The authors and designers of the world of Ysterra support all members of the TTRPG community, including artists, authors, and creators working in this space. This statement is meant to address our use of art in this project, whether it be commissioned works, licensed art, art used with permission by the original creator, or art composited using generative AI tools as part of the process of its creation. Our effort is to be as transparent as possible with the how, when, and why of using art in this project.

Ysterra is a labor of love, made by people who love the project and want to share it with others. It is not a for-profit project. To make it more appealing to a broader audience we use art on the various pages of information to help illustrate the world and enrich the experience of learning about Ysterra. To that end, we spend a great deal of time attempting to find art created by human beings, whether through commission, art licensing websites, or being granted permission by artists for using specific pieces. Unfortunately, we are not able to commission as many art pieces as we need for the many unique elements within the world and thus use generative AI tools as part of the process of compositing a portion of the art for Ysterra. Please be assured that none of the art pieces that have been created using these tools are taken as is from the generative program. Generative AI as a tool, for our use, helps bridge a gap between our ability to commission and successfully request art and our desire to use quality artistic works for Ysterra. Art pieces that we have created using generative AI tools are all edited and composited in other digital art applications before being displayed on the site.

We understand the controversies around the use of generative AI, and the opinions and perspectives on its use are as wide and varied as any topic in the TTRPG space. Its impact on artists and their creations is a critical point and we will always advocate for the living breathing artists of the world on this topic. We very much wish to see generative AI tools be used ethically and in a way that supports artists. We also feel that in some circumstances it has the potential to be one of the most useful tools available to artists and creators if used ethically.

We are always open to discussion of the topic of art and generative AI. The more discussion that takes place, the more nuanced and inclusive the conversation can be, and the more likely that the future of generative AI can represent the many perspectives that exist regarding it.

The following guidelines represent our philosophy of how we use generative AI in our process in a responsible and respectful way. They are meant to show our recognition of the issues surrounding the topic of generative AI and that they represent our measured approach to using these tools in an ethical manner. We are also open to the evolution of generative AI in the world and as it changes our viewpoint and guidelines may evolve and change as well.

Our Guidelines

• All viewpoints and opinions regarding generative AI are of value and we will always respect those that have different opinions from our own.

• Artists have full rights over their own works. If any art displayed in the world of Ysterra too closely resembles an existing piece of art created by a human being we will immediately remove it from any works that it is displayed in at the request of the original artist or their representative.

• We will hire professional artists for illustrations, concept art, and character art whenever possible.

• We believe that the use of the term “in the style of” for generative AI prompts is plagiarism. We will never use an artist's name or the names of real people when creating text prompts for generative AI applications.

• No generative AI tools will be used in the creation of work designed for commercial sale.