Pluvid

Category: Indie RPG

  • Recording Chaos: Turning Discord Game Sessions Into Summaries

    Recording Chaos: Turning Discord Game Sessions Into Summaries

    There’s something oddly satisfying about capturing the chaos of a tabletop RPG session and turning it into something concrete. The idea started as an experiment: recording game sessions on Discord, transcribing them, and seeing what could be made of the results. While it’s slower and definitely less effective than writing a recap by hand, it’s all in good fun. The mistakes that come from the process often lead to moments of unexpected comedy—and, occasionally, new ideas.

    Below is an example of a session summary generated by AI:

    Tides of Chaos: A Session on the High Seas

    The salty breeze of the open sea did little to temper the bizarre antics aboard this peculiar vessel, a ramshackle crew cobbled together from questionable origins and even more questionable morality. At its helm—well, loosely speaking—was Egon, the hapless captain, a man whose leadership was as solid as driftwood. Around him, chaos reigned supreme.

    A Ship in Distress

    It began with a signal: a sinking merchant ship flailing flags in desperation. The crew, after much debate (and jokes at Egon’s expense), decided to investigate. As they approached, arguments over whether to assist or take advantage of the situation grew louder. “Why not board them and ‘recruit’ survivors?” one suggested. Another countered, “What if we just take the opium and leave them the fish?” This pragmatic-yet-morally-dubious suggestion summed up the crew’s ethos: efficiency with a side of chaos.

    A brutal boarding followed. The crew struggled with rolls, strategies, and their own incompetence. The result? Victory—at a cost. The crew’s morale took a hit, Egon’s authority continued to erode, and yet they secured opium, whale oil, and strange metal cargo. “Let’s just sell it before someone asks questions,” muttered Two Shark, the fishman with a penchant for climbing the rigging.

    The Surgeon’s Dark Art

    Among the survivors was an unlucky soul, plucked from the sinking wreckage and dragged aboard for interrogation. What followed could only be described as macabre: tongue-removal surgery performed in the most unsanitary conditions imaginable. Amid clouds of opium smoke and nervous laughter, the “patient” was sedated, his tongue removed, and the wounds cauterized with less precision than a drunk carpenter with a blowtorch. “See? He’s fine!” declared the makeshift doctor. No one looked convinced.

    Port of Shadows

    The ship limped into Najar, a town reeking of fish, salt, and ill repute. The slave market buzzed with activity, drawing wary glances from some crew members and eager calculations from others. “Couldn’t we just buy some slaves as crew?” one asked, half-joking. In the end, they sold their ill-gotten cargo, haggled over leather goods in the bazaar, and tried to blend in with the local criminal element.

    The captain (reluctantly) approved a luxurious guided tour of the city. Led by a suave guide named Nassim, the crew marveled at the sprawling university, historic forts, and bustling markets. Two Shark, ever the opportunist, eyed every shiny object with an appraisal for resale.

    Morale, Mayhem, and Moving On

    With supplies restocked and wallets heavier, the crew prepared to leave Najar behind. New recruits bolstered their ranks, including a pair of simian laborers who quickly became the subject of both practical jokes and existential musings. “Are they crew or…specimens?” someone quipped darkly. Morality aboard this ship was as fluid as the tide.

    As the session drew to a close, plans for the next leg of their journey began to take shape. Maddock, a mysterious NPC they were meant to escort, loomed large in their thoughts. The promise of more profit—and more chaos—beckoned.

    A Motley Tale

    This session wasn’t just about strategy or objectives; it was a swirling cocktail of comedy, absurdity, and mischief. Whether it was haggling for overpriced goods, debating naval combat tactics mid-battle, or performing dubious medical experiments, the crew proved one thing: they might not be the best sailors, but they were certainly the most memorable.

    Tools for the Job

    Recording starts with Craig, a Discord bot that can record audio directly from the server. It handles overlapping voices well enough to make the next steps possible. After the session, the recording gets uploaded to Riverside.fm, which generates a transcription. While not perfect—especially with the inevitable cross-talk of an RPG—it works well enough to provide a rough script of what happened.

    The transcription is then run through ChatGPT to generate a summary. The results are often a mix of accurate retellings and amusingly surreal interpretations, offering a fresh and hilarious way to revisit the events of the game.

    Why Go Through This Process?

    Although this method isn’t better than sitting down to write a proper recap (not even by a long mile), it has its own peculiar charm. The transcription’s mistakes often create comedic reinterpretations, highlighting the absurdity and creativity of the session. Sometimes, these odd summaries reveal perspectives or threads that might not have been noticed otherwise, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to the process.

    Steps to Capture and Summarize a Game Session

    1. Set Up Craig: Add the Craig bot to a Discord server and use simple commands to start recording during the session. Players should, of course, be aware and agree to being recorded.
    2. Record the Session: Let Craig handle the recording. The bot’s ability to separate audio tracks is particularly useful for clarity.
    3. Transcribe With Riverside.fm: Upload the recording to Riverside and let the platform create a transcription. While it won’t catch every nuance, it provides a readable and mostly accurate version of the session.
    4. Summarize With ChatGPT: Input the transcription into ChatGPT to generate a summary. Adjust prompts as needed to get the desired level of detail or tone.
    5. Review the Results: The output can act as both a recap and a quirky reinterpretation of the session. Whether accurate or slightly off, it offers a new perspective on the events.

    Why It’s Worth Trying

    The process is undeniably chaotic, but that’s part of what makes it entertaining. It’s not about getting a perfect recap; it’s about embracing the mess and seeing what emerges. Sometimes it’s useful, sometimes it’s just funny—but it’s always a unique way to revisit the game.

    For anyone curious to explore their game sessions from a slightly different angle, this method is worth a try. It’s an exercise in embracing the chaos, turning it into something tangible, and finding new ways to appreciate the stories being told around the table.

  • Where this blog exists

    Where this blog exists

    Whether you’re here for inspiration, curiosity, or just to see what’s possible, I hope you find something worth exploring

    I’ve spent years creating things for tabletop roleplaying games—miniatures, stories, rules, and worlds—and I’ve often felt like these pieces existed in isolation. This blog is a way to gather them, to share what I’ve made and the process behind it. It’s a space for anyone who loves the sprawling creativity of TTRPGs, the joy of rolling dice, and the thrill of storytelling.

    You’ll find fragments of what I’ve been working on: rules that have evolved over years of playtesting, glimpses into the worlds I’ve built, and reflections on what it means to create something in this space. It’s about sharing the rough edges and the ideas that keep me coming back to the table..

    What is Sunken Stars?

    The journey of Sunken Stars began years ago. At the time, I was running a game that had all the chaos and charm of a high-seas adventure inspired by One Piece. It was wild, full of energy, and steeped in the spirit of exploration. But even in those early days, I found myself leaning towards something darker with edges that cut a little deeper. I’ve always been drawn to the magnetism of fear—the moments when the familiar dissolves into the unknown and the horizon feels like it might swallow you whole.

    The games started to shift. The world became stranger, the seas more dangerous. Characters had to navigate not just storms and sea beasts, but the weight of their own choices. Each iteration of Sunken Stars carried me closer to the vision that had been growing quietly in the back of my mind. A world where the stars could guide you or betray you, where the islands whispered secrets, and where the ocean—vast and uncaring—was as much an adversary as any enemy you might face.

    The Heart of the Game

    At its core, Sunken Stars is about those who dare to venture beyond the light. It’s a game of sailors and survivors, rogues and wanderers, navigating a fractured world of strange islands and open waters. It’s about carving a path through the jagged black and finding out what waits on the other side—if you can make it that far.

    It’s also about the choices we make when confronted with power. The Patrons, ancient and alien entities, offer strength but demand loyalty. Their gifts are double-edged, leaving marks that can’t be undone. The game doesn’t provide easy answers; it gives you tools and asks what you’re willing to risk.

    The World of Sunken Stars

    The world is not kind. The seas stretch endlessly, dotted with islands that hold wonders and horrors in equal measure. Most people live under the shadow of oppression, their lives shaped by cruel hierarchies and systems of power. For many, the open ocean is the only escape—a place where death is likely, but freedom is possible.

    It’s a world inspired by the late Age of Sail, with the faint flicker of new technologies just beginning to emerge. Gatling guns, electric lights, and experimental radios are whispered about in dockside taverns, but these are prototypes, not the cornerstones of progress. Magic exists here too, but it’s not the structured, reliable kind of high fantasy. It’s strange, wild, and often deeply unsettling. The Patrons, witches, and the islands themselves weave a web of powers that defy easy understanding.

    Years in the Making

    Sunken Stars has grown through years of experiments, playtests, and late-night ideas scribbled onto paper. Each campaign taught me something new: how mechanics could reflect the fragile balance of survival, how navigation could become an act of strategy, and how death could feel like a part of the story rather than its end. The game has changed with every phase, but its heart has remained the same: a love of the unknown, of the pull toward what lies just out of reach.

    This blog is another step in that journey. It’s a way to share the fragments that make up Sunken Stars: the themes, the mechanics, the stories, and the process that brought it all together. It’s for anyone who’s ever looked out past the edge of the light and wondered what waits in the dark.