About Inkduel

Where creativity meets constraint in AI-powered storytelling

What is Inkduel?

Inkduel is a competitive storytelling game where you write stories response-by-response against an AI opponent. Each round, both you and the AI continue the story, and AI judges score your creativity, coherence, and entertainment value.

The character limits change as the game progresses, challenging you to adapt your writing style and keep the story engaging.

Why Play Inkduel?

Sharpen Your Writing

Learn to write with impact. Character limits challenge you to choose every word carefully, improving your ability to convey meaning concisely.

Creative Challenge

Face off against AI in a battle of creativity. The AI is surprisingly good at storytelling, pushing you to bring your A-game.

Instant Feedback

Get detailed feedback from AI judges who evaluate your creativity, coherence, and entertainment value. Learn what works and what doesn't.

Quick Sessions

Each game takes just 5-10 minutes. Perfect for a creative break or warming up before a writing session.

How It Works

  1. Start with a prompt: An AI judge generates an opening sentence to set the scene
  2. Take turns: You write a response, the AI writes a response, building the story together
  3. Get scored: AI judges score each response from 1-10 based on creativity, coherence, and entertainment value
  4. Win or learn: After 5 rounds, the highest average score wins. Review judge feedback to improve

Example Moments

Here are some memorable sentences from past games:

"The asteroid miner found more than platinum in the debris field: a message from Earth, timestamped 200 years in the future."
Opening sentence - 150 characters - Sci-fi story
"Time ran backwards here."
Round 5 - 30 characters - Hard mode
"The chef's last dish was poison disguised as art, and the critic knew it with the first bite."
Round 3 - 100 characters - Mystery story

Tips for Success

  • Be specific: Vivid, concrete details score higher than vague descriptions
  • Stay coherent: Make sure your response flows naturally from the previous one
  • Embrace constraints: Character limits force creative solutions - lean into it
  • Read judge feedback: Click "Details" on scores to learn what works
  • Experiment: Try different genres and writing styles to find your sweet spot

Who Made This?

Inkduel was created as an experiment in AI-human creative collaboration. The game uses Claude (Anthropic's AI) for the opponent and judges, making it a unique test of how AI can both challenge and evaluate human creativity.

This is a test game - we're learning what makes collaborative storytelling fun and how to balance challenge with accessibility. Your feedback and gameplay helps us improve.

Read the Rules Start Playing