Getting Started
What is Secondhand Legends?
Secondhand Legends turns your tabletop RPG sessions into stories worth keeping. Record your session, get it transcribed with your campaign's vocabulary, then transform that transcript into a chapter of literary fantasy prose — a novella, not a summary.
Think of it as a scribe sitting at your table, writing down everything that happens, then retelling it as a story. See how it works →
What tabletop systems does it work with?
Any of them. D&D, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Mothership, Blades in the Dark, homebrew — if your group is sitting around a table (or a screen) rolling dice and telling a story, Secondhand Legends can capture it.
Do I need to be the DM to use it?
No. Any player at the table can be the one who hits record. You don't need any special role — just the app on your phone.
What devices does the app run on?
The app is available on iOS. A web portal at secondhandlegends.app is also available for managing campaigns, reading your archive, and purchasing Platinum Coins. Android is on the roadmap.
Recording
How long can a session be?
Sessions up to 5 hours are fully supported. Longer sessions are clamped to the 5-hour pricing bracket — the recording itself keeps going, but you'll be charged the 5-hour rate. Most tabletop sessions fall well within this range.
Do I need a special microphone?
No. Your phone's built-in microphone works. Just place it somewhere central on the table — between the pizza boxes and the dice tray is usually fine. The transcription engine is designed to handle real-world table audio, not studio recordings.
What if I lose signal during a session?
The app is offline-first. Your recording runs entirely on-device — no internet needed while you play. When you're back online, the audio queues up and syncs automatically. Game shops with spotty Wi-Fi? Basements with no signal? Not a problem.
Does the app drain my battery?
It's designed for 4+ hour sessions. The app uses iOS background audio mode — the same efficient path that music and podcast apps use. You can lock your screen, switch apps, or take calls without interrupting the recording.
Transcription & Novellas
How accurate is the transcription?
Better than you'd expect — especially for campaign-specific terms. You teach the system your world's vocabulary (character names, place names, lore terms) and it uses that custom dictionary for every session. "Khaz'gorath" stays "Khaz'gorath," not "Cars Goth."
Speaker diarization identifies different voices, and you assign speakers to characters after the transcript lands. It's not perfect — cross-talk and background noise can muddy things — but it's built for the realities of table audio.
What does the novella actually look like?
Literary fantasy prose — think a chapter from a novel, not a meeting summary. Your raw session (with all its rule debates, snack breaks, and crosstalk) is transformed into narrative prose written in the voice of your campaign. Dialogue, action, atmosphere — it reads like a story because it is one.
Can I edit the transcript before the novella is generated?
You can download the transcript, edit it, and re-upload the corrected version before requesting a novella. This is useful for fixing names or removing sections you don't want in the final story.
Does the AI make mistakes?
Yes — and we're upfront about it. The novella is a creative interpretation of your session, not a court transcript. It may embellish, infer, or occasionally misread the table's intent. That's part of the magic, and part of the limitation.
Our Terms of Service (§8) covers this in detail. The output is AI-generated content, and while we work hard to make it great, we can't guarantee it'll be exactly what you envisioned. Think of it as a first draft from an enthusiastic scribe.
Privacy & Data
Who can hear my recordings?
Only you — through your authenticated account. Recordings are encrypted in transit and stored securely in the cloud. Our AI partners process the audio for transcription, but they don't store it or use it for training. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.
How long is my audio kept?
Raw audio is kept for 30 days by default, then automatically deleted. Your transcripts and novellas are kept indefinitely — they never expire.
Need to keep the audio longer? An extended retention option is on the way.
Do you create voiceprints or identify speakers by voice?
No. We do not create, store, or process biometric voiceprints. Speaker diarization identifies that different voices are speaking, but it doesn't know whose voice it is — you manually assign speakers to characters after the transcript is ready. See our Privacy Policy for details.
Can I delete my data?
Yes. You can request deletion of your account and all associated data. Because sessions may involve other players' voices, we notify your campaign group before processing a deletion request so everyone is aware. The full process is described in our Privacy Policy (§9).
Pricing & Payments
How much does it cost?
You pay per session based on how long it is. Transcription starts at $1.99 for sessions up to an hour; novellas start at $2.99. Longer sessions use higher brackets (up to 5 hours). No subscriptions, no monthly fees — you only pay when you process a session.
Buy Platinum Coins on the web and you'll get 20% more for your money than paying directly in the app.
What are Platinum Coins?
Platinum is a stored-value currency you buy on the web and spend in the app. Because web purchases bypass the app store's cut, we pass the savings to you — 20% more spending power than paying directly in the app.
Can I get a refund?
All sales are final, per our Terms of Service (§6). We recommend starting with a shorter session or a smaller Platinum pack if you're trying us out for the first time.