or download Flash Projector applications:
OBJECT: The object of the game is to travel to three kingdoms on the board, and find the Key hidden in each. Then you can return to your home kingdom and open the Dark Tower, where the final battle awaits. Win this final battle, and Victory is yours.
THE BOARD: The game board is divided into four quadrants called Kingdoms. Each Kingdom is divided into many spaces called Territories. Each Kingdom is separated from the others by a long territory called a Frontier. Each Kingdom is home to one Citadel, one Bazaar, one Tomb, one Ruin, one Sanctuary, and one Dark Tower space.
MOVEMENT: Each player can move one space at a time, into an adjacent territory from the one he or she just left. Players move from Kingdom to Kingdom counter-clockwise, but may move freely within a Kindgom once it is entered. You cannot leave a Kingdom until the Key hidden in that Kingdom is found (except there is no Key in a player's home Kingdom). Citadels are the the spaces the players start at; you are not allowed to move onto a foreign Citadel.
SETUP: You start the game with 10 Warriors; you may have a maximum of 99, and you can never have less than 1.
You also start with 30 bags of Gold. You may have a maximum of 99 Gold, but each Warrior can only carry 6 Gold each... any excess Gold must be left behind. A Beast can be purchased at the Bazaar that can carry 50 Gold.
Finally, you start with 25 rations of Food. Each turn, your Warriors consume Food:
| <15 Warriors | 1 Food/turn |
| 16 - 30 | 2 |
| 31 - 45 | 3 |
| 46 - 60 | 4 |
| 61 - 75 | 5 |
| 76 - 90 | 6 |
| 91+ Warriors | 7 Food/turn |
The most Food you can carry is 99. If you've got less than three turns of Food left, the Tower will sound an alarm before your processing your action. If you have 0 Food and take an action, you will lose one Warrior.
GAMEPLAY: Your turn will begin when your player number flashes in the Tower ("P1" for player one, etc.).
Use the mouse to move your token (a colored circle) to an adjacent space. You do not have to move, however... you may remain on the same space and take the same action. Then click on the button on the Dark Tower corresponding to the space you've landed on.
AN EMPTY TERRITORY: The most common space on the board is an empty Territory. When you move into an empty Territory, press the Move button on the Dark Tower. One of several things may happen:
| FREE MOVE | The game beeps, and your turn will end (the Tower will show your player number with a dash after it, like "-1"). Press the No/End button. The next player may then proceed. |
|
| PLAGUE |  |
You lose two Warriors. If you have purchased a Healer at the Bazaar, you will instead gain two Warriors. |
| LOST |  |
You must go back to the space you just left (note: the Flash game will do this for you automatically). If you have purchased a Scout at the Bazaar, you will not lose your turn... rather, you may immediately take an extra turn. |
| DRAGON |  |
The Dragon steals 25% of your Gold and Warriors. Move the Dragon pawn to any empty Territory of your choice (the pawn appears in the upper-right corner if it is not currently in play). No player may enter that Territory. If you have won a Sword, you slay the Dragon. The Dragon pawn is removed from play. You win all of the Warriors and Gold the Dragon has stolen. |
| BATTLE |  |
You will hear the battle horn, and then the tower will display how many Brigands you must face. Combat occurs in "rounds." In each round you lose a skirmish, you lose one Warrior. But if you win the skirmish, the Brigands are halved. If you believe the battle is hopeless, you may press the No/End button to retreat after the round is over. If you retreat, you will lose one additional Warrior. If the Brigands are reduced to zero, you will receive Treasure in the form of more Gold and possibly one other choice from the Treasure table below. |
TREASURE
| SWORD |  |
The Sword will slay a Dragon if you are attacked during a Move, and you will be rewarded with all of the Warriors and Gold it is carrying. The Sword will remain in your inventory until it is used, and then it is lost. |
| PEGASUS |  |
A Pegasus card will be awarded to you... it will appear in the lower-right hand corner. You may use it at the beginning of any turn (click on the card, and it will disappear). You may then move to any space on the board. If you cross a Frontier, press the Frontier button during this turn, and the space you landed on in the next turn. Remember that you cannot leave a foreign Kingdom until you have its Key. It is possible to be awarded a Pegasus if you aleady have one; this has no effect. |
| WIZARD |  |
You place a Curse on another player. The tower will ask you if you want to curse the next player (using a C, like "C2"). Press Yes to choose that player, or No to cycle to the next player. On that player's next turn, he or she will be Cursed, and lose 25% of his or her Warriors and Gold, which will then be awarded to you. |
| A KEY |  |
If you are in the first foreign Kingdom, you will be awarded the Brass Key. The Silver Key can be found in the second, and the Gold Key in the third. Once you obtain a Key, you may now leave that Kingdom. If you have all three Keys, you may now return to your home Kingdom, and you may proceed to the Dark Tower. |
A TOMB OR A RUIN: If you land on a Tomb or a Ruin, press the Tomb/Ruin button. One of three things will happen:
- Nothing. You will hear the Tomb/Ruin close. Your turn ends.
- A Battle, just like a Move battle. This is the best way to find a Key.
- Treasure can be found, without a Battle first.
A SANCTUARY: If you land on a Sanctuary, press the Sanctuary/Citadel button. If you have 4 Warriors or less, 7 Gold or less, and/or 5 Food or less, you will be awarded extra provisions of whichever you're low on.
YOUR CITADEL : You cannot enter a foreign Citadel. If you land on your own Citadel, press the Sanctuary/Citadel button. It will act just like a Sanctuary, with one addition. If you have returned to your home Kingdom with all three Keys, and you have 5-24 Warriors, the Citadel will double your Warriors. You may re-double again if you visit any other building first, including the Dark Tower.
A BAZAAR: If you land on a Bazaar, press the Bazaar button. The tower will display what's for sale, along with the price. You may buy Warriors, Food, a Beast, a Scout, or a Healer. You may only have one Beast, Scout, or Healer, and the tower will not display whatever you already possess.
Press the No/End button to cycle through the items you want to purchase. If you forget what the current item costs, press the Repeat button. Once you come to the item you wish to purchase, you may Buy it, or Haggle on the price.
If press the Haggle button, there is a 50/50 chance that the item will lower in price by 1 Gold. Otherwise, you will offend the merchant, and the Bazaar will close, ending your turn. Food is always 1 Gold, and cannot be reduced in price.
Press Yes/Buy to purchase an item once you've selected what you want and you have agreed on the price. If you're buying Warriors or Food, press the Yes/Buy button for each one you want to buy. You may only buy one Beast, Scout, or Healer. If you try to buy more then you have Gold for, the Bazaar will close, and all transactions will cancel.
A FRONTIER: If you land on one of the long Frontier territories, press the Frontier button. If you have not discovered the Key from the previous Kingdom, you will be informed that the Key is missing. Otherwise, your turn will end and you may proceed into the next Kingdom on your next turn.
THE DARK TOWER: Once you have obtained all three Keys and returned to your home Kingdom, you may move into the Dark Tower space and press the Dark Tower button. If you don't have the three keys and if you haven't returned to your home Kingdom, you will informed a Key is missing, and your turn will end.
You will have to solve the Riddle of the Keys. Each player has their own solution.
You will have to insert the Keys into the Tower in order. You will be shown a Key. If you do not believe it is the first Key in order, press the No/End button to cycle to the next key. Once you come to the Key you think is first, press Yes/Buy. If you are incorrect, a losing tone will sound and your turn will end. If you were correct, you will go through the same process to select the second Key in order. If you are correct in selecting the second Key, the third Key is obvious... a Battle will begin!
The number of brigands is determined by the level you've selected to play, and it is the same for all players. If you win the battle, the Victory picture will be displayed, and the game is over.
OTHER BUTTONS : If you make an illegal move (accidentally pushing the Sanctuary button instead of the Tomb/Ruin button, for example), press the Clear button at the end of the turn. Everything will be returned to the way it was when your turn began (although your turn is still over).
The Inventory button will run down a list of all of your possessions, and then your turn will end. As the Flash version of this game displays your inventory at the beginning and end of your turn, and keeps track of all changes, you should never need to press this button.
CHANGES FROM THE BOARD GAME: The Flash version has an option where you can randomize the placement of the buildings. In the board game, the board had holes where the buildings were placed, and the buildings themselves had pegs, so the buildings could never be moved around.
In the board game, Level 4 was the Special Teaching Level, with only 16 brigands in the Dark Tower (and other events were disabled). In the Flash version, Level 4 is the most difficult, which acts like Level 3 but eliminates the special inventory from the Bazaar.
The Clear button could be used in the board game to let the Bazaar know you wished to buy nothing... but it's just as easy to Haggle over Food.
The Repeat button could be used in the board game to display your treasure again after a battle if you missed it. The Flash version keeps track of your inventory for you.
The Flash version is presented in 16 x 9 widescreen to best fit in a browser window. Hovering the mouse over a building will remind you which building it is.
