There are ways to make your game even more engaging and draw players deeper into the experience. Here is something I discovered a few weeks ago.
I am always on the lookout for ways to make my games more interesting and to draw players deeper into the setting. I’ve tried many things: keeping session diaries, writing storyteller input chapters, using visual aids, and more. Many of these work well, and many players enjoy having something to do and reflect on between sessions.
All of my groups use social media to communicate between sessions, plan the next session, discuss narratives, and ask questions about the setting and the development of their characters. This is awesome, it helps build camaraderie and friendship, some of which often outlast the groups themselves.
However, I recently discovered a new tool that I have been having a lot of fun using to enrich my games. When I am not playing, planning, or writing RPG games, I teach Icelandic. As part of my job, I learned to use Notebook LM, an AI tool developed by Google. This is a great asset for any game master.
Planning a Session
I uploaded all my notes and ideas to NotebookLM. When I have ideas, I often run them by NotebookLM and ask the tool to help me develop them further. The tool uses only the source material I provide and helps me build an even more solid setting, ensuring I never stray from the path already laid out.
For example, I am running a Daggerheart game in a setting I created and call Thulera. I have written over 50k words for the setting (it’s just the way I like to work), and the players have access to most of it. I have the setting’s history more or less laid out, along with descriptions of interesting locales, countries, cultures, and so on. I’ve uploaded all my files to NotebookLM, and it’s been so much fun planning sessions because the tool is much faster at looking up things than I am, and it keeps the settings consistent.
Enriching your Game
Now, what I like most about this tool is the Studio. You can create many different types of content based on the source material. I honestly feel like a kid in a candy store.
Infographs
I really like a visual overview of even the simplest things, but most of all, the narrative. This can also help players to remember key events, see how their characters have developed, or what the ancestries in your game look like. Here are two infographics I created using this tool for two very different games. The first one shows the ancestries in Thulera, whilst the other is a narrative overview of the first part of my Dark Sun campaign.
Neither of these is perfect, and neither is something I would ever use outside my home game. However, the images are good enough for me (since I wouldn’t be able to draw a stick to save my life) and can help my players. Not to mention, it is fun to see how the narrative has developed and to see how far they have progressed.
Podcasts
This is where the fun begins! Since I have uploaded extensive content to the tool, I have been able to produce podcasts that discuss various topics related to the setting. This makes it easier for my players to be invested in it, since it doesn’t require them to read page after page, just to be aware of what is considered common knowledge.
I think this is probably my favorite feature, since it is a great way to convey information. I also have had the tool create overview and deep dives on certain topics, for me to reflect on the setting and narrative, and, of course, for fun.
I try, as much as I can, to make my narratives character-driven, and for that, I find it important to reflect on and ponder the choices the player characters make, given the information they have at any given time. I find this helps me envision how the narrative might progress.
Videos
I have just started using the video output. It’s more like a recorded slideshow, but I think it can be a useful tool for introducing locales and important non-player characters.
The only downside of doing a video like this is that I must ensure the source information is in a separate file. However, by using something like this to confer information, for example, sharing the video a day before a session, I think it is more likely that players are more likely to be acquainted with a locale or an NPC, and can therefore spend more time roleplaying in character.
Using AI-Tools
AI tools, such as Google’s NotebookLM, can enhance your game by enriching the content you have already created for your home game. However, it is never suited for publishing; for that, please use real artists.
