Troupe

Read this, you may relate to it more then you may think.

Hi, I'm LL 👋

Founder of Troupe, writer of far too many stories, and the person paying the server bills.

I've been in the AI storytelling and companion scene for a long time. I know what it's like to hop between providers: the once-legendary ones that changed, the ones buried in ads, the ones that won't let you write the story you came to write. And I know what it's like to see exactly what you want from a platform and find that nobody offers it.

So I built it. That's Troupe. (OG testers knew it as Ensemble.)

📖 How Troupe Started

I've always thought of myself as more logical than creative. But I've always loved building stories and living them out.

At this point, if a service offers anything like this, I've probably tried it. After years of switching platforms over ads, creative restrictions, or just bad experiences, I went the self-hosting route. I found a powerful open-source front end, and it was great, until I realized it still wasn't my vision. Getting it there meant hours of setup, scripts, and workarounds.

So I figured I'd spend a few more hours (okay, weeks) building what I actually wanted, the way I wanted it. That became Troupe Legacy, or Ensemble V1 if you were there early.

Finally, a platform that gave me exactly what I wanted. It just happened to be one I built myself.

✍️ Why Troupe Exists

This space is growing fast, but most people still can't find one place to call home. They end up juggling two or three services at once. I want people to enjoy this hobby as much as I do.

I've written hundreds of stories, and ten of them are printed and sitting on my bookshelf. I still pick them up and reread them.

That's the point of Troupe:

  • You're the author. The AI helps; you steer.
  • Your characters, your world. Not the same pre-made character copied to a marketplace a thousand times.
  • Stories you build over time. Not one-off chats you forget about.

💳 About Pricing

Running Troupe isn't cheap. Hosting and AI costs add up every month, and I'm also a student working to pay for school.

So here's how monetization works:

  • Troupe AI (hosted): Pay for credits and I handle the AI provider, API keys, and billing for you. Pricing covers provider costs plus running the service.
  • Bring Your Own Key: Connect your own provider account and pay them directly.
  • Premium features: Some convenience features are part of paid plans.

Prices are shown in CAD, plus applicable taxes. Full details are on the Billing page.

Seriously, I gotta pay for school somehow. 🎓

🛡️ Safety Comes First

I want Troupe to be the best experience I can offer, while meeting every legal and moral obligation that comes with running it.

Child safety is non-negotiable.

  • Content that sexualizes minors is strictly prohibited, including fictional, drawn, or written depictions.
  • Troupe uses automated detection on characters, stories, and messages to catch and block this content.
  • Where the law requires, I report to Canadian authorities (including Cybertip.ca) and preserve evidence as required.
  • Accounts involved are suspended.

If you see something that shouldn't be here, use the Report button on any character, story, message, or Marketplace listing.

🔞 About Adult Content

Troupe is currently Safe Mode only. Adult content is not available.

Adult content needs its own policies, a full legal review, and thorough safety testing before it's offered to anyone. I won't launch it until that work is done properly. There's no release date yet, and I won't rush it.

When there's news, it'll be posted on the Updates page first.

📬 Stay in the Loop

This page will be updated as Troupe grows. For hints about what's coming next, check out the Blog and Updates feeds.

Happy writing,

LL

Founder, Troupe

This page is a personal note from the founder. It doesn't replace the [Terms of Service](/terms), [Privacy Policy](/privacy), or [Acceptable Use Policy](/acceptable-use), which govern your use of Troupe.

What is Troupe?

Troupe is a web app for AI roleplay and interactive fiction with a whole cast. You write as yourself, and a cast of AI characters answers, each in their own voice. Characters talk to you and to each other: for every turn a director chooses who speaks next and an actor writes that character's line, so a scene with several characters stays coherent.

What you can do

  • Create characters with their own descriptions and personalities, worlds with lorebooks, and stories that bring a cast together in a scenario.
  • Play multi-character scenes: one chat, many characters, each speaking in turn.
  • Import what you already have: JSON character cards, SillyTavern chats (.jsonl) and zipped bundles.
  • A Marketplace of shared stories. Browse stories other storytellers have shared and add them to your library. Every submission is reviewed before it is listed. Browse the Marketplace.
  • Choose the AI: Troupe AI (hosted models, paid with monthly credits) or your own API key from OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter. API keys only, never consumer subscriptions; your key is stored encrypted and never shown again.
  • Long stories: older parts of a story are kept as rolling summaries and Troupe searches the whole history for relevant earlier moments, so characters can recall what happened long ago.
  • Text first: Troupe is text-only. Avatars and cover art come from a built-in library of original theatrical artwork.

Safe Mode

Troupe currently runs every story in Safe Mode. Messages and replies are checked by content-safety classifiers before they are shown, and sexual content involving minors is blocked everywhere, with any AI provider, including your own key.

Plans

  • Free (free): Safe Mode only; 300 credits every month; Up to 3 stories; Up to 25 characters; Troupe AI or your own OpenAI / Anthropic / OpenRouter key; Verified email required.
  • Plus (CA$7.99 / month (coming soon)): 6,000 credits every month; More stories and characters; Cloud sync.
  • Pro (CA$14.99 / month (coming soon)): 13,000 credits every month; Everything in Plus; Priority queue; Longer context for Troupe AI; Unlimited stories and characters.

Prices are in Canadian dollars, plus applicable taxes. See pricing for details.

Frequently asked questions

Is Troupe free?

Yes. The Free plan includes 300 credits every month, up to 3 stories and 25 characters, in Safe Mode. A verified email address is required.

What is a credit?

Credits pay for AI replies and the safety checks on them. One credit is worth CA$0.001; each message is charged on its actual usage (the model, the length of the story context and of the reply). Monthly plan credits expire at the end of each period and don't roll over.

Can I use my own API key?

Yes. Add an OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter API key and the AI replies are billed by your provider, not in credits. The safety checks still use a few credits per message.

How long can a story be?

There is no fixed length. For each reply the AI gets a context window (with Troupe AI, about 8,192 tokens on Free and 16,384 on Pro; your own key uses your model's own context), which holds the recent story, rolling summaries of older parts and earlier moments recalled by search.

How many characters can be in a scene?

A story can have a whole cast; the director picks who speaks each turn. The Free plan allows up to 25 characters in your library.

Can I bring my characters from another app?

Yes: import JSON character cards, SillyTavern chats (.jsonl) or zipped Troupe bundles.

Who can use Troupe?

Anyone aged 16 or older. See the Terms of Service and the Acceptable Use Policy.

Can I take my data with me or delete it?

Yes. You can export your data or delete your account from Settings. Details are in the Privacy Policy.