Return to Dark Tower Fantasy Roleplaying is an officially licensed, complete fantasy RPG based on the hit board game RETURN TO DARK TOWER by Restoration Games, and inspired by the original Dark Tower board game from the 1980s.
Powered by polymorph™️ and compatible with 9th Level Games’ award-winning MAZES Fantasy Roleplaying, the Return to Dark Tower RPG brings dark, pulp-inspired storytelling and fast action to the table with modern roleplaying rules built on very deep roots.
Each hero is defined by a single polyhedral die, and you roll that die to determine all of your actions, from fighting a dragon, to leading a charging army, to crafting a potion, or healing the sick.
Epic Play
The Return to Dark Tower RPG is designed to be played over a series of 3 to 5 game sessions collectively called a “campaign”. During each campaign, the players create an ADVERSARY together (or choose one of the existing great evils – like the Bane of Omens or the Ash Strider). One player will take on the role of the ADVERSARY and will act as the Maze Controller, or MC – the campaign's game master. They will run the game sessions, and plot against the players using the resources laid out in the game manual to crush their puny heroes!
The other players will each create a HERO and a COMPANION from one of the Four Kingdoms. Together, they will quest to assemble allies, armies, and artifacts of great power to aid their cause. They will take on quests and delve in dungeons to either build up their own power, or remove their enemies' advantages. At character creation, each player selects one polyhedral die to represent their character, and narrates actions to the Maze Controller (MC). The MC may then request rolls against a chart of moves. Players roll their one die, comparing the outcome against the success numbers listed for each move type (a BOOTS move, for example, succeeds on rolling a 2 or 3). Success numbers vary across move types, which means different die sizes are more likely to meet with different forms of success.
Time is Against You
If the heroes cannot defeat the Adversary in one year – the nefarious plots and machinations of the evil mastermind will come to fruition.
To emulate the race against the clock, actions within the campaign cost “weeks” of time. Traveling across the Four Kingdoms has a cost in time, as does going down into dungeons, taking on companion quests, cleansing regions of evil, and spoiling the machinations of the Adversary. As the MC, you will have a set of fiendish plots. Each plot is a “resource clock” that fills up over time. If the heroes can’t diffuse the plot – through a quest, negotiation, defeating a monster, etc. – the clock fills and is readied for the FINAL BATTLE, giving you greater options, more powerful monsters, and darker abilities.
Over time, RPG sessions become “harder” and “deadlier” – both through the inclusion of harder foes and monsters, and from “darkness effects” which give the heroes disadvantages when it comes to specific actions in the game.
Polymorph
Return to Dark Tower RPG is powered by polymorph – which is a compact yet comprehensive rules framework for roleplaying. It’s designed to provide the full experience of a crunchy RPG, but with minimal setup and prep – all without giving up the fun, mechanical depth of an exciting roleplaying system. Sorry, there isn’t any math – we did all that work for you! In a polymorph game, each player only ever uses a specific polyhedral die – a d4, a d6, a d8, or a d10. Each die represents a different “way to play” or a different “role” that they have in the group. Whenever a player asks “can I do something”, they roll their die and with a quick glance at their character sheet to know if they succeed.
There is NEVER any math involved (no modifiers, no masters). Depending on the game world and what kind of character that you are playing – you may roll with advantage or disadvantage (or not need to roll at all); and the MC (the person running the game) never rolls dice. The MC has tools to control the flow of game, and resources like the players to ensure that game play is fast, fair, and fun - without needing to memorize a million rules.