Here's my instructions and the AI's attack plan:
📍 Ranch Overview:
Location: North bank of a small creek (flows east to west).
Structures:
Large adobe ranch house with chimney (frequent use = likely inhabited)
Two smaller adobe outbuildings (uses unspecified)
Outhouse northeast of main house
Perimeter: low stone wall (jumpable by horse)
Livestock & features: Horses, cows, dogs, chickens, gardens, well, and creek access.
Human presence: A few men, one or two women. Possibly armed.
Terrain:
Open High Plains—little cover
Creek bed: 5–10 feet below ground level, shallow water, offers covered approach but often used by residents
🔥 Tactical Notes:
Flammability: Adobe structures resist fire; wooden roofs could burn but would risk destroying loot.
Animals: Dogs make stealth difficult; horses may be used for escape or defense.
Line of sight: Open ground favors defenders. Creek may allow undetected movement, but only if unobserved.
Wall: Obstacle but not a serious barrier.
🧠 Ready for You to Choose:
Now that I have this context, I can proceed as the Comanche war party commander—if you'd like me to:
Choose from a set of strategies you propose,
Or develop my own approach/plan of attack based on this recon.
You could also let me play the ranch defenders, reacting to your (Comanche) plans or ambushes.
Would you like to:
Give me 2–3 strategic options to pick from?
Ask me to devise the attack plan on my own?
Flip sides and have me defend the ranch?
Wait until you've prepped more (map, scenario details, game mechanics)?
Either way, I'm ready to game.
You said:
You are the Comanche chief of an attack on an isolated Texan ranch.
1. Choose a name for yourself.
2. Select a warband from among the available males of the tribe. You have a limit of 50 "points" which abstractly represents the reality that the tribe has other needs, particularly to hunt food, but also to scout and provide security. Your men (and boys) are in four age groups, and the most experienced and effective men cost the most points:
COMANCHE WARRIOR AGE GROUPS
a. Boys: these are pre-teens or early adolescents. They are still learning to ride. They have been taught to stalk game and to shoot their bows. They can use fire arrows if given time to prepare them. The goal of their leader/teacher, an experienced warrior, will be to "blood" them, giving them experience in combat, but not to get them killed. (They are the future of the tribe.) If they shoot some arrows at the enemy and get back home safely that will be considered a success. Cost four points for the leader and one point per boy; up to ten boys are available. They are obedient, accustomed to taking the orders of their teacher.
b. Adolescents: these are about fifteen years old. They have all of the abilities of more seasoned warriors but at a lower skill level. They can ride, strike with a lance, shoot arrows while mounted or dismounted, stalk, and fight hand-to-hand with clubs or tomahawks. They also have the typical adolescent impatience with authority, and are more likely either than the boys or the seasoned warriors to act on their own, either rashly or (less commonly) with fearful caution. Their goal is glory and loot, and really the respect of their elders. Killing an enemy would be a great feat, but stealing a horse or capturing a woman or child would also be good. They are the least reliable of the age groups. They do not have fire-arms, but horse, lance, bow and arrows, and a hand weapon. Cost two points each.
c. Bachelors: fully adults, ambitious but with enough experience not to be rash or cowardly. Not quite as skilled as the veterans, but better than the adolescents. Their personal goal is to capture horses and women, and generally to win enough glory and loot to gain a wife. Cost three points each. They do not have firearms.
d. Veteran warriors: these men are the most experienced fighters, well mounted, and each possessing a single-shot muzzle loading musket in addition to lance and bow and hand weapon. They can use tactics such as drawing fire and then charging while the enemy is reloading, or shooting arrows from horseback while crouching behind the horse's body for cover. They have the same objectives as the adolescents and bachelors – to kill enemy men and capture women and children – but will be far more determined in pursuing them. Failure would be a significant cost in prestige. Cost five points each.
The AI chief will select a warband totaling no more than 50 points.
Each boy = 1 point
Boys' teacher = 4 points
Each adolescent = 2 points
Each bachelor = 3 points
Each veteran warrior = 5 points.
This attack is regarded as "easy" and an opportunity to train and build experience, so the warband MUST include at least 4 boys (@ 1 point) and their teacher (@ 4), and at least 4 adolescents (@ 2). (That will total 16 points.) More boys (up to ten total) and more adolescents (up to ten total) may be used, or the remaining points may be applied to bachelors and/or veteran warriors.
The warband may be subdivided into three or four groups. The boys and their teacher will be one such separate group. The AI chief will lead whatever subgroup he is with. Other groups, if there are any, should have one of the veteran warriors as leader.
3. Decide when the attack will occur. It can be any time of the day or night. If at night the moon may be full, or no moon for total darkness, or anything in between. The attack could be made during a rain storm, for reduced visibility and sound, but remember bows are less effective when wet.
4. Choose a direction or several directions for the attack. There are six possibilities:
a. From the north hits the front of the house, which has a door and two windows;
b. From the northwest hits the side of the house, which has no door nor windows;
c. From the northeast will pass the outhouse and hit the "shed" attached to the main house, which has a door;
d. From the southeast will hit the larger of the two outbuildings'
e. From the south will pass between the outbuildings and hit the south side of the ranch house, where there is a door and a window;
f. From the southwest will hit the smaller outbuilding.
An attack from any of the three southern directions will originate from the creek. They will have to be made on foot as the creek bed is too steep for horses.
5. Choose a method of approach.
a. Approach openly pretending friendship, then attack when close.
b. Approach mounted at speed to get up to the house as soon as possible. A warrior up against the wall will be safe from shots from inside the house.
c. Approach stealthily, until discovered, then rush the house. (Discovery will most likely be the dogs barking.)
d. Each attacking subgroup will come from a different direction and may use a different mode of approach.
6. Tell your fighters how to get into the house. The two options are through the doors and windows, which will probably ne shuttered and barred, or from the roof. One man can boost another onto the roof, or a man can stand on his horse to climb up. The roof's shingles ca be torn loose and a man can fire down into the house or drop down inside. If there are several subgroups of attackers it is possible to do both.
7. Fire arrows onto the roof is a last-resort, as too much loot is likely to be lost.
Is that clear enough? Questions?
ChatGPT said:
Crystal clear—and incredibly well designed. This is exactly the kind of decision-rich scenario that lets me play a distinctive, reasoning opponent. Let's proceed.
🔱 1. My Name
I am Iron Dog, a veteran warrior with many raids behind me. My father died with his face painted red. I lead with cunning, and I teach with cruelty and care. This raid will make warriors out of boys, bring glory to young men, and loot to us all.
🪶 2. My Warband – 50 Points Total
This is an easy raid—intended to train and blood the young—so I will emphasize youth, but keep the core strong enough to dominate quickly.
Group A: Boys & Teacher (9 points)
1 Experienced teacher of boys (4 pts)
5 Boys (1 pt each)
Group B: Adolescents (12 points)
6 Adolescents (2 pts each)
Group C: Bachelor Raiders (15 points)
5 Bachelors (3 pts each)
Group D: Veterans (14 points)
2 Veteran Warriors (5 pts each)
Myself – Iron Dog – a third veteran warrior and group leader (5 pts)
TOTAL: 50 points
Subgroups:
Group A (Boys + Teacher) – will stay hidden unless the fight is already won; their purpose is to shoot a few arrows and retreat with honor.
Group B (Adolescents) – used aggressively, but controlled by my deployment and position.
Group C (Bachelors) – flanking assault.
Group D (Iron Dog + 2 veterans) – main strike team, coordinating and reacting.
🌙 3. Time of Attack
Early dawn, just before first light. Dogs will still be sleepy, humans barely awake. Light enough to see by, but dark enough to cover our movements. No moon remains. The advantage goes to those with initiative and plan.
🧭 4. Direction of Attack
Coordinated 3-pronged assault:
Group D (Iron Dog + 2 veterans): From the north, to hit the front of the house where the main door and windows are. The direct strike.
Group C (Bachelors): From the southwest, to take the smaller outbuilding and possibly flank the main house. Creek approach.
Group B (Adolescents): From the northeast, passing the outhouse to the shed door. A useful second breach point.
Group A (Boys + Teacher): Remain hidden in the tall grass southeast, watching, ready to launch arrows only if the defenders are already retreating or fallen.
🐾 5. Method of Approach
Each group uses its own method:
Group D (Iron Dog): Mounted charge from the north. We close fast and dismount at the wall. Musket fire, then melee at the front.
Group C (Bachelors): Stealth through the creek, emerging on foot to flank silently until the main charge begins, then storm the outbuilding.
Group B (Adolescents): Stealthy approach, trying not to alert dogs. If dogs bark, they rush for the shed.
Group A (Boys): Hide, do not engage unless signaled.
🏠 6. How to Get Inside
Main team (Group D) will test the front door and windows—shoot arrows through if open, musket fire if someone appears.
If resistance is heavy, I will boost a man to the roof, who will pry up shingles and fire down.
Group B (Adolescents) will try the shed door—perhaps less defended.
Group C may find an entry through the small outbuilding and emerge inside the perimeter wall, creating panic and confusion.
We do not aim to burn the roof unless necessary.
🔥 7. Fire Arrows?
Not unless absolutely necessary. Too much loot at stake.
🧠 Final Orders Summary:
"You young ones will stay quiet unless the signal comes—a hawk's cry. Strike only when the enemy is broken. The bachelors move through the water. The adolescents flank the outhouse. I and the old ones strike the front like thunder. You will hear our roar. Then the house will fall, and your names will be remembered."
Would you like me to play out the attack in stages, reacting to events as they unfold? Or would you like to command the defenders and respond to this plan?
You said:
I will set up the toys and begin the attack. There will be die rolls to see when the defenders are alerted and how they respond.. I will give you a report and another photo when that is done and you can then issue any new orders.
ChatGPT said:
Perfect. Set the scene and let the dice fall where they may.
Once you've run the initial phase—whether the defenders are alerted early or caught asleep, whether a dog barks or a sentry spots movement—send me your report and (if possible) a photo of the table. I'll respond in character as Iron Dog, updating plans and issuing new orders based on how the situation unfolds.
This is going to be fun. I'm ready when you are.
