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Well, the answer to that is “a lot of people”. This is a Kickstarter game that has been getting a ton of traction (300% funded) and offers to scratch that nostalgia itch, as well as bringing things firmly into the new decade.
The nostalgia itch comes from the fact that Dark Tower was a board game that showed up in the early 80s (so, before my board-gaming times started – so for me, the Dark Tower is a Stephen King jam). Even then, it leveraged electronics to great effect. Well, almost 40 years down the road, we’ve got more skilled at those electronics, and this central tower is aa cornucopia of technical delights.
Frankly, though, I’m getting ahead of myself. What this game is offering – for 1-4 players, over the course of 1-2 hours – is something akin to a role-playing game (tabletop or computer) in which your character gains skills and inventory and ultimately will venture into the tower to defeat an adversary. That’s the super-high-level take on the game – this play through video will give you a better sense of things:
In reading through the Kickstarter campaign, there’s a lot going on with this game, and it seems like it can offer a variety of challenges. The electronics mixing into that central tower is pretty slick, and the addition of an app-based component certainly refreshes things a bit. Replayability is always a concern with a game like this, but it seems like there should be enough randomness – both in setup and in how the game progresses – to keep the enjoyment going. Of course, there are plenty of add-ons as well.
And, when you’re paying $125 for a board game, this is not something you want to play once and toss on the shelf. That’s for the base game, and the various expansions and add-ons do bring the price tag up a bit. If you’ve got a solid, regular board-gaming crew (either at a local shop, or in the form of your own family) this could be an interesting way to dabble in some fantasy-style gaming without needing to actually have someone plan out an adventure. The pricetag is a bit rich for my blood (and wallet), but as I said at the start, it’s sitting at 300% funded, so I must be in the minority. If you want to take on the Dark Tower, do so before the campaign wraps up on February 4. campaign page
