"Star Trek: Fleet Captains" - " ̶F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four Year Mission" Solitaire Mode

There have been quite a few Star Trek board games produced over the years, but, IMHO, the one that's come closest to the spirit of the concept is Star Trek: Fleet Captains.

I've already expressed my love of this game three times in the past, first in a "gameplay"-style video that's racked up 45,000 views (!) and in two session reports, one featuring the Klingons and another showcasing the Romulan expansion.

Despite a vague rulebook that's generated a veritable WikiPedia of FAQ, both formal and informal, I still completely adore this game and it will never leave my library. Unfortunately, it's long since fallen off the "hotness" list, so it's a tough sell whenever I wanna get it to my gaming table.

Because of this, I'm trying to develop a solitaire mode where you control a single ship, discovering the board as you go, dealing with random threats, completing Missions and contending with ever-encroaching Klingon influence.  

So, if you have a copy of the game, give it a whirl and let me know what you think!

Live long and prosper, folks!

Star Trek Fleet Captains (Solitaire Mode)

“ F̶i̶v̶e̶ Four Year Mission”

Goal of the game: collect as many Victory Points as you can in five “years”, with 12 turns per “year” and a total of 60 turns. Game is lost with a score of "0" if  your ship gets destroyed! Henceforth, one Federation turn is referred to as a “Stardate.”

The Klingon sphere of influence starts adjacent to their Command Post and expands outward by one Location fer “year.” Whenever the Enterprise enters Klingon space (or moves out), they must roll % dice to see if they are interdicted by a random Klingon ship of the same era, I.E. either equal, one size lower or no more than +2 higher in ship size. Chance of a Klingon encounter depends on how deep the Federation ship is in Klingon “territory”: 20% one hex deep, 40% two hexes deep, 60% three deep, 80% four hexes deep.

After a random Klingon ship is drawn, draw four cards from the Klingon Command Deck and “crew” the ship from any available cards (I.E one Captain, one Officer...etc). If the ship has Cloaking technology it will attempt a surprise attack, nullified by the Federation vessel succeeding at a Level 15 Sensor check. Klingons attack on sight and pursue your ship until they either destroy you or you destroy them.

All other rules are identical to the original game.

Here's my take on this scenario. NOTE: for "brevity's" sake, I just did four years not all five. 

Year 1

Stardate 1 - The USS Enterprise leaves spacedock, using her one Action per Turn to Scan ahead and discover a “Protostar Nebula.” She proceeds into the system and completes a Level 12 Sensor check to complete the “Nebula Probe” Mission.

Stardate 2: The Enterprise Scans the “Empty Space” ahead and “Investigates an Anomaly”, discovering an Abandoned Outpost just one sector away from Earth. The Federation recovers it for themselves, transforming it into Starbase 1. This earns another Victory Point.

Stardate 3: The Enterprise Scans a sector close to Earth and discovers a “Black Hole.” They give this sector a wide berth, choosing instead to enter a “Dark Matter Nebula.”

Stardate 4: The Enterprise Scans a new region two sectors away from Earth and discovers a “Subspace Rift.” Like the the “Black Hole”, they decide to navigate around it and, in turn, they discover a "Class D Planet."

Stardate 5: The Enterprise discovers a "Class M Planet" two sectors away from Earth and they do an Influence Action to Control the region.

Stardate 6: The Enterprise presides over the construction of an Outpost on this new "Class M Planet", dubbed “Vanguard Station.”

Stardate 7: The Enterprise continues to monitor the development of Vanguard Station. With another Influence Action, the Outpost becomes a Colony, since this "Class M Planet" requires one less Control token to build it. This completes the “Colonization” Secret Mission for 1 more Victory Point.

Stardate 8: The Enterprise Scans ahead, ventures towards a newly-discovered "Class H Planet" and places their Scan Token on their “Exploration” Mission Card.   

Stardate 9: The Enterprise Scans ahead and then passes into "Empty Space." This scan token is placed on their “Exploration” Mission Card, completing it for a Victory Point! They discard the "Exploratory Advantage" Mission Card and draw another Influence Mission.

Stardate 10: The Enterprise moves into an “Emission Nebula” and rolls a "1" for an Encounter, namely the “Aldeans”. Since they have no Crew Cards onboard to Trash, the Enterprise is sent all the way back to Earth! As a consolation prize, they complete the “Localized Survey” Mission for a Victory Point!

Stardate 11: The Enterprise passes through the "Protostellar Nebula", scans ahead and discovers yet another "Class M Planet"! There is no Encounter as they enter orbit.

Stardate 12: The Enterprise Scans ahead and detects a "Class T Planet", but changes course to fly through a sector of previously-unexplored "Empty Space." On a roll of "1", an Encounter occurs. The “Rebellious Influences” Encounter is discarded and another is drawn: a “Supernova”! They need to perform a Level 10 Engines Test, and they’re already at 9, it’s an automatic success. That Location, and all adjacent locations, are replaced by new, face down Location Tiles! Yikes!

Year 2  

The Klingon sphere of influence moves forward one hex!

Stardate 13

Taking advantage of the forced return home, the Enterprise undergoes a minor refit, improving its Shields permanently by +1 via “Yellow Alert.” After performing a Scan to  discover an “Inversion Nebula,” they discard the “Nebula Exploration” Card and draw a new Influence Mission, which turns out to be a “Rescue Mission.” An Away Team marker is placed on an unexplored planet deep in Klingon territory!

Stardate 14

The Enterprise warps past a "Class Y Planet" and then enters "Empty Space." On a roll of 2, there’s an Encounter: “Shockwave.” The ship must perform a Level 10 Shield Test. They play an Interrupt Ops card, “Red Alert”, increasing their Shields by +2. Current Shields level is 5 base +1 for the "refit" and +2 for the "Red Alert." Roll is "3" so total is 11...success! RULES NOTE: Encounters end movement!

Stardate 15

They move on to a “Class L Planet.” With a roll of "1" there’s yet another Encounter, which is revealed as “The Nexus”! The resulting roll is “3”, so the Enterprise narrowly avoids destruction!

Stardate 16

The Nexus moves one Location Tile to the right. The Enterprise continues into deep space, encountering a "Class L Planet." They roll a "6", so there's no Encounter. Now at maximum warp (speed 9), she proceeds on to the next Location, which turns out to be "Empty Space." The resulting roll is "3"...also no Encounter. They assume a standard orbit around this "Class L Planet" where the Away Team is marooned. An Encounter roll of "6" means that they're in the clear! There's also a 20% chance that they might encounter a Klingon ship, but a roll of 77 means they're safe! This completes the “Rescue Mission”! (RULES NOTE:  Transporter actions end turns! Plus: the Klingon encounter roll should occur just as a Federation ship enters their space, possibly interrupting their intended action.)        

Stardate 17

The Nexus moves one tile off to the right and a roll of 82% means that there is no Klingon encounter to start the Federation turn. The Enterprise Scans a nearby Location, finding "Empty Space." She then enters a "Class 2 Nebula", but with a roll of "5" there's no Encounter. Now out of Movement, the Feds discard their “Morale Blow” Mission Card and draw a new one.

Stardate 18

The Nexus moves one tile off to the right. The Enterprise crosses through "Empty Space" and then observes a "Hyper-Giant Star." A roll of "3" means no Encounter, but the ship is now out of Movement.

Stardate 19

The Nexus moves off the board. The Enterprise backtracks to the "Class D Planet" and sends down an Away Team.

Stardate 20

The Enterprise beams up the Away Team, completing the “First Contact” Mission.

Stardate 21

The Enterprise warps off to Vanguard Station and does an Influence Action to place a Control Token.

Stardate 22

The Enterprise presides over the construction of a Starbase at Vanguard Station, completing the “Militarization” Mission.

Stardate 23

Staying in orbit, the Enterprise does a Power Adjustment to maximize Sensors and then plays “Emergency Power” to auto-succeed on a Level 12 Sensor Test. This completes the “Planetary Survey” Mission.

Stardate 24

The Enterprise warps off to the "Class D Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there.

Year 3 

The Klingon Border moves up 1 sector.       

Stardate 25

The Enterprise heads out to the nearby "Class H Planet" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there.

Stardate 26

The Enterprise ventures off to an sector of "Empty Space" and does an Influence Action to place a Control Marker there. This completes the “Establish a Hold” Mission. They discard the "Eject Warp Core” Command Card and draw a new one.

Stardate 27

After scouts determine that an invasive, aggressive and militaristic alien race is encroaching on Federation territory, the Enterprise enters the "Class 2 Nebula" and performs an Influence Action to remove the Klingon Control token there, which completes the “Disrupt Influence” Mission. They are met with no resistance. They then discard the "Code 47" Command Card and draw a new one. Finally, they promote Owen Paris to the Captain role and draw a new card!

Stardate 28     

The Enterprise goes to maximum warp to try and reach a new sector of unexplored space. This requires three percentage die rolls for possible Klingon encounters and they get "57", "90" and "14." With this last roll they are interdicted by a Klingon ship in orbit around a "Class L Planet"! They get a free Scan attempt to notice the cloaked ship by succeeding in a Level 15 Sensor Test. Unfortunately, the Enterprise has nothing to modify its current base Sensor setting of 10, and with a roll of "3" they fail to detect the encroaching ship. The Klingons de-cloak and immediately fire on the Enterprise, playing a “Surprise Attack” Card. Their total is 10 Base + 1 for Captain Kang + 4 for "Surprise Attack" + a roll of "1" for a total of 16 versus “All Power To The Shields” base 5 + 1 for Refit +1 for Paris + roll of "5" = 11. With a difference of "5", the Enterprise is hit, but since the Shields weren't doubled, the Enterprise only takes one tier of "Yellow Alert" damage! Both factions then draw new Command Cards.

Stardate 29

Damaged and outmatched, the Enterprise attempt to warp away from the fight. The Feds  roll "3" + Ship Size 2 = 4 versus 4 + 4 = 8. The escape attempt fails, so they can either fight back or flee and suffer an attack of opportunity! They try to fire back, playing “All Power To The Weapons” but that only gets them to 5 (!). Roll is "1" for a total of 6, so the Klingon Shields easily hold! The Feds throw out “Reinforce” and draw a new Command Card.

The Klingons strike back, playing “Battle Rage”, giving their Weapons a permanent +1 and Shields a permanent -1. That’s 10 + 1 for Kang +1 for "Rage" + 1 for their roll = 12 versus 5 base +1 Paris +1 refit + 5 roll = 12...the Enterprise’s Shields barely hold up under this vicious battery!

Stardate 30

Another escape attempt...the Enterprise rolls 6 +2 = 8 versus 4 +1 = 5...this time they manage to break away! First they play “All Power To The Engines” to get up to 8 Movement on the dial + 1, then they play the “Geordi LaForge” card as an Interrupt. This lets the Engineering team add +2 to the Engines this turn, for a total of 8 + 1 +  2 = 11. They manage to get all the way to the "Class H Planet", destination: Vanguard Station!

The Klingons crank their engines up to 9 and fall into pursuit!

Stardate 31

After the Enterprise does a hasty Repair Action, she takes on a new Captain: one James Tiberius Kirk!

The Kronos One arrives at Vanguard Station and attempts to finish off the Enterprise. They fire a “Photon Torpedo” but the Feds play the “Orion Slave Girl” card for its Combat Ability by throwing out the “Command Support” Ops Card to pay for it. This cancels the Combat!   

Stardate 32

Now with Hikaru Sulu at the helm, the Enterprise fires back at their Klingon rivals! Base 5 then +2 for Kirk + 2 for Sulu (in the Officer role +2 Weapons) and they also play “Tasha Yar” as a Combat Card for another +4. Add in a roll of "3" and the total is 16!!! The Klingons are at Shields 10 but -1 due to “Battle Rage”. Roll is "5" for a total of 14. The Enterprise damages the Klingon ship, which immediately Cloaks by playing “Hit and Run” and discarding “Wariness.” The Feds throw out the “Admiral Hanson” card and draw a new one.       

The Klingons play their “General Chang” card as an Interrupt. This lets them Trash a card (namely “Opportunist”) to attack while still Cloaked! Their combat value is 4 base + 1 for Kang +1 "Battle Rage" +3 for “Heavy Armament” + 5 for the roll = 14! The Enterprise Shields are 5 Base + 1 for Refit then they play “System Bypass” to Disable their Engines (!) to add 1/2 value (9 / 2 = 4) + roll of "1" = 11. The Klingons still hit and the Enterprise is damaged again!

 Stardate 33

With the Klingon ship still Cloaked and reeling from the exchange, the Enterprise hastily affects repairs! They opt for the special Starbase rule that lets them sacrifice Movement to repair without using an Action! By doing so, Montgomery Scott distinguishes himself as Chief Engineer! They attempt to locate the Cloaked Klingon ship...but they need to succeed on a 15 difficulty level Sensor Check. They get 10 + roll of "3"...15. Nope! The Feds throw out “Dramatic Victory” to draw a new Command Card.

The Klingon ship de-cloaks, does a Power Adjustment to Deactivate their Sensors and then they divert all power to their Weapons and Shields. Then they fire: 9 Weapons + 1 Kang +1 "Battle Rage" + 4 "Surprise Attack + roll of "1" for a total of 16!!!  This is compared to 5 base + 1 refit + 6 roll = 12. The Enterprise is damaged once again!  They throw out “Cause Uncertainty” to draw a new Command Card.

Stardate 34   

The Enterprise discards “Diplomacy” for a new Command Card and then attacks! Base 5 +2 Kirk +2 Sulu +  a roll of "3" = 12 versus 8 - 1 for Battle Rage + roll of "3" = 10. Once again, they Klingons are bested and knocked down to the "Red Alert" damage level!

The Klingons discard “Battle Challenge” and Klag joins the bridge crew! They fire again, 8 base + 1 Kang +2 Klag +1 "Battle Rage" + roll of "1" = 13 versus the Enterprise's base 5 Shields +1 for the refit but then Kirk sacrifices himself for his Combat ability, adding +4 to Shields! Roll is "2"...total is 12. Unfortunately, the Enterprise is still damaged!

Stardate 35

The Enterprise discards “Pushing the Limits”, draws a new Command Card and then attacks. The ship must first do a Power Adjustment to activate their Sensors to play a "Modified Torpedo." Attack value is 4 +2 Sulu and + 4 "Torpedo" + roll of "4" = 14 versus Klingon Shields base 8 -1 "Battle Rage" + 2 Klag + roll of "2" = 11. They lose and the Kronos One is destroyed, earning a Federation a Victory Point for the “Death Blow” Mission!

Stardate 36

The Enterprise pulls into Spacedock for some badly-needed repairs! They discard the “Dramatic Defeat” Card and get a new Command Card.  They also jettison the “Dominant Power” Mission to draw a new one.  

Year 4

The Klingon line of influence expands to five sectors, eliminating the Federation Influence marker in "Empty Space" close to the "Class 11 Nebula."  

Stardate 37

The Enterprise jets out, with maximum Engines (9 + 2 for Scotty). They manage to get all the way over to a region of "Empty Space" between the "Class L" and "Class Y Planets" and then Scan an adjacent Location. They also throw out the "Nebula Research" Mission.   

Stardate 38

The Enterprise moves through unexplored Empty Space, but a "5" means no Encounter. They then move into a new location, discover a "Class J Planet" and then roll a "1" for an Encounter! It’s “Conditional Friendship” and the random Mission is “Colonization.” They then play “Command Authority" to place a Control Marker in that space (and every adjacent space) as their Action. Finally, they discard “Zero Losses” to get a new Mission.

Stardate 39

The Enterprise moves into a new quadrant, discovering a "Class T Planet", but there is no Encounter. They then travel towards a previously un-examined "Class 1 Nebula." They Encounter "Ferengi 'Traders'” and, on a roll of "1", get a permanent +2 Weapons Token! They then play “Command Authority" do an Influence Action in this Habitable system and build an Outpost!  

Stardate 40

The Enterprise takes advantage of the Nebula’s ability to build a Facility with 1 less required Control Token, so they construct a Colony! They throw out “Resource Extraction” for a new mission and “Battle Challenge” is discarded for a new Command Card.

Stardate 41

The Enterprise returns to the "Class J Planet" and they complete “Conditional Friendship” by finishing the “Colonization” Mission! Mr. Spock is then promoted to the bridge crew! They immediately head back out into "Empty Space."

Stardate 42

The Enterprise reaches the "Hyper-Giant Star." 20% for a Klingon encounter, but they roll "40." Thanks to Spock at the science station (and a Power Adjustment to get a base 10 value on their Sensors), they easily complete the “Stellar Survey” Mission.

Stardate 43

Klingon encounter? 86...no! The Feds do an Influence Action to remove the Klingon Control Marker, letting them complete the “Disrupt Influence” Mission.

Stardate 44

The Enterprise does a Power Adjustment to ramp up its Engines and then enters the Klingon-controlled "Class 2 Nebula." Encounter? Roll 17...yes!

The Gr’oth, captained by Koloth, enters the region and fires on the Enterprise. Base 7 +1 Koloth + 3 for "Heavy Armament" + roll of "3" = 14 versus Enterprise Shields 5 base plus roll of "2" = 7.  Normally the ship would take two damage, but they discard the "Leonard McCoy" card to prevent one damage!

Stardate 45

The Enterprise attempts a break-away! 2 + a roll of "3" = 5 versus 3 + a roll of "1"...success! The ship does a Power Adjustment for maximum Engines and then warps off to Vanguard Station.

The Gr’oth falls into pursuit. Under the pretense of proposing peace talks, the two factions meet at Vanguard Station. During the negotiations, the Klingons sell some innocuous furballs to some undiscriminating members of the Enterprise crew...furballs who turn out to Tribbles! Pretty soon, the pests are breeding at warp speed and two of the ship's systems have been Disabled...namely Weapons and Engines!

Stardate 46

With the Tribbles quickly swarming the ship, the Enterprise attempts to beam them back to the Klingons, using Sensors base 8 + 3 Spock + roll of "3" = 14 versus Shields 7 + Koloth's +3 then + 3 for the roll for a total of 13. The Klingons fail to block the mass beaming, forcing them to Deactivate Sensors and Engines! The Enterprise then warps away with 10 movement, off to "Empty Space"! They also turf “Masterful Bluff” for a new Command Card and complete the “Sector Survey” Mission since they’ve explored 9 adjacent Locations!  

The Gr’oth Disables Sensors and Weapons and limps after the Enterprise with 8 movement. They also discard “Wariness” for a new Command Card.   

Stardate 47

In a sneaky little diversion, the Enterprise doubles back back to Vanguard Station and does a Repair Action! They also complete the “Stake a Claim” Mission. The Feds discard “All Power To The Shields” and draw a new Command Card.

The Klingons doggedly pursue. Since they need Engines to move and Weapons to fire, they are forced to de-activate their Sensors and Shields! After catching up to their foes, they fire with 7 base + 3 "Honorable Warrior" +1 for Koloth + 2 for the roll = 13 versus Enterprise Shields base 5 +2 "Yellow Alert" card + roll of "5" = 12. One level of damage!

Stardate 48

The Enterprise battles back. Base 5 +2 Sulu + 5 "Command Scrutiny" + 2 Ferengi Weapons upgrade + roll "1" = 15 versus 6 +3 Koloth (lone ship advantage) + roll "5" = 14. The Klingon ship takes a hit!

The Klingons fire back. They have a base of 7 +1 Koloth +1 "Battle Rage" + roll of "3" = 12 versus base 5 +2 Sulu’s Interrupt / Discard Ability +1 refit + roll of "6" = 14. Their Shields repel the attack!

The game is called! 

Victory Point Tally

+1 for constructing a Starbase 

+1 for Destroying an Enemy Ship

Missions Completed: 

Death Blow - 1 VP, Colonization (Secret Mission) - 1 VP, Colonization - 2 VP’s, Militarization - 1 VP, Localized Survey - 1 VP, Disrupt Influence x 2 = 1 VP each, Sector Survey - 2 VP’s, Stake a Claim - 1 VP, Establish a Hold - 1 VP, Stellar Survey - 1 VP, Nebula Probe - 1 VP, Planetary Survey, Investigate Anomaly - 1 VP, Exploration - 1 VP, First Contact - 1 VP and Rescue Mission - 3 VP.     

22 Total Victory Points on four turns!

***

As you can see by this session report, Fleet Captains is pure Star Trek. You explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly go where no one has flipped a Location Tile before! There's exploration, adventure, missions, random complications, planetary settlement and conflict with hostile alien races. To me, it easily eclipses games like Star Trek Ascendancy, which felt more like Romulan ale-flavored Twilight Imperium to me.

In fact, the only other game that genuinely feels like Star Trek is The Adventure Game.

But that's a story for another time!

P.S. what follows is a handy summary to clarify and underscore the most important and frequently overlooked rules in the game. I hope it helps you navigate through that big, wide, wonderful galaxy! 

***

IMPORTANT RULES REMINDERS FOR STAR TREK: FLEET CAPTAINS

NON-ACTION ACTIVITIES 

During your turn, you get to do all of the following in any order you choose:

• Move each ship in your fleet.

• Make one Power Adjustment with each ship in your fleet.

• Take 3 Actions. (1 per ship)

• Play Command Cards.

• Cycle a Mission Card (discard an uncompleted mission card for a new one).

• Discard 1 Command Card.

ACTIONS

Each turn you can take up to three Actions with your ships. Actions are your main way of interacting with the game. Normally, each ship can only take one action per turn (some Command Cards may allow a ship to take an extra action). There are seven types of Actions you can choose from:

• Cloaking Actions—engaging Cloaking Devices to make your ships undetectable.

• Combat Actions—attacking opposing starships.

• Influence Actions—taking control of locations and building installations.

• Reinforcement Actions—replacing lost ships in your fleet.

• Repair Actions—removing damage from a ship at an installation.

• Scan Actions—examining unexplored Location Tiles.

• Transporter Actions—moving crew or cargo between ships and planets.

• System Tests — when voluntary, such as when completing a mission (see ”Missions”).

MOVEMENT STOPPAGE

You must stop moving your ship if any of the following occur:

• You draw an Encounter Card when exploring a new location.  

• You try to Evade an enemy ship and fail.

• The ship (or any other ship) takes an Action.  

• You run out of movement points.

• You make a Power Adjustment on any ship.

• You begin moving any other ship.

OPPOSED TESTS / COMBAT FLOW

1. Declare the action. If it is a combat declare your attacker(s) and your target.

2. Active player may make a Power Adjustment to his ship(s) as long as the ship(s) have not had a Power Adjustment this turn.

3. The active player may play a single command card.

Note: Combat cards may only be played during Combat or Weapons or Shields tests. If the test is not one of those, only Ops cards are allowed. Ops cards may also be played during a

Weapons or Shields test that does not involve attacking another ship. Crew cards cannot be assigned to ships once the test has begun.

4. If this is an opposed test, the Target player may play a single command card. If it is not opposed, each other player, starting with the player to the active player’s left, may play an Interrupt card. As soon as one opponent does so - no other cards may be played (this will make more sense with 3-player rules as teams can work together to decide which card to play).

5. In an opposed test, if the active player did not play a Command card and the Target player does, the Active player may play a Command Card now.

6. Add up all assigned crew on the ship(s) that apply to the test.

7. Roll your die and add it to the total for the test

8. For the active player;

a. For System tests, the total must be greater than or equal to the number.

b. For Opposed System tests the final total must be greater than the opposed system.

9. You can discard/trash crew members that were previously assigned to ships at this time if they have a red Combat or a special blue discard or trash ability (like Data). If you discard or trash a crew, remember to ignore their bonus that you applied earlier (top of page 27 in the rules). Your opponent may also play on their own initiative or in response and discard or trash crew of their own. As this is rare we do not recommend a specific phase as there would be a majority of “Pass/Pass” results but if you wish for clarity - then use the same timing for playing command cards (steps 3 and 4 above) except that you can play more than 1 crew affect (and must play all crew you wish to use) during the time you are allowed to.

    

Solo Quest: "Return to Dark Tower"

In previous posts, I've talked at length about how I "outgrew" the board gaming hobby in the late 80's / early 90's, thereby missing out on some amazing fantasy-themed titles like DungeonQuest, HeroQuest, and Wiz-War. But how in Bahamut's name did the original Dark Tower pass me by? 

I think it just comes down to timing. I was only 11 years old when the game was released in 1981, and Star Wars was still the alpha and omega of my imagination. In fact, if you were to show me the following two-page spread in a catalog back then, the only thing I would have noticed is the stuff on the left hand side.

Image source: http://jimsmash.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-catalogs-1981-1982.html

It would be another two or three years before the Mentzer D&D Basic Set would detonate a second forty-megaton nuclear warhead in my imagination and lure me into the realm of fantasy for the first time.

Ergo, by the time I was predisposed to something like Dark Tower, it was likely already out of production and / or I was spending every cent I had on AD&D hardbacks. 

Enter Restoration Games, who've built an entire business model on delivering organic, farm-to-gaming-table 'Memberberries. They gave us a re-vamped Star Wars: Epic Duels in the form of Unmatched and roped in a massive group of nostalgic gamers via their faithful reprint of Fireball Island.  

But sequel-cum-remake to Dark Tower, logical titled Return to Dark Tower, represents their most ambitious project to date. 

Here's the elevator pitch for this one:

Long ago, the sorcerer-king Azkol built a Tower at the crossroads of the Four Kingdoms. Behind its ebon walls, he practiced dark sorcery in his search for power. 

As Azkol’s madness grew, his apprentice, the sorceress Nimet, plotted against him. She stole his wondrous treasures and fled the Tower, then recruited heroes from the Four Kingdoms to stop him. One hero prevailed. Azkol was defeated, and the Tower lay vacant.

But now a new adversary has taken up residence. It grows in power, spreading corruption and calling forth wicked creatures from afar. This foe cannot be defeated alone. The heroes of the Four Kingdoms must unite and return to the Tower.

***

Return to Dark Tower is a cooperative game where heroes of the Four Kingdoms join forces, with the aid of a helpful companion, to defeat the adversary in the Tower. You all win or lose together. 

Your companion will guide you in your quest to breach the Tower and engage the adversary in battle. But beware! The Tower’s influence is ever working to corrupt the heroes. 

You have six months before the Four Kingdoms fall and the adversary’s reign is absolute. Can you repel the gathering darkness?

Still questing to breach the bleak walls of ignorance? Then click on the following magical link to glean all of the eldritch secrets in the form of yon rulebook. 

*** 

Recover Azkol’s Treasures and Defeat Ashstrider

Solo Play-through as the Relic Hunter

Month 1

Turn 1

Start of Turn: I use my Banner Action to gain a "Golden Sun" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 2 spaces to Dayside and take a Heroic Action to Cleanse the Bazaar there and remove 2 Skulls. I then Reinforce, paying only 1 Spirit (thanks to my "Prepared" Virtue) to buy the "Golden Mace of Azkol." My Spirit count started at 1 then + 2 for the Heroic Action = 3 but then - 1 to buy the Treasure, so I'm currently at 2.

When the Skull is dropped, the Tower tells me to add a River of Fire to the board, so I place it between the East and South borders! 

MONTH 2

Turn 2

New quests added to the board! Companion Quest: Miras appears in The Emerald Expanse. Adversary Quest: venture to the Upper Ice Fangs to prevent more rivers from catching aflame! 

Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability to gain a Potion and spend the "Golden Sun" elixir to gain a Spirit, bringing me back up to 3. 

Middle of Turn: I travel to the Upper Ice Fangs, remove 3 Spirit (reducing me to 0) and successfully Quest there to prevent any more fiery rivers from being placed. This Heroic Action gets me 2 Spirit back. I then take a free Sanctuary Reinforce Action to get a single Spirit, so now I'm back up to 3. 

In the subsequent Skull drop, it rolls out into the South Kingdom and I place it on the Citadel there. A Seal is removed on the Tower’s West side, revealing an anti-Quest Glyph there. Zaida’s ability kicks in, letting me draw a random card from the Treasure Deck. I get the "Axe of Soul Rending" and add it to my tableau. Then all of the Treasure Cards are put at the bottom of the deck and 3 new options are revealed. 

Turn 3

Start of Turn: I use my Banner ability  to pick up a "Golden Sun" Potion, which I  immediately drink to get back up to 4 Spirit. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 3 spaces to get to the Plains of Plovo and do a Cleanse Action there to remove the Skulls and gain 2 Spirit. I'm now back up to 6! I then spend 1 Spirit to Reinforce the Bazaar and gain the "Crown of Azkol"! 

After I slam-dunk a Skull in the Tower, rumors begin to swirl that a gout of flame from the Tower will soon rain down on a Citadel! Then the Brigands on the board lash out! Normally, I’d lose an Item, but since no Brigands are near me I dodge this theft! Finally, a Frost Troll appears in the Big Sister space to the East!

Turn 4

Start of Turn: my Banner ability lets me draws a "Siren's Song" Potion for free.  

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to move up to 6 spaces, putting my Spirit count down to 4. Upon arrival, I perform a Quest Action, using Zaida's special ability to spend the "Axe of Soul Rending" to generate 3 Wild Advantages. I then use these Wilds in place of the 3 Stealth required to complete the Quest and gain another companion: Miras! This Heroic Action gives me 2 Spirit, so I'm back up to 6. Finally, I spend 1 Spirit, taking me down to 5, and buy the "Lamp of Hope" via a Reinforce Action at the Bazaar there.  

Skull drop...a Seal is removed on the South side of the Tower, revealing an empty space. 

Turn 5

Start of Turn: I gain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion as part of my Banner Action.  

Middle of Turn: I use my "Siren's Song" Potion to move a Troll to the Hissing Groves and then spend a Spirit to boost my Movement to travel onto that space. I still have 2 moves left and 4 Spirit. I Battle the Frost Troll there with 2 Humanoid and 1 Wild Advantage. Fortunately, I defeat the Troll without using the Wild. After collecting 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I then spends 5 at the Citadel to unlock the “Crafty” virtue. I then use my remaining 2 Moves to enter Tower Scar Desert!  

Skull drop: Miras misleads the Trolls, luring the remaining one from the Big Sister 2 spaces into the Decaying Wilds!

Turn 6

Start of Turn: I gain, and then immediately spend, a "Purifying Breath" Potion, which lets me remotely remove 3 Skulls (+2 due to "Crafty"!) from the village in Anza!  

Middle of Turn: I then journey 3 spaces into the Decaying Wilds Grasslands region and Battle the Troll there. Going into this I have +2 Humanoid Advantages, +2 Wild Advantages in the Grasslands (thanks to Miras!) as well as a "Fortunes Favor" Potion. The fight is pretty brutal and I'm forced to spend all of these Advantages, including the Potion, which is doubled to 2 Wilds thanks to me being "Crafty"! I then recruit 6 Warriors for ending my turn on a Grasslands space, again courtesy of Miras! 

I can't Reinforce 'cuz I'm not on a Building space, so I just drop a Skull. With a mighty roar, the Tower signals that a Troll appears in the Irontops to the South.

Turn 7

Start of Turn: I draw a "Thousand Strides" Potion with my Banner Action and then spend it to move to the Three Rivers

Middle of Turn: I then perform a Cleanse, using the "Lamp of Hope" to remove 3 Skullerydoos from Duwani Village. After gaining 2 Spirit, I spend 1 to gain "Kameria’s Carpet" and then use my remaining move to get to Duwani Village. 

Skull drop! It rolls out into the North, so I place it on Egan’s End Village. Two Skulls also pop out in the South, which I place on the Sanctuary in the Sands of Madness. Then a giant fireball strikes the Citadel in my current Kingdom, I.E the Inner Kinghills. The Brigands also increase in power, unlocking "Savage" mode! Yikes!

Turn 8

Start of Turn: I gain another "Thousand Strides" Potion and spend it to generate up to 6 movement since it's doubled by "Crafty"! I then move 4 to get to Egan's End.

Middle of Turn: I perform a Cleanse Action to remove the 3 Skulls from there. This gets me 2 Spirit, one of which I spend to recruit 12 Warriors! 

On the subsequent Skull drop, nothing happens and the Month ends!

New quests: Smuggler’s Coin in the Three Rivers and Arsonists threaten the Emerald Expanse down South!

MONTH 3 

Turn 9

Start of Turn: I draw a free "Fortune’s Favor" Potion.

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to gain 12 more Warriors! I then play my "Thousand Strides" Potion to move up to 6, which is exactly what I need to reach the Three Rivers. I then spend 18 Warriors to complete this Quest, gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. Then I move 3 spaces to the Southern Wastes! 

Skull drop: 1 rolls out into the East, which I place in the Three Rivers Bazaar. 

Turn 10

Start of Turn: I draw a random "Golden Sun" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I spend a Spirit to gain 12 Warriors in the Southern Wastes Village and I also have a supply of  6 Spirit. I then Move 2 spaces to reach the Emerald Expanse. The resulting Quest Heroic Action gains me 2 Spirit back! 

A Skull tumbles out into the South, which I add to the Howling Desert Citadel. The Tower rotates, the power of the Frost Trolls increases and Brigands also appear up in Greenbridge!

Turn 11

Start of Turn: After drawing a free Potion for my Banner Action, I use a "Purifying Breath" to remove up to 2 Skulls from any Building, which is doubled by "Crafty." I choose to return the 3 Skulls tainting the Three Rivers.

Middle of Turn: I decide to Battle the Brigand in the Emerald Expanse. I go in armed with  2 Humanoid Advantages, an additional + 2 Wild Advantages (thanks to Miras's Grasslands connection) and a Wild via a Potion, so 5 in total. I manage to defeat them, at the expense of 2 Warriors and the Potion as well! This scrap earns me 2 Spirit! After getting a free Longsword from my Reinforce Action in the Bazaar, I use the "Smugglers Coin" to flush the market and,by some miracle, turn up both "Azkol’s Idol" and also the "Horn of Azkol"!!! I then spend 1 Spirit to take a red-eye Air Carpet flight to the Dayside Bazaar. 

Skull drop: it pops out in the West and I place it on the Hissing Grounds Citadel. A Banner Glyph is revealed in the East and rumors start to swirl about a fireball from the Tower headed for a Bazaar! To make matters worse, a Titan rises out of the Weeping Waters!

Turn 12

Start of Turn: I pick up a random "Dragon Teeth" Potion!

Middle of Turn: After spending 1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar, I gain "Azkol’s Horn." Then, after paying another Spirit to Carpet off to the Titan’s space, I spend 4 Spirit to remove the dirty big bastid from the game by smoking it right in the noggin' with my "Golden Mace." I then Move 3 to the Howling Desert, where I perform a Cleanse action to remove the 2 Skulls there. This gives me 2 Spirit back and now I'm back up to 4. 

I drop a Skull but it mercifully produces no Events!

Turn 13

Start of Turn: I Gain another "Dragonteeth" Potion and spend both of them for 12 Warriors! 

Middle of Turn: I invest 5 Spirit at the Citadel to Unlock my “Inventive” Virtue via a Reinforce Action. I then use 1 Spirit to fly to Greenbridge and take on the Brigands there, armed with 4 possible Advantages. After defeating them and gaining 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action, I Move to the Dayside Bazaar.

Skull drop: 2 Skulls pop out in the East, which I add to the Village and the Bazaar. Another one is dropped in the Southern Citadel and a Seal on the Tower’s North side is removed! Miras goads 1 Brigand into Greenbride and the other into the Forest of Shades. Then the Brigands strike and I'm forced to lose 1 item, so I turf the "Smuggler’s Coin" since all of the Treasures I need are already in the Market! 

Turn 14

Start of Turn: My Banner Action gives me a free "Siren’s Song" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I spend 1 Spirit to Reinforce in the Bazaar and gain "Azkol’s Doll." 

I now have all of the Treasures and Virtues I need, so I Move 2 spaces to the Radiant Mountains to complete the "Azkol’s Treasures" Quest! Ashstrider then emerges from the Tower, appearing in the Weeping Waters, and I collect 2 Spirit for this Heroic Action. 

Turn 15

Start of Turn: I gain a free "Purifying Breath" Potion and blow it immediately to remove 2 Skulls from the Emerald Expanse.

Middle of Turn: I also spend a "Dragonteeth" Potion to gather up 6 more Warriors and a "Golden Sun" Potion for another Spirit. I then drop 1 Spirit to double-Move 5 spaces to Anza Village, where I spend 1 more Spirit to recruit 12 Warriors via a Reinforce Action. I then use my very last move to wade into the Weeping Waters and confront Ashstrider! 

The resulting skirmish is intense. The first combat card forces me to lose 18 warriors per adjacent Skull...but I've been doing a good job tamping them down so there's only 1 nearby! I decide to spend my Crown to generate 3 Wild Advantages (thanks to Zaida's special ability) and then spend 1 to reduce my cost to 12 Warriors per Skull, which I pay! The next card is lose 12 Warriors per Skull, so I pay the cost again! But the next card is a real doozy: lose 30 Warriors (!), 1 Gear and 1 Treasure. I spend an Advantage to Reduce this to 20 and 1 Gear, so I lose my remaining Warriors as well as the Sword and then take a Corruption. The next card requires me to lose 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit, so I spend my remaining Advantages and reduce it to a loss of just 5 Warriors, but since I don't have that, I take another Corruption and then Retreat! Bloodied but unbowed, Ashstrider moves off to the Broken Lands! 

In the resulting Skull drop, three Skulls pour out into the East, a Titan appears in Azkol’s Bane in the South and an Ice Troll emerges in the Radiant Mountains. 

Turn 16

Start of Turn: I draw a "Fortune’s Favor" Potion. 

Middle of Turn: I Move 1 space to the Hissing Groves Citadel to remove a single Skull with a Cleanse and gain 2 Spirit. I then get a free "Golden Sun" Potion via my Reinforce Action there. Finally, I use the rest of my Move to travel 2 more spaces to the Akartus Citadel.

A Skull rolls out in the South, which I add to the Emerald Expanse. The Month ends and new quests appear, namely Vasa in the Ash Hills and the Smuggler’s Den Dungeon in Dayside. 

Turn 17

Start of Turn:  I pick up a new "Golden Sun" Potion.

Middle of Turn: I spends 5 Spirit to remove my two Corruptions. Then, after spending the "Golden Sun" Potions to gain 2 Spirit, I Move 3 spaces to tackle Ashstrider again! 

The first combat card requires me to lose 12 Warriors per adjacent Skull...but there are none! The next card requires me to lose 20 Warriors and 1 Gear., leading to my first Corruption of the battle! The next one is even worse, requiring the loss of 25 Warriors and 3 Spirit. After taking the Spirit hit, I have to accept another Corruption! The next card is clearly one that I reduced in the previous skirmish: Lose 5 Warriors. So, I spend a Beast Advantage to reduce it and incur no losses! The last card is a scary Critical Hit...requiring me to place a Skull in every Building in my current Kingdom. But since there are none, I can clear this card with zero issues! 

Victory!!!

***

REVIEW

PROS

• The strategy starts even before the game begins, since you can choose you foes based on the collective Advantages of your Character group. 
• Turns are clearly delineated and they fly by very quickly. Execute your Banner Action, then do Moves, Heroic Actions (Battle, Cleanse or Quest) and perform Building-specific Reinforce Actions in any order. I also like how you can split up your Movement to make for a very productive turn.
• Throwing Skulls into the Tower to end your turn is insanely gratifying. 
• Between the app and the unpredictable antics of the Tower, the game experience is really immersive.
• This is truly a co-operative game. Juggling priorities RE: foes on the board, end game goals and various Quests is critically important. You can't all dogpile the main Adversary as soon as it appears because ignoring other elements on the board might case them to spiral out of control really fast.   
• The Character "classes" are all pretty distinct from one another.
• As evidenced by the photos, this is clearly one of the best productions in the history of the hobby. The Tower, cards, Character sheets and the board are all top notch, but the "Dark Hordes" expansion really ramps up the game's curb appeal by adding the amazing foe minis seen pictured here.
• I'm going to be playing this game a lot. Even though there's no shortage of options in the core game RE: Characters, Foes, Adversaries, "gritty" difficulty settings and competitive mode, the "Alliances" expansion adds even more content. This is "desert island" game territory, folks.
• It's challenging. I won this solo run after two prior failures, the first being a 3-player game and the second being a 4-player game. I won this time out because I picked the optimal Character and tried not to waste a single action. I.E. I won because I learned from the mistakes of the two previous matches. Having said that, I imagine more players = greater difficulty. 

CONS

• The app and the Tower might be great for ambiance and moving the game along, but I think there's definitely a learning curve when it comes to integrating all of these unusual assets together. Only after this third game did I have a real handle on how it all worked properly in tandem.
• The Tower takes 3 AA batteries, so you might find yourself running out of juice mid-game. The app will certainly pause while you swap out your batteries, but the first time I had to deal with it, it was a giant pain in the knutz with Skulls popping out everywhere. I really wish there was an onboard battery and you could just charge the damn thing by just plugging it in. Of course, that might have driven up the cost even more, limited the life expectancy of the Tower and eventually turned it into a very odd-looking accent piece for your coffee table.    
• Because this game is so unusual, and the rule book is criminally brief, rules minutia questions abound. Normally this would piss me off, but the experience of playing the game is so friggin' immersive that I'm willing to put in the ground work. In light of this, check out my handy-dandy bonus FAQ / Rules Clarification summary at the end of this post.      
• I was lucky, 'cuz I got this sucker on a deep discount...and at the Kickstarter price. As for anyone else, I highly suggest that you have a mitt-full of nitroglycerin pills handy before you even so much as glance at the price tag. 

***

There's nothing in my game library right now that even vaguely approximates the experience of playing Return to Dark Tower. I think its a must-have for fantasy adventure game nerds, fans of the original title and folks who appreciate truly immersive and team-based gameplay.

But it ain't perfect. It took three dry runs and a thorough FAQ scouring to tease out all of the game's vagaries. For a lot of games, all of that effort really isn't worth the bother. But in the case of something truly special like Return to Dark Tower, the extra work will yield dividends and result in countless memorable tabletop experiences for you and your fellow adventurers. 

The game rates 5 pips out of 6 with a decent tilt up to the highest point on yon ominous ebon spyre.

  

BONUS!

Return to Dark Tower - Collected FAQ / Rules Clarifications

Version 1.2

Quests

• For the “Find Azkol’s Treasures” Quest, only one player can take the Quest Action to complete the main goal, so they need to meet all the requirements, I.E. possess all of the Treasures and have 5 Virtues. This includes your starting 3.

• Trees. During the mission where you must move Trees, sometimes enemies burn them down. Once they are burned they move to the nearest Forest, but what if the nearest space is the one they were already on? Do they need to move to a different space altogether? 

No, just keep them on the space that they're on.

Heroes

Brutal Warlord

• When the Brutal Warlord reinforces at a Citadel, and gains the "Inspiring" Virtue, can the player use the Virtue on that turn? 

Yes. Anything that has an "after you Reinforce" effect triggers the turn you get it by Reinforcing.

The Spymaster

• The Spymaster's "Fortunate" Virtue lets you Reinforce twice per turn at the same Building. Does that count as 2 separate uses of the Reinforce Action, or is it still just 1 Action, but I get to resolve the effect twice? 

It’s considered to be two separate Reinforce actions.

Potions

• If you’re forced to discard Potions can you use them first? 

Yes, you can spend something before you would have to lose it, but only if it's currently your turn and not during Event resolution.

• Can Potions be used at the “end of turn”? 

No. Once you’ve dropped a Skull into the Tower, you can’t use Items anymore on that turn, even to deal with Skulls or Events.

• Do Adversaries count as "Foes" for the purposes of the Potions that let you move Foes around? What about the Treasure that lets you spend Spirit equal to the level of the Foe to remove it? 

"Yes," to moving them via Potions but "No" to that particular effect since Adversaries can only be defeated by Battling them.

Specific Items

Lamp of Hope

• Do you have to be on a space with Skulls to use the "Lamp of Hope"? 

You can use the Lamp in any space, even one without a Building. To be more technical, you can take the Cleanse action as if you were on any space.

Oakstone Bow

• Can you use the Oakstone Bow on an Adversary at a distance? 

Yes. Adversaries are considered to be Foes and you get the terrain Advantage from the adjacent space that you're attacking from.

• Can you combine the Bow’s effect with the Companion Hakon? 

If you're on a space with a Building, you'd get the Companion's Advantages too. Just like with the terrain Advantages, if the Foe is on Advantageous space but you're using the Bow on an adjacent space you won't get those particular Advantages.

Lamp of Darkness

• Can you use the Lamp to remove a foe from the board mid-battle? 

No.

Adversaries

• How do Retreats work in Adversary battles? 

The Adversary battles works the same way as any other battle against a Foe. Their deck is shuffled, you draw cards equal to their level and then you try to resolve those cards. The only difference with the Adversary is that you can retreat after resolving a card and any Advantages you applied to a particular card remain, i.e., if you upgrade a card, it stays upgraded. Note that the Adversary’s cards start at "Lethal" level. If you apply Advantages to a card, they are tracked by the decrementing dots. So, when you draw a Battle Card in a future battle, you can immediately tell the card’s level and whether or not it was improved just by looking at the dots.

Companions

• Can you have multiple Companions? 

Yes.

Specific Companions

Zaida

• Are you able to use Zaida the Efreet ability to spend 1 Treasure to gain +3 Wild Advantages in the middle of a Battle, or in the middle of a card? 

Yes. You can actually do it in response to a card because you don't resolve the card until after you are done upgrading it. So, if you had a Battle Card that said "Lose 1 Treasure", you could spend a Treasure to gain 3 Wild Advantages and then spend those to upgrade that card. In fact, that's a great strategy since you're going to be forced to discard the Treasure anyway. By using Zaida's ability to get 3 Advantages for it, you can upgrade that card and potentially gain something if you fully upgrade it.

Grigor and Yana

• When I best them, do I then gain them as Companions? 

Yes.

Yana

• Does Yana’s ability mean that you never lose more than one Corruption over the course of an entire Battle, regardless of how many cards you can't fulfill? I.E. you can't gain more than one Corruption? 

Correct. Take note that this ability only applies to level 2, 3 or 4 Foes.

Isa

• Isa offered us a deal where one of the choices was to “collectively” lose Warriors. What happens if we don’t have enough Warriors altogether? 

Players lose all of their available Warriors, and then each player who couldn't satisfy the entire requirement gains a Corruption. Note that this is a rare special occasion which involves “collective” losses.

Dungeons

• Can you use your Kingdom Virtue in a Dungeon if it's on your terrain type? 

Yes.

• You can spend only 1 Advantage per Dungeon room and terrain Advantages apply as per the keyword on the Dungeon tile.

• Dungeon rooms do not count as Battle Cards for the purpose of Gear effects, etc. I.E. you can’t use Leather Armour to reduce Hero loss in a dungeon, only against your Foe's Battle Cards.

• In the dungeon exploration example on page 9 of the rulebook, it shows you losing your Longsword in the first room, but then using its Advantage in the second room. Is this a typo, or am I missing something? 

You always calculate your Advantages before taking your Heroic Action. If you spend or lose the source of an Advantage in the middle of an Action, the Advantage still applies until the end of the Action. In fact, some game effects allow you to gain more Advantages in the middle of a Heroic Action. You can spend up to 10 Advantages during a Heroic Action.

Heroic Actions

Cleanse

• You can only Cleanse in a space with Skulls.

Moving

• What happens if a Hero's base Move changes, say by gaining or losing their "Trusted Maps" partway through their Move? 

This effect does not apply until your next turn.

Advantages

• What's the difference between Spending Advantages and Spending Items? 

When you spend an Advantage, you don't return the Item that created it. For example, if you have a Quest which requires you to spend 4 Magic Advantages, you just need the Advantages when you perform the Quest Heroic Action. If the source of the Advantage requires you to spend the Item to receive the advantage, then return that item back to its appropriate place. If the Advantage is automatic (indicated by a black arrow on cards), you don't need to spend (or discard) the source of the Advantage in order to get it. Another example: if a Companion grants +2 Wild Advantages while in the Hills, and the Quest is in a Hills space, you automatically have those 2 Advantages to apply to the Quest's requirements. Example #3: if a Treasure card says: "Spend to gain +4 Magic Advantages", and you need those Magic Advantages to complete your current Quest, you can spend (I.E. discard) that Treasure to gain those 4 Magic Advantages.

Foes, Adversaries and Battling

• Even if you don’t have enough of a resource, remember to remove as much of that resource as you can. For example: if a card requires 1 Potion and 15 Warriors and you have a Potion and 12 Warriors, remove the Potion and the 12 Warriors and then take a single  Corruption. Please note that you can only gain one Corruption per failed card. 

• Adversaries can’t be removed with a “Remove a Foe” effect. They can only be defeated in Battle. 

• When Moving monsters do you have to move them towards buildings? 

No, it's the player's choice.

• If a Battle Card gives me an Item that provides an Advantage that I can used against that type of Foe, can I use it in the current battle? 

Yes. You can use Advantages you gain during a battle in that battle.

• If a Battle Card causes me to lose an Item that gave me an Advantage against that current foe, can I still use that Advantage in the current battle? 

Yes. You calculate your Advantages when you take the Heroic Action. If you lose the source of an Advantage, you do not lose the Advantage and can still spend it on a subsequent Battle Card in that Battle.

Specific Foes

Dragons

• "The Dragon Strike!" Event says "lose a Treasure if the Dragon is in your Kingdom." It should read: "Each Hero with a Dragon in their current Kingdom loses a Treasure."

Shadow Wolves 

• How do I resolve their “Strike”? 

If a Shadow Wolf is adjacent to a space with a hero, the Wolf moves to that space. Then, each Hero loses 3 Warriors for each Shadow Wolf on their space. If there were no Shadow Wolves on or adjacent to a Hero then no Wolves are moved and nothing happens.

Corruption

• Can I gain a Corruption from an effect that does not make me lose Items or resources? For example, if an Event requires me to place 2 Skulls on a particular Building and that Building is destroyed, do I gain a Corruption? What happens to the Skulls? 

The two most common ways you gain a Corruption are : when a Battle Card, Dungeon room, Event, or other game effect causes you to lose things that you don’t have or when a Building is destroyed by the placement of a fourth Skull. You cannot gain more than 1 Corruption from a single Battle Card, Dungeon room, or Event. Take as many losses or place as many Skulls as you can, and then take a Corruption. Any Skulls you cannot place are removed from the game. You gain a Corruption each time a Building in your Home Kingdom is destroyed. So, in the example above, you would gain a Corruption because you needed to place Skulls on a destroyed Building. Even though there were 2 Skulls to place you only gain one Corruption and they're removed from the game.

• You gain a Corruption when you cannot fully resolve an Event, Battle Card, or Dungeon room. Some effects affect multiple players. Each player who can't fully resolve it resolves as much as they can and gains a Corruption.

• During a Battle with a Foe, I gained a Corruption card that limits you to spending 4 Advantages per turn. Would this take place immediately? 

Yes. If you've already spent 4 or more Advantages, you can't spend any more for the rest of that turn, including the rest of a Battle that you're already in. It's true that you don't lose Advantages you've already generated, but this Corruption limits how many you can spend.  

Virtues

• When you are instructed to lose a Virtue, does that mean remove one from the game or flip an active Virtue tile to its inactive side? 

You have to select either your Champion Virtue, or one Character Virtue that you've already unlocked, and remove it from the game.

Seals

• When the app tells me to remove a Seal on the Tower, how do I know which Seal to remove? 

The Tower will do a brief light animation and then a set of lights will stay lit. The two lights on the edge of the Tower show you which face of the Tower the Seal is on. Then, look to see which specific Seal is lit up from behind to know which one to remove. The lights on the edge are near the bottom Seal, but that might not be the specific Seal to remove. The Seal light might be harder to see if your room is very brightly lit or you're looking at the Tower from a higher angle.

• The rules state that you suffer the penalty of the Seal if it’s facing you, but sometimes it's lit up and other times it's not. Does the penalty still apply if it's not lit? 

The lighting is not relevant to the rule but merely for show (and to make them easier to see). That said, revealed Glyphs should be lit. Make sure you’re removing the correct Seal when that Event pops up. Also note that the -1 Spirit Seal penalty is specific to the player seated facing it and location of that player's Character on the board is irrelevant. 

Skulls, Building and Events

• What if there are no Buildings to place Skulls on when they come out of the Tower? 

If a non-active player has no Buildings in their Kingdom already, and Skulls come out in their Kingdom, then the active player (the one who drops the Skulls) gets a single Corruption and all the Skulls are removed from the game. The non-active player will only get a Corruption for each Building destroyed in their Kingdom. If there are no Buildings, then no Corruption for the non-active player.

• You can resolve Skull placements in any order you choose.

• If a structure is destroyed in a Dormant Kingdom after a fourth Skull was placed on it, no one gets a Corruption. But what happens to the fourth Skull? 

The structure and the three Skulls on it are removed from the game and the fourth Skull gets put back into inventory.

• You end your turn with a Skull drop into the Tower and an Event triggers. Who does the event apply to? You or the next player? 

The player who dropped the Skull into the Tower makes any required choices.

• Events are the last part of a player's turn, i.e., the player who just went.

• Does an effect that places a Skull "in every building in the Kingdom" result in Corruption if one or more Buildings in that Kingdom are already destroyed? 

These effects now say "4 Buildings" instead of "each Building". So, under the Corruption rules as clarified, you would get a Corruption because you would be required to place a Skull on a destroyed Building. Remove that Skull from the game and take a Corruption.

Haggle Die

• Glyph Cost: You pay for the Glyph when you decide to take the Reinforce action. Then you can roll the Haggle Die. If it's cancelled, you still lose that Spirit. You do not need to pay for the upgraded Reinforce if it's cancelled.

End of Game

• The game ends only when a player can’t throw a Skull in the Tower at the end of a turn, not when the supply runs out!