Dark Tower (game)
Board game
title: "Dark Tower (game)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["board-games-introduced-in-1981", "fantasy-board-games", "milton-bradley-company-games", "electronic-board-games"] description: "Board game" topic_path: "general/board-games-introduced-in-1981" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Tower_(game)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Board game ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox game"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Dark Tower |
| image | dark tower box cover.jpg |
| image_size | 200 |
| designer | Roger Burten |
| Alan Coleman | |
| Vincent Erato | |
| illustrator | Bob Pepper |
| publisher | Milton Bradley |
| date | |
| players | 1–4 |
| playing_time | 90' |
| ages | 10+ |
| related | |
| :: |
| name = Dark Tower | subtitle = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = dark tower box cover.jpg | image_size =200 | image_alt = | caption = | width = | label_width = | other_names = | AKA = | manufacturer = | designer = Roger Burten Alan Coleman Vincent Erato | director = | illustrator = Bob Pepper | writer = | actor = | voice_over = | publisher = Milton Bradley | date = | years = | genre = | language = | system = | parent_game = | series = | players = 1–4 | setup_time = | playing_time = 90' | random_chance = | ages = 10+ | skills = | materials = | movement = | media_type = | blank_label = | blank_data = | related = | website = | isbn = | isbn_note = | footnotes = Dark Tower is a 1981 electronic board game, by Milton Bradley Company, for one to four players. The object of the game is to amass an army, collect the three keys to the Tower, and defeat the evil within. Advertising for the game included a television commercial featuring Orson Welles.
A sequel, Return to Dark Tower, was developed by Restoration Games and released in 2022.
Components
The game includes:
- 1 electronic center unit (the eponymous Dark Tower, powered by two "D"-size (LR20) batteries)
- 1 circular cardboard game board, divided into four "kingdom" quadrants
- 16 plastic buildings for the game board (bazaar, ruin, sanctuary, tomb)
- Plastic structural pieces to hold the game board together
- 4 plastic warrior pawns
- 1 plastic dragon pawn
- 4 cardboard Pegasus tokens
- Additional game items, including
- 12 plastic key pieces (gold, silver, brass)
- 5 plastic flags (Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, Zenon, and the Dark Tower)
- 4 cardboard peg boards used to keep track of a player's number of troops, gold and food
- 42 red plastic Battleship-type score pegs
Dark Tower
The Tower itself consists of a small membrane keyboard beneath a "display" (a piece of tinted plastic). Behind the display cover is a carousel containing a number of film cels, which, when backlit by one of three lights mounted underneath, display the appropriate picture on the display cover. The display cover also conceals a digital LED display for representing numbers up to 99. As the Tower rotates and illuminates the appropriate cels during gameplay, it also emits sounds for the events represented by each cel.
Game board and pieces
::data[format=table title="''Dark Tower'' kingdoms{{rp|10}}"]
| Name | Heraldry | Arisilon | Brynthia | Durnin | Zenon | Dark Tower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Lion Rampant.svg | frameless | upright=0.35]] | ||||
| Yellow lion on red field | ||||||
| [[File:Meuble héraldique Griffon passant.svg | frameless | upright=0.35]] | ||||
| Pale yellow griffin on blue field | ||||||
| [[File:Meuble héraldique Aigle bicéphale éployée.svg | frameless | upright=0.35]] | ||||
| Double-headed falcon on yellow field | ||||||
| [[File:Licorne des mers.svg | frameless | upright=0.35]] | ||||
| White unicorn on green field | ||||||
| [[File:Lampaul-Guimiliau Dragon.svg | frameless | upright=0.35]] | ||||
| Black dragon on deep red field | ||||||
| :: |
The artwork for the game, including the cels in the Tower, was drawn by Bob Pepper.
The circular game board is divided into four quadrants, each corresponding to one of the four kingdoms, with the Dark Tower in the center. Each kingdom quadrant is divided into spaces, four of which are labeled for a building; the innermost (closest to the center) space is labeled as the Dark Tower, and the outermost ring of spaces includes a space for the citadel for that kingdom, which is where the kingdom's flag is placed and where the player pawn starts.
The sixteen buildings are divided into four sets (distinguished by color) of four buildings each: ruin, bazaar, tomb, and sanctuary. The twelve keys are divided by color into four gold keys, four silver keys, and four brass keys. Each flag corresponds to one of the four kingdoms (Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, and Zenon) and the Dark Tower itself. During the initial assembly of the game, the buildings are placed into the labeled spaces on the board, and stickers are peeled off a sheet and placed on the keys and flags.
Gameplay
::data[format=table title="''Dark Tower'' keypad"] | Dark Tower | Frontier | Inventory | |---|---|---| ::
Starting items
To start, each player receives a cardboard score chart and ten pegs; six pegs are used to track the player's party, starting with 10 warriors, 30 gold, and 25 food rations. The remaining four pegs keep track of the extra items (scout, beast, healer, or sword) once acquired; keys are placed directly in the appropriate score chart slots as they are acquired. Each player selects a pawn and places it in the citadel of their "home" kingdom. There are four different levels selectable on the Tower, which changes the number of Brigands defending it. With L1 the computer selects 17 to 32 Brigands to defend the Tower, L2 selects 33 to 64, and L3 selects 17 to 64. L4 is a special single-player tutorial mode which has 16 Brigands in the Tower and skips directly to the end game, granting the player all three keys immediately.
Turns
The basic structure of each turn is:
- The digital display shows a flashing number, indicating that player's turn. For example, a blinking "2" indicates it is Player 2's turn.
- The player moves their token one space, or leaves it in the space from which they started.
- Press the appropriate blue button on the Tower panel to indicate the type of space they currently occupy.
- The Tower presents an event by audible signal, accompanied in many instances by rotating the internal carousel and illuminating the appropriate cel for a visual signal, along with a number on the digital display, if appropriate. The Tower then resolves the event.
- The digital display shows a flashing negative number (e.g., "-2"), indicating that player should press the No / End button to end their turn.
Each player takes turns rotating the Tower to face them and then moving their chosen hero about the board anticlockwise, moving up to one space per turn, as a player may choose to remain in the same space during their turn. More than one player may occupy the same space simultaneously. The quarter of the board in front of a player is their kingdom. Each kingdom quadrant is separated by a "frontier" space; when moving into a new kingdom from the frontier, players may choose to move into any space adjacent to the frontier.
Events
After the player moves their token one space, they press a button on the Tower corresponding to the type of space (e.g., Sanctuary, Tomb, Bazaar, Frontier, free/unoccupied space and ultimately onto the Dark Tower space). Depending on the space the player entered (or remained upon), there are several possible events. The Tower resolves what happens to the player by showing the appropriate cel and reporting whatever occurs. For instance, if the Tower decides the player encountered Brigands, it will illuminate the Brigands cel and display the number of brigands encountered. The Tower resolves the battle by alternately counting off the remaining numbers of friendly troops and Brigands down to a win or loss. Once all events have resolved, the Tower is rotated to the next player and their turn begins.
::data[format=table title="Potential events and signals according to the type of space{{rp|20;27–28;33}}"] | Space button |Event}} | Safe | Battle | Harms | Treasure | Move | Possible | Sound | Cel | TombRuin | Possible | Sound | Cel | SanctuaryCitadel | Possible | Sound | Cel | Bazaar | Possible | Sound | Cel | Frontier | Possible | Sound | Cel | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | | | | (when player wins battle) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | short beep | battle horn | Refer to harmful events table | beeping | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BrigandsWarriors | Refer to treasure table | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | (when empty) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | creaking door shuts | battle horn | rowspan=2 | beeping | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BrigandsWarriors | Instant award, refer to treasure table | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | high-pitched trill when need identified{{efn|The sanctuary will award the following items: | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | snake-charmer's music | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Refer to Bazaar table | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | triumphant (or sad) music | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | rowspan=2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Key missing | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::
In addition to the common safe entry and battle events, there are several potential harmful events that could occur to a player entering one of the standard spaces (i.e., when pressing the "Move" button): ::data[format=table title="Potential harmful events{{rp|25–26}}"]
| Harm | Sound | Cel | Description | Lost | Plague | Dragon | Cursed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sad music | Lost | The player has become lost; they lose a turn and move their token back to the space they last occupied. | |||||
| Scout | However, when the player has a scout, the scout cel is illuminated instead and the player remains in the space. | ||||||
| death march | Plague | The player loses two warriors to the plague, unless they have a healer. | |||||
| Healer | If the player has a healer, the healer cel is illuminated and the player gains two warriors instead. | ||||||
| high-pitched screech | Dragon | The player loses of their gold and warriors to the attacking dragon, unless they possess the dragonsword. In that case, the player slays a dragon and is awarded the gold and warriors which that dragon has taken since the last dragon was slain. The dragonslayer then moves the dragon token to any standard space, which prevents all players from entering that space until the next dragon attack. | |||||
| negative music | Cursed | The player loses a turn, moving back to the last occupied space, and loses of their gold and warriors to the player who used a wizard to curse them. | |||||
| :: |
Battle rewards
When the player wins a battle, they may be awarded one or more treasures. Treasure(s) also can be awarded without battle when entering a ruin or tomb. ::data[format=table title="Potential treasures{{rp|23–24}}"]
| Treasure | Sound | Cel | Description | Gold | Key | Pegasus | Dragonsword | Wizard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beeping | Gold | The number displayed is the total number of bags of gold the player now has. However, the player may not carry more gold than 6× the number of warriors, unless the player owns a beast, which can carry 50 bags of gold by itself. | ||||||
| beep | Brass KeySilver KeyGold Key | Keys are always awarded in the order brass, silver, and gold. Only one key can be found in each foreign kingdom, so each player must journey through all four quadrants of the board before attempting the Dark Tower. | ||||||
| lilting music | Pegasus | The Pegasus token can be used to fly to any space within the current kingdom, or from one kingdom to the next, and is surrendered upon use. When flying to another kingdom, the player must already have the key from the originating kingdom. | ||||||
| beep | Sword | When the player possesses the dragonsword, they will slay the dragon if it attacks. | ||||||
| beep | Wizard | The player chooses another player and applies a curse, taking of the targeted player's gold and warriors. | ||||||
| :: |
Supplies from the Bazaar
In the Bazaar, players may purchase items, including warriors, consumable food, and durable bonuses. Warriors are needed for battle and to carry the player's gold, up to six gold per warrior. One food ration will feed up to 15 warriors per turn regardless of movement, so when the player has 16–30 warriors, for instance, they will consume two food rations per turn. If the player runs out of food, one warrior will die per turn from starvation. ::data[format=table title="Bazaar items and signals{{rp|28–32}}"]
| Name / Cel | Description | Warrior | Food | Beast | Scout | Healer | Bazaar Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital display indicates the number of warrior(s) being purchased. | |||||||
| Digital display indicates the number of food ration(s) being purchased. Food prices cannot be haggled. | |||||||
| One beast may be purchased per player per game. The beast carries 50 bags of gold. | |||||||
| One scout may be purchased per player per game. The scout prevents the player from being lost and is not surrendered if the player becomes lost. | |||||||
| One healer may be purchased per player per game. The healer prevents the player from losing warriors to plague and is not surrendered if the player's party becomes stricken with plague. | |||||||
| Each press of the Haggle button gives approximately even chance (50/50) of lowering the price by one bag of gold. However, pressing the Haggle button repeatedly may result in the merchant becoming angry and refusing to sell any goods, indicated by a Bazaar Closed cel. | |||||||
| :: |
Objective
Each kingdom besides a player's own contains one of three keys—bronze, silver and gold, acquired in that order—needed to unlock the Tower. The location of the key within a kingdom is randomly determined by the Tower. Each player therefore must travel around the board through each other kingdom until the player has all three keys; players are free to move through spaces in other kingdoms except for the foreign citadel. At this point, the player returns to their kingdom, buys reinforcements for a maximum complement of warriors, and then attempts to unlock the Tower by entering a code which requires them to confirm a sequence of keys (bronze, silver, and gold) displayed in the correct order, randomized for each game. Once cracked, this brings them to the final battle to defeat the Tower, which contains a predetermined number of defenders inside, depending on the level selected at the start of the game. The first player to beat the Tower wins the game; losing the battle requires building up another army.
Development and litigation
Milton Bradley launched the game in September 1981 at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles. As part of the publicity campaign, Milton Bradley stated the development of Dark Tower started in January 1979 and cost the company more than ; the name was finalized in November 1980 Vince Erato, who previously created the Big Trak toy (1979), was credited with designing the game, inspired by the computer game Wilderness Campaign (1979).
George Ditomassi, the M-B vice president of sales, said it was aimed at "people who had heard about D and D but who didn't want to be Dungeons and Dragons freaks." Shortly after launch, although the game's retail price was between US$55 and , Ditomassi noted "it shouldn't be selling yet because it's too high-priced and there hasn't been any advertising", but added that nevertheless, each Toys "R" Us store was selling an average of one and a half units per week.
Marketing for the game included a television commercial featuring Orson Welles. Despite favorable reviews and reportedly strong sales, production of the game stopped after a single holiday season, and it was targeted by a lawsuit.
Independent inventors Robert Burten and Allen Coleman had previously met with M-B in February 1980 to demonstrate their prototype game developed in late 1979 named Triumph, a space adventure game with a round board and a central microprocessor-controlled game unit. Before they were allowed to show the game to M-B, Burten and Coleman were required to sign a waiver of non-disclosure. Erato was present for the demonstration. Internally, M-B used a three-tiered review structure, with only 5% of game ideas receiving the scrutiny of top-level executives during a "Presidential Review"; according to internal records, Triumph received a Presidential Review on March 20, 1980. At Toy Fair New York in January 1981, Burten and Coleman saw M-B exhibiting Dark Tower and noted the similarities between the commercial game and their prototype, despite the changed theme: both games used a round board with raised elements and a rotating, computerized tower that provided visual and sound signals.
Burten and Coleman filed a lawsuit for misappropriation of trade secrets. Following a trial, a jury awarded them in April 1984, According to Erato, he independently conceived the central tower around Christmas 1979, two months before Burten and Coleman met with M-B, but his combative attitude at trial hindered the believability of his testimony and because he did not keep good records, he could not prove this assertion. Michael Gray, a M-B designer who contributed to the Dark Tower manual, disputed the commercial game had copied Triumph, noting the motorized cel carousel was unique to Dark Tower.
Trial judge Bruce M. Selya, however, vacated the jury's verdict in August 1984. The First Circuit Court of Appeals reversed in May 1985, finding evidence that Milton Bradley entered an implied agreement to keep the game confidential and reinstated the damage award.
Reception
Games magazine included Dark Tower in their "Top 100 Games of 1981", noting especially how the "tower itself swivels so that each player alone views what happens to his own band of warriors".
In a retrospective review of Dark Tower in Black Gate, Scott Taylor said "as I remembered Dark Tower, and its card game predecessor Dragonmaster, I couldn't help but get incredibly nostalgic. There was something truly unique about those games, something almost spiritual, and I can credit this most certainly with the artist who brought them to us, Bob Pepper."
Reviews
- Family Games: The 100 Best
Legacy
Several web-based versions of the game have been developed over the years; an app called Droid Tower developed by Muse of Water was available for Android; and a similar app by MacCrafters is available for iOS.
Sequel
Main article: Return to Dark Tower
Return to Dark Tower was launched on Kickstarter on January 14, 2020, by Restoration Games as a cooperative game for 1–4 players. Designed by Isaac Childres and Rob Daviau, the creators of Gloomhaven and Pandemic Legacy respectively, the game features a motorized rotating tower guided by an app.
Notes
References
References
- {{BGG
- "Conversation with Bob Pepper".
- (1981). "Dark Tower Assembly and Game Play Information". Milton Bradley.
- DeSilva, Bruce. (October 4, 1984). "Masterminds of 'Triumph' Contest 'Dark Tower' Forces". Hartford Courant.
- Lu, Cary. (March 30, 1981). "Marketing is King at Toy Fair: Electronic Toys Mature".
- Harmetz, Aljean. (September 23, 1981). "New Bradley Game Tests Fickle Market: Dark Tower In a Battle for Holiday Sales". The New York Times.
- Jolin, Dan. (August 31, 2020). "'It was a mess': The disappearance and return of legendary '80s board game Dark Tower". Dicebreaker.
- Shapiro, Neil. (December 1981). "PM Electronics Monitor".
- Cribb, Charla. (January 22, 1982). "Wizardry blends with board game". The Evening Independent.
- Kanner, Bernice. (November 23, 1981). "The toys most likely to succeed".
- (July 11, 2016). "Milton Bradley's Toughest Board Game Opponents". Stadler IP Law.
- {{cite court. 1st Cir.]]. (1985). link
- (November–December 1981). "Top 100 Games of 1981".
- (12 October 2011). "Art of the Genre: Dark Tower and Bob Pepper – Black Gate".
- (2010). "Family games : The 100 best". Green Ronin.
- Marks, Tom. (January 13, 2020). "Return to Dark Tower: First Impressions and Unboxing Its Massive Mechanical Tower". [[IGN]].
- Hall, Charlie. (January 14, 2020). "The Gloomhaven and Pandemic Legacy creators team up for a new project". [[Polygon (website).
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