# Return to Dark Tower — Core Rules ## Overview Return to Dark Tower is a cooperative game where heroes of the Four Kingdoms join forces, with the aid of a helpful companion, to defeat the adversary in the Tower. You all win or lose together. You have six months before the Four Kingdoms fall and the adversary's reign is absolute. > For the competitive game mode, see [Competitive Game](#competitive-game) at the end. ## Game Setup ### World Setup 1. Place the game board so that each kingdom faces a different player. 2. Turn on the Tower. Each level will rotate. When they finish, slide on the 12 seals to cover the openings. Place the Tower in the center of the game board. 3. Place the 16 buildings in their spaces. 4. Set aside the warrior tokens, spirit tokens, and exactly 24 skulls to create the supply. 5. Sort the gear cards into 6 separate face-up stacks (3 copies of each). 6. Shuffle the treasure cards into a face-down deck. Draw the top 3 cards face up to create the market. 7. Shuffle the potion cards into a face-down deck. 8. Shuffle the corruption cards into a face-down deck. 9. Place the companion cards, quest markers, and haggle die near the game board. ### Hero Setup 1. Place your hero board in front of you. 2. Place the 3 hero virtue tiles for your hero in empty slots on your hero board, inactive side up. 3. Place your hero figure on the space with the citadel in the kingdom in front of you. This kingdom is your home kingdom. 4. Place the kingdom virtue tile for your home kingdom in an empty slot on your hero board. 5. Collect your starting resources from the supply (7 warriors and 1 spirit). ### App Setup 1. Launch the app and select "new game." 2. Follow the prompts to sync your device to the Tower via Bluetooth. 3. Select game mode: "cooperative" or "competitive." Default difficulty is Heroic; select Gritty for more challenge. Select any expansions. 4. Select the number of players. 5. Select your main goal. Retrieve the matching companion card. 6. Select your adversary. Place the matching adversary card and adversary token nearby. 7. Select your foes (one level 2, one level 3, and one level 4). Place the matching foe cards and foe tokens nearby. 8. Press "begin game." 9. Follow the final setup directions in the app: adding skulls, spawning foes, placing the main goal quest marker, etc. > **Recommended first game:** Recover Azkol's Treasures with Ashstrider as the adversary. --- ## Sequence of Play The game is played in a series of months. Each month consists of a number of player turns taken in clockwise order. If the heroes do not complete the main goal and defeat the adversary before the end of the sixth month, they lose. ### Turns Per Month (Average) | Players | Average Turns | | ------- | ------------- | | 1 | 6 turns | | 2 | 7 turns | | 3 | 8 turns | | 4 | 9 turns | Each player takes exactly one turn in the first month. In following months, the first turn is taken by the player seated to the left of the player who took the final turn in the previous month. The app will inform you when the month ends. When you choose Gritty difficulty, there are fewer turns per month. ### Monthly Quests At the start of each month (except the first), the app gives two monthly quests: - **Companion Quest:** Completing this quest provides a new companion or quest item. - **Adversary Quest:** Failing this quest allows the adversary to advance their plans, making the world worse. Monthly quests fail if not completed by the end of the month. --- ## Taking Your Turn Perform these three steps in order: ### 1. Start of Turn You **may** take your **Banner action** (listed on your hero board). This action is optional but cannot be saved for later. Other game effects that apply "at the start of your turn" also happen now, in any order with your Banner action. ### 2. Middle of Turn You may **move**, take a **heroic action**, and take a **Reinforce action**, in any order. These steps are all optional. You can even split up your move, stopping to take actions before, during, or after moving. #### Movement - Move up to your move value (listed on your hero board). - Spend 1 spirit to **double** your move for the turn (must decide before starting to move). - Modifiers from virtues or gear are applied before doubling. - Moving to an adjacent space (sharing a gold or blue border) costs 1 move. - Crossing a river does not let you move further up or down the river. - Nothing on the game board prevents or stops movement — you can move through foes, skulls, tokens, and other heroes. #### Heroic Actions You may take **one** heroic action per turn. After completing any heroic action, **gain 2 spirit**. **A) Cleanse** — Remove all skulls from a building on your space and return them to the supply. Cannot cleanse a space without skulls unless you have a special ability. **B) Battle** — Battle a foe on your space (see [Battle](#battle) below). **C) Quest** — Complete a quest or explore a dungeon on your space (see [Quests & Dungeons](#quests--dungeons) below). #### Reinforce Once per turn, you may Reinforce at a space with a building. Each building has a free effect and an enhanced effect that costs spirit. You choose one. See [Buildings](buildings.md) for details. Before Reinforcing, you may optionally roll the **haggle die**: - Reinforce normally - After you Reinforce, gain 3 warriors - After you Reinforce, gain 1 potion - After you Reinforce, gain 1 gear - The Reinforce action is **canceled** ### 3. End of Turn You **must** take a skull from the supply and drop it into the Tower. If skulls emerge, place them first, then resolve events. > **Important:** Once you have dropped a skull into the Tower, you may not use items any more on that turn. --- ## Battle Take the Battle action to fight a foe on your space. If multiple foes are on your space, choose one. ### Starting the Battle 1. Calculate your automatic Advantages. 2. Open the battle screen and select the foe. 3. Select a number of battle cards equal to the foe's level. 4. The app reveals cards one at a time. ### Spending Advantages - Press the arrow on the bottom of a battle card to spend an Advantage and improve the result. - You can spend multiple Advantages on a single card, or none. - Each card has a best possible result achievable with enough Advantages. - You cannot undo spent Advantages. - Maximum 10 Advantages per heroic action. ### Applying Results Follow the instructions to resolve each card. If you cannot fully resolve losses, resolve what you can and gain a corruption. Once all cards are resolved, the foe is defeated — remove the foe token. ### Battling the Adversary Two key exceptions when fighting the adversary: - You **may retreat** after resolving at least one battle card. - **Advantages applied to the adversary's battle cards remain** for future battles (the fight is cumulative across multiple heroes/turns). > Heroes might need to battle the adversary multiple times before striking the final blow. ### Removing Foes Certain effects let you remove foes without battling. Use the foe status screen. This is **not** a heroic action (no 2 spirit gained). The adversary cannot be removed this way. --- ## Quests & Dungeons ### Completing a Quest Quests require being in a certain location, spending resources, defeating a foe, or completing a dungeon. Select the quest in the app, press and hold the button, then follow the instructions. ### Exploring a Dungeon Dungeons spawn as part of certain quests. The goal is to find the target room. 1. **Enter:** Press the dungeon button, select a dungeon, choose a room to enter. 2. **Spend Advantages:** You can spend 1 Advantage per room to improve the result (each room can only be improved once). 3. **Apply results:** Follow instructions. If you can't fully resolve losses, gain a corruption. Cleared rooms stay cleared for future visits by any hero. 4. **Continue or leave:** After each room, decide whether to explore another room or leave. 5. **Complete:** If you clear the target room, the dungeon (and its associated quest) is complete. ### Completing the Main Goal The main goal is a type of quest. Completing it causes the adversary to spawn on the game board. You can then battle it to win. --- ## Events Events happen at the end of most player turns. The app alerts you. Read aloud and follow instructions. Event categories: - **Foes Strike:** Foes move and/or strike out (skipped if none of that foe is on the board). - **Foes Spawn:** New foes appear on the game board. - **Foes Grow in Power:** Foe status becomes more lethal (skipped if none on board). - **The Tower Stirs:** The Tower rotates or a seal is removed. - **The Tower Acts:** The adversary strikes from within the Tower. - **Companion Events:** Good events from companions. - **New Wares:** Players may replace treasures in the market. When an event tells you to remove a seal, remove the one indicated by the glowing lights. If skulls emerge when the Tower rotates or a seal is removed, place those skulls as normal. --- ## Spending vs. Losing - **Spending** resources or items is **optional** and can be done at any point during your turn. When you spend an item for a different effect (like activating a virtue), you do not also get the item's normal effect. - **Losing** resources or items is **mandatory**. If you cannot resolve the loss fully, lose as much as you can and gain a single corruption. You cannot gain multiple corruptions from a single effect. ## Making Trades Once per turn, you may trade with heroes on your space (all must agree). You may trade warriors, spirit, items, and companions. You may **not** trade virtues or corruptions. --- ## Winning & Losing ### Winning You win the game if you **complete the main goal** and then **defeat the adversary** in battle. ### Losing You lose the game immediately if: - A hero would gain their **third corruption** - The **sixth month ends** - You have to take a skull from the supply and **there are none** --- ## Placing Skulls When a skull tumbles out of a Tower opening, it must be placed on a building in the kingdom where it first emerged. - Each player decides where to place skulls in their home kingdom. - The player who dropped the skull decides for dormant kingdoms. - Each building can hold up to **3 skulls**. A 4th skull **destroys** the building — remove the building and its 3 skulls from the game. The 4th skull returns to the supply. The player whose home kingdom lost the building gains a corruption (no corruption for dormant kingdoms). --- ## Competitive Game In the competitive game, heroes race to be the first to find the relic hidden within the Tower dungeon. ### Setup Changes - Deal each player four heroic test cards (one of each type), face down. - Give each player one Amulet of Hope quest item. - Choose competitive game mode in the app. ### Hero Goals 1. **Complete three heroic tests** — Take the Quest action at specific locations with required resources. When you complete a heroic test, you may remove a seal from or place a seal back on any Tower opening. 2. **Enter the Tower dungeon** — Once three tests are complete, take the Quest action on any space adjacent to the Tower. 3. **Find the relic** — Explore dungeon rooms until you find where the relic is hidden. If you leave, you can re-enter later, but another hero might find it first. ### Hero Elimination If you would gain a third corruption or have to place/drop a skull with none in supply, you are eliminated and your home kingdom becomes dormant. ### End of the Game - One hero finds the relic → that hero wins - All but one hero eliminated → remaining hero wins - Sixth month ends or all remaining players eliminated at once → nobody wins ### Competitive Clarifications - The app offers a quest each month; first hero to complete it gains a companion. No penalty if uncompleted. - You do not need permission from other heroes to affect them with items or abilities. - The word "foe" only refers to actual foes, not other heroes. - Heroes may still trade if all players agree. - If no potions remain in the deck, you can take one from another hero.