Being Shocked By GPT-3
I recently created an account with beta.openai.com and have used the playground to see what their GPT-3 based language models can do. I had read about GPT-3 and it's capabilities and heard some big claims. I can honestly say that after using it for a little while it is shockingly impressive.
The ideas are already flowing as to how this could be used. One idea that I might play around with is a game masters toolkit for creating adventure outlines, character biographies, and encounter descriptions. Another idea would be an aid to essay writing (or blogging?) for when you need help getting an outline together. In either case, here are some samples that I found to be amazing. The prompt is in black and the AI generated output is in green.
Finishing my Story
I gave the AI the description of my book and it completed the story for me! Well, not exactly the story I wrote of course, but it did come up with quite an interesting tale.
Finish this story: "The battle of the north wall was won and the orcs of the north have been defeated. Even as the victory is celebrated the wise Eldalon confides in Loken, his most trusted ally, that an even greater threat approaches. Brothers in battle are turned to enemies as a victory shrouded in mystery threatens to lead to the downfall of Haldoria."
The two allies discuss what could have caused the Orc's sudden and mysterious defeat. They agree that there is a traitor in their midst and that they must find out who it is before the next battle. Loken sets out to find the traitor while Eldalon stays behind to rally the troops.
Loken quickly discovers that the traitor is one of Eldalon's trusted advisors. He confronts the advisor, who confesses that he was paid by the Orcs to help them win the battle. Loken returns to Eldalon to warn him of the traitor, but it is too late. The Orcs have already launched their next attack and Eldalon is killed.
The fact that it was able to come up with "mysterious defeat", "trusted advisors", and "launched their next attack" and put this into a consistent narrative is amazing.
The Purpose of My Characters
A table summarizing the characters from this story:
The battle of the north wall was won and the orcs of the north have been defeated. Even as the victory is celebrated the wise Eldalon confides in Loken, his most trusted ally, that an even greater threat approaches. Brothers in battle are turned to enemies as a victory shrouded in mystery threatens to lead to the downfall of Haldoria.
Name: Purpose
Eldalon: The wise leader of Haldoria who confides in Loken about the impending threat.
Loken: Eldalon's most trusted ally who is tasked with investigating the mysterious victory.
Orcs of the North: The defeated enemy who nonetheless pose a greater threat than initially thought.
Wow! It ready my book summary and identified the purpose of each character. This seems so simple, but a language model that can glean the purpose of the orcs of this short description is quite impressive.
Creating a Description for Dungeons and Dragons
Write a description for a room in a dungeon that has water dripping from the ceiling and goblins around a cooking fire.
The room is damp and musty, with water dripping from the ceiling. The goblins are gathered around a cooking fire, laughing and jeering. The floor is slippery, and there are rats scurrying around in the shadows.
Now this is just plain exciting. I spend a lot of time coming up with descriptions for roleplaying games, and this just feels like it's dripping with possibilities.
Creating a Dungeons and Dragons Adventure
Write me a dungeons and dragons adventure about goblins and a small village.
The goblins have been terrorizing the small village for weeks, raiding homes and businesses, and generally causing mayhem. The villagers have had enough and decide to take action. They gather a group of brave warriors and set out to track down the goblins and put an end to their reign of terror.
After a long and difficult battle, the villagers are triumphant. The goblins are defeated and the village is safe once again.
Describe why the goblins are terrorizing the village.
The goblins are terrorizing the village because they are hungry and desperate. They have been driven out of their own homes by a group of humans and are now seeking revenge. They see the village as an easy target and have been preying on the residents for food and supplies.
Why don't the villagers make friends with the goblins?
The village doesn't make friends with the goblins because they are afraid of them. They see the goblins as dangerous and unpredictable. They also don't want to give them any reason to stay in the village and continue terrorizing the residents.
Are the goblins working with a wizard to terrorize the village?
No, the goblins are not working with a wizard to terrorize the village. They are doing it on their own.
What is the make up of the brave warriors?
The brave warriors are a group of villagers who have decided to take action against the goblins. They are armed with whatever weapons they can find and are ready to fight for their homes.
What is the name of the leader of the brave warriors?
The leader of the brave warriors is John. He is a brave and skilled fighter who has been protecting the village for years.
Change john's name to something more fantastical
The leader of the brave warriors is now Aragorn. He is a skilled fighter and has been protecting the village for years.
Come up with a more unique name for the leader.
The leader of the brave warriors is now Legolas. He is a skilled fighter and has been protecting the village for years.
Change the story so that the goblins are being led by a wizard.
The goblins are being led by a wizard who is using them to terrorize the village. The wizard is seeking revenge against the villagers for driving him out of his home. The goblins are doing the wizard's bidding in exchange for food and supplies.
What is the name of the wizard leading the goblins?
The name of the wizard leading the goblins is Sauron. He is a powerful and evil wizard who wants to destroy the village.
What is the name of the village? Make it unique but do not use a name from an existing popular story.
The name of the village is Bree. It is a small village that is constantly being terrorized by the goblins.
Who drove the goblins out of their home?
The humans drove the goblins out of their home. They were seeking revenge against the goblins for destroying their own village.
There is also a group of humans that are being paid by the wizard to sabotage the brave warriors. They are planting traps and ambushing the group in an attempt to thwart their efforts.
What is the name of the group of humans sabotaging the efforts of the brave warriors?
The group of humans sabotaging the efforts of the brave warriors is called the Black Riders. They are working for the wizard Sauron and are trying to stop the warriors from defeating the goblins.
Where did the wizard come from?
The wizard came from a different world. He was banished from his own world and came to this world to seek revenge.
Describe his home world.
The wizard's home world is a dark and dangerous place. It is full of creatures that want to hurt and kill humans. The wizard was driven out of his home by a group of humans who were seeking revenge.
Give a different reason for why the wizard was driven out of his home.
The wizard was driven out of his home because he was caught practicing dark magic. He was banished from his home world and came to this world to continue his practice of dark magic.
The warriors have allies that come to their aid in their darkest moment.
Who are the allies?
The allies are a group of elves who come to the aid of the warriors in their darkest moment. They are skilled fighters and help the warriors defeat the goblins.
But the elves are actually seeking to reclaim their lost territory. After helping defeat the wizard, they will turn on the village.
Why do the elves turn on the village?
The elves turn on the village because they want to reclaim their lost territory. They see the village as a threat to their own territory and want to destroy it.
This is honestly just exciting. It is like having someone to throw ideas around with and get inspiration from. There are a few moments in this conversation where it seems to get stuck. For example, it couldn't give good names to the characters that are fantastical but also unique. Also, a few times it seemed to mostly just repeat back the same stuff. Playing around with some of the parameters might prevent repetitive responses. However, this is actually a useful tool for coming up with a dungeons and dragons adventure.
Writing a Story... Twice
Write me a story about an orc who wants to take over the world.
The orc was born into a world of violence and bloodshed. His people were always at war with each other, fighting for control of the land. The orc dreamed of a world where his people could live in peace and harmony. He believed that if his people united under one banner, they could conquer the world.
The orc began to rally his people to his cause. He promised them power and glory if they followed him. Slowly but surely, his army began to grow. With each passing day, the orc's dream seemed more and more within reach.
One day, the orc's army stood at the doorstep of the human kingdom. The orc knew that this was the moment his people had been waiting for. He would lead them to victory and claim the world as their own.
Write me a story about an orc who wants to take over the world.
The orc was a fierce warrior, and he had always dreamed of ruling the world. One day, he gathered an army of orcs and set out to conquer the world. He was met with resistance at every turn, but he was relentless in his quest for power. eventually, he succeeded in taking over the world, and he ruled it with an iron fist. The orc was a cruel ruler, and he made the world a dark and terrible place. The people of the world lived in fear of him, and they dared not disobey his commands. Even the mightiest heroes could not stand up to him, and he ruled the world for many years. But eventually, even the orc's power could not hold back the tide of progress, and the people of the world rose up against him. They overthrew him, and the orc was banished from the world he had once ruled.
