How to Role-Play on DreamGen

Your Complete Guide to AI-Powered Interactive Role-Playing

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to role-play on DreamGen—from choosing or creating a scenario to mastering the role-play interface. Whether you're role-playing for the first time or looking to use advanced features, you'll find what you need here.

Table of Contents

What is a Role-Play Scenario?

A role-play scenario is the foundation of your role-playing experience. It defines the world, characters, plot, and style of your role-play session. Think of it as the game master's guide combined with character sheets and world-building notes.

Here are the common scenario elements:

  • Plot — What happens in your role-play, from a brief premise to detailed story arcs
  • Setting — The world, time period, and atmosphere where your role-play unfolds
  • Style — How the role-play is written: perspective, tone, pacing, and language choices
  • Characters — The people (or creatures) in your role-play, with their personalities, motivations, and voices
  • Locations — Specific places important to your narrative
  • Objects — Important items with special properties or significance
  • Opening — The initial scene that kicks off your role-play and demonstrates the style
  • Examples — Sample interactions that stay in the AI's memory to maintain consistency

If this looks like a lot, don't worry! Most of these elements are optional, and even simple scenarios can create rich role-playing experiences.

Learn how to create effective scenarios in our scenario editor guide.

Pick a Scenario

Before you start role-playing, you need a scenario. Here are your options:

Use an Existing Scenario

Best for: Getting started quickly or finding something that matches your interests.

Browse our public role-play scenarios to find one that interests you. Checkout also story scenarios, which can work great for role-play too.

Click "Play" or "Write" on any scenario to start using it immediately.

Use the Scenario Wizard

Best for: Creating something new with guided AI assistance.

The scenario wizard walks you through creating a scenario step-by-step. It can help you brainstorm ideas and generate characters, settings, and plot outlines.

Check out the scenario wizard guide for more details.

Customize an Existing Scenario

Best for: When you find a scenario that's almost perfect but needs tweaks.

  1. Open the (...) dropdown menu on the scenario
  2. Select "Clone"
  3. Edit your copy to match your needs

The cloned scenario is yours to edit in any way you like. Check out the scenario editor guide to learn how.

Create from Scratch

Best for: Complete control over every detail.

Use the scenario editor to build a new scenario from the ground up. While this takes more time upfront, it gives you total creative control.

Role-Play Setup

Before you start role-playing, you'll go through a setup process where you'll define your persona and choose the starting point.

First, click the "Play" button on any scenario. This opens the session setup screen where you can configure your role-play session.

Defining Your Character (Persona)

Most role-play scenarios will ask you to define your character (called a "persona"). You have several options:

Pick from scenario personas: Many scenarios include pre-made character options created by the scenario author. These are ready to use immediately and fit naturally into the scenario.

Use one of your own persona templates: You can create reusable persona templates and use them across different scenarios.

Create a new persona: Simply fill in your persona's profile and description. You can include:

  • Name and basic details
  • Physical appearance
  • Personality traits
  • Background and history
  • Skills and abilities
  • How they speak and behave

Customize an existing persona: After selecting any persona, you can freely edit its name and description to make it your own.

Choosing an Opening

Some scenarios offer multiple opening scenes to choose from. Each opening sets a different starting point for your role-play—different locations, situations, or character dynamics.

Using Story Scenarios for Role-Play

If you want to use a story-writing scenario for role-play, switch to Role-Play mode at the top of the screen. Most story scenarios don't have a persona slot—you'll typically play as the protagonist or one of the other characters.

Once you've completed setup, click "Start Playing" to enter the role-play interface.

The Role-Play Interface

The role-play interface is where the magic happens. Unlike story writing (which uses text blocks), role-playing uses an interaction-based system that works more like a conversation or chat, but with more structure and control.

Understanding Interactions

Role-plays consist of a series of interactions. Each interaction is one of three types:

Narrative

Narrative interactions describe the scene, set the atmosphere, or provide context. They're written from the narrator's perspective and establish what's happening in the world.

Important: Narrative should typically avoid describing specific character actions, thoughts, or dialogue. Keep narrative focused on scene-setting and environmental description. Character actions belong in character messages.

Character Message

A message from a specific character in your role-play. These include:

  • The character's dialogue (what they say)
  • Their actions and movements (what they do)
  • Optionally: their thoughts, feelings, or observations
  • Optionally: their perception of their surroundings

Each character message shows the character's avatar/profile picture and name. You can change the assigned character by clicking the "Pencil" icon in the top right corner and then clicking the avatar.

Instructions

Instructions are special interactions that aren't part of the role-play itself—they're your directions to the AI. Use them to guide what happens next, direct character behavior, or control how the AI writes its response.

Setting up scenes:

Describe what happens next in a simple sentence:

The mysterious stranger approaches Daria and offers her a dangerous quest.

The scene transitions to the following morning.

Or use bullet points for more complex scenes:

Write the next scene:

  • Location: The royal throne room
  • Time: Evening, during a formal banquet
  • The duke publicly accuses Richard of stealing from the treasury
  • Richard denies it and demands proof
  • A guard enters carrying a chest with Richard's family seal

Control how long the scene should be:

Describe the journey through the forest in 2-3 paragraphs, then have them arrive at the village.

Directing character actions:

Tell a character what to do or say:

Make Marcus kiss Elena.

Have Sarah suddenly start crying. Show how the others react.

Describe what should be in their next message:

In the next message, Elena notices something unusual about the painting and points it out to the others.

Control the message length:

The next message is from Harry and should be at least 200 words, focusing on his inner conflict about the decision.

The next message is from Snape and should be at least 100 words.

Controlling style and pacing:

Write the next scene: [general scene description]

Slow down the pacing. Focus on the tension and small details.

Write the next scene: [general scene description]

The scene should be action-focused and fast-paced.

Write the next scene: [general scene description]

Write the scene in a gothic horror style with an ominous atmosphere.

The Input Box

At the bottom of the screen, you'll find the input box where you create new interactions.

The input box has several key features:

Interaction Type Selector (Bottom Left)

Click the icon in the bottom left corner to choose what type of interaction you're creating:

  • Message — A message from your character or another character
  • Narrative — Scene description and narration
  • Instruction — Directions to the AI

Character Selector (Left of Input)

When creating a Message interaction, click the character avatar to choose which character is speaking. You'll see:

  • Your character (persona)
  • All defined scenario characters
  • Any characters that have appeared in the role-play recently
  • Ability to specify a custom character name

Send Buttons (Right Side)

On the right side of the input box, you'll find two buttons:

  • (↑) — Adds your interaction AND triggers the AI to respond. This is what you'll use most of the time.
  • (+) — Adds your interaction without triggering an AI response. Use this when you want to add multiple interactions or set up a scene before the AI continues.

Mobile Toolbar Buttons

On mobile, you'll see additional buttons next to the interaction type selector:

  • Book icon — Opens the scenario editor
  • Sliders icon — Opens settings (model, behavior, interface)
  • Sparkles icon — Opens the role-play assistant

Continuing the Role-Play

Below the last interaction in the session, you'll see options for how to continue:

If the last interaction isn't finished:

  • [Finish Last Interaction] — Lets the AI complete the last interaction if it was cut off

Continue as options:

  • [You] — AI continues as your character
  • [NPC] — AI continues the role-play as another character
  • [Any] — (Spectate mode only) AI continues as any character
  • [Custom] — Opens a dropdown to specify exactly how the AI should continue

Note: In Take-Turns mode, clicking [NPC] may cause the AI to immediately stop if it detects it's your turn to respond. Click it a second time to force the AI to continue as an NPC.

Editing Interactions

Click the pencil icon in the top right corner of any interaction to enter edit mode.

In edit mode, you can:

Edit the text: Freely modify the interaction content. You can edit any interaction, whether it was created by you or the AI.

Change the character: When editing a character message, click the character avatar to reassign it to a different character.

Delete the interaction: Click the trash icon. You'll see options to:

  • Delete just this interaction
  • Delete this interaction and all below it (if it's not the last)
  • Delete this interaction and all siblings / variations (if it's the last in the chat)

Dropdown (...) menu:

  • Pinned — Gives this interaction higher priority in AI memory. Use sparingly—only for critical information that must stay in context. Over-pinning can cause context issues.
  • Hidden — Makes the interaction visible to the AI but not to you during role-play. Primarily used by scenario creators in openings to provide context.
  • Excluded — Makes the interaction visible to you but not to the AI. Primarily used by scenario creators in openings to provide tips or information.
  • Open — Only available for the last interaction. When checked, the interaction is marked as incomplete, and the AI can finish it using the "Finish Last Interaction" button.
  • Fork Role-Play — Creates a new role-play session ending at this interaction (including all interactions before it). Perfect for exploring alternate paths.

Retrying Interactions

Click the retry icon on any interaction to regenerate it with different options.

You can:

Retry — Simply tries again with the same settings

Retry with Model — Choose a different AI model for this specific retry

Retry as — Change which character or narrator generates this interaction

Make Longer — Asks the AI to generate a longer, more detailed version

Make Shorter — Asks the AI to generate a more concise version

Ask to Rewrite — Opens a prompt where you can specify how to rewrite it

When you retry an interaction, it creates an alternative version. Use the arrow buttons (< >) to navigate between different versions.

Behavior Settings

Behavior settings control how the AI decides when to act, what it can do, and how it responds. This is one of the most important settings for role-playing.

On desktop, you'll find behavior settings in the sidebar in the "Settings" tab. On mobile, click the Sliders icon in the mobile toolbar, then go to the "Behaviour" section.

Behavior Modes

This is the default and recommended option.

The AI automatically detects when it's your character's turn to respond and stops. The AI can also introduce new characters spontaneously as needed.

Example: The AI might generate a narrative interaction setting the scene, then a message from an NPC responding to something, then introduce a new character who enters the room, and finally detect it's your turn and stop—waiting for your response.

Spectate

The AI plays all characters, including your character. You become an observer, watching the story unfold. You can still freely add messages as any character, edit existing interactions, or use instructions to guide the narrative.

NPC Only

The AI only plays defined characters from the scenario or characters that appeared earlier. The AI will not introduce new characters spontaneously. The AI also doesn't try to detect when it's your turn—it will only stop when it reaches the output tokens limit or interactions limit you configured in the settings.

Narrative Enabled / Disabled Checkbox

Uncheck this box to prevent the AI from creating narrative interactions.

Interface Settings

Interface settings let you customize how your role-play looks and feels. Access them in the "Settings" tab in the sidebar on desktop, or via the Sliders icon on mobile.

Theme Options

Choose between two overall themes:

Basic Theme: Compact, efficient layout with smaller avatars.

When using the Basic theme, you can customize avatar size (small, medium, large) and shape (circle, square, rectangle).

Immersive Theme: Larger, more prominent avatars that blend with the text.

When using the Immersive theme, you can customize avatar position (left or right).

Typography and Color

Customize text appearance:

Font Size: Small, Medium, Large

Font Family

  • Serif (traditional, book-like)
  • Sans-serif (modern, clean)
  • Comic Sans (casual, playful)
  • Dyslexic-friendly font

Quote Color — Color for character dialogue

Emphasis Color — Color for emphasized text

Background Settings

Make your role-play more immersive with background images. You can choose from built-in images, images from your scenario, or upload custom images in the scenario editor. Use the blur and brightness sliders to adjust the background for better text readability.

Auto-Scroll

Check this to automatically keep the screen at the bottom while the AI is generating new interactions.

Example Interfaces

Scenario Editor

Each role-play session gets its own copy of the scenario that you're free to edit while playing. This is useful for updating character relationships, introducing new characters, or adjusting the plot as the role-play evolves.

On desktop, you'll find the editor in the sidebar, while on mobile you can access it by clicking the "Book" icon in the bottom toolbar.

You can edit any aspect of your scenario:

Update Character Descriptions — As characters develop or relationships change, update their descriptions to reflect their current state.

Add New Characters — If new important characters emerge in the role-play, you can define them properly in the scenario.

Modify the Plot — If the story takes an unexpected turn, update the plot outline to align with the new direction.

Adjust Setting Details — Add or modify world details as they become relevant.

Changing Character Avatars — To change a character's avatar:

  1. Click the image icon next to the character's name in the scenario editor
  2. Upload a new image
  3. Drag it to the first position
  4. Save the scenario

The new avatar will appear in all future interactions with that character.

Model Settings

Model settings control which AI model generates responses and how it behaves. Access them in the sidebar on desktop, or via the Sliders icon on mobile, then the "Model" tab.

Choosing a Model

Different models have different capabilities, context windows, and credit costs:

Lucid Base — Affordable option suitable for straightforward role-plays

Lucid Max — Smarter, more creative model for complex scenarios and nuanced characters

You can easily switch models during a role-play or retry a specific interaction with a different model using "Retry with Model."

You can read the model settings guide to learn more about the different model parameters like temperature.

Role-Play Assistant

The role-play assistant is an AI helper that can brainstorm ideas, suggest plot developments, help with character creation, and more. It can see your scenario and the recent role-play history.

On desktop, find it in the sidebar. On mobile, click the Sparkles icon in the mobile toolbar.

Using the Assistant

The assistant has a chat-like interface. Ask it questions or request help:

Plot and Story Ideas:

  • "What should happen next in this scene?"
  • "Suggest three different ways this conflict could resolve"
  • "I'm stuck. What are some interesting directions to take this?"

Character Help:

  • "How would [character] react to this situation?"
  • "Suggest a new character to introduce in this scene"
  • "Is [character] acting consistently with their personality?"

World-Building:

  • "What might be in the ancient ruins the characters just found?"
  • "Describe the political situation in the kingdom"
  • "What does the AI know about [location] from my scenario?"

Click "Clear Chat" when you want to ask about something completely different, the role-play has moved past what you were discussing, or the conversation gets too long.

Assistant Examples

Common Errors

Insufficient Credits

You'll see this pop-up if you don't have enough credits to generate the next interaction. You have a few options:

  • Subscribe or upgrade your subscription: Subscriptions give you more recurring credits, and Advanced and Pro users get to use some or all models without using credits at all (i.e. unlimited).
  • Purchase extra credits: If you're already subscribed, you can buy extra credits to top up your balance.
  • Switch to a model that uses fewer or no credits: Some models use fewer or even no credits at all (depending on your subscription plan). You can switch to one of those models in the model settings.
  • Wait until your credits reset: Every user, including free users, gets monthly and daily recurring credits. If you run out, you can wait until they reset.

Scenario Definition Is Too Long

This error means that the scenario definition (plot, settings, style, characters, etc.) is too long for the model to handle.

AI models operate on what we call "tokens"—units of text, usually a word or part of a word. Different models have different "context windows," which determine how many tokens they can see at once. The "context window" needs to fit the whole scenario definition and the role-play generated so far (though we automatically truncate the oldest parts if needed).

You can see how many tokens your scenario definition has in the scenario editor:

You can see the context window size of each model in the model picker:

Here are our recommended scenario token limits based on the model context window:

  • 4000 token context window: Keep it under 2000 tokens
  • 8000 token context window: Keep it under 5000 tokens
  • 15000 or more: Keep it under 8000 tokens

Here's what you can do when you run into this error:

  • Make the scenario shorter: We commonly see people including too much detail in a scenario—detail that could be easily filled in by the model. Try to keep the scenario concise, focusing on the elements that you care about most.
  • Switch to a model with a larger context window: Depending on your subscription, you might have access to models with larger context windows. Check the model picker and switch to one of those models.

Something Went Wrong

This is a generic error message that can happen for a variety of reasons, such as when the model is overloaded or temporarily down.

When this happens, try switching to a different model, or wait a bit and try again. If the problem persists, join our Discord and ask in the #help or #general channels.

Tips and Power User Features

Adjust Your Workspace on Desktop

Make your role-play area bigger. You can adjust the size of the right sidebar by dragging the handle in the middle. Double-click it to close it completely.

Understanding Branches and Forks

Role-plays aren't just a linear sequence—they're organized as a tree structure where each decision point can branch into multiple possibilities.

Branching Through Retries: When you retry an interaction, both versions are preserved. You can navigate between them using the arrow buttons (< >) and explore how different choices change the story.

Forking Sessions: Click "Fork Role-Play" in an interaction's dropdown menu (...) to create a completely new role-play session ending at that interaction, including all interactions before it. This creates an independent session where you can explore a completely different direction without affecting the original.

When to use branches vs. forks:

  • Branches are great for exploring minor variations—different dialogue options, slightly different character reactions, or alternate ways a scene unfolds
  • Forks are better for major divergences—when you want to explore a completely different path or make a fundamentally different choice that changes everything afterward

Clone Entire Sessions

Go to Your Role-Plays, click ... next to the session, and select Clone. This creates a complete copy of your entire role-play where you can experiment with major changes without affecting the original.

Mix Behavior Modes

You can freely switch between behavior modes anytime. Switch to "Spectate" mode to quickly move through a section, then return to "Take Turns" when you're ready to actively participate again.

Export Your Role-Play

Save your completed role-play by going to Your Role-Plays, clicking ... and selecting Export.

Choose Markdown for a readable format you can share or publish, or JSON if you want to back up your session and re-import it later.

Next Steps

Now that you know how to role-play on DreamGen, you might want to:

Happy role-playing! 🎭