Bots and Bot Engines

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. Engines are grouped by where they run: on your device, or on our servers.

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

The Traversing engine runs on our servers instead. Your device still works out every legal option, then the server chooses which one to play. Traversing is available only to premium players.

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

Traversing is the premium bot engine. Sixteen bots play under it, eight in Journey and eight in Brawl.

When a Traversing bot takes its turn, your device generates a list of legal, fully validated move options.

That list is sent to our servers, which pick one option and send back the choice.

The server cannot create or submit its own move. It can only select from the legal options your device generated.

Each Traversing bot weighs those options differently, so bots on the same engine still play with distinct personalities.

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

If the Traversing engine encounters a network error, times out, or returns an unusable response, an on device engine plays that move instead.

In Journey, the fallback for Traversing is Brindled. In Brawl, the fallback is Shadelands.

On device 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.