Game Objective

Return to Dark Tower is a cooperative game where heroes from the Four Kingdoms unite, aided by a companion, to breach the Tower and defeat the adversary. You all win or lose together. Your goal is to complete the main goal and then defeat the adversary in battle before the end of the sixth month, otherwise the Four Kingdoms fall and the adversary’s reign becomes absolute.

Preparation (Setup)

World Setup

1. Place the game board so each kingdom faces a different player.
2. Turn on the Tower, let the levels rotate, and slide on the 12 seals to cover the openings. Place the Tower in the center of the board.
3. Place the 16 buildings in their designated spaces.
4. Create a supply using warrior tokens, spirit tokens, and exactly 24 skulls.
5. Sort gear cards into 6 face-up stacks (3 copies of each card per stack).
6. Shuffle treasure cards and place the top 3 in a face-up row to create the market.
7. Shuffle potion cards and corruption cards into separate face-down decks.
8. Place companion cards, quest markers, and the haggle die near the board.

Hero Setup

1. Place your hero board in front of you.
2. Place 3 hero virtue tiles in empty slots, inactive side up.
3. Place your hero figure on the citadel of the kingdom in front of you (your home kingdom).
4. Place the kingdom virtue tile of your home kingdom in an empty slot on your hero board.
5. Collect starting resources: 7 warriors and 1 spirit.

App Setup

1. Launch the app, select "new game," and sync your device to the Tower.
2. Select "cooperative" mode and the desired difficulty (Heroic or Gritty).
3. Select the number of players, the main goal (and retrieve the matching companion card), and the adversary (place the adversary card and adversary token nearby).
4. Select foes (one level 2, one level 3, and one level 4) and place their foe cards and foe tokens nearby.
5. Press "begin game" and follow final app prompts for adding skulls, spawning foes, and placing the main goal quest marker.

Game Flow

The game is played over a series of months. If the main goal is not completed and the adversary defeated by the end of the sixth month, the heroes lose.

Monthly Cycle

At the start of each month (except the first), the app provides two monthly quests: a Companion Quest (to gain a new companion or quest item) and an Adversary Quest (which, if failed, allows the adversary to advance their plans). If not completed by the end of the month, these quests fail.

Turn Structure

Players take turns in clockwise order. Each turn consists of three steps:

1. Start of Turn: You may optionally take the Banner action listed on your hero board.
2. Middle of Turn: You may Move, take a Heroic Action, and take a Reinforce Action. These are optional and can be performed in any order.
3. End of Turn: You must drop a skull into the Tower.

After a player's turn, Events may occur (such as Foes Strike, Foes Spawn, Foes Grow in Power, The Tower Stirs, The Tower Acts, Companion Events, or New Wares). Once events are resolved, the next player's turn begins.

Actions and How to Play

Movement

Move up to your base move value. You may spend 1 spirit to double your move for the turn (this must be done before moving). You can move through foes, skulls, tokens, or other heroes.

Heroic Actions

You may take only one Heroic Action per turn. After completing one, you gain 2 spirit. Before Battle or Quest actions, calculate your Advantages (automatic black background or conditional grey background with a cost). You can spend up to 10 Advantages per action to improve results.

• Cleanse: Remove all skulls from a building on your space and return them to the supply.
• Battle: Battle a foe on your space. Draw battle cards equal to the foe's level. Spend Advantages to improve the results of these cards. Once all cards are resolved, the foe is defeated and removed.
• Quest: Complete a quest (including the main goal) by meeting requirements, or Explore a Dungeon by entering rooms until the target room is found. Spend Advantages to improve room results.

Reinforce Action

Once per turn, while on a space with a building, you may Reinforce. You can optionally roll the haggle die first to modify the result. You choose between a Free Effect or an Enhanced Effect (which costs spirit):

• Citadel: Gain a potion (Free) or gain one virtue (Enhanced).
• Sanctuary: Gain spirit (Free) or remove all corruptions (Enhanced).
• Village: Gain warriors (Free) or gain more warriors (Enhanced).
• Bazaar: Gain gear (Free) or gain 1 treasure (Enhanced).

Other Mechanics

• Trading: Once per turn, you may trade warriors, spirit, items, and companions with heroes on your space. You cannot trade virtues or corruptions.
• Corruptions: Gained when you cannot resolve a loss of resources/items, when a quest fails, or when a building in your home kingdom is destroyed. You can have a maximum of two; a third results in an immediate loss.
• Glyphs: When a seal is removed, a glyph is revealed. If a glyph faces your home kingdom, you must spend 1 spirit to take the matching action.

End of Game and Scoring

Winning the Game

The heroes win if they complete the main goal (which causes the adversary to spawn) and then defeat the adversary in battle.

Losing the Game

The heroes lose immediately if any of the following occur:

• A hero would gain their third corruption.
• The sixth month ends.
• A skull must be taken from the supply, but the supply is empty.

Tips for Winning

• Manage the Tower's Influence: Use the Cleanse action to remove skulls from buildings, as a fourth skull on a building destroys it, causing the home kingdom's hero to gain a corruption.
• Optimize Resources: Use spirit strategically to double your movement or activate Enhanced Effects at buildings to gain virtues and treasures.
• Leverage Advantages: Calculate your Advantages carefully before Battle or Quest actions to mitigate losses of warriors and spirit, preventing the gain of corruptions.