Today I asked Chat-GPT to be my Dungeon Master, and we had a little one-on-one Dungeons & Dragons session. I’m truely amazed how well this went, and I’m quite excited that technologies like this could be used to generate some truely amazing interactions with NPCs in video-games.
Imagine that you can actually chat with the NPCs and not just pick one of three pre-generated responses. I think this will bring some incredible immersion to the video games of the future!
Here’s the full transcript of the conversation:
Hi
Hello! How can I assist you today?
Are you ready for some fun?
Of course! I'm always up for some fun. What do you have in mind?
Pretend that you are the Dungeon Master in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, then give me an opening to a Classic dungeons and dragons scenario. I'll then respond, and then we just go back and forth.
Sure, I'd be happy to do that! Here's your opening: You find yourself in a small village on the outskirts of a great kingdom. The villagers have been plagued by a series of strange disappearances over the past few weeks, and they believe that foul magic is at work. As you approach the village, you see a group of villagers gathered around a notice board, muttering amongst themselves. As you approach, you see that the board is covered in notices offering a reward for anyone who can solve the mystery of the disappearances. The villagers turn to you expectantly, hoping that you might be the one to help them. What do you do?
I look around at the villagers and say: "Greetings. What's this I hear about all these strange disappearances? Did any of you lose a loved one?"
The villagers look at you nervously, clearly shaken by recent events. One of them, an elderly woman with deep worry lines etched into her face, steps forward to address you. "Yes, we've lost several people over the past few weeks," she says, her voice shaking with emotion. "My grandson was the first to go. We thought he'd just wandered off into the woods, but when we went looking for him, there was no sign of him anywhere. And then others started to disappear as well. We're afraid for our lives, and we don't know what to do." The other villagers nod in agreement, clearly hoping that you might be able to help them. What do you do next?
I look at her, and say with sympathy in my voice "I'm sorry to hear that. What's your name, good woman? And what's the name of your grandson?"
The woman looks up at you, gratitude and hope evident in her eyes. "My name is Agatha," she says. "And my grandson's name was Wilfred. He was a good boy, always helping out around the village." As you talk to Agatha, you notice that other villagers are starting to gather around, listening intently to your conversation. They seem to be looking to you for guidance, and it's clear that they're hoping that you'll be able to solve the mystery of the disappearances. Suddenly, you hear a loud scream coming from the other end of the village. Agatha and the other villagers look at each other nervously, clearly on edge. What do you do?
"What was that?" I ask.
"I'm not sure," Agatha says, worry etched onto her face. "But it's been happening a lot lately. People disappearing, strange noises in the night, and now this." The other villagers murmur in agreement, clearly afraid of what might be happening in their once peaceful village. As you look around, you notice that the villagers are looking to you for guidance. It's clear that they're hoping that you'll be able to help them solve the mystery of the disappearances and put a stop to whatever is causing them. What do you do next?
I pull out my sword and walk towards the sound. "Stay back" I tell the people in the crowd. I walk a few paces, and turn around to face the crowd. "Anyone here have a torch?" I ask them, as we stand there washed in the last rays of the settling sun.
Several of the villagers step forward, holding torches and lanterns. They hand them over to you, and you take them, lighting them with flint and steel. With the torches lit, you make your way towards the source of the scream, the villagers following nervously behind you. As you approach the outskirts of the village, you hear more noises coming from a nearby cave. The cave mouth looms before you, and it's clear that this is where the noises are coming from. What do you do?
Holding the torch high above my head, and a little behind me, I enter the cave. Sword in hand, and ready for what ever may come.
You cautiously make your way into the cave, your torch casting flickering shadows on the walls around you. As you move deeper into the cave, the sounds of scraping and shuffling grow louder. You can feel the tension rising in the villagers behind you, but you keep moving forward, determined to find out what's causing the disturbances. Suddenly, you hear a growling sound, and you see a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness ahead of you. You can tell that whatever is making that sound is large and dangerous. What do you do?
A little surprised that the villagers have followed me into the cave, I yell to them: "Flee, get out of here!". I myself, stand my ground firmly. Locking eyes with the beast I plant the torch in the sand, place both hands on my broadsword adn take a deep breath.
The villagers look at you with fear and uncertainty, but they trust you and they start to make their way back to the village, albeit slowly and reluctantly. You can hear their footsteps receding as they move away from the cave, leaving you alone to face the creature. As the creature steps forward into the light of your torch, you see that it's a large, snarling wolf. Its fur is matted and dirty, and its eyes gleam with a malevolent intelligence. You can tell that this is no ordinary wolf. The creature lunges at you, and you raise your sword to meet it. The two of you clash, metal ringing against fur and fangs. It's a fierce battle, but with your training and skill, you manage to wound the beast. It backs off, snarling and bleeding, and then suddenly disappears deeper into the cave. The danger isn't over yet. What do you do next?
I look back at the torch. "No time" I think to my self. In a snap decision I cast "Light" on my sword, and it now glows even brighter than the torch in a blue-ish light. Blazing sword in hand, I run after the wolf.
With your sword glowing brightly, you run deeper into the cave after the wolf. The sounds of your footsteps echo around you, and you can hear the creature's snarls growing fainter as it retreats further into the darkness. As you run, you notice that the cave is getting narrower and more claustrophobic. The air is damp and musty, and there's a faint smell of decay in the air. You can feel the tension building inside you as you get closer and closer to the creature's lair. Finally, you come to a large chamber at the end of the tunnel. The wolf is there, crouched in the shadows, watching you with its glowing eyes. You can tell that this is where it's been hiding, and that there's something else in the chamber with it. What do you do next?
I cast a quick glance around the chamber, trying to determine what else might be here. DM Question: Do I need to roll any dice? I have some right here. Just tell me if you need me to roll a d20.
DM Answer: At this point, you don't need to roll any dice. You can simply describe what your character does next. However, if a situation arises where a dice roll is necessary, I will let you know.
Ok. Please continue.
As you look around the chamber, you see that there are several large rocks scattered around the area. It's difficult to make out any other details due to the shadows, but you sense that there might be something else lurking in the darkness. The wolf starts to growl and move towards you, its teeth bared and its fur standing on end. It's clear that it's not going to let you leave without a fight. What do you do next?
I dash in for an attack and swing my sword at the creatures neck.
You move quickly and decisively, swinging your glowing sword at the wolf's neck. The creature tries to dodge your attack, but you manage to catch it off-guard and land a glancing blow. The wolf howls in pain and lunges at you, its jaws snapping dangerously close to your face. You manage to dodge out of the way just in time, but you can feel the heat of its breath on your skin. The fight continues, each of you striking and dodging in turn. You're both wounded, but neither of you is willing to back down. Suddenly, there's a loud rumbling sound, and the ground beneath you starts to shake. What do you do next?
I drink my last healing potion, thinking: "Damn, I need to get a hold of some more of these. Maybe Agatha can help me out later". Keeping an eye on the wolf, I back up against the nearest wall, trying to locate the source of the rumble.
You quickly drink your healing potion and feel the wounds on your body begin to close. You turn your attention back to the wolf, ready to continue the fight, but then you notice that the rumbling sound is getting louder and more intense. As you back up against the wall, you notice that there's a crack forming in the ceiling above you. Suddenly, the ceiling gives way, and a massive boulder crashes down into the chamber. You manage to dodge out of the way, but the wolf is not so lucky. The boulder crushes it instantly, leaving behind only a cloud of dust and debris. As the dust settles, you notice that there's something glinting in the rubble. Upon closer inspection, you realize that it's a small, intricately carved box. What do you do next?
This is where I stopped for the night. I might pick it up from here some other time. Stay tuned 🙂
— Kevin