How It Started for Me
My interest in technology started early. I remember walking into RadioShack and seeing my first computer. I spent time learning how circuit boards worked. That turned into hands-on time with early systems like the TRS-80, then moving through Atari, Commodore, and Amiga machines. My first real obsession was a Franklin computer, an Apple II clone. I wanted one so badly that I worked at a computer store with no pay just to earn it. That pattern has stayed with me. I get close to the technology. I test it. I learn what it can do. That same approach drives how I look at AI today. That same mindset is why I pay close attention to AI and where and how it can fit in the game industry and design today.
The Shift Has Already Started
AI will do for game design what Crowdfunding has done for game publishing, and it has already started. It lowers the barrier to entry, shifts control toward creators, and accelerates the pace at which ideas move from concept to market. This shift is already underway. The question is how you choose to use it. At Lock ’n Load Publishing, we test new tools early and push them into real production. AI does not replace people. Gaming is built on designers and players. AI supports that work, it does not replace it.
Reality of the Industry
Tabletop gaming operates on thin margins. Most designers and developers do not have the financial buffer to wait out long disruptions. When change hits, it hits fast. Waiting to see how things play out is not a safe strategy. The legal side creates more pressure. Technology always moves faster than the law. Over time, companies and regulations tightened control. Today, AI raises new questions about ownership and training data. Much of the internet was built on shared content, often without clear permission. AI builds on that foundation. Enforcement struggles to keep up, and that gap will continue.
Why This Matters for Wargaming
I am not concerned about AI destroying the world. I am concerned about how people use it. In gaming, the bigger issue is accessibility. Wargaming has always had a steep learning curve. New players face a barrier before they even start. Many choose digital games because they are easier to get into. If we want to grow the audience, we need to reduce that friction. AI can assist with rules understanding, guided play, and smarter solo systems. This lowers the barrier for new players and helps keep them engaged.
How LnLP Is Using AI Today
At Lock ’n Load Publishing, we are already using AI inside our design and development process. In research, we use AI to process large datasets related to historical units, weapons, and combat factors. What once took months of manual work now moves much faster, while still being reviewed by our team. In validation, we use AI to cross-reference data across scenarios, tables, and rules. It flags inconsistencies and helps maintain accuracy across a full product line. In rules development, we use AI to review sections of the system and identify conflicts or gaps between rule interactions. This supports the design team by catching issues earlier in the process. In design support, AI helps us test concepts, explore variations, and refine mechanics. It does not replace design decisions, but it strengthens them. In playtesting, we are experimenting with AI-driven opponents and automated testing methods. Instead of fixed behavior, these systems can adapt and explore different approaches. This helps us identify balance issues and edge cases faster than traditional methods. This work does not remove jobs. The same team still drives the design. AI increases how much the team can do and how quickly they can do it.
At Lock ’n Load Publishing, our customers now have access to an AI-Powered Rule Assistant built directly into our manuals. When you ask a rules question, you receive a clear answer along with the exact page reference so you can verify it in the official rules. The system also handles follow-up questions, helping you drill down into specific situations and find the precise guidance you need during play. More detailed questions tend to produce more accurate and useful answers, as the system performs best with clear context. While the AI-Powered manuals are not perfect, they continue to improve and provide reliable support in most gameplay situations. This keeps the game moving and reduces time spent searching through the rulebook. Our AI-Powered manuals are available on most of our store product pages, providing players with fast, accessible support whenever they need it.
The Problem AI Solves
I have seen this problem before. Years ago, many development teams could only handle part of the process. One group focused on design. Another handled art. Another handled production. Bringing those pieces together took time and coordination. Today, many designers face the same issue. They can design a game, but struggle with development, art direction, or production. Crowdfunding helped solve funding, but it did not solve execution. Moving from idea to finished product is still difficult.
AI changes that. Designers now build working prototypes instead of rough concepts. They generate structured data that supports development. They provide clear direction for artists and production teams. This reduces cost, shortens timelines, and improves the quality of what moves forward. If crowdfunding expanded who could publish, AI expands who can design and develop at a higher level.
This is not about replacement. It is about acceleration. Designers who use AI move faster. They test more ideas. They refine systems with better information. They respond to feedback with greater precision. Designers who ignore it will fall behind those who adapt early.
What Happens Next
The discussion around AI matters more than predictions. The industry does not need agreement. It needs participation. Crowdfunding worked because creators and players engaged directly. AI will follow the same path. Early adopters will shape how these tools are used. Others will adapt to what they build. At Lock ’n Load Publishing, we are building these tools into how we design, test, and deliver our games.
AI is already part of game design and production. This is not a future shift. It is happening now. The real question is simple. How will the game industry and designers use it?
11 comments
You write, “AI does not replace people. Gaming is built on designers and players. AI supports that work; it does not replace it,” yet you have replaced almost all the graphics on your website with generic AI-generated pictures. AI is here to stay, like it or not, and it is a tool to be used, but the problem is that it’s an easy, cheap way to do things that would normally take time and money, like art. And since humans are lazy and driven by greed, AI becomes a problem. You have already proven that you are willing to cut corners to cut expenses by using AI to generate images. Then you start to wonder what other corners you start to cut? Playtesting with real people, writing rules, doing research with material that is not AI-generated and hence possibly wrong due to AI hallucination. So in the end, will the products from you be a series of prompts to an LLM that I could do myself and not pay you to do?
I have no real problem with using what we call AI for certain tasks whose output is generic (a form letter, perhaps) or easily quantifiable as right or wrong (coding). When used as an aid to labor and with judicious oversight, an LLM can be a handy tool. I have used it to generate an abstract for papers I’ve written (with my own two hands!) because I hate doing that; I was able to rewrite the abstracts into something more my style using the AI output as a guide.
But to use AI with little regard or oversight, or to use it to accomplish tasks whose output quality the end user does not necessarily have the training or breadth of experience to assess is lunacy. It speaks of surrender to the devaluation of labor as well as the blandification of the imagined life.
If the top image on your home page is an example of what you think is good, or even acceptable, AI artwork, I fear you’ve become another company that sits firmly in the latter group. I don’t even want to look at the rules or game components affected by this rot if that’s what you’re leading with.
Thanks for the warning! No reason to even look at your titles from here on out, message received!
Thanks for the warning! No reason to even look at your titles from here on out, message received!
AI being a way to deal with the “thin margins” of your industry necessarily means you intend to use AI as a replacement for paid human labor. The intent is to make more money by providing an inferior product at the expense of real people – including consumers.
As a veteran, this disgusts me and your company should seriously consider whether it should be dabbling with source material that’s rooted in the very real effort of very real human beings.
Maybe have the common decency to switch your game thematics over to “robot wars” or something that’s as cold and unfeeling as trying to appeal to consumers with how “slim the margins” are.
Fuck off with this. No one wants your laziness advanced as a necessity.
Fucking lol no. Shit sucks and so do your games if you are relying on it.
AI Slop
This whole post was AI generated. You guys suck.
I’m curious if Lock ’N Load has retrospectively applied AI to any of their existing products, to see where the AI aligns or departs from the published product. It would be an interesting exercise.
AI won’t replace a game designer.
A game designer that uses AI will.