Game Objective

In Sir Holland: Escape from the Tower, you and your friends take on the roles of heroes who have been captured by the Dark Mage and the Dark Knight and confined in a gloomy tower. The objective is to use all your abilities to evade the villains and lead your heroes to escape the tower by climbing to the top as quickly as possible.

Setup

To assemble the tower and start the game, follow these steps:

1. Board Assembly: Place 25 cards in the center of the table forming a square of 5 rows by 5 columns.
   • The center column must consist of the 5 portal cards.
   • The 2 dungeon cards must be at the base of the tower (first row), adjacent to the first portal.
   • Each row must have at least one rope card (the first row must have two).
   • One secret passage must be placed on the second level and the other on the fourth level.
   • The secret room can be placed in any remaining position.
   • Fill the remaining spaces with wall cards.
2. Initial Positioning:
   • Each player places one of their heroes in each dungeon.
   • Position the villains (Dark Mage and Dark Knight) on the portals of the second and fourth levels of the tower.
3. Material Distribution: Each player receives one character card and a set of 7 action cards (numbered 1 to 7) in their chosen color.
4. First Player: Determine who starts and give this player the griffin card.

Game Flow

The game progresses through rounds consisting of the following stages:

1. Choice: All players secretly choose one action card from their set.
2. Revelation: Everyone reveals their cards simultaneously.
3. Resolution: Actions are resolved following the numerical sequence (from lowest to highest value).
   • Ties: If two or more players choose the same number, the resolution order is determined by the griffin card. The player with the griffin resolves first. If the player with the griffin is not part of the tie, resolution follows the order of the player to the left of the griffin holder.

Actions and How to Play

Each action card has two effects that can be executed in the order the player desires (or the player may choose not to execute them), distributing them among their heroes or villains according to the card's rule:

• 1. Hide: Grants 1 movement point to a hero. Additionally, a hero can hide (lay the piece flat), making them immune to villains. Hiding in a portal is not allowed. In the following round, the hidden hero must be stood back up.
• 2. Pursue: Grants 2 movement points to distribute among your heroes. Additionally, it allows moving one of the villains one space. If the villain ends their movement on a hero's space, they knock them down (the hero falls one space vertically toward the base). If the space below is occupied by another hero or villain, the hero continues falling until they find a regular space or the dungeon.
• 3. Explosion: Grants 2 movement points to distribute among your heroes. Allows exploding a space (provided it is not a portal, dungeon, or occupied by any character). The exploded card is removed and placed at the top of the same column, causing the cards above to drop down one floor.
• 4. Capture: Grants 1 movement point to a hero. Allows distributing up to 3 movements among the villains.
• 5. Climb: Grants 1 movement point to a hero. Additionally, a hero can climb (move one space vertically), regardless of where they are.
• 6. Portal: Grants 1 movement point to a hero. Allows distributing up to 2 vertical movements for heroes who are in the portal.
• 7. Rest: The player recovers all their used action cards and takes the griffin card. To mark the first time they rest, rotate the character card 90°. The second time, flip the card face down.

Additional Movement Concepts

• Basic Movement: Occurs horizontally. A hero may pass through another, but cannot stop in the same space (except in the dungeon).
• Rope: Allows moving vertically by spending 1 movement point.
• Secret Passage: Upon entering, the hero can move for free to the other secret passage without spending movement.
• Secret Room: The hero must lay flat upon entering and remain so while inside, staying protected from villains.
• Villains: Move horizontally in common spaces and vertically only through portals. They do not use ropes or secret passages.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends immediately in one of two situations:

1. At the end of the round in which a player saves their second hero (both escape through the top of the tower).
2. When all players have rested twice; after this, one final round is played and the game ends.

Victory Criteria:

• General Rule: The winner is whoever removes the most characters through the top of the tower.
• Tie in Saved Heroes: If there is a tie in the number of saved heroes, the winner is the one who possesses the griffin card.
• End by Rest: If the game ends due to the rest limit, the winner is whoever has heroes on the highest level of the tower. In case of a level tie, the tie-breaker follows the possession of the griffin card (or the order to the left of the holder).

Note: To escape the tower, the hero must use a rope or the climb action. The portal does not allow access to the terrace.

Tips for Winning

• Use the Hide action or the Secret Room to prevent villains from knocking down your heroes and sending them back to the base of the tower.
• Take advantage of Secret Passages to move quickly between levels without spending movement points.
• Remember that the Rest action does not require all cards to have been used; use it strategically to recover your actions and take the griffin card.