UPDATE: As of the second printing of Return To Dark Tower, there has been a rules adjustment: when a fourth skull would be placed on a building, the building is destroyed, and all four skulls are removed from the game. In the prior version (and therefore in this video), the fourth skull was returned to the supply.
I think the box art, as well as the size, was enough for Rodney to not want to flip it. It was saying to him "Don't flip me, I'm beautiful." and he was like "Okay, okay, you win." The gold foil for the moon would be enough for me to not flip it as well.
Just got mine today. I've heard about the dark tower from my dad since I was like 10 years old as he played the original as a kid. Very excited to finally be able to play with him 15 years later.
I've been relying on your excellent how to videos ever since I watched your Scythe video. Your content has been invaluable to me. I'm very much a visual learner so your videos really make rules and concepts more easily digestible for me.
Backed this one on kickstarter. I can’t wait for it to get here. I had the original back in the day. Restoration Games makes some great nostalgic re-prints with updated rules and great production value. I also have the Fireball Island remake and it’s spectacular.
I'm a backer as well. Even though I don't have a table big enough to play it on! I have one big enough for the board, but not when you include all the player boards. :)
I love the digital enemy deck and altering them via advantages, that a good use of the app that would be way more cumbersome in physical. Not many boardgame designers have really mastered that balance.
Great video. My game finally got delivered last week (after waiting what seemed like years). I've played through part of a game once, but this explained things very well and showed me rules I'd missed on my first read-through of the manual. I greatly appreciate the work!
I still have the original board game on my shelf, and I am certainly intrigued by the gameplay changes in this new app-driven version. Thanks for this how to play video!
I still my game as well. Still turning away. Loved it as a kid. Now with my children every game session begins with a game of Dark Tower classic first. They have grown to love it as much as I do. Just purchased the return. We are so excited to begin with a game of classic then move into a game of the return.
@@Valloneous This game was like a magic trick when i was a kid .This new version "Return To Dark Tower" is over complicated and requires a thousand dinky pieces and little cardboard tidbits to play. With all that extra stuff, card decks, plastic peices etc. the new game still plays out mostly on a cell phone APP! The tower mostly dispenses skulls like a gumball machine. Old school Dark Tower made ALLOT out of a little. The new version is a whole lotta stuff just to play a game on your cell phone!
@@wonderrob3225 I agree about the original being a lot out of a little. Very unique game for the time. We got our return to dark tower game and played it. Respectfully I will differ in that we really enjoyed it. Played 4 games first day. I was very pleased they did not try to make it like the original. It kept us entertained and wanting more. Really was not over complicated and the workings of app, tower and board seemed to flow really nice for us. Yeah it has lots of components and that might not be fun for some. My little game crew liked it. For us it was worth it.
@@wonderrob3225 I was wondering that too. It's been over 40 years since I played a friend's DT, but I remember it was fairly simple to get into and didn't overwhelm with a lot of side pieces and rules. In-fact, it probably made me a late-comer to Dungeons and Dragons because that was insane in comparison. I do get nice retro vibes from this outing, but there's a lot of baggage associated with this ver,.
Went to pick up my dog from day care and this bad boy was waiting in my driveway when I got home, complete with expansion and playmat You're a real one
Great video! I backed this game more than 2 years ago and just got mine in the past couple of weeks. Hoping to play with friends today. One thing for sure is that your help is very much appreciated.
Sold my original copy that I had since childhood in order to back this when Restoration announced it. They've been amazing at communication throughout, and now seeing your video (one of your best, BTW) has me even more excited to get it to the table soon! ♥️
I'm waiting for my pledge to arrive on this one... excited to finally play it. Watching this video I just thought of something. I know that for a lot of people app-driven board games are kind of a touchy subject; I guess it's partially because video games already exist... and people often play board games to touch physical components and (usually) to play with other people. If not done well, an app-driven board game runs the risk of 'ruining' some of things that are fun about playing a physical board game. In this case I feel like they find the right balance, you are still playing a board game but some of the more tedious record keeping and randomness is handled by the app. That's more words than I meant to say, my real point though is: it's tough to complain about this game being app driven... in a way the original game was THE FIRST EVER app-driven board game! You weren't running it on a tablet... but the tower was basically running the game. Anyways, the game looks like fun and thanks for this great video, I have watched playthroughs before... but I learned more watching this than all of those together. Thanks Rodney.
Some people won't like an app in a game no matter how it's utilized, and that's okay. Just like some people don't like card drafting, or worker placement, or dice rolling. But sounds like this will be a good fit for you, and I hope you have a great time playing! It's been a real hit at our house.
Really sad I missed the Kickstarter for this, but I'll be buying it at retail ASAP. Restoration Games crushes it with everything they put out, and this looks AMAZING. And Rodney, your "How To Play" videos continue to be the best thing on the internet. Thanks so much for all you do!
@@griffinwik I did see that, but thank you for the heads up! I'll be backing it this time; I just have to decide how many of the extras I need to add. That neoprene game board looks pretty sweet!
@@mgabrysSF I have no idea how available this will be at retail through the rest of the year, but it is listed as being in stock on Restoration Game's online store right now for $190. I know that Justin Jacobson from Restoration is on BGG and answers all kinds of questions there about all their games. He could definitely give you the best info on that.
Picked up my copy last week. I was a little underwhelmed on first impression, but once we started playing it was good times. Really draws you in. Glad to see this classic favorite revived, thanks for the video!
Super good walk through. Rule book did not really specify ( that I found) that specific advantages had to be applied to specific cards (makes sense but just did not see it specified), so glad you had that in your video.
Clear and concise, excellent presention. Just got this delivered today, I'm anxious to open it up and play it tomorrow, and I'll be able to do that much more smoothly after watching this video. Thank you!
I didn’t have this as a kid, but one of my friends did. We played it a LOT, it was amazing. I don’t remember. A lot about it, that was one or two sleeps ago. I think this might not be one that Mrs. Minogue will be too interested in, but it is always great to see your productions; this one did not disappoint.
Your videos are all so good. You're so clear and thorough, that not only are they great for learning how to play a game, but they're also really helpful for deciding if I'll like something, often more than a review, because I know exactly what it is I'd be buying into!
Wonderfully done video as always Rodney. Thank you for the hard work. I had a question for you in regards to fighting. I might have glanced over it, but how exactly do you beat the monsters? I know you use advantages to weaken the effects of the cards flipped, but I can't remember afterwards what happens.
Thanks for Restoration for the assist! Yep, once you resolve all the cards thrown at you by the app, you are told to remove the monster. You’ll find an example in the video, but it’s an understandable question cause this is different than what people might be used to.
With the game finally shipping out, I was very happy to find this video. Much appreciated. Looking forward to finally getting to play. Thanks, Rodney! Cheers!
Just in case anyone's watching this now with the second printing released, the rule around 30:40 about what happens when a building gets its fourth skull has changed. In the first printing, the three skulls on the building are removed from the game, but the fourth that caused the destruction gets returned to the supply. In the second printing, the fourth skull also gets removed from the game. In other words, a building destroyed due to too many skulls now removes 4 skulls from the game, not 3. Cleansing is more important than ever.
Thanks so much Rodney for giving us poor board gamers a chance to look at this in the flesh, so to speak. Our little gaming group could never afford this beast, but boy does it look awesome!
I remade the original game for my dad (3d printing, cell phone app, yada yada) and backed this on kickstarter. I can't wait to get it but it seems like many of us won't see it until early 2022.
I was looking forward to this video and didn't know they had remade the game. I had the first version of this as a kid and it was a lot of fun and way ahead of its time conceptually. The entire tower was basically a virtual dungeon master with cool music and sound effects and illuminated art. This is not the same at all. The tower is very limited conceptually and tying so much of the gameplay to an app is very problematic. Even if the developers keep updating the app to work with whatever Google or Apple OS appears, eventually this will be a board game with a plastic brick you cannot play in 5+ years.
Different people have different feelings about app integration. Some see it as a problem and some don't. Glad this video could help you decide if the game was a good fit for you.
I forgot to ask! Does the tower have to face a certain way to start, or it doesn't matter. Just if it needs to know what is west, north etc., from its position?
Hello Rodney, Can you please make a video about how to play Arkham Horror 3rd Edition? I am so confused about the rules (lol). I am a big fan of your explanation, and so far, I could not find any videos that could match how well, composed and detailed as yours.
With cooperative play, do you combine accomplishments for all players to satisfy the main goal? For example, in a two player game, can each player have two of Azkol's treasures to satisfy the 4 treasure requirement, or does one player have to have all four treasures? And if only one player has five virtues and four treasures, can both players battle the adversary? Great video, btw - thank you!
The player completing the quest has to meet the requirements. So all 4 treasure and 4 virtues need to be on that player. Pg 10 in the rulebook mentions completing main goal like normal quests.
I liked how the game on this video got its own shelf space due to its size, as well as the giant tower was noticeable in the video, hence why you had to move it. I wonder if it's a big as the Super Fantasy Brawl game box, which was another game you covered at an eariler time. I think Return To The Tower might be joining you giant game box shelf soon due to that. Anyway, thanks for the tutorial of Tower in this video. I liked how big the box was, the black tower piece being big, and the way it played. (In general, I liked the giant box, the giant tower, and the black colored theme the best in this video with the game trays. Do you try to use tray colors that match the colors of the game you're doing a tutorial for?)
@@WatchItPlayed Now I have a question. I've run this 3 times and can't find info in your video or the instructions. If the revealed glyph is still lit up during the next tower events, in what order can you spend the spirit token to do the glyph action again?
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I've played twice now. Once myself to learn and once with my wife. Question regarding the final adversary. If one person advances through some of the cards and then retreats before killing it. When the next person goes to fight it, it makes them redraw the cards. Does it automatically keep them the same? And does the new player have to suffer the results of each card from the start? For example, you spend 2 advantages to reduce it to a 10 warrior loss. Next player goes to fight, they have to also take the 10 warrior loss for that card or spend advantages to reduce it? Or can you skip through the cards the previous player got through?
On the final adversary, any changes you make to a card by spending advantages are permanent. Other players encountering that card may then further change it by spending advantages if they want. You can't "skip" any cards that you draw (but you can leave the fight after resolving at least 1).
This is a wonderful and clearly understood instructional video. Thank you so much for the clean explanation of the mechanics of the game! One question: At 21:22, you accurately discuss removing a foe without battling it - using an effect in the app or on a card like the Lamp of Darkness. Immediately after that, you state that "that's how you resolve a battle as your Heroic Action for the turn." But removing a foe using a card or app instruction is not a Heroic Action, is it? If not, it should also not result in gaining two Spirit tokens. Or am I misunderstanding that part of the mechanics?
It might help to think of it this way, at 15:08 I begin describing the Heroic Action: Battling. From there I take you through various things, including battle itself, the concepts of advantage, removing foes by battling them, and also acknowledge that certain other card effects can directly remove a foe without battling it, but all of that I've put under the header of "Heroic Action: Battling", as they all relate in some way, but when I say at the end "and that's the battling Heroic Action" I'm not referring specifically to the very last statement I made, but to the entire segment that started back at 15:08. It's a way of wrapping up before moving onto the next main section. Sorry if that caused some confusion.
Question please: Can you take only ONE heroic and ONE reinforce action per turn? Rulesbook and video implies so, and I think so, but I am not certain. Since those actions require you to be at a certain location and have a cost, I could see how in most turns you only take one of each, but are we limited to just one by the rules?
Do you plan to do another video covering the Alliances Expansion? Thanks for all your vids, by the way. I never walk away from your 'how-to-play's confused. Can't wait to see you try to tackle Frosthaven 🤣
Hey Rodney, great tutorial as always! Hefty price tag with this one, is it worth the $sss in your opinion. I'm looking at getting a few new co-op games, but this one would wipe out the budget
Hi Rob, I always avoid assessing worth for someone else. What's "worth it" to one person could be the complete opposite for someone else - and I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction as far as your tastes go.
Great video, thank you! Can you tell me, if one ends their movement on a space that has a foe located on it, is the player obligated to battle the foe, or can they co-exist on the space without battling? Thanks!
Great video. Quick Question: What happens if a skull drops in an area where all the buildings have already been destroyed? Does the player gain a corruption because they cannot place the skull? Does the skull get removed from the game? Thanks in advance.
Looking forward to this one arriving, but I do have concerns on how long the app will be supported and available. In 10 years time will we be still able to play the game?
I do hear that concern expressed often about apps in games. I can't really say for sure what will happen in the future, but X-Com the board game has an app and it's still going 7 years later. I'm not personally concerned, as I think all established companies will leave their apps available in some format for many years to come.
Hi Rod. My question. When a glyph is seen on my kingdoms side after a skull drop and is glowing red I know you can spend a spirit to do the action but can you perform the action without being on the proper space to do the action? For an example I see the quest glyph lit up on my side of the tower, can I perform a quest action without my piece being on the quest space? And are you rewarded the 2 spirit as if you had just done an Heroic Action on your turn? Thanks for any info on this-Kyle.
@@WatchItPlayed Thanks for that info. I get it now. It is a penalty that you have to spend 1 spirit to do that action while the glyph is showing on your side of the kingdom. 👍🏼😎
I’m loving this game but I’m a bit confused about trading. First, if I’m understanding correctly, the rulebook says that you can only trade once per turn, but everywhere online as well as this video that I’ve found says that you can do it as many times as you want. Is there a clarification on this or is it just a house rule? Second, is there any restriction on when you can trade? For example, could you trade warriors with an ally if you’re in the middle of a battle?
Hi Gobbler, no house rules taught here! In the rules it says "Once during your turn, you may trade with heroes on your space (as long as all agree).". It's not saying you may trade only one thing, it's saying that you can't trade more than once, in other words, you couldn't start your turn on a space and trade with the player there, and then move to another space and trade again with another player at that new location. To your second question, it might help to think of trading is it's own kind of action, you would have to do that outside of performing another action (like attacking). Hope that helps - have a great time playing!
Thanks for the breakdown. I have a question in regards to Glyphs - If i say reveal the "Battle" gylph, do I HAVE to spend 1 spirit to battle a foe? If yes, can it be any foe on the board? Does it need to be near me, or? Also, what if I have already battled, do I get the option to battle twice? Thanks.
Hi Tyler, not quite sure what you're asking (sometimes text can leave room open for interpretation). If you reveal a Battle Glyph facing your kingdom, than it doesn't mean you have to perform a battle action, it just means that IF you decide to perform a battle action, it will cost you one spirit. You can't battle twice during the same turn. Does that answer your question?
Looks like I’m late to the party again. I will checking this game out live at Gallows distillery’s game night August 25th. It’s a hefty price tag! Looks awesome though.
Question about trading. If my hero is on the same space as my friend's hero, can I just give him items, and get nothing in return? Or does he have to give me a like number of his items in return? And if so, do they have to be the same type of items? (For example, can I just give him one Treasure? Or does he have to give me one of his Treasure's in return?)
Hi Irwin, I haven't played solo myself, but this is the sort of question I avoid answering anyway. What might be tedious to one player, could be enjoyable to another - games are very subjective that way. It's hard to give a personalized recommendation.
Where can I purchase this game? Would really love to get my hands on it. The original version was a big thing growing up with my grandparents and they have the original with a broken tower. It's been like that for years now and I would love to surprise them with this! Can't find it online though.
I believe it's just now fulfilling to Kickstarter backers - not sure what their exact retail plans are, but might be good to check the publisher's website or reach out to them to see.
Does an exposed tower glyph effect: A. the kingdom it is currently facing (and any characters in it) or B. the character who's home kingdom it is facing (regardless of where that character is currently located on the board)
Hey there, I'm always happy to try to help with rules questions, but if the answer is provided in the video, than I have to direct you there. You'll find an index in the description to help take you exactly to the section you are looking for.
@@WatchItPlayed I saw that section of the video and you didn't say "home kingdom" you just said "kingdom" so I was just looking for clarification. Regardless, thanks for posting this video.
@@KwalityGuru Ah, I see what you mean! I said "your kingdom", instead of "home kingdom". I meant "yours" as in "your home kingdom", but I can appreciate the confusion there. It does mean "home kingdom", or in your original post, Option B.
Hey Rodney, Can you tell me if this has a save game feature. I don't see anything in the rule book. And do you know what happens at the end of the game if all the skull or if any will be ejected from the game. Or will the remain inside. I received my game 3 days ago but didn't want to start without knowing..
I recently purchased the board game Return to Dark Tower. However, I'm not entirely clear on some of the rules. Could you help clarify my confusion? In the final battle, when our heroes fight the adversary, we must resolve 5 cards to defeat the adversary. Do we have to retreat if we gain corruption during the battle?If gaining corruption also counts as defeating the enemy, we could gain 2 corruption, which would allow us to resolve just 3 cards to achieve victory. The last 2 cards could then simply result in corruption. Wouldn't this make the final adversary too easy?Additionally, there is a companion card that triggers an event allowing corruption to be removed. Does this ability only remove corruption from the hero holding the companion card, or can it remove corruption from any hero?
You don't have to retreat after gaining a corruption, but adversaries can be quite devious in how they work, so it might not be as simple as it seems on face value :) On our second question, while I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do. I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!
@@WatchItPlayed Thank you for your reply. I purchased the Chinese version of the game, so there may be translation errors or ambiguities. I don't have access to the English names and descriptions of the cards, which makes it difficult for me to discuss my issues in the English-speaking community.
UPDATE: As of the second printing of Return To Dark Tower, there has been a rules adjustment: when a fourth skull would be placed on a building, the building is destroyed, and all four skulls are removed from the game. In the prior version (and therefore in this video), the fourth skull was returned to the supply.
At last, Rodney meets his nemesis - The Unflippable Box!
That box art though!! So pretty
Thought the same thing. I was like "HEY! NO BOX FLIP?!?!?!"
You win the comment section lol
I think the box art, as well as the size, was enough for Rodney to not want to flip it. It was saying to him "Don't flip me, I'm beautiful." and he was like "Okay, okay, you win."
The gold foil for the moon would be enough for me to not flip it as well.
Lol! Exactly what I was thinking!
This is a big one for the community Rodney...like really big. Thank you ever so much for explaining this one, and everything you do. All the best 👍👍
So glad you enjoyed Philip - I hope this will be helpful!
35:27 was such an expert lid flip. A flourish as expertly done as the rest of this video. Clear, well paced, and charming. Thanks for what you do!
Glad you enjoyed the video - have fun playing!
Seriously I was impressed too haha
Legend has it, he has never dropped a box
I’m so excited. I just got my in the mail yesterday!! I have been waiting so long to play this.
Have a great time playing - glad to hear it arrived :)
Just got mine today. I've heard about the dark tower from my dad since I was like 10 years old as he played the original as a kid. Very excited to finally be able to play with him 15 years later.
Cool!
I've been relying on your excellent how to videos ever since I watched your Scythe video. Your content has been invaluable to me. I'm very much a visual learner so your videos really make rules and concepts more easily digestible for me.
This is so nice to hear - very glad these have been helpful!
Backed this one on kickstarter. I can’t wait for it to get here. I had the original back in the day. Restoration Games makes some great nostalgic re-prints with updated rules and great production value. I also have the Fireball Island remake and it’s spectacular.
I think you're going to be very happy with this new version!
I knew this game seemed familiar.
I'm a backer as well. Even though I don't have a table big enough to play it on! I have one big enough for the board, but not when you include all the player boards. :)
How is the game now that you got it? I'm considering the second printing.
I haven’t gotten to the table but I’ve opened it. I’m backing the new expansion kickstarter as well.
I love the digital enemy deck and altering them via advantages, that a good use of the app that would be way more cumbersome in physical. Not many boardgame designers have really mastered that balance.
It's quite interesting on the final boss too, where the cards stay permanently altered during the fight with them.
Great video. My game finally got delivered last week (after waiting what seemed like years). I've played through part of a game once, but this explained things very well and showed me rules I'd missed on my first read-through of the manual. I greatly appreciate the work!
You bet David - have a great time playing!
I still have the original board game on my shelf, and I am certainly intrigued by the gameplay changes in this new app-driven version. Thanks for this how to play video!
You're very welcome - thanks for checking it out!
I still my game as well. Still turning away. Loved it as a kid. Now with my children every game session begins with a game of Dark Tower classic first. They have grown to love it as much as I do. Just purchased the return. We are so excited to begin with a game of classic then move into a game of the return.
@@Valloneous This game was like a magic trick when i was a kid .This new version "Return To Dark Tower" is over complicated and requires a thousand dinky pieces and little cardboard tidbits to play. With all that extra stuff, card decks, plastic peices etc. the new game still plays out mostly on a cell phone APP! The tower mostly dispenses skulls like a gumball machine. Old school Dark Tower made ALLOT out of a little. The new version is a whole lotta stuff just to play a game on your cell phone!
@@wonderrob3225 I agree about the original being a lot out of a little. Very unique game for the time. We got our return to dark tower game and played it. Respectfully I will differ in that we really enjoyed it. Played 4 games first day. I was very pleased they did not try to make it like the original. It kept us entertained and wanting more. Really was not over complicated and the workings of app, tower and board seemed to flow really nice for us. Yeah it has lots of components and that might not be fun for some. My little game crew liked it. For us it was worth it.
@@wonderrob3225 I was wondering that too. It's been over 40 years since I played a friend's DT, but I remember it was fairly simple to get into and didn't overwhelm with a lot of side pieces and rules. In-fact, it probably made me a late-comer to Dungeons and Dragons because that was insane in comparison.
I do get nice retro vibes from this outing, but there's a lot of baggage associated with this ver,.
Went to pick up my dog from day care and this bad boy was waiting in my driveway when I got home, complete with expansion and playmat
You're a real one
Very exciting! Have a great time playing :)
Love the transition from cheeriest iPad wallpaper on record to shadowy landscape with blood red tower.
lol
Great video! I backed this game more than 2 years ago and just got mine in the past couple of weeks. Hoping to play with friends today.
One thing for sure is that your help is very much appreciated.
I hope you have a fantastic time playing!
Sold my original copy that I had since childhood in order to back this when Restoration announced it. They've been amazing at communication throughout, and now seeing your video (one of your best, BTW) has me even more excited to get it to the table soon! ♥️
Glad you enjoyed this one - I think backers are going to be very happy.
An excellent "how to play", always appreciate the clarity and detail you present in your videos. Thanks!
Thanks so much Dan - have a great time playing!
I'm waiting for my pledge to arrive on this one... excited to finally play it. Watching this video I just thought of something. I know that for a lot of people app-driven board games are kind of a touchy subject; I guess it's partially because video games already exist... and people often play board games to touch physical components and (usually) to play with other people. If not done well, an app-driven board game runs the risk of 'ruining' some of things that are fun about playing a physical board game. In this case I feel like they find the right balance, you are still playing a board game but some of the more tedious record keeping and randomness is handled by the app. That's more words than I meant to say, my real point though is: it's tough to complain about this game being app driven... in a way the original game was THE FIRST EVER app-driven board game! You weren't running it on a tablet... but the tower was basically running the game. Anyways, the game looks like fun and thanks for this great video, I have watched playthroughs before... but I learned more watching this than all of those together. Thanks Rodney.
Some people won't like an app in a game no matter how it's utilized, and that's okay. Just like some people don't like card drafting, or worker placement, or dice rolling. But sounds like this will be a good fit for you, and I hope you have a great time playing! It's been a real hit at our house.
I just got my copy today. You were they first place I went to walk through the rules. Thanks!
I hope you have a fantastic time playing!
Really sad I missed the Kickstarter for this, but I'll be buying it at retail ASAP. Restoration Games crushes it with everything they put out, and this looks AMAZING. And Rodney, your "How To Play" videos continue to be the best thing on the internet. Thanks so much for all you do!
Thank you kindly Gurn - I hope you have a great time playing!
In case you haven't gotten it yet, they are currently doing a second run of their Kickstarter
@@griffinwik I did see that, but thank you for the heads up! I'll be backing it this time; I just have to decide how many of the extras I need to add. That neoprene game board looks pretty sweet!
Question - is this a limited run retail? I'm looking to get it by end of year (2023) if there's no time crunch involved.
@@mgabrysSF I have no idea how available this will be at retail through the rest of the year, but it is listed as being in stock on Restoration Game's online store right now for $190. I know that Justin Jacobson from Restoration is on BGG and answers all kinds of questions there about all their games. He could definitely give you the best info on that.
Late to the game - but an amazing tutorial. Concise, without leaving anything out. Mad skills, man. Sharing this to every new player pre-game.
Never too late to learn a game that's new to you! I hope you have a great time playing Michael :)
I finally got this game after a really long waiting, so I'm happy to watch you having a tutorial on how to play it.
Thanks!
Have a great time playing Cesar!
I played with 2 friends, 2 different campaings... and the Tower obliterated us twice.
10/10 will keep trying xD
Picked up my copy last week. I was a little underwhelmed on first impression, but once we started playing it was good times. Really draws you in. Glad to see this classic favorite revived, thanks for the video!
You're very welcome - glad you enjoyed!
Super good walk through. Rule book did not really specify ( that I found) that specific advantages had to be applied to specific cards (makes sense but just did not see it specified), so glad you had that in your video.
Very glad you found the video helpful!
No one does it better than Rodney! Thanks so much for such a great explanation video!
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the game!
Clear and concise, excellent presention. Just got this delivered today, I'm anxious to open it up and play it tomorrow, and I'll be able to do that much more smoothly after watching this video. Thank you!
Have a great time playing Stig - I hope you really enjoy it :)
I didn’t have this as a kid, but one of my friends did. We played it a LOT, it was amazing. I don’t remember. A lot about it, that was one or two sleeps ago. I think this might not be one that Mrs. Minogue will be too interested in, but it is always great to see your productions; this one did not disappoint.
I never played the original, but I've been really enjoying this one.
Your videos are all so good. You're so clear and thorough, that not only are they great for learning how to play a game, but they're also really helpful for deciding if I'll like something, often more than a review, because I know exactly what it is I'd be buying into!
This is such nice feedback to receive Richard - that is really my hope with these videos.
Wonderfully done video as always Rodney. Thank you for the hard work.
I had a question for you in regards to fighting. I might have glanced over it, but how exactly do you beat the monsters? I know you use advantages to weaken the effects of the cards flipped, but I can't remember afterwards what happens.
You always defeat the foes (other than the final adversary). It's just a question of how much losses you sustain.
Thanks for Restoration for the assist! Yep, once you resolve all the cards thrown at you by the app, you are told to remove the monster. You’ll find an example in the video, but it’s an understandable question cause this is different than what people might be used to.
Just got my copy! Looking forward to getting this to the table.
Hope you have a great time with it!
Playing this game on a round a round is a must. So easy to rotate the board for any player and it seems to add something as the perspective changes.
That would be cool!
Best in game teaching period! Thank you Rodney
Have a great time playing Will!
We don't have any games with apps, but this one is very tempting. It just looks amazing. You do a great job explaining, too.
Ben, you and your family are also very kind and supportive of our work here - thank you!
With the game finally shipping out, I was very happy to find this video. Much appreciated. Looking forward to finally getting to play. Thanks, Rodney! Cheers!
Hope you have a great time playing!
Just in case anyone's watching this now with the second printing released, the rule around 30:40 about what happens when a building gets its fourth skull has changed. In the first printing, the three skulls on the building are removed from the game, but the fourth that caused the destruction gets returned to the supply. In the second printing, the fourth skull also gets removed from the game. In other words, a building destroyed due to too many skulls now removes 4 skulls from the game, not 3. Cleansing is more important than ever.
Hey Chrono, this update happens to be in a pinned comment and the description of the video :) Good looking out though!
Thank you Rodney, your way of explaining things is really amazing. Can't wait to receive my kickstarter in Europe.
Hope you get to enjoy it soon!
Did you get it yet? I got mine in Cyprus yesterday.
Me too, yesterday in belgium
Nicely packed.
Great video, thank you very much. The game arrived today, and I am keen to bring it to the table.
I hope you have a great time playing!
Kickstarted this, can't wait to get it! Working now, but really looking forward to watching this video. Thanks team!
You're welcome Bill - enjoy once you get a chance :)
That sorcerer-king with the lost treasures sounds like a real Azkol.
Thanks so much Rodney for giving us poor board gamers a chance to look at this in the flesh, so to speak. Our little gaming group could never afford this beast, but boy does it look awesome!
Glad you enjoyed checking it out!
I remade the original game for my dad (3d printing, cell phone app, yada yada) and backed this on kickstarter. I can't wait to get it but it seems like many of us won't see it until early 2022.
Yeah, shipping is tough these days, so it makes sense that there might be some delays. Hopefully not much longer now!
I was looking forward to this video and didn't know they had remade the game. I had the first version of this as a kid and it was a lot of fun and way ahead of its time conceptually. The entire tower was basically a virtual dungeon master with cool music and sound effects and illuminated art.
This is not the same at all. The tower is very limited conceptually and tying so much of the gameplay to an app is very problematic. Even if the developers keep updating the app to work with whatever Google or Apple OS appears, eventually this will be a board game with a plastic brick you cannot play in 5+ years.
Different people have different feelings about app integration. Some see it as a problem and some don't. Glad this video could help you decide if the game was a good fit for you.
OMG, this makes me so much more excited to get this shipped to me. curse you impatience!
Hang in there - not too much longer. And now you'll be ready to play once it arrives :)
@@WatchItPlayed your videos are appreciated as always!
I forgot to ask! Does the tower have to face a certain way to start, or it doesn't matter. Just if it needs to know what is west, north etc., from its position?
It doesn't matter at all.
Thanks for this, I can not wait for this to be shipped! Its been so long haha
Hopefully soon!!
Good video, got mine yesterday. We're look forward to trying it.
I hope you have a great time playing!
Thanks for the showing the rules... still have to wait some more weeks before can play this game here in Germany 😀
Hope you have a great time playing!
Usually board game videos are obnoxious. Your video is very enjoyable, clear, and well paced. Thank you
Very glad you enjoyed!
So excited to play this! Just ordered one! 😍
Have a great time playing!
Nice walk through, good sir
Glad you enjoyed Joshua!
Just got this game at PAX Unplugged, can't wait to play it!
I hope you had a great PAX - I had a wonderful time!
Hello Rodney,
Can you please make a video about how to play Arkham Horror 3rd Edition? I am so confused about the rules (lol).
I am a big fan of your explanation, and so far, I could not find any videos that could match how well, composed and detailed as yours.
Thanks for the interest! I talk a bit about that here: ua-cam.com/video/EdtDuvIUa6A/v-deo.html&t=342
Thank you Rodney, this was definitely worth the wait. Now, just need my copy!
Hopefully not too long!
@@WatchItPlayed I got the Azkol's Fortune pledge. So the wait is going to be worth it again!
With cooperative play, do you combine accomplishments for all players to satisfy the main goal? For example, in a two player game, can each player have two of Azkol's treasures to satisfy the 4 treasure requirement, or does one player have to have all four treasures? And if only one player has five virtues and four treasures, can both players battle the adversary? Great video, btw - thank you!
Hi Alan, I didn't cover the co-operative rules, so I can't assist with that.
The player completing the quest has to meet the requirements. So all 4 treasure and 4 virtues need to be on that player. Pg 10 in the rulebook mentions completing main goal like normal quests.
@@AvatarOfNateP So the first player gets the companion that is supposed to complete the quest or can anyone complete the quest?
I liked how the game on this video got its own shelf space due to its size, as well as the giant tower was noticeable in the video, hence why you had to move it. I wonder if it's a big as the Super Fantasy Brawl game box, which was another game you covered at an eariler time. I think Return To The Tower might be joining you giant game box shelf soon due to that.
Anyway, thanks for the tutorial of Tower in this video. I liked how big the box was, the black tower piece being big, and the way it played. (In general, I liked the giant box, the giant tower, and the black colored theme the best in this video with the game trays. Do you try to use tray colors that match the colors of the game you're doing a tutorial for?)
Super Fantasy Brawl was a longer box, so I think it had this one beat.
And yes, I generally do try to match the tray color where I can.
I had the original game, such a good game played with my mom and friends a bazillion times. Good solo game as well
Yes, I played this one solo too!
Very well done!!! Now I understand the instructions! 😁.
I'm so glad this was helpful - have a great time playing!
@@WatchItPlayed Now I have a question. I've run this 3 times and can't find info in your video or the instructions. If the revealed glyph is still lit up during the next tower events, in what order can you spend the spirit token to do the glyph action again?
@@SuperSally666 Hey Sally, does this answer the question? ua-cam.com/video/OtJk0qYCmk8/v-deo.html
Awesome video! 👏 👏 This looks like such a fun experience.
I have to say, it's been quite a hit here.
Bunny is so sad he did not back this. :( Looks great!
Hope you get a chance to try it!
Thanks for the detailed explanation. I've played twice now. Once myself to learn and once with my wife. Question regarding the final adversary. If one person advances through some of the cards and then retreats before killing it. When the next person goes to fight it, it makes them redraw the cards. Does it automatically keep them the same? And does the new player have to suffer the results of each card from the start? For example, you spend 2 advantages to reduce it to a 10 warrior loss. Next player goes to fight, they have to also take the 10 warrior loss for that card or spend advantages to reduce it? Or can you skip through the cards the previous player got through?
On the final adversary, any changes you make to a card by spending advantages are permanent. Other players encountering that card may then further change it by spending advantages if they want. You can't "skip" any cards that you draw (but you can leave the fight after resolving at least 1).
Hmmm...3-player game on Twitch in the future? Definitely would love to see that and/or BGG play it.
Keep an eye out!
Thanks for the video. I am patiently waiting for my pledge.
Hopefully not too much longer!
This is a wonderful and clearly understood instructional video. Thank you so much for the clean explanation of the mechanics of the game! One question: At 21:22, you accurately discuss removing a foe without battling it - using an effect in the app or on a card like the Lamp of Darkness. Immediately after that, you state that "that's how you resolve a battle as your Heroic Action for the turn." But removing a foe using a card or app instruction is not a Heroic Action, is it? If not, it should also not result in gaining two Spirit tokens. Or am I misunderstanding that part of the mechanics?
It might help to think of it this way, at 15:08 I begin describing the Heroic Action: Battling. From there I take you through various things, including battle itself, the concepts of advantage, removing foes by battling them, and also acknowledge that certain other card effects can directly remove a foe without battling it, but all of that I've put under the header of "Heroic Action: Battling", as they all relate in some way, but when I say at the end "and that's the battling Heroic Action" I'm not referring specifically to the very last statement I made, but to the entire segment that started back at 15:08. It's a way of wrapping up before moving onto the next main section. Sorry if that caused some confusion.
@Watch It Played Thank you! This helps me understand the process behind Battles and the progression of rules. Much appreciated!
Wow, I backed this game like around 2 years ago. Maybe it'll finally come out soon then.
Getting very close!
@@WatchItPlayed Finally arrived. Now I'll have to watch this again since it took so long that I forgot how it's played.
@@SmokeRingHalo Have a good time adventuring!
really love this channel ^^ Im Thai and not good in english still can understand
So nice to know this has been helpful Chocobo!
@@WatchItPlayed hope u gonna make clip for alliance expansion too >.
Question please: Can you take only ONE heroic and ONE reinforce action per turn? Rulesbook and video implies so, and I think so, but I am not certain. Since those actions require you to be at a certain location and have a cost, I could see how in most turns you only take one of each, but are we limited to just one by the rules?
Hi, you'll find this explained here: ua-cam.com/video/OtJk0qYCmk8/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared&t=733. But to directly answer your question: yes!
It feels illegal how good you are at teaching....
Wait
Glad you're enjoying - don't tell the police!
You do this so well...you make me want to become Canadian :)
Ha! Glad you enjoyed :)
Do you plan to do another video covering the Alliances Expansion? Thanks for all your vids, by the way. I never walk away from your 'how-to-play's confused. Can't wait to see you try to tackle Frosthaven 🤣
Thanks for the interest! I talk a bit about that here: ua-cam.com/video/EdtDuvIUa6A/v-deo.html&t=342
UA-cam comments: "Finally, a box too big to flip!"
Rodney Danger Smith: *sinister Super Fantasy Brawl laugh*
You get me.
Thanks!
We are just starting our journey with this game and this video was suuuuper helpful!
Thank you for the kind support - really glad you enjoyed the game! Have a fun time adventuring :)
This vid will keep us backers fed until we get the game.
Hang in there!
Hey Rodney, great tutorial as always! Hefty price tag with this one, is it worth the $sss in your opinion. I'm looking at getting a few new co-op games, but this one would wipe out the budget
Hi Rob, I always avoid assessing worth for someone else. What's "worth it" to one person could be the complete opposite for someone else - and I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction as far as your tastes go.
Great vid! I know you can pause a game and the app will pick up where you left off, but do you know if it can track more than one game at a time?
I’m not near by copy of the app to check for you, but if you downloaded it, you could probably do a test to see. The app is free.
@@WatchItPlayed i will thanks. played it a couple times, super fun game!
Just got this game.. thanks for the tutorial.
Have a great time playing!
Great video, thank you! Can you tell me, if one ends their movement on a space that has a foe located on it, is the player obligated to battle the foe, or can they co-exist on the space without battling? Thanks!
You are not obligated to battle. You can imagine each space as a large area, so you can avoid the enemy if you want.
Question about Quest Items. How do you acquire them? Thanks!
The game will instruct you as you're playing.
haha, I still have The Dark Tower somewhere...that tower made so much noise! great little game from wayback.
A classic!
Just a another GREAT job ! ! !
Thanks Jon!
Great video. Quick Question: What happens if a skull drops in an area where all the buildings have already been destroyed? Does the player gain a corruption because they cannot place the skull? Does the skull get removed from the game? Thanks in advance.
That skull would be removed from the game and the hero who had to place it (even if the kingdom was dormant), would gain a corruption.
Now the game just has to get here. AAAHHHH!!!!
No doubt. All-in has to wait longer :(
I know right...stupid pandemic ruining international shipping...
Not much longer now!
Looking forward to this one arriving, but I do have concerns on how long the app will be supported and available. In 10 years time will we be still able to play the game?
I do hear that concern expressed often about apps in games. I can't really say for sure what will happen in the future, but X-Com the board game has an app and it's still going 7 years later. I'm not personally concerned, as I think all established companies will leave their apps available in some format for many years to come.
Hi Rod. My question. When a glyph is seen on my kingdoms side after a skull drop and is glowing red I know you can spend a spirit to do the action but can you perform the action without being on the proper space to do the action? For an example I see the quest glyph lit up on my side of the tower, can I perform a quest action without my piece being on the quest space? And are you rewarded the 2 spirit as if you had just done an Heroic Action on your turn? Thanks for any info on this-Kyle.
The Glyph only changes the cost to do an action, but otherwise, all the regular requirements for that action remain the same. Have fun playing!
@@WatchItPlayed Thanks for that info. I get it now. It is a penalty that you have to spend 1 spirit to do that action while the glyph is showing on your side of the kingdom. 👍🏼😎
I’m loving this game but I’m a bit confused about trading. First, if I’m understanding correctly, the rulebook says that you can only trade once per turn, but everywhere online as well as this video that I’ve found says that you can do it as many times as you want. Is there a clarification on this or is it just a house rule? Second, is there any restriction on when you can trade? For example, could you trade warriors with an ally if you’re in the middle of a battle?
Hi Gobbler, no house rules taught here! In the rules it says "Once during your turn, you may trade with heroes on your space (as long as all agree).". It's not saying you may trade only one thing, it's saying that you can't trade more than once, in other words, you couldn't start your turn on a space and trade with the player there, and then move to another space and trade again with another player at that new location. To your second question, it might help to think of trading is it's own kind of action, you would have to do that outside of performing another action (like attacking). Hope that helps - have a great time playing!
Thanks for the breakdown. I have a question in regards to Glyphs - If i say reveal the "Battle" gylph, do I HAVE to spend 1 spirit to battle a foe? If yes, can it be any foe on the board? Does it need to be near me, or? Also, what if I have already battled, do I get the option to battle twice? Thanks.
Hi Tyler, not quite sure what you're asking (sometimes text can leave room open for interpretation). If you reveal a Battle Glyph facing your kingdom, than it doesn't mean you have to perform a battle action, it just means that IF you decide to perform a battle action, it will cost you one spirit.
You can't battle twice during the same turn.
Does that answer your question?
@@WatchItPlayed Yes, that answers it. I had it totally messed up in my head. Appreciate your clarification on the matter. Cheers.
Wow this looks like a neat game
Thanks for coming by to check it out Mikey!
Hoping this is good. I backed the Kickstarter but I’m nervous.
Well, you'll find out soon enough if it suits your tastes, but I'm optimistic for you.
Will you do a expansion video for Return to Dark Tower?
Thanks for the interest! I talk a bit about that here: ua-cam.com/video/EdtDuvIUa6A/v-deo.html&t=342
Looks like I’m late to the party again. I will checking this game out live at Gallows distillery’s game night August 25th. It’s a hefty price tag! Looks awesome though.
Hope you have a great time playing!
@@WatchItPlayed hope not, cause then I'd have to purchase it, 😂
Question about trading. If my hero is on the same space as my friend's hero, can I just give him items, and get nothing in return? Or does he have to give me a like number of his items in return? And if so, do they have to be the same type of items? (For example, can I just give him one Treasure? Or does he have to give me one of his Treasure's in return?)
You can give give or take (without the other playing giving something back). If you do exchange items, they don't have to be the same types.
@@WatchItPlayed thanks
This game been released yet? I've been waiting forever for it.
I unfortunately missed the KS
edit: I have my answer. Looking forward to it.
Glad you found the answer :)
Do we move in one direction or can we go in any direction for each move?
You can go in any direction
Question about one player game: is it tedious or just as enjoyable as playing with others?
Hi Irwin, I haven't played solo myself, but this is the sort of question I avoid answering anyway. What might be tedious to one player, could be enjoyable to another - games are very subjective that way. It's hard to give a personalized recommendation.
Well done. Thank you!
You're very welcome Jeff!
Thank you so much! This is great!
You're very welcome Robert!
Where can I purchase this game? Would really love to get my hands on it. The original version was a big thing growing up with my grandparents and they have the original with a broken tower. It's been like that for years now and I would love to surprise them with this! Can't find it online though.
I believe it's just now fulfilling to Kickstarter backers - not sure what their exact retail plans are, but might be good to check the publisher's website or reach out to them to see.
Great vid and explaination, thx.
You're very welcome!
Does an exposed tower glyph effect:
A. the kingdom it is currently facing (and any characters in it)
or
B. the character who's home kingdom it is facing (regardless of where that character is currently located on the board)
Hey there, I'm always happy to try to help with rules questions, but if the answer is provided in the video, than I have to direct you there. You'll find an index in the description to help take you exactly to the section you are looking for.
@@WatchItPlayed I saw that section of the video and you didn't say "home kingdom" you just said "kingdom" so I was just looking for clarification. Regardless, thanks for posting this video.
@@KwalityGuru Ah, I see what you mean! I said "your kingdom", instead of "home kingdom". I meant "yours" as in "your home kingdom", but I can appreciate the confusion there. It does mean "home kingdom", or in your original post, Option B.
Looks interesting. So many giant games in my life.
This certainly is a big box!
I just got my copy today! I tried to flip the box and wound up needing 12 stiches.
This is a deadly one to try the flip with :)
Hey Rodney, Can you tell me if this has a save game feature. I don't see anything in the rule book. And do you know what happens at the end of the game if all the skull or if any will be ejected from the game. Or will the remain inside. I received my game 3 days ago but didn't want to start without knowing..
At least 1 game can be saved. You’d want to keep the skulls in the tower.
I recently purchased the board game Return to Dark Tower. However, I'm not entirely clear on some of the rules. Could you help clarify my confusion? In the final battle, when our heroes fight the adversary, we must resolve 5 cards to defeat the adversary. Do we have to retreat if we gain corruption during the battle?If gaining corruption also counts as defeating the enemy, we could gain 2 corruption, which would allow us to resolve just 3 cards to achieve victory. The last 2 cards could then simply result in corruption. Wouldn't this make the final adversary too easy?Additionally, there is a companion card that triggers an event allowing corruption to be removed. Does this ability only remove corruption from the hero holding the companion card, or can it remove corruption from any hero?
You don't have to retreat after gaining a corruption, but adversaries can be quite devious in how they work, so it might not be as simple as it seems on face value :)
On our second question, while I do my best to answer all rules questions on the games I cover, but I avoid individual card effects, as that's a level of detail beyond what I can manage across all the videos I do. I'd suggest checking the rules forum for the game on BoardGameGeek or the publishers website. I hope you can find your answer there - have fun playing!
@@WatchItPlayed Thank you for your reply. I purchased the Chinese version of the game, so there may be translation errors or ambiguities. I don't have access to the English names and descriptions of the cards, which makes it difficult for me to discuss my issues in the English-speaking community.