Generation Preferences
Set default values for Aesthetic, Party Level, Tone, and Threat Level so generation forms pre-fill automatically.
Quick Answer
Set default Aesthetic, Party Level, Tone, and Threat Level so every generation form pre-fills automatically. Go to Settings → Generation Preferences, save your defaults, and override any field on the form when a specific generation needs something different.
Generation preferences let you set default values for the four most common generation settings — Aesthetic, Party Level, Tone, and Threat Level. When you open a generation form, CritForge pre-fills those fields from your preferences so you're not reconfiguring the same options every time.
Any value you set on the form itself always takes priority. Preferences are defaults, not restrictions.
The four preference fields
| Field | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic | Cultural flavor for generated content (e.g., Viking Age, Feudal Japanese, Byzantine) |
| Party Level | Your group's level (1–20); scales encounter difficulty and content suggestions |
| Tone | Mood of generated content — Heroic, Dark, Gritty, Mysterious, Comedic, Whimsical, Tragic, Epic, Horror, or Neutral |
| Threat Level | How dangerous the world feels — Peaceful, Low, Moderate, High, or Deadly |
Preference levels
You can set preferences at three levels. More specific levels override broader ones:
| Level | Where to set it | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Personal | Settings > Generation Preferences | All generation across the app |
| Campaign | Campaign detail page > Generation Preferences section | All generation within that campaign |
| Session | Session detail page > Session Overrides section | Generation during that session only |
Priority order: your form selection > session override > campaign preference > personal preference > system default.
For example: your personal preference is Heroic tone, but your campaign is set to Dark. Generation forms within that campaign pre-fill Dark. If you're running a one-off lighthearted session, set a session override to Comedic for that session without changing anything at the campaign level.
Setting personal preferences
- Go to Settings (gear icon in the navigation).
- Scroll to the Generation Preferences section.
- Set any combination of the four fields.
- Click Save Preferences.
These become your baseline across the entire app.
Setting campaign preferences
- Open a campaign's detail page.
- Find the Generation Preferences section (collapsed by default; expands if preferences are already set).
- Set the fields that make sense for this campaign.
- Click Save Preferences.
Each field has a Clear button (X icon). Clearing a field at the campaign level lets it fall through to your personal preference instead.
Setting session overrides
- Open a session inside a campaign.
- Find the Session Overrides section.
- Set temporary values for this session.
- Click Save Overrides.
Session fields show a hint when the value is inherited from the campaign ("same as campaign"). Use Clear override to remove a session-level value and let the campaign preference apply again.
Generating content outside a campaign
When you generate content from the content library pages (NPCs, Plots, etc.) without an active campaign context, only your personal preferences and system defaults apply. Campaign and session preferences don't apply because there's no campaign to inherit from.
From any content listing page, you can access personal preferences quickly without going to Settings: look for the Your Preferences link.
System defaults
If you haven't set any preferences, CritForge uses sensible starting values: Party Level 5, Neutral tone, Moderate threat. You don't need to configure anything to get started.
Tips
- Set campaign preferences first. If you run a campaign with a consistent setting and tone, configuring preferences at the campaign level saves the most time — you won't have to make those selections on every form.
- Use session overrides sparingly. They're best for one-off deviations from the campaign norm, not permanent changes.
- You can always override on the form. Preferences are pre-fills, not locks. Change any field on any generation form and that choice takes precedence.