Game: Dark Tower

Thread: Re: Am I the only one who actually still enjoys this game??

kevster — 2008-08-26T18:20:03+00:00

Good to see others that still enjoy it for what it is!!

Thread: Re: Am I the only one who actually still enjoys this game??

drbsgold — 2008-08-26T17:03:46+00:00

I love this game.
Who cares how much of it is nostalgia?

Here is a link to play a really accurate flash version...

http://www.hotflashgames.com/darktower.htm

Thread: Re: Am I the only one who actually still enjoys this game??

reapersaurus — 2008-08-26T16:56:41+00:00

I wouldn't be too worried - there's many things that keep this game from getting many plays.

a) It is not remotely the standard kind of game that is favored here.
b) It is rare. Not many people have a working copy.
c) It is worth a LOT - so people may be reluctant to break it out much.
d) It takes a lot of storage space - maybe many people have it in an out-of-the-way place, hard to grab easily?
e) It's not something most adults play, which probably filters the play audience to BGGers with kids who kept (or bought) a working copy.

I rate it a 10, still love the game and would play it anytime I can.
I don't have time to get around to 1/10th the games I'd like to - but with my son being 7 I'm sure there are more games of Dark Tower in my near future (as long as the motor/electronics hold out).

Thread: Am I the only one who actually still enjoys this game??

kevster — 2008-08-26T16:21:27+00:00

I've been wanting this game for a long time and then over the weekend my wife gave me a copy for my birthday. I was SO excited because this game is so cool! I know a lot of people want this game just for its nostalgia factor or just for collectibility, but honestly, I wanted it because I think it's fun to play. It doesn't really hold any nostalgia for me because I had never heard of it until I was a senior in high school. Sure, as a gamer it's a nice addition to my collection, but that's only part of it. I sincerely enjoy playing this game. I noticed that this month my two plays are the only 2 logged out of the 461 owners on this site.

Does anyone else still enjoy actually PLAYING this game??

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Jonesey — 2008-08-05T21:03:34+00:00

lordkuato wrote:
I loved Dark Tower as a kid. Unfortunately, after a few games, our tower broke and that was the end of that...

I still play the online version every so often.

Yikes!!! Keep lordkuato's comment in mind when you have an itchy finger ready to plunk $225 down on a 30 year old electronic game at eBay. There's no warranty, and the thing could die at any moment. Not an investment for the faint of heart.

Even so, I wish I still had mine.
Jonesey

Thread: Re: Flags, pawns, and board connectors: used in other MB games?

dogmatix — 2008-07-04T18:58:04+00:00

MidKentGamerUK wrote:
Hi there, am pretty sure I have a beat up old cardboard box in my folks' attic with a copy of Dark Tower sat inside it... Am fairly sure that last time I tried to boot up the Tower it just died on me, so assuming the folks haven't chucked it (or conversely my father hasn't suddenly grown overly attached to it) I'll see what exactly is up there.
Watch this space

Watching intently [and thanks!].

Thread: Re: Flags, pawns, and board connectors: used in other MB games?

MidKentGamerUK — 2008-06-25T21:53:40+00:00

Hi there, am pretty sure I have a beat up old cardboard box in my folks' attic with a copy of Dark Tower sat inside it... Am fairly sure that last time I tried to boot up the Tower it just died on me, so assuming the folks haven't chucked it (or conversely my father hasn't suddenly grown overly attached to it) I'll see what exactly is up there.
Watch this space

Thread: Re: Flags, pawns, and board connectors: used in other MB games?

ahoodedfigure — 2008-06-25T20:59:15+00:00

I can't say that I have a complete knowledge of MB games, but as far as I know I can't recall any of the pawns, buildings, keys or flags being used in other games. They used those plastic pegs quite a lot, in games like Battleship, for instance. The rest seemed fairly unique, although I'd love to be proven wrong.

Thread: Re: Flags, pawns, and board connectors: used in other MB games?

drbsgold — 2008-06-24T06:16:56+00:00

Just peeping in....if you ever need a quick DT fix....

http://www.hotflashgames.com/darktower.htm

A COMPLETE flash Dark Tower experience...

doo dah doo dah doo dah DOO DOO DOOOOO.....creak.....

Thread: Flags, pawns, and board connectors: used in other MB games?

dogmatix — 2008-06-24T02:29:21+00:00

Hey folks

I've posted a request in the Game Parts Trade sub-forum for flags [4 of the 5 are in rough shape but 2 are irreparably broken--so I'd like to get get however many I can find], board connectors [2 of 4 with broken "arms"], and a single figure [not pressing but would be nice since he looks a little dopey without his sword].

What I'd like to know is if anyone has encountered Dark Tower bits in other Milton Bradley games. Ebay has several sellers with DT parts in their stores, but none will stock or sell flags [I've contacted them all; why they don't sell flags is beyond me]. However, I know some bits appear in other MB games from the same era. [E.g., the red pegs are no different than those used in Battleship between at least 1978 and 1990]. Has anyone seen these board connectors or split-pennant wide-base flags in other games? If so, what are those games? I'd really love to replace these broken bits and, since even incomplete and/or non-working copies of DT can run $50+, buying a parts copy isn't exactly cost effective.

And, since we're on the subject of DT bits, I've got 2 worn but still very serviceable orange Keys I would be happy to trade [for game bits or GG. In addition to Dark Tower bits, I'm hunting for parts from Forbidden Bridge [and have some from that to trade], as well as 2 US 4-4-7 INF counters from Avalon Hill's Squad Leader.]

Thread: Re: Flash version playable online

mindgammon — 2008-06-07T20:39:01+00:00

Thanks for the link, it brings back fond memories of family war games!

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LankyEngineer — 2008-06-07T18:10:16+00:00

US patent number USD270650

Thread: Re: No, I don't own it. A friend does.

mussels — 2008-05-06T20:29:07+00:00

Yeah, I still mourn the loss of my childhood copy.

Something fried the electronics in my tower, and turning it on simply resulted in the graphics plate turning around and around indefinitely.

Knowing this, I think my parents tossed it into the trash not long afterward.

Thread: Re: No, I don't own it. A friend does.

Burchamj — 2008-05-02T02:21:09+00:00

i had this as a kid.. no more...

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Bigland — 2008-04-24T17:19:23+00:00

Later editions included plastic trays for the pegboards, spare pegs and Pegasus.

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Bigland — 2008-04-24T17:15:39+00:00

Improved one-piece board (and new colour)

Thread: Re: Flash version playable online

ahoodedfigure — 2008-03-31T13:22:45+00:00

Good point. Better to play it at the source. Also, be aware that most of the Dark Tower engines don't really have the battle and encounter mechanics right. It's hard to tell, but if you play it enough you should be able to figure out if it feels the same. Not sure about the one John W mentions.

Thread: Re: Flash version playable online

reapersaurus — 2008-03-31T02:33:37+00:00

As far as I can tell, this is stolen from Hot Flash Games.
There is a link to the (AFAIK) original in the Links section to this game's BGG entry.
http://www.hotflashgames.com/darktower.htm

I doubt if Shawn, the developer, or Arioch (who supplied inspiration, graphics, & perhaps sounds) would appreciate they're copyrighted work being stolen and hosted somewhere else.

At least it doesn;t look like the hofle link is making any money off it...

Thread: Flash version playable online

flakybiscuit — 2008-03-30T18:57:20+00:00

Found this flash version of Dark Tower that you can play in your web browser.

http://hofle.com/darktower/DarkTower.swf

Really been a blast playing it for a few rounds. Brings back good memories.

Have fun storming the castle, er, tower!

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fellonmyhead — 2007-12-29T22:06:22+00:00

The foreboding visage of the Tower!

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King Friday — 2007-12-08T01:58:20+00:00

Keys and flags

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King Friday — 2007-12-08T01:55:54+00:00

Buildings and pawns

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King Friday — 2007-12-08T01:54:59+00:00

Everything in the box.

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framorin — 2007-07-26T01:01:24+00:00

box

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framorin — 2007-07-26T01:00:58+00:00

figures -parts of contents

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framorin — 2007-07-26T01:00:26+00:00

box and contents

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

cazz99 — 2007-06-21T18:50:21+00:00

I FIXED IT! After pressing a keypad button, I manually moved the motor/gear with my finger, and away it went.

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

Kaleljorson7 — 2007-06-18T19:45:20+00:00

I would also check the light bulb. If you're not getting the digital reading at the top, then you've got other problems as well. But the light bulb is a fairly easy fix. If you can find the right size flashlight bulb.

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

Megadev — 2007-06-18T17:33:48+00:00

I had a similar problem a few years ago. It wouldn't turn at all so I took it apart and found that the gear had been knocked loose. After cleaning the parts and reassembling, it worked just fine.

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

cazz99 — 2007-06-18T16:56:07+00:00

I've had problems as well. Mine has only been turned on about 6 times, none in the last 15 years. Now when I turn it on, I get a 0, 2 flashing dashes, but when I hit a button it just dies. I've tried different batteries, so I don't know what to make of it.

Thread: Re: Print and play version?

Smilinbrax — 2007-03-23T23:52:12+00:00

MY question would be: Why?

The attraction of the game is the tower pictures and its bleeps and bloops. It would be a somewhat tedious roll and move game without it.

Just my opinion.

Thread: Print and play version?

Brewtal_Legend — 2007-03-23T21:55:04+00:00

I think this game could easily be made into a print and play version using a dice table mechanic or possibly cards. All the player would really need is a print out of the game board, 2 six sided dice, and the carts/ tables. I got the calculations worked out for the odds of all the events. I just have to find where I put them. Also need to find a good top-down picture of the game board that can be printed out.

-Legend

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

Gr00ver — 2007-03-01T05:22:28+00:00

I haven't noticed that anyone has posted a fix for this small problem so I'll let you know what worked for me. First, make sure that you use non-alkaline batteries, I use rechargable batteries.

My game sat in storage for 15 years and when I pulled it out, it had the same problem, it just kept spinning. If you remove the main body of the tower, there is a small sensor (similar to a garage door sensor to keep from squashing small children) that is out of alignment. Simply adjust the sensor so it points to the other receptor and the game should function normally. Sorry I can't be more technical right now, the game is again packed away (3 years this time) and I can't tell you exactly where it is located.

Good luck and enjoy.

Doug

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

lordkuato — 2007-01-15T18:18:59+00:00

I loved Dark Tower as a kid. Unfortunately, after a few games, our tower broke and that was the end of that...

I still play the online version every so often.

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

presence — 2007-01-10T04:22:57+00:00

Mine does nothing when turned on, except initially display a 0 in the led panel on the top of the tower, and then display "- -". After hitting the "yes" button the tower rotates internally to a panel that has no "screens" lights up all the lights (so you can see it works) and then it asks for "L1" on the LED panel for level one. You press yes for Level 1, or no to change it to "L2" and so on. Once you click yes, then it asks for "P1" (number of players), and so on.

Thread: Re: Dark Tower Batteries

herman_the_german — 2006-11-28T19:40:30+00:00

The instructions do say alkaline batteries only. I also have battery problems, but I also just got mine and am not done testing it.

Thread: Re: No, I don't own it. A friend does.

mvettemagred — 2006-10-19T17:11:17+00:00

Great review of a great game. I bought DT when I was around 14, and it saw extensive play. Of course, when I went to retrieve it from my parents house a few months ago, it was nowhere to be found. Apparently it found its way into a garage sale sometime in the past few years, and was probably snatched up for a buck or two. Oh, how I regret not keeping it safe with me all these years. The tower still worked, too. Ah well...

Thread: No, I don't own it. A friend does.

Yib-Yab — 2006-10-19T03:27:09+00:00

I was playing one of those DVD trivia games with some friends, and my question involved naming whatever pop culture item popped up on the screen. I answered the first few correctly, but blew it on one question that featured a picture of a black, plastic tower and what sounded like "flight of the valkriye" played on a Casio as background music. I shrugged, but both my opponents quickly ringed in and yelled, "Dark Tower!"

Wha? They aren't that much older than me. Why hadn't I ever heard of it?
To some people in the know, Dark Tower was a classic "must have" game of its era; An attempt at bringing the then surging role playing game market to a more managable board game marketplace. It was a bold attempt for sure, one that combined the late 70's "pencil and paper" role playing games with the novelity of electronic parts, in this case being the ominous dark tower by which this game gets its name. Unfortunatly, that tower, as heavily mechanical as it was electronic, is the reason it fetches such a high resale value, but we'll get to that later.

What's the concept?

Each player controls a brave warrior from his home kingdom given the task to lead an army across the three other kingdoms of the land, searching for the three keys needed to enter the evil Dark Tower and vanquish the evil forces that dwell inside it.

The board?

The layout of the board reminds me somewhat of the tower at Isengard from Lord of the Rings, with the dark tower placed in the middle of the board, which is a circle divided up into four quadrants, each one representing a kingdom.

So what's the deal with the tower?

Well, the tower controls and monitors all the game functions; From simple stuff like telling you whose turn it is, to conducting battles and even keeping track of who is where on their quest, although each player is given a card that uses pegs to help them tally their own armies and equipment.

The tower itself is placed on a peg so that it rotates in place. The active player is the one who turns it so that they can see the keypad and the long game window which is normally opaque until it activates, at which point mechanical gears turn inside it and a light kicks on, illumiating the appropriate game "text" from within. This, coupled with a two digit LED readout will give you all the information you need.

The genius of this is that it's up to the active player to fill the other players in on what is actually going on. While the other players can clearly see what move you making, they won't be able to see the result of any interactions with the tower, including results of combat, or what you may have purchased from the bazaar. Although keep in mind, the Tower will give audible signals at times, so players will know if something good or bad happened to you, just not HOW good or bad.

Gameplay?

On your turn, you take your figure and move it to one adjacent space. You then press the appropriate button on the Tower keypad that matches what you did; The tower will handle the rest.

Outcomes of this include being attacked by a number of "brigands;" Suffering the "Plauge;" Encountering a dragon; Finding one of the Keys; Getting "lost;" finding a safe space: and some other stuff, sometimes a mixture of several of these events.

Each player must travel to each kingdom in a counterclockwise order, and may not leave for the next until they have found their key. Once you do, you proceed to that kingdom's "frontier" at which point the Tower will be told via its frontier button that you have moved on (it will remember, and wont let you move on if you don't have the key. It's very smart that way).

Each kingdom has four plastic buildings in it, A tower and a ruin, both of which are the main places where you will find the key, although not always. There is also a sanctuary where you can stop to give yourself a quick boost of soldiers and food if you are caught low. And there's a bazaar where you can spend your hard earned gold on all sorts of stuff, from more soldiers and food, to special items like Healers (that protect you from the plauge), Scouts (who protect you from getting lost), and a beast (which lets you carry more gold than normal). Heck, you even have the option of "haggling" with the shop owner if you think this prices are too high.

Wait, you mentioned having an "army." How does that come into play?

You start the game with an army of 10. While the computer in the tower will automatically remember the amount you have, you have the afformentioned scorecard to keep track, and trust me, considering how often the number of soldiers you have goes up and down (as does the number of food units and gold), you might just want to use pen and paper instead of fiddling with the pegs!

If you encounter Brigands, you are in combat. The Dark Tower will activate its combat section of its innards, where it will conduct the battle for you in a series of rounds. Generally, the number of Brigands you face will always be just a skosh higher than your number of soldiers. The tower will either give you a "happy" tone (if your soldiers killed some brigands) or a "sad" tone (if vice versa). The window will then light up showing you the remanider of troops in each side of the battle. This continues until the brigands are dead, your army dies, or you retreat. So, at its simplist, the more soldiers you have, the eaiser it will be for you to plod around the kingdoms safely.

Yet, there IS a downside. You see, some of you may have noticed I mentioned food. Yes, an army marches on its stomach and you need food to feed your army. For every 15 (I think) people in your army, they consume 1 food unit per turn. If you run out of food, one soldier will die for every turn you dont have anything to feed them. The more troops you have, the greater their food intake, which means more gold you have to spend to keep them fed. Pretty well thought out for an old elctronic game, huh?

Any other bells and whistles?

Yea, a few.

There's the afformentioned dragon, who will occasinaly swoop in to steal some of your supplies. But, as compensation, you may then place the dragon token somwhere on the board to block an opponent. Also, if you acquire a Sword (usually won after battle) you will automaticaly slay the next dragon who attacks you, also winning the "kitty" of supplies he's been hoarding from everyone else.

There are also additional bonuses when you purchase some of the various "helpers" that the game offers.

As mentioned, the "Healer" protects you aginst the random bouts of soldier killing "plauge," but he'll also give you a bonus of a few troops to boot, should you run across the sickness.

The "scout" prevents the dreaded turn losing shame of getting "lost," and also grants you a whole second turn, should you run across some thick brush out there.

There's also the mystrioius, and little seen, Pegaseus. This winged horse can be found as reward after combat. He's a token (with real groovy 70's art on it) that can be spent to warp you to any space you want, barring the "no go to the next kingdom without the key" rule.

And the even more mysterious Wizard, who will allow you to "zap" other players and steal some of their supplies for yourself.

What's the endgame like?

Once you have all three keys, you are back to your home kingdom where you are allowed to storm the tower. But there's still one puzzle left to get in; A Mastermind-style question that asks you to figure out which order you neeed to place the three keys to get in. If you do this, you enter and face the final battle, which works like any other battle in the game, although the amounts of brigands inside are much larger. And depending on what skill level of the game you have it set to, it could be a LOT!

But keep in mind, you dont have to rush to the tower right away. You can continue spending as much time as you need to fart around your home kingdom getting the troops you need to make the final battle yours!

How well does the tower work?

Actually, really well. With the exception of a few obtuse moments that someone may have to explain to you (the sign of "minus #" means that player's turn is over), every button on the keypad is worded for what you need it to do, and as mentioned, the window lights up pictures (with captions) to tell the player what's going on.

Heck, it's even real forgiving for those that screw up, offering a repeat button and even a button for a total inventory check for the dope at the table who forgot to peg their troops or gold. Although, the game smartly penalizies you for this; Checking your inventory results in the loss of a turn. Wicked!

Why is the game so expensive?

As you can tell, the Tower itself was motorized, and as time has gone by, finding one that doesnt have its gears worn down or its johnson rod all fubar'd up takes some effort. My friend ponied up quite a few bucks to breathe in the nostalgia of this one, and I remember once him (politely) reminding us that every hit of the repeat button or inventory check is one more turn that the tower has to make internally.

Plus, from what ive read, (although you may have to fact check this), Milton Bradley was sued by two game creators who claimed that they created the game first, and that the board game giant stole their concept. Regardless, the rights to the game either reverted to the proper owners, or are just in limbo, so there most likely wont ever be a reprint, although in this computer age it would be sweeeeet!

So that's it. I can't tell you if you should pony up for this one. It's a playable game, to be sure, even after all this time. Games are just long enough, so you can make it part of a mini-evening. There's just enough downtime for people to have fun and converse as it's being played.

On the downside, I would personally prefer if there were more ways to directly harass the other players; Besides the dragon and the wizard, Dark Tower is kind of like several players playing their own independent games. In this aspect, it's more like a race than a competitive game.

Still. Although I was more of a child of the 80's, there's a nice relic quality to this game that you just cant get anywhere else. From the Atari-ness of the rulebook, to the unsettling but oh-so right grinding of the tower as it spends, those who need that hit of late 70's kitch, only Dark Tower will do.

And hey, it's not like art collectors dont spend millions of dollars on another Picasso that they dont really need. And those dont even come with plastic dragons or a tower that beeps Wagner at you.

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

disco54 — 2006-09-16T11:55:39+00:00

Haggle, haggle, haggle, bazzar closed!

I love that game almost as much as the vibrating football game!

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Brakman — 2006-09-07T20:13:26+00:00

Yes, I adviced selling too but she has some cherished childhood memory thing going on. Something to do with beating her bother sensless.

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

OxnardMontalvo — 2006-09-07T14:42:20+00:00

Well, I am a Dark Tower fan and it is a great gateway game. Therefore, IMHO it is priceless. There is also a PC version that was well done by a fan, so the eBay price is not worth paying if you want a hit. The first hit is always free

Beyond that it is an interesting game and have heard on one of the podcasts here that others are thinking about bringing some electronics back into boardgames. I think this is a nice idea, especially for setup and keeping track of all the little bookwork things. I do think it has a bit of a nostalgia drive and more recent gamers probably won't be impressed as much as us back in the day. At the time it was very impressive and I still enjoy it today with the occassional shove on the internals to get it working again. My advice try it, you'll like it or want something more... sales pitch for Runebound or Return of the Heroes

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

ced1106 — 2006-09-06T22:16:42+00:00

Brakman wrote:
Played it a few weeks ago just to appease my friends wife who picked it up cheap at a yard sale. My comment: "It's like Talisman with only five spaces and six cards".

*And* it goes for a leg and an arm on eBay! Sell! Sell!

Actually, I think part of the popularity of Dark Tower is *NOT* playing the boardgame, just the tower, and playing it SOLITAIRE. The game is *MUCH* faster, there's no setup, and waiting for the "beeps whirls and clicks" give some sort of suspense when playing the game. To a psychological extent, in boardgames, you implcitly control the board (ie. the players flip the cards, roll the dice, etc.) and there's always "takebacks". But in DT, the computer controls the game, and your decisions are irrevocable. Thus, to some extent, DT has much in common with today's video games than boardgames.

aka. Washu! ^O^

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Brakman — 2006-09-06T20:57:06+00:00

Played it a few weeks ago just to appease my friends wife who picked it up cheap at a yard sale. My comment: "It's like Talisman with only five spaces and six cards".

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

JoshBot — 2006-09-06T10:29:11+00:00

Good review. I had this as a kid, and have played a few times in the last several years. It's not much of a game, but it's a solid nostalgia trip. The game can be very long.

I second the idea that the sound effects are great. Another thing is that the artwork that is revealed by the tower is excellent in a psychedelic early 80's fantasy art vein.

I think that many gamers would regard it as more of a toy than a game.

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Smilinbrax — 2006-09-06T00:14:15+00:00

Okay,

The last of the mysterious duplicate posts have been dealt with. This is the only copy of the review. I have message in to aldie on how I can return the GG.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled review.

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Smilinbrax — 2006-09-05T22:16:37+00:00

I had problems posting earlier. It keep saying that the server was not responding. Now I can't even delete the extra post. It says I am not the original author.

What gives?

As for the rating difference. It just goes to show how unreliable the system is!

Thread: Re: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

ekted — 2006-09-05T21:48:51+00:00

Repeated post. Interesting how geek modders gave it almost a 10% difference in gg.

Thread: Nostalgia or Solid Game?

Smilinbrax — 2006-09-05T19:39:16+00:00

When I brought Dark Tower to my LGS on a whim, it met with little interest. Most gamers there were too young to have heard of the game and the huge box did nothing to excite them. However, when I brought it back and two older players were there, the response was huge (not just the box)! Neither had ever played it and one had wanted to get it every Christmas as a child, only to be disappointed. They wanted to play and the rest was history. Thinking back on the two responses to the game (and the crazy prices it goes for on e-bay) made me decide to write this review. If you’ve never heard of the game, then you will now get your first introduction. If you always wanted it and never got it, then this may slake your thirst. If you played it as a kid, this will bring back memories. If none of these apply to you, go find a better review to read. 

Let’s start with the packaging and bits. The box is big, but not huge by Descent standards, it’s just really tall. The artwork has a clean, stylistic look and is really eye catching. Sadly the box is dominated by large swaths of ugly brown and a not-so-impressive rendition of the tower with glowing yellow dots. I guess the glowing dots were put there to imply that it was “digital,” a big thing for the 80’s. The tower does not have glowing yellow dots and runs on 3 light bulbs and a number counter. But I digress. The artwork is beautiful and circles the bottom of the box with a little play on the top. More art and less brown/tower probably would have been good.

The tower itself is very large and will likely give you the impression that the designers were compensating for something. It’s black plastic with a tall/narrow viewing window on one side. This window houses 3 light bulbs vertically, and a digital display that can go form 00 to 99. The tower window is tinted so you cannot see all the stuff inside, which mutes the visuals. The tower works by showing anything requiring a number on the digital display and visuals are displayed in one of the 3 lighted windows. A translucent cylinder with images printed on it (3 high) surrounds the inside of the tower. A motor spins it to bring the correct column of images to the viewing window, one light bulb lights up and you see the lighted image for that row. In this way, the tower can represent any number of events/items as needed (e.g. the dragon, gold, the bazaar closed sign, etc.). The tower also has a key pad below the viewing window where the players input their information.

The game board is circular with a plastic insert to hold the two halves together. This also acts a swivel for the tower so it can be spun to fact the player whose turn it is. The artwork on the board is not bad when you look closely, but looks like a splotchy blur with territory lines from far away. There are also 4 long frontier lines that separate the board into 4 kingdoms. So far, you’re thinking what’s the big deal about a big plastic tower sitting in the middle of a circular game board? Well, the designers realized this also, so they added a plethora of totally useless (read over-produced) bits that really make the game look cool. You get plastic inserts to represent tombs, ruins, sanctuaries, and bazaars (even though these squares are already labeled). There are flags representing each of the 4 kingdoms on the board (even though the picture is printed on the map), and 4 different plastic fantasy warriors to be pawns for up to 4 players. One neat thing about this was that two copies of the game did not have the same colors for each figure. There are also tokens for a Pegasus, plastic blocks with key images on them (bronze, silver, and gold) and score cards to keep track of what you own, and how many keys you have collected. Additionally there is a black dragon pawn whose only real use is to look cool and let you add a dragon figure to the games board for advertising purposes. It does technically have a purpose but it is poorly implemented.

So how does the game play? First off, this is not Caylus, Descent, or Puerto Rico. It is an 80’s American game that came out during the digital revolution. This means that *stunned silence* there is almost no math or probability for you to deal with. No dice, no guessing ways to maximize you production, and no scarcity of resources (well not entirely, but more on that later). Don’t panic, there is still a game there, but mostly the tower does the work for you. If you have a halfway decent memory, you don’t even need your scoreboard most of the time. You are keeping track of 3 resources, warriors, gold, and food. Food keeps your warriors from starving (and dying); gold buys stuff like warriors and food; and warriors fight your battles for you. The goal is to visit three kingdoms, find 3 keys, amass an army of warriors, come back to your own kingdom, and assault the dark tower to recover the scepter and hear the cool ending music.

Ending music? Yes, the digital tower produces clicks, bleeps, bloops, and musical tunes that are on par with the original PC speaker. This is important as you cannot see what your opponent is doing during their turn (the view window is facing them). All you get is the tones that give you a rough idea what is happening. I got accused of being an uber-geek for still remembering what the sounds meant and explaining them to other players. Yes, I played this game A LOT as a kid. Like any tune you can’t get out of your head, the Dark Tower music has been firmly etched in my brain. Apparently the Dark Tower music was more important than the year of calculus I took because it’s still in there. Also, the music is very appropriate for what is happening. Lost plays a demoralizing tune, you get a funeral march when you lose warriors, and tombs/ruins make a creaky door sound when opening.

The game does have a few “euro” touches. There is no roll and move, it’s just move one space per turn unless you have something that allows you to go further. You also cannot die. If you ever get your rear handed to you in battle, the tower automatically retreats you at the end so you have one warrior in your band. After that humiliation, you can go beg at the local sanctuary to get enough supplies back to adventure again. This is a nice touch as nobody is ever out of the running, but it doesn’t feel like the game mechanics are forcing you to keep them in.

There is a large degree of randomness to this game as the tower automatically rolls up a new encounter every time you move. These encounters consist of getting lost (lose your turn and back up one space), getting plagued (lose 2 warriors), getting into a fight with brigands, getting attacked by a dragon, or getting a normal move with no encounter. After each encounter, your turn ends and you swivel the tower to the next player. This will really stress you out in the beginning, but you can improve your odds after gaining some gold. The local bazaar will sell you more warriors, food, and special characters. You can even haggle over the price if you choose. If you buy a healer, you will gain two warriors instead of losing them to plague. If you buy a scout, you are immune to being lost and get an extra turn. If you find a dragon sword, you will instantly slay the dragon and gain all the warriors and gold that it has already stolen from other players.

Combat is a simple dice-fest held inside the electronics of the tower. It flashes the number of warriors you have, the number of brigands that are fighting you and this goes back and forth until one of you has none left. The tower then hands you treasure and cool items (such as the dragon sword, a Pegasus for instant travel to anywhere in your current kingdom or the next, or a wizard to curse an opponent). You can fight anywhere, but will most often encounter brigands in tombs and ruins. Searching these or winning a random encounter battle elsewhere on the board will eventually net you a key (as long as you are in somebody else’s kingdom). You then proceed to the next adjacent kingdom until you find a key there and so on until you get back to your home kingdom. At that point you buy as many warriors as you can afford and attack the tower directly. This requires you to solve a simple riddle (what order to use the 3 keys in) and then the final battle begins. This is another fight with brigands. While encounters outside the tower are always balanced to the number of warriors you have, the final battle has a set number that is determined by the difficulty level of the game. Winning the final battle wins the game.

There is very little player interaction and you cannot attack each other directly. The only way to harm another player is through the wizard or the dragon. The wizard allows you to choose a player to curse once. The player loses his/her next turn and you immediately gain 1/3 of their warriors and gold. When the dragon shows up, you are allowed to move the dragon pawn to any generic space on the board (i.e. not the tower space, a frontier, or one with a building on it). No player may move into a space with the dragon in it. This may seem like a nice way to block somebody, but there are so many spaces that it rarely has an effect unless you are at endgame.

So that’s the game in a nutshell. You tell the tower where you are moving to and it handles the events. It even warns you when you are low on food so you can go buy some. You wander around until you get three keys and you beat down the tower brigands. It’s a race to see who gets there first and is like Return of the Heroes in that way. You can even play the game solo as you against the tower. Unlike Return of the Heroes, the complexity is lower since the tower calculates everything and there is only one quest (taker over the tower). Also you do not grow stronger, you just get more warriors.

After playing, the game mentioned above, there were mixed feelings. Some felt it was great due to nostalgia factor, some felt it was okay but nothing to write home about, and I felt it was fun but too simple after all these years. You could actually play the game without the board once you know the layout of the buildings as they are in the same place in every kingdom. Because of this, it would probably make a great pocket game these days for your phone, but it takes a big time investment to set it up and play it in its current form.

Overall, I think the game is a fun diversion for a Sunday afternoon. It will still probably be a hit for younger audiences. However, it lacks the complex interactions that you get from many modern board games and the player interaction is not enough to make it a staple. Is it worth 150-250 dollars on e-bay? I can only say this: My memories of it from childhood are priceless. The game is not. If you had it as a child, then it might be worth it to relive the experience, but probably not for a person who has never played.

Thread: Dark Tower Batteries

pirtrom — 2006-07-03T11:57:26+00:00

Hi I wonder if any one can help? I have just got hold of a Dark Tower game and it came with batteries in it. When I turn it on the motor spins and that’s all. I checked the batteries and my tester says they are almost dead so I put in new fresh fully charged batteries. When I turn it on nothing happens. I have tried a different set of new battery’s and still dead. But when I put the almost dead batteries back in the motor spins. Is the Dark Tower fussy with the type of batteries you put in it?

Thread: Dark Tower Strategy (Single Player Mode)

Regai — 2006-03-31T16:28:27+00:00

I'm going to assume that you know how to play the game, so here is my basic strategy for winning Dark Tower in single player.

First thing I do, is head straight to the bazaar and buy the Healer. This will prevent you from losing in the early stages to a plague (or heaven forbid) multiple plagues.

Next mill about fighting brigands until you can afford the scout. Buy him, this way you don't lose precious turns "lost". Especially when your running low on food.

Mill about some more fighting brigands until you can purchase plenty of food. Don't worry about buying a beast, you should never need it.

Now it's time to move to the next area. I move counterclockwise around the board.

Since the dragon can show up at anytime, you should keep you gold on hand as low as possible. Keep buying warriors and food. If your food drops below 20, spend all of your gold buying more food. Food is ALWAYS 1 bag so don't bother haggling. If you have 40+ food, then buy warriors first, then spend the next turn at the bazaar buying food.

Keep hitting the tomb/ruin since you have a good chance of just getting the key. Once you get the key, move on. There is only one key per kingdom.

After you got the last key, move back into your starting area. Go straight to the tower and solve the riddle of the key. There are only six possible combinations, so this shouldn't take long. Go ahead and storm the castle. If you find yourself losing, then retreat. (You'll lose one more warrior). Goto the bazaar and stock up on warriors (no more than 24!). Then goto your citadel. If you have 24 or fewer warriors the game will double them. In fact, if you goto the tomb or ruin and return to the citadel, it will continue to double your warriors until you have more than 24.

Go back to the tower, storm it, and listen to that wonderful victory music.

Thread: Re: User Review

lauramath — 2005-09-15T02:34:34+00:00

I own Dark Tower, and it was a favorite in my house and still is with the kids. It really is a kids game, but I feel what makes it so highly collectible is WHY they stopped making the game. There was charges of patent infringement and they were forced to remove it from the market. There really is no telling how long this game would have stayed on the shelves and how it may have evolved if it had been allowed to stay on the shelves. Personally, though I see the similarities to D & D, this game was NOTHING like any other product available at that time. Too bad it wasn't allowed to take off. I don't think I will ever sell my copy, but I don't know that I would give 200 bucks for it if I didn't have it either.

Thread: Re: User Review

Parmenio — 2005-05-12T20:54:53+00:00

The game can be played here:

http://www.aanimation.com/Dark_Tower/

I agree this game isn't worth the exorbitant prices, but as the excellent review above notes, it was near-revolutionary when it came out. I kind of liked the electronic thing--it sure was different, and another cool aspect of it was that players' stats were secret from one another. We usually held our tally cards out of sight, so you never knew how the others' were doing except by the sounds from the tower (a lost battle or victory could be discerned from the noises, e.g., plague had a distinctive sound, etc.) and which kingdom he has entered. There was always tension at the end when somebody got to their home kingdom and threatened to attack the tower. Especially if there were more than one at home, each struggling to muster enough force to make a credible attack on the tower.

The curse function where you stole someone's goods was neat, too. One more reason to be careful about concealing your tally card, since you want to steal from the wealthiest player.

Another neat feature allowed by the tower was that prices in the bazaars changed. You could haggle them down, or come back on your next move hoping for a better price. Every now and then somebody would be looking at the tower screen at the bazaar and yell, "What! Are you out of your mind! I'll never pay that for a Beast!" I loved that stuff.

I got this game b/c I was into RPGs and beginning to get into boardgames back then, and it seemed like a great fit. I could also see how it might be a gateway game for RPGs.

Eventually the strategy got stale, like there was rarely a reason to not make a beeline for the next frontier when you entered a new kingdom--you'd fish around for the key at the ruin/crypt on that side so you could scoot into the next kingdom as quickly as possible when you found it. So one ruin/crypt was kind of obsolete in each kingdom, you'd go right for the crypt/bazaar/sanctuary area so you could access each bldg easily as needed. Another thing that kind of sucked is the size of the brigand parties you met in the field (not at tower) was always directly related to the size of your force. Since more men means more food consumption (more expensive), it was better to stay deliberately small, less than 15 guys, until you got to your home kingdom--then build up a big army by romping around collecting gold and whatnot, and attack the tower. I guess that's not too bad, but we were disappointed there was a disincentive to build up a powerful force til the very end--being kids we wanted to get to work on that mighty siege force right away!

Still, a fun game for what it was. I hope nobody pays $200 for it though!

Thread: Quick Comments

BananaForSale — 2005-02-21T04:41:32+00:00

The flash version of Dark Tower http://www.aanimation.com/Dark_Tower/ seems to be broken. Is it possible to know how the tower caclulated everything? Are there any PC versions that are true to the original? In the flash version, food is useless. You can run around without starving. It says you are supposed to lose one unit every turn you go without food. Is this correct? I can't seem to give a good review otherwize.

If everything else worked properly, the game was pretty decent.

Thread: Quick Comments

lizardbaby — 2004-05-04T22:43:50+00:00

It's fun! No, I would not be willing to pay $200 for a copy, but I got lucky and have 2 copies I got from garage sales back when the game was waning. I am the envy of my game group. We break them out every now and then just for the joy of reliving our childhood. Besides, what else can you do with D cell batteries anymore?

Thread: Re:Box Dimensions?

NickB — 2004-04-09T05:30:39+00:00

Curtis Anderson (#32451),

I'd have to get me some first

Nick

Thread: Re:Box Dimensions?

Curtis Anderson — 2004-04-07T22:11:03+00:00

NickB (#32282),
Maybe you could offer some geekgold for someone to make and upload high-quality scans of the box.

Thread: Box Dimensions?

NickB — 2004-04-06T05:16:36+00:00

I still have my original Dark Tower game from 20 years ago, but the box has long since been beaten up and eventually lost. My tower is in mint condition, though. Is there anyone that still has a box that can measure the dimensions of the box and the inner baffle so I can store my game properly and keep it nice? Too bad it's not feasable to transfer the artwork from the box as well

Thanks,
Nick

Thread: Re:User Review

JayHuber — 2004-01-20T21:55:32+00:00

D.Lopez (#2975),

The artist responsible for the excellent illustrations in Dark Tower and Dragonmaster is Bob Pepper. More information on Bob Pepper, as well as Dark Tower and Dragonmaster games, can be found at the Dark Tower Page:

http://www.well-of-souls.com/tower/index.html

- Jay Huber

Thread: More

davidgpeterson — 2003-11-29T21:59:24+00:00

I remember when my older brother got this game for Christmas back in the '80s. I remember Christmas morning watching him unpack the components and put them all together. And then I remember him turning on the tower and thinking that the game was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

Somehow or another through moving or something we either got rid of the game or gave it to someone else or something. Just a few years ago I found the game on an on-line auction....over $300 for mint condition. My wife wound up getting it for me and I have to say that the game still holds the same affect on me as it did when I was a kid.

The game play mechanic itself isn't the best - it's just a race game around a circular board. But that's not what Dark Tower is about - the boad, bits, and the awesome artwork of the Dark Tower's light-up displays are STILL amazing as far as I'm concerned. Play is light and fun, without much strategy. In fact the game is mostly luck.

But it's the process of sitting in front of the tower, watching it spin and light up, and taking a second to notice that there is no other game like this...period...that makes Dark Tower worth every penny of the high cost to purchase one.

Would I like to see it re-released? Yes and no. Yes, because it's such a great game. No because I think there is a certain nostalga that it would lose if it were released. And also, they'd probably try to redesign it and totally ruin the cool artwork, etc. by going with something more modern and technological.

Will I sell my copy? No way!

Enjoy,
Dave

Thread: Session Report

littlemute — 2003-07-24T18:53:07+00:00

My uncle was moving and his almost-mint copy of Dark Tower, bought around the same time as those horrible hand held basketball and football electronic games with the red dot as the only moving part, almost went into the dumpster. My dear cousin saved it from landfill doom and months and three pieces of sand paper to clean the battery contacts later, we gave it a go.

The players were my brother who had just returned from a weekend of drunken rock climbing and could barely keep his eyes open, my roomate who after a few hits of the pipe, could barely keep his eyes open, myself and my 'don't want to ruin your fun until much later' girlfriend.

We started it up and after some manual reading set it to level one and off we went. I constantly get blamed for withholding game rules from newer players and then using them to my advantage in the game so I tried to pass around the manual and do my best to explain what the buildings are, what the healer and scout do and what the keys/frontiers were. Since the last time I played this game I was 10 years old, it wasn't easy to seem 'impartial' and there was much complaining.

Incessant haggling failure at the bazzar by everyone, plagues and the dragon kept everyone with around seven warriors for most of the beginning of the game. People kept confusing the sanctuary and tomb, no one knew what the 'out of food' sound meant until near the end of the game, and it was only when someone accidentally got a key that I remembered and explained how to get them all to eventually assautl the tower. More complaining, as both my girlfriend and brother were hit with the plague an astronomical amount of times. I kept explaining to them to get a healer or go to the citadel, but they mostly forgot or wandered into the tomb instead.

I ended up getting all the keys first (usually on the first space I moved to after crossing a frontier) but my roommate, one toke over the line and all, had a massive 24 warrior army with over 60 gold. I was made an example of trying to figure out the key riddle to enter the Dark Tower proper, and he snuck in after me the next turn, crushed the brigands within and the victory music played.