AI Transparency

I didn't vibe-code this website. I choreo'd it.

I've written about why I think "vibe coding" is a terrible name for what skilled AI-assisted development actually looks like. The short version: there's a massive gap between poking at a chatbot until something accidentally works and directing AI with precision, structure, and creative intent. What I do is closer to choreography than vibing.

I design the architecture, sequence the decisions, shape the system, and make real-time judgments about what stays, what gets cut, and what the final product needs to feel like. AI writes code under my direction. I'm the choreographer, not the audience.

Every talent, mechanic, and piece of lore in the Progeny SRD was either handcrafted by me or edited so heavily that "generated" would be a lie. I've read every line of this system hundreds of times. I've spent hours perseverating over which rules to cut, which to keep, and which talents needed one more pass (and then another, and then another). AI helped me pressure-test mechanics, brainstorm ideas, and clarify language. It was my sanity check and sparring partner. But it was never the author. I was.

I'm not a visual artist. But the style, composition, and creative direction behind every image on this site are mine. I built custom image generation pipelines, trained models on specific aesthetic targets, and pulled the roulette wheel across multiple platforms, including running generation software on my own hardware. Every image went through rounds of iteration, rejection, and refinement before it landed on a page. I'm proud of the visual identity I've built for Progeny, even if the hands that rendered it were silicon.

Because AI played a significant role in how this system was produced, I don't think it's right to charge for it. Progeny will always be free to play and supported by voluntary donations only.

I want people at the table rolling dice, not debating whether an AI-assisted RPG is worth their money.