Dark Tower

Milton Bradley

The object of the game is to journey around the board, collect three magic keys and successfully attack the Dark Tower.

• 1 plastic tower (electronic game unit-- requires 2-D batteries, not included)
• 1 cardboard game board in two parts
• 1 interlocking piece to hold the boards together
• 16 plastic buildings
• 4 plastic warrior pawns
• 1 plastic dragon pawn
• 12 plastic key pieces
• 5 plastic flags
• 42 plastic score pegs
• 4 plastic corner protectors
• 4 cardboard score cards
• 4 cardboard Pegasus tokens
• 1 label sheet
• 1 instruction booklet

To make sure that the batteries are positioned properly and that the electronics in the tower are functioning correctly, flip the power switch on, stand the tower unit upright with its viewing area facing you, and the following visual and audio responses should occur:

1. a red zero 0 will appear in the digital display window and quickly disappear. Two flashing red dashes -- will appear in its place.
2. Press any button on the keyboard panel. You will hear a motor turning inside the tower and the two flashing dashes will disappear. Three lighted windows will appear, one by one from top to bottom. As each window lights up, you will hear a beep and see the number 88 appear in the digital display window.
3. After the three light-up windows appear and disappear with their accompanying beeps and digital displays, a flashing L1 symbol indicating Level 1 will appear in the digital display window and remain there.
4. If the test fails, turn the unit off and WAIT 10 SECONDS before turning it back on again.

Set up the game board and place the 16 buildings on their corresponding spaces on the board (peg holes will guide placement). Each player is given a score chart with peg markers to keep an inventory of the warriors and supplies won, lost or purchased during the game. To prepare the charts for play, each player begins the game with:

• 10 warriors
• 30 bags of gold
• 25 rations of food

Place the 4 extra pegs in the 4 empty holes immediately following the "Healer" hole. Each player then chooses a piece and places it on his starting citadel on the board. Turn on the tower and select a game to play.

There are 4 levels of play programmed into the tower, each level can be played by 1 to 4 players. 3 of the levels differ from each other in the number of brigands that you must fight in the tower. One of the levels is a special teaching mode that allows you to get acquainted with the different functions on the keyboard panel.

Levels of Play:

1. Level One 17 to 32 Brigands in Tower Shown as L1 in window
2. Level Two 33 to 64 Brigands in Tower Shown as L2 in window
3. Level Three 17 to 64 Brigands in Tower Shown as L3 in window
4. Level Four Training Mode (16 Brigands) Shown as L4 in window

To choose a game play level, you must press the YES/BUY button and the NO/END button in a certain manner. Press NO/END until the desired level appears in the window. When the appropriate level is displayed, press YES/BUY. After you select the level a flashing P1 will be displayed in the window. This designates the number of players. Press NO/END until you have selected the proper number of players then press YES/BUY to start the game. A flashing number in the window designates whose turn it is. A flashing number preceded by a minus sign indicates the end of a player's turn. To begin the next player's turn, press NO/END.

You begin play in your home kingdom. You must travel one space at a time to the frontier and explore each of the foreign territories. You will find, in order, a brass key, a silver key, and a gold key. You will find one key in each foreign kingdom, and you cannot leave a kingdom until you have found the key for that kingdom. You will NOT find a key in your home kingdom. The frontier is considered one space for purposes of moving, as are the Dark Tower spaces. You can only enter a Dark Tower space at the end of the game when you are ready to lay siege to the tower.

Citadels are starting spaces for your pawns on the board. There are 4 Citadel territories. You are never allowed to move your pawn into a foreign Citadel territory.

Rules of movement:

1. Move your warrior pawn only on territory per turn. Instead of moving you may remain on the territory you currently occupy. For example, if you are in the Bazaar, you may decide to remain in the same marketplace on your next turn to purchase more supplies.
2. When you move your warrior pawn to a territory make sure it is an adjacent territory. Adjacent territories have common boundary lines. Two or more pawns MAY occupy the same territory at the same time.
3. Frontier Spaces. Notice that the frontier spaces are extra long territories that border several territories in a kingdom. When leaving a frontier space to enter a new territory in a new kingdom, you may move your pawn to any one of the territories that borders the frontier space…the choice is yours!
4. The direction to move in. You must move your pawn to 3 foreign kingdoms and discover a magic key in each kingdom. Then return back to your home kingdom to lay siege to the Dark Tower. Your movement around the board is counter-clockwise. However, within each kingdom, you may travel in any direction you wish…up and down, from right to left, from one adjacent territory to another…the choice is yours.

If you are moving to an open territory which is not a Dark Tower space, a Frontier space, or a building, press the MOVE button. If you are moving onto a building space, press the button for the appropriate building, and if you are moving to the frontier, press the FRONTIER button. A Pegasus allows you to move to any territory in the current kingdom, or, if you have the key to the current kingdom, allows you to pass across the frontier to any territory in the next kingdom (this requires two turns). To move this way with the Pegasus, on your first move, place your piece on the frontier and press the FRONTIER button. On your next turn, place your piece where you want to move to, and discard the Pegasus token. Instead of moving, you may get an inventory of what you have by pressing the inventory button. Use the CLEAR button after you make an illegal move, or if you wish to purchase nothing in the Bazaar. After your turn, if you missed what was displayed, you may press the repeat button to have the tower redisplay statistics.

Results of movement:

1. Safe Move. If the tower programs a safe move, you will hear a short beep sound. No picture will display. Your end of turn signal will appear in the display window.
2. A Battle With Brigands. First, you will hear a battle horn sound. Then you will see the following two signals simultaneously…a flashing red number in the display window and a picture of the BRIGANDS. This signal tells you how many BRIGANDS are attacking. A battle will ensue and you will see alternating numbers for the BRIGANDS and your WARRIORS until one army is destroyed. If you win, the display will flash the number of your warriors left. If you lose, a "Death March" sound will play. In a one player game, this indicates the end of the game, in a multi-player game, this indicates that you have one warrior left. If in the middle of battle, you wish to retreat, press the NO/END button and hold it until the battle ends. You will hear the Death March music and the WARRIORS picture will flash with no number display. You will automatically lose at least one warrior when retreating. Winning a battle can net you treasure, a magic key, a Pegasus, or a spell.
3. Wizard. When encountering the wizard, you receive a curse that you may place on another player. You will see a C and a number in the display window, this indicates which player to curse. Press NO/END until you see the player you want to curse then press YES/BUY. When you curse a player, you receive 1/4 of their warriors and gold.
4. Lost. If you have the SCOUT, you gain a free turn. If not you must return to the space you just came from and, your turn is ended.
5. Plague. If you do not have the healer, lose two warriors. If you do have the HEALER, gain two warriors.
6. Dragon Attack. The dragon takes 1/4 of your gold, and warriors. If you have the Dragon Sword, you instead collect everything the dragon has stolen, watch the display carefully to see what he gives you. After the dragon attacks, you may place the dragon mini anywhere on the board. A player may not enter the territory occupied by the dragon. You may not place the dragon on top of another player.
7. Cursed. When you are cursed, you lose 1/4 of your warriors and gold, and your turn.

In the Bazaar you can buy food, warriors, a Beast, a Scout, and a Healer. When a ware is displayed, the number in the window is the cost of the item. To select through the items, press NO/END until you reach the item you want to buy. If you think the price is too high, press HAGGLE, but beware, you only have a 50/50 chance of lowering the price, and if it doesn't get lowered, you lose your turn! You can of course try to buy the item on your next turn. If you wish to purchase an item, press YES/BUY. You can only buy one type of item per turn. When you purchase warriors and food, press YES/BUY until you have bought all the warriors and food you want, then press NO/END.

FOOD. Food is consumed at the following rates:

1-15 warriors - 1

16-30 warriors - 2

21-45 warriors - 3

46-60 warriors - 4

61-75 warriors - 5

76 to 90 warriors - 6

91 to 99 warriors - 7

BEAST. Allows you to carry an extra 50 bags of gold. (Each warrior you have can carry 6 bags of gold.)

SCOUT. Allows you an extra turn when LOST.

HEALER. Gives two warriors when PLAGUED.

When you have all three keys, and you feel you have enough armies to attack the Dark Tower, move your token to the Dark Tower space and press the same button. The tower will display a key. Select a key to try first (NO/END button). The correct order to use the keys is randomly determined for each player every time a new game is started. Once you solve the riddle of the keys, you will fight the brigands in the tower.

If you win the final battle, a pair of numbers will be displayed in the upper window. Most times this will be 00. This is your score for the game. A high score is very good (and very hard to get).