Smiling Orc Publishing Welcome to Smiling Orc Publishing, your premier source for independent content creation for Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games. We are a team of passionate content creators who are dedicated to crafting imaginative and engaging worlds and adventures that will transport you and your players to another realm.
Our mission is to provide players with high-quality content that fosters a sense of wonder, creativity, and exploration. We believe that tabletop gaming is a unique and immersive form of storytelling that has the power to bring people together and create unforgettable memories.
At Smiling Orc Publishing, we take great pride in the products we create, from intricate and well-crafted campaigns to detailed and immersive world-building. We are committed to delivering content that is both accessible and engaging, whether you are a seasoned veteran or new to the world of tabletop gaming.
Our catalog includes a wide range of products, including adventure modules, sourcebooks, and campaign settings, each designed to spark the imagination and inspire your players. We work tirelessly to ensure that every product we create is of the highest quality, with attention to detail and a commitment to excellence that sets us apart from the competition.
Our Position on A.I.
At Smiling Orc Publishing, we’re a tiny independent publisher creating tabletop roleplaying game adventures, drop-in locations, supplements, and other gaming content. We do this because we love the hobby. This isn’t a large company with a full-time staff, investors, or a significant budget. It’s a part-time creative endeavor that we pursue because we enjoy making things and sharing them with fellow gamers.
One question we occasionally receive is why we use AI-generated artwork in our publications. The answer is simple: budget.
We would love to hire professional artists for every illustration. The reality is that we cannot afford to do so. Commissioning quality artwork is expensive, and rightfully so. Talented artists deserve to be compensated for their work. Unfortunately, the modest revenue generated by our products does not come close to covering the cost of commissioning enough original artwork to illustrate our releases.
The alternative would often be publishing with little or no artwork at all. Instead, we choose to use AI-generated illustrations to help bring our worlds, locations, characters, and ideas to life visually.
That does not mean the artwork simply appears at the push of a button. Creating useful and compelling AI artwork requires considerable effort. We spend many hours developing concepts, writing detailed prompts, refining outputs, discarding unsuccessful results, and iterating repeatedly until we achieve an image that supports the vision of the product. While this process is different from traditional illustration, it still requires creativity, judgment, and skill.
Just as importantly, we want to be clear about what AI does not do for us.
- AI does not create our adventures.
- AI does not design our locations.
- AI does not invent our characters.
- AI does not build our encounters.
- AI does not write our stories.
The ideas, concepts, worldbuilding, maps, encounters, and game content found in our publications are our own creations. Every product begins with our imagination and our work at the keyboard.
We do, however, use AI as an editorial tool. Like many small publishers, independent authors, and hobby creators, we use AI to help proofread, identify grammar issues, improve clarity, and catch mistakes. We simply do not have the budget to hire professional editors and proofreaders for every project. AI helps us produce cleaner, more polished products than we could otherwise afford.
We understand that reasonable people have different opinions about AI technology. Some embrace it, some dislike it, and many fall somewhere in between. We respect those viewpoints. Our goal is not to replace artists, writers, or editors. Our goal is simply to create affordable, enjoyable gaming content that would otherwise never exist.
Without AI tools, many of our products would either be released without artwork, released in a much less polished state, or not be released at all.
We recognize that AI has become a controversial topic, and we understand that not everyone is comfortable with its use. Reasonable people can disagree about emerging technologies, and we respect the right of consumers to make purchasing decisions based on their own values and preferences.
What we do not accept is the notion that independent creators should be harassed, attacked, or shamed simply because they choose to use AI tools in their creative process.
AI is a tool. Like every technological advancement that came before it, it changes how creative work is produced. Digital art software changed illustration. Desktop publishing changed printing. Word processors changed writing. Spell-checkers changed editing. AI is another tool in that long tradition.
We use it openly, honestly, and unapologetically.
No one is obligated to purchase our products. If our approach is not for you, that is entirely your choice, and we respect it. The tabletop gaming market is filled with talented creators producing content in many different ways. We encourage everyone to support the creators whose methods and values align with their own.
What we object to is the idea that small independent publishers should be excluded from the hobby because they lack the financial resources to hire teams of artists, editors, and designers. Large companies can absorb those costs. Hobby publishers and side-business creators often cannot.
For many independent creators, AI is not replacing a paid artist. It is replacing artwork that would never have existed in the first place because there was no budget available to commission it. The choice is often not between AI art and commissioned art. The choice is between AI art and no art at all.
Likewise, using AI-assisted proofreading is not replacing a professional editor we would otherwise hire. The reality is that, as a small part-time publisher, hiring professional editorial staff is simply beyond our means. AI allows us to improve the quality and professionalism of our products in ways that would otherwise be inaccessible.
We believe the tabletop gaming hobby is strongest when it welcomes creativity from all corners, including hobbyists, independent publishers, one-person operations, and creators working with limited budgets. The barrier to entry should be imagination, effort, and passion, not access to thousands of dollars in production resources.
Our adventures, settings, characters, locations, maps, and game ideas are created by us. AI helps us illustrate and polish those ideas. It does not replace the imagination that brought them into existence.
If that approach is not for you, we genuinely wish you well and hope you find creators whose products better match your preferences. If you enjoy what we create, we are grateful for your support.
Either way, we believe creators should be free to choose the tools they use, and customers should be free to choose the products they buy.
That is a principle worth defending for everyone.