What kind of game is towers?

[elihaun]

So, the game of towers seems to have changed a bit between what we see in Oathbringer and Wind and Truth.  in Oathbringer it seems very abstract, but gets a lot more detail in WaT.  So, what are your theories about what the game is like/any real world games it can be compared to?

My guess is it would be a game like 'the duke' (link) because it mentions having your back against a mountain and the duke has a mountain tile, and the movement seems kind of similar, or 'For the Crown' (link) because it has cards like mentioned in Oathbringer, but still have unit tiles that can adapt to terrain like in WaT.  Or maybe it is more of a rank and flank wargame like old-school Warhammer, but poor people use cards instead of miniatures because its cheaper.  I know Onepagerules used to have a 'demo' game for some of their systems that can be printed on paper, including the miniatures AND terrain (link)(here is a link to a TTS version of the demo game I converted a few years ago). 

 

So, what kind of game do you think it is really like?  has Brandon stated anything about his inspirations?  the fact that it has named moves/techniques makes it sound more like chess than Warhammer, but the bit of gameplay we see looks more like a mix. do you want an 'official' version, and if so, do you think the game in book was made with that in mind?

[+Kelkamer]

I would love it if they created a game to sell.

 

I pictured it being played with cards and being the equivalent to the Cosmere version of Magic the Gathering, since Brandon is a fan of it and ganging up on the obvious most powerful happens all the time in 3+ player commander battles 

[Elite01]

There’s a forum where people have tried to put together some rules, might be worth looking into

 

 

Edited March 21, 2025 by Elite01
Better

[king of nowhere]

Given that it uses cards but has movement rules, i'd hazard some combination of magic: the gathering and warhammer.

[Treamayne]

On 3/21/2025 at 7:26 AM, elihaun said:

So, the game of towers seems to have changed a bit between what we see in Oathbringer and Wind and Truth.  in Oathbringer it seems very abstract, but gets a lot more detail in WaT.  So, what are your theories about what the game is like/any real world games it can be compared to?

 

On 3/21/2025 at 5:49 PM, Elite01 said:

There’s a forum where people have tried to put together some rules, might be worth looking into

There's also this thread discussing the known and potential rules - as a print and play. 

[AaronGlover]

On 3/21/2025 at 1:26 PM, elihaun said:

So, the game of towers seems to have changed a bit between what we see in Oathbringer and Wind and Truth.  in Oathbringer it seems very abstract, but gets a lot more detail in WaT.  So, what are your theories about what the game is like/any real world games it can be compared to?

My guess is it would be a game like 'the duke' (link) because it mentions having your back against a mountain and the duke has a mountain tile, and the movement seems kind of similar, or 'For the Crown' (link) because it has cards like mentioned in Oathbringer, but still have unit tiles that can adapt to terrain like in WaT.  Or maybe it is more of a rank and flank wargame like old-school Warhammer, but poor people use cards instead of miniatures because its cheaper.  I know Onepagerules used to have a 'demo' game for some of their systems that can be printed on paper, including the miniatures AND terrain (link)(here is a link to a TTS version of the demo game I converted a few years ago). 

 

So, what kind of game do you think it is really like?  has Brandon stated anything about his inspirations?  the fact that it has named moves/techniques makes it sound more like chess than Warhammer, but the bit of gameplay we see looks more like a mix. do you want an 'official' version, and if so, do you think the game in book was made with that in mind?

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Feels like a hybrid to me - mostly chess-like (named moves, positional play), but with wargame elements like terrain and unit types layered in. Maybe closer to a simplified rank-and-flank system using abstract pieces/cards.

Don’t think there’s a strict real-world equivalent - more like a narrative-friendly mix. An official version would be cool, but it seems designed for story first, not full gameplay balance.

 

 

 

Edited April 2 by AaronGlover