Bots and AI Players

Bots are computer controlled opponents. Each bot has a name that appears on its player card.

A bot’s name represents its in-game identity, while its bot engine determines how it makes decisions.

Bots follow the same rules as human players. They receive rolls, choose movements, and take turns through the same game logic used for human moves.

A bot engine is the decision making system behind a bot. There are two types of bot engines: stable engines and AI engines.

Stable engines use handwritten decision making logic that runs directly on your device. They do not require a network connection and are free to play against.

AI engines use external AI models over the network. Each move requires a paid API request, so these engines are available only to premium players.

Each bot engine plays under four different names. The engine determines how the bot plays, while the name gives each bot its own in-game identity.

Premium bots use the claude-sonnet-4-6 and gpt-5.4-mini AI models.

When a premium bot takes its turn, the engine generates a list of legal, fully validated move options on your device.

The current game state and the available options are sent to the AI model, which selects the move it wants to play.

The AI model cannot create or submit its own move. It can only select from the legal options generated by the engine.

Each AI move requires a paid API request, which is why AI engines require a premium account.

Every bot has a fallback engine so that a game does not stall when its normal engine cannot complete a move.

If a premium AI engine encounters a network error, times out, returns an unusable response, or cannot be used because of insufficient AI credits, a stable engine plays that move instead.

In Journey, the fallback for premium AI engines is Brindled. In Brawl, the fallback is Shadelands.

Stable engines also use fallbacks. If Crepuscular cannot choose a move in time, Brindled plays the move. If Basher cannot choose a move in time, Shadelands plays the move.

A fallback applies only to the affected move. On its next turn, the bot attempts to use its normal engine again.

Bots evaluate only the board state and game information that are also visible to human players.

Bots do not receive hidden information, special rolls, or exceptions to the rules.

Every bot move passes through the same rules engine used to validate human moves. Invalid or unusable selections are rejected, and the fallback system chooses a replacement move.