Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Inkduel
What is Inkduel?
Inkduel is a competitive creative writing game where you write alongside an AI opponent and get scored by a panel of AI judges. Each game gives you a prompt and a character limit, and judges rate your response on creativity, coherence, and entertainment value. It's free to play and takes under two minutes.
How does AI judge my writing?
Three AI judges independently score each response on a scale of 1 to 10. Each judge has a unique personality and scoring style — some value wit, others prioritize emotional depth or narrative craft. Your final score is the average across all three judges, so well-rounded writing tends to score highest.
Is Inkduel free?
Yes! You can play Daily Challenges, Daily Fills, and Drills for free every day. Free players get a limited number of duels per day. Premium members get unlimited duels and additional features like detailed score history.
Can I play without signing up?
Absolutely. You can jump into any game mode without creating an account. If you want to save your scores, track your progress, and appear on the leaderboard, you can sign up for free at any time.
How does scoring work?
Each response you write is scored by three AI judges on a 1-to-10 scale. Judges evaluate creativity, coherence, and how well your writing fits the prompt. Your score for each response is the average of the three judges' ratings. In duels, the player with the highest total score across all rounds wins.
What are the different game modes?
Inkduel offers four game modes:
- Duels — Head-to-head matches against an AI opponent across multiple rounds. Play a duel
- Daily Challenges — Everyone gets the same story prompt to compete on. Today's challenge
- Daily Fills — Fill-in-the-blank puzzles where you find the perfect word or phrase. Try today's fill
- Drills — Focused skill exercises organized into tracks like dialogue, description, and pacing. Browse drills
Who are the AI judges?
The judges are AI personalities with distinct literary tastes. Each judge has a name, a backstory, and a unique scoring style. Some are strict grammarians, others love bold creative risks. You'll get to know their preferences as you play and can learn to write for different audiences.
How do I improve my writing score?
Read the judge feedback after each round — they explain exactly why they scored you the way they did. Focus on using specific, vivid language rather than generic descriptions. Stay within the character limit while making every word count.
Can I challenge a friend?
Yes! After completing a Daily Challenge or Fill, you can share a challenge link with anyone. They'll get the same prompt and character limit, and you can compare scores side by side. No signup required for either player.
What is a Daily Challenge?
A Daily Challenge is a new writing prompt published every day. Everyone gets the same opening line and writes a continuation within a character limit. AI judges score all responses, so you can see how your writing stacks up against the community. Past challenges are always available to play in the archive.
Still have questions?
We'd love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and we'll get back to you.