Here's a short tutorial on how to painlessly shorten your (i.e., gamemaster's) preparation time... or how I learned to stop worrying and loved the bomb.
NOTE: For this example I have used PDFs of manuals, my campaign notes, and an adventure from an excellent game of Shadows/Secrets of Weird Wizard by Robert Schwalb.
Prerequisites
From THE_NAME_OF_ADVENTURE_FILE create an index of all non-player characters and creatures. Entries must be organized alphabetically. Each entry must use the following format:name: a single sentence summarizing the subject of the entry, list of pages including the subject of the entry.
For each entry, find and append a statblock. If you are unable to find a statblock, attempt to find the nearest match. Make sure that statblocks are suitable for Novice characters (i.e., difficulty should not exceed 12). Use these sources: LIST_OF_SOURCE_FILES
Observation and recommendations
NotebookLM understands gamer's jargon, like NPC, statblock or gamemaster. Here's a sample statblock from the final list:
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Enos Tuttle: The schoolteacher in Newhome who provides education in various subjects to children [SWW2413_Hand_that_Beckons_v1.pdf, p. 623]. As a non-combatant, a Commoner, Peasant statblock is the nearest suitable match. COMMONER, PEASANT HUMAN · DIFFICULTY 1 [SWW2402_Secrets_of_the_Weird_Wizard_v1.3.pdf, p. 498] Defense: 10, Health: 10 Strength: 10 (+0), Agility: 10 (+0), Intellect: 10 (+0), Will: 10 (+0) Size: 1, Speed: 5 Languages: Common ACTIONS Melee Attack—Torch or Pitchfork: Strength (+0) with 1 bane (1d6)
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You don't need to limit sources in your prompts, however this makes the results more relevant to your preparations.
It is a good idea to add your campaign notes to the list of the sources, especially if you want to include actions of your players in the results.
NOTE: For this example I have used PDFs of manuals, my campaign notes, and an adventure from an excellent game of Shadows/Secrets of Weird Wizard by Robert Schwalb.
Prerequisites
- A modern browser with decent access to the internet.
- A Google account.
- All game materials in digital form, including an adventure.
- Go to Google NotebookLM | AI Research Tool & Thinking Partner and click "Try NotebookLM".
- Click "+ Create new notebook" and then, in Sources, click "+ Add" to upload resources (PDFs and texts) or provide links (Google Docs, web pages). Wait for the sources to finish processing.
- Go to the Chat tab and use prompts (see examples below) to build resources for your game. If the resource meets your expectations, click "Save to note".
From THE_NAME_OF_ADVENTURE_FILE create an index of all non-player characters and creatures. Entries must be organized alphabetically. Each entry must use the following format:name: a single sentence summarizing the subject of the entry, list of pages including the subject of the entry.
For each entry, find and append a statblock. If you are unable to find a statblock, attempt to find the nearest match. Make sure that statblocks are suitable for Novice characters (i.e., difficulty should not exceed 12). Use these sources: LIST_OF_SOURCE_FILES
Observation and recommendations
NotebookLM understands gamer's jargon, like NPC, statblock or gamemaster. Here's a sample statblock from the final list:
--
Enos Tuttle: The schoolteacher in Newhome who provides education in various subjects to children [SWW2413_Hand_that_Beckons_v1.pdf, p. 623]. As a non-combatant, a Commoner, Peasant statblock is the nearest suitable match. COMMONER, PEASANT HUMAN · DIFFICULTY 1 [SWW2402_Secrets_of_the_Weird_Wizard_v1.3.pdf, p. 498] Defense: 10, Health: 10 Strength: 10 (+0), Agility: 10 (+0), Intellect: 10 (+0), Will: 10 (+0) Size: 1, Speed: 5 Languages: Common ACTIONS Melee Attack—Torch or Pitchfork: Strength (+0) with 1 bane (1d6)
--
You don't need to limit sources in your prompts, however this makes the results more relevant to your preparations.
It is a good idea to add your campaign notes to the list of the sources, especially if you want to include actions of your players in the results.
