How does the A.I. work?

So you're probably wondering what makes Monstrous Logic different? Do you roll a die and do what it says? Is it another one of those?

No, no. That would be too simple, and too random for my taste. Monstrous Logic is not random A.I. like has been the norm in tabletop games and even some huge board game titles. Instead Monstrous Logic uses a semi-deterministic system for decision-making. Here's a quick explanation of how the A.I. work.

In Monstrous Logic each monster type has a unique A.I. scheme containing its stats and A.I. behaviors. A monster chooses its actions based on fulfilling the condition tied to that set of actions. A condition can be a special condition such as “If this creature has half or less HP”, or it can be a proximity condition (symbolized by a hex with a number or range of numbers in it). With proximity conditions, we check to see if there are any targetable enemies within that many number of spaces away from the monster. When a condition is fulfilled, the monster performs that action. It’s a very similar system to the one used in the board game Sword & Sorcery.

The second half of the rules are the ones for pathfinding. These were lifted liberally (and improved upon) from the board game Gloomhaven. Gloomhaven has a robust set of rules that control pathfinding and movement, but that game uses random cards to determine what actions the monsters use. This can make for unpredictable enemies, but anyone who’s played Gloomhaven knows that 25% of the time the enemies do some pretty nonsensical things. Monstrous Logic fixes that problem by applying a deterministic set of A.I. behaviors to the monster’s actions. The monsters make their decisions logically.

It's a rather elegant system, and I've included a one-page guide to creating your own monster A.I.s with the rules. I think you'll agree that it's the best A.I. system in tabletop gaming currently on the market.