From GM Frustration to AI Revolution: The Story Behind TT-RPG
Every Game Master knows the struggle: hours spent prepping maps, hoping your players stick to the script, only for them to decide, "Let's check out that mysterious cave nobody mentioned!" Suddenly, you're scrambling, trying to improvise a new location or find a suitable battle map on the fly. I've been there, countless times.
The Endless Search for the Perfect Map
As a tech-enthusiast GM, I built myself a fancy VTT screen for my table, dreaming of dynamic, immersive sessions. I tried all the map tools out there – the generators, the asset packs, the subscription services. While many were good, they always felt… limited. They were great for prepared encounters, but the moment my players went off-script, I was back to square one, pausing the game to search for something that kind of fit, or awkwardly sketching on a whiteboard.
My ideal session is dynamic. I love reacting to my players' choices, letting the story unfold organically, rather than forcing them down a pre-designed path. This often meant sacrificing map quality or wasting precious game time.
The "Aha!" Moment: AI to the Rescue (Mid-Session!)
Then came the new wave of AI image generators, and my GM brain started buzzing. I began experimenting with Google's latest AI models, and one fateful session, it happened. My players decided to explore a completely unplanned location. Instead of panicking, I opened my laptop and started playing around with the AI live. Within a minute, I had a brand new, playable map tailored to their unexpected detour. The players loved it, and I was floored. The impossible just became possible.
It was fast, it was custom, and it was spontaneous. This was a game-changer. I could finally keep pace with my players' wild imaginations!
Why Not Combine It All? The Birth of TT-RPG
That one-off experiment was incredible, but it was still a bit clunky. I thought, "What if I could have an app that combines all this?" I wanted to:
- Generate custom maps on the fly, just by describing them.
- Refine those maps iteratively, chatting with the AI like I was talking to a co-GM.
- Edit specific areas with a brush tool, fixing an odd corner or adding a specific detail without re-rolling the whole map.
- Manage Fog of War seamlessly.
- Generate matching tokens for characters and creatures.
- Organize everything into campaigns and sessions.
Essentially, I envisioned a tool that would allow me to live-edit the battle map during a session, adapting to every twist and turn without limitations imposed by pre-made assets. This was unthinkable just a few years ago. But with the incredible advancements in AI models, it's not just possible – it's actually damn good.
And that's how TT-RPG was born. It's built for GMs like us, who want to embrace spontaneity, cut down on prep, and deliver truly dynamic experiences at the table.
What's Next?
We have so many ideas bubbling for TT-RPG's future. But for now, this initial app is ready for you to try. It's a solid foundation, and we're excited to grow and improve it based on your feedback. Jump in, test it out, and let's make our TTRPG sessions more epic than ever before!