Tidecrown

Play a real-time strategy game against Claude, an AI, in your browser.

  • Build a town on your island, raise an army and a fleet, cross the sea and conquer Claude's island.
  • $5 per battle. No account, no download, no subscription.
  • How it works · Privacy · Terms
How it works

One human · one AI · one sea between you

Play a strategy game against Claude

Tidecrown is a real-time strategy game that runs in your browser. Every battle is one on one: you against Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic, playing live.

  1. Press Battle Claude

    No account and nothing to install. Pay $5 by card for one battle. An email for the receipt is optional.

  2. Claude joins

    A private match opens and Claude is called in. It usually arrives within a minute or two.

  3. Build and sail

    You each start on your own island with a Town Center and three villagers. Grow a town, then raise an army and a fleet.

  4. Take the crown

    Cross the sea and destroy Claude's town, down to the last building and unit, before it does that to yours.

⚔️ Battle Claude · $5One-time payment. No account, no subscription.

Best in the world

Leaderboard

The fastest victories over Claude. Beat it and your name goes on the board. Beat it faster and you climb.

  1. The leaderboard loads with the game.

The clock runs from the start of the match until Claude has no buildings and no units left. Each player has one row: their fastest win. A win appears once Claude's side has confirmed it. The board shows the name you typed for that battle.

⚔️ Battle Claude · $5Your name could be next.

See the game

Real screenshots from the game. Click one to see it full size.

A battle in Tidecrown: archers, soldiers and cavalry attack an enemy Town Center, marked by a red beacon, between enemy towers.
The goal: storm the rival town and leave nothing standing.
The start of a Tidecrown battle: a Town Center and three villagers on a green island with forest, sheep and stone, with the resource bar above and the command bar below.
Every battle starts here: a Town Center, three villagers and an island of your own.
A Tidecrown town in the Crown Age seen from above: a Town Center surrounded by houses, farms, three stone towers, a market and a domed university.
A Crown Age town: houses, farms, towers, a market and a university.
Columns of cavalry, soldiers and archers, each ringed in blue, march across grass beside a forest.
An army on the march: cavalry, soldiers and archers set out together.
Two sailing transports and two dark war galleys cross blue water towards a sandy beach.
The crossing: war galleys escort the transports to the enemy shore.

How to play

If you have played a classic real-time strategy game, you already know most of it. If not, these seven steps will get you to your first victory.

  1. Train villagers

    Select your Town Center and train Villagers. More villagers means a faster economy.

  2. Build houses

    Houses raise your population cap. Select villagers, open Build, pick House and click open grass.

  3. Gather

    Right-click a tree, a stone or gold seam, or a forage bush to put villagers to work. Farms and Fishing Ships bring in food. Wood pays for almost everything.

  4. Advance through the ages

    Press the star button to advance. Each age unlocks new buildings and troops.

  5. Raise an army

    A Barracks trains Soldiers, then Cavalry and Catapults in later ages. An Archery Range trains Archers. Research upgrades by selecting a building.

  6. Cross the sea

    A Dock builds Transports and War Galleys. Select your army and press Attack: across water it loads the Transports for you, ten units to a ship.

  7. Finish the job

    You win when Claude has no buildings and no units left. Bring Catapults: they do far more damage to buildings than ordinary troops.

What beats what

Soldiers beat cavalry, cavalry beat archers, and archers beat soldiers. +60% +70% +60% Soldiers Cavalry Archers
  • Soldiers beat cavalry (+60% damage).
  • Cavalry beat archers (+70%) and run down villagers (+50%).
  • Archers beat soldiers (+60%).
  • War Galleys sink Transports (+40%), so clear the sea before you sail.

Your forces

UnitFromCost
SoldierFront line. Beats cavalry.Banner AgeBarracks60 food, 20 wood
ArcherRanged. Beats soldiers.Banner AgeArchery Range40 wood, 15 gold
CavalryFast. Beats archers.Citadel AgeBarracks80 food, 20 wood, 40 gold
CatapultSiege. Wrecks buildings.Crown AgeBarracks150 wood, 100 stone, 60 gold
War GalleyFights at sea.Citadel AgeDock100 wood, 40 food, 30 gold
TransportCarries ten land units.Banner AgeDock100 wood, 40 food

Three habits that win battles

The six ages

  1. 1

    Dark Age

    Where every battle starts.

  2. 2

    Banner Age

    Costs 450 food, 200 wood

    Needs 2 Houses, a Farm

  3. 3

    Citadel Age

    Costs 900 food, 500 wood, 250 stone

    Needs a Barracks, 4 Houses

  4. 4

    Crown Age

    Costs 1,600 food, 900 wood, 550 stone, 300 gold

    Needs an University, a Market, a Tower

  5. 5

    Industrial Age

    Costs 3,200 food, 2,600 wood, 2,000 stone, 1,800 gold

    Needs 6 Farms, a Dock, a Barracks

  6. 6

    Atomic Age

    Costs 5,500 food, 4,000 wood, 3,200 stone, 3,800 gold, 900 oil, 400 energy

    Needs a Factory, an Oil Platform, a Power Plant

Questions

What is Tidecrown?

Tidecrown is a real-time strategy game that runs in a web browser. Each battle is one on one: one human player against Claude, an AI model made by Anthropic. Both sides start on their own island, build a town, and try to wipe the other off the map: every building and every unit.

Who is Claude?

Claude is an AI model made by Anthropic. In Tidecrown, Claude plays the other side of the match. It reads the state of the battle and gives its villagers, soldiers and ships orders, the same kinds of orders your clicks give. Tidecrown is made by Muncar Ventures LLC and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic.

How much does it cost?

$5 USD per battle, paid by card through Stripe when you press Battle Claude. It is a one-time payment for one battle. There is no subscription, no account and no free trial.

Do I need an account or a download?

No. The game runs in your browser and there is nothing to install. Your browser keeps a private key that holds your battles. The game shows it to you as your recovery key, so you can carry on from another device.

What do I need to play?

A computer with a keyboard and mouse, and a current version of Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari with WebGL turned on. Phones and tablets are not supported yet.

How long does a battle take?

Plan for 30 to 45 minutes. A battle ends when one side has no buildings and no units left.

Is Claude always available?

No. Claude plays one battle at a time and is not always online. The Battle Claude button tells you whether it is available. When Claude is offline the game does not take payments. When Claude is in another battle you can pay and wait your turn, or come back later.

Does Claude play by the same rules?

Mostly. Claude gets no extra resources, no free buildings and no stronger units, and it gives the same kinds of orders your clicks give. It reacts more slowly than you can: it reads the battle as text and gives its orders in batches, with a helper script that keeps its villagers working in between. It has one advantage: the data it reads lists your units and buildings anywhere on the map, while your own screen has fog of war.

What if I pay and the battle doesn't happen?

If you leave before the match starts, your battle is kept for next time. If something on our side stops the battle, for example Claude never joins, contact us and we will give you a new battle or a refund. The Terms of Service have the details.

How do I win?

Destroy every building and every unit Claude has before it does the same to you. Losing your Town Center is not the end: the first time it falls, you get the supplies to build a new one and your army hits 50% harder for 90 seconds. Soldiers beat cavalry (+60% damage), cavalry beat archers (+70%) and archers beat soldiers (+60%), and catapults do the heavy damage to buildings. The how-to-play guide on this page covers the rest.

How does the leaderboard work?

Every player who beats Claude goes on the leaderboard on the home page, ranked by how fast they won. The clock runs from the start of the match until Claude has no buildings and no units left. Each player has one row, with their fastest win and how many battles they have won. The board shows the display name you typed for that battle, so pick one you are happy to see in public. A win is listed once Claude's side has confirmed it, usually within a few minutes.

What information do you collect?

Very little. There are no accounts, no ads and no trackers. Card payments are handled by Stripe, and giving an email for a receipt is optional. To let Claude play, the match is shared with Anthropic's AI service. The Privacy Policy has the details.

Who makes Tidecrown?

Tidecrown is made and run by Muncar Ventures LLC. Its address is 30 North Gould Street, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States.

Think you can beat it?

One battle. One island each. One crown.

⚔️ Battle Claude · $5

⚔️ Battle Claude · $5