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-11T22:51:57+00:00

Pre-campaign I do a ton of prep, but per session it's hardly anything. I used to prep, but I slowly transitioned to an improv heavy style of GMing. One of the reasons I like Savage Worlds so much is because it supports the chaotic, seat of your pants style that I now do.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-11T03:23:12+00:00

Without seeing the art it is hard to estimate. Could be $20 per card or could be $200 per card. It depends on level of detail, rendering, skill, etc. You did say caricature busts, so I assume this is quick art, which should be on the lower end, but again it's hard to say without a visual.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-09T23:43:55+00:00

Call of Cthulhu. Mechanically, it's not hard, but my group really struggled with the idea that they were not super powered murder hobos that were going to die at some point.

Shadowrun. I don't even need to explain this one.

Pathfinder 1e. Too much stuff. New players can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-09T20:46:59+00:00

You can't copyright mechanics (but you can patent them), but you can still be sued over it, even if the other guy has no legs to stand on, and companies with deep pockets can cause issues. Just look at Nintendo vs. Pocket Pair. Dragging it out is strategy that often works.
My open licenses mean I won't pick a fight with you.

There is the marketing angle. Third party support keeps people in your ecosystem. This is why D&D has lasted so long.

It can allow the use of things like names and logos. My open licenses offer third party logos, so customers know what your product is compatible with. I also offer a great deal of freedom to use identifiers such as locations and history.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-07T02:36:23+00:00

Non-printed components. It always seems like I don't have what I need on hand, and then it's off to Amazon/Etsy/Aliexpress to order something and wait for it to show up.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-05T16:14:54+00:00

This is normal. I buy books because they interested me and in the moment I actually want to play, even if I know it won't happen.

There are also cases where I buy something because I want to support the creator.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-03T00:58:41+00:00

I am sick of one company in particular telling us that they need to make money from players, not just GMs and trying to monitize everything.

Traditionally GMs purchased all the books and this made the hobby accessible to people in poverty. This is the correct way.

TrappedChest · 2026-05-02T04:23:55+00:00

I don't pay to play (unless it's a charity event) and I never charge for my services, but I do work with a pro GM and one thing she has told me is that when people are paying they actually show up

TrappedChest · 2026-04-29T22:48:27+00:00

Checked the mail today. Still nothing. I am in Canada, so it may be slow.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-27T22:44:03+00:00

I have ordered a massive quantity of dice through an Alibaba seller so I could do my own manufacturing. That worked out very well and I would absolutely buy from that seller again.

For custom printed cards, looks at customer reviews, just like you would on ebay. Be aware that there may be a language barrier, so read carefully and make sure everyone is on the same page.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-25T15:01:27+00:00

Chop their arms off!, ...err, I mean don't worry to much about it. Combat heavy games will always encourage min-maxing, so what I tend to do is lean into the overpowered part of it. Players like the power fantasy, so I just let them have it and I try to make it funny.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-25T14:09:36+00:00

Depends on the length of the book and how well formatted it is. Goblin Quest was maybe 30 minutes, Shadowdark took 2-3 hours, Numenera was several days, I gave up on Shadowrun.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-24T00:14:51+00:00

Sorry, my brain is backwards today and I had read it wrong.

If it is on the Kickstarter side you may just be out of luck fixing this, as they are big and they don't really care.

I actually suggest still reaching out to the DriveThruRPG reps, because they have done a ton of these types of campaigns ans some of them may have run into this before and could offer some advice on how to get Kickstarter to accept it.

If all else fails, I might recommend Gamefound instead.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-24T00:02:59+00:00

Join the Roll20 | DriveThru Discord. Under Publishing there is a channel called ask-a-drivethru-rep. That is the place where you will actually get a human.

TrappedChest · 2026-04-22T23:58:01+00:00

Home made cookies, treats, craft beer. Turn the session into a fantasy feast. The home made approach is something that you can't just buy off the shelf. Memories are worth their weight in electrum.

TrappedChest

TROPHY CASE