How to play an AI RPG with your friends

One person hosts and everyone else joins. Each player needs a phone, tablet or laptop with a browser; there's nothing to download. A voice call (Discord, WhatsApp, FaceTime) makes it more fun but isn't required, because the whole game happens on screen.

In Rollcall the host's plan covers the rounds, so friends join free and don't need an account. A table works best with two to four players: enough people for plans to collide, few enough that everyone gets their moment.

Choose a ready-made world or describe your own. The world sets the tone the Game Master writes in, so pick something the whole group is in the mood for: a fantasy heist, a skint-in-London life story, a horror town, or a world you make up on the spot ("a cosy space truck stop run by retired pirates").

If you can't agree, go grounded and funny for a first game. Everyday stakes like rent, rivals and bad bosses are easy for everyone to jump into.

The host gets a six-letter code to send round. Each player writes a one-line character ("an apprentice barber selling homemade hair oil") and, if they like, what they look like. That description matters: the Game Master uses it in the story, and the comic strips draw your character from it.

Give characters a reason to stick together, or the story will split in four directions. Flatmates, siblings, a band, a crew who owe the same person money: anything that ties you to each other.

Each round, everyone types what their character does. When the last person locks in (or the two-minute timer runs out), the Game Master answers everyone at once in one short scene, then asks "What do you do?" A tick next to each name shows who's still deciding, and you can see when someone's typing.

Risky moves are settled with dice: a d100 roll plus your character's skill. Simple things just work. You don't have to know the rules, because the Game Master handles the maths and the sheet keeps track of money, belongings, health and skills.

Play to each other, not just to the AI. The best rounds are when one player's plan sets up another's: one of you distracts the bouncer while the other slips round the back.

Keep moves short and specific. "I bribe the doorman with my last tenner" gives the Game Master more to work with than "I try to get in". If you're stuck, press Next stage and let the story move on.

Decide as a table how much you want to see. By default, other players' moves stay hidden until the round resolves, which keeps surprises intact; the host can switch that off. The host can also set the difficulty: Heroic for a laugh, Gritty if you want every win to be earned.