Facing the Elephant in the Room: AI Art in Round Table TCG
It’s been a very busy summer here at The Lake, with trips to Origins Game Fair (where we had a booth) and GenCon. We ran Learn to Play sessions and we got some incredible feedback on both Round Table and SuDuckKu. We’re grateful for the community’s support, but we also want to take a moment to address an important concern that’s been raised: the use of AI-generated art in Round Table.
The Answer
The short answer is – yes. Round Table does include AI-generated art in its current printing, the Primis edition.
When we first created pre-release prototypes, we used AI art as placeholders to give our playtesters a sense of how the cards might look and feel. We got some tremendous feedback from those concepts that helped us craft design ideas for the final printed product. At the same time, we reached out to artists, ran contests, and worked with schools to source as much original art as possible. We worked for almost two years to secure the artwork for the game. The submissions we received were outstanding, and nearly all of those pieces made it into the final game. But despite our efforts, we weren’t able to commission enough art to cover the entire set.
By the end of 2023, we had to move forward with printing, and many of the cards still included AI-generated artwork. At conventions, we were open about this, but we did not communicate it clearly on our website or shop pages. The lack of transparency was not a conscious effort to deceive, but a missed opportunity for openness, and one that we are certain to rectify. For anyone who is upset by this oversight, we sincerely apologize.
The Future
Our mission has always been to support and spotlight small, independent artists. That hasn’t changed. We established a profit-sharing model to ensure that artists whose work is included in Round Table are compensated as the game grows.
Looking ahead, our commitment is clear: future expansions, reprints, and new editions will not use AI-generated art. Our upcoming Fae expansion and cooperative play version will feature only commissioned work from human artists. This may slow our release schedule, but we believe it’s the right path forward for our community and our values.
Moving Forward Together
Round Table remains a game we’re deeply proud of, even as we acknowledge its imperfect first step. Our other game, SuDuckKu (with contains no AI art) and reflects the same creativity and care we’re striving to bring to all our projects.
We want to continue building a community rooted in trust, honesty, and collaboration. Thank you for holding us accountable, for giving us grace as we grow, and for joining us at the table as we create the next grand adventure together.
