Der verzauberte Turm

About this board game

Der verzauberte Turm (Metallbox) is a compact children’s game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of about 15 minutes. The mage has locked the princess in a tower, while Robin must find the hidden key and reach the correct keyhole before the mage does.

This metal-box edition is a down-scaled version of the larger Der verzauberte Turm. Its smaller board and revised mechanics allow the game to fit into a much smaller box and be sold at a lower price, while keeping the central race between Robin and the mage.

The key is hidden in one of several spaces, and the tower offers multiple keyholes. Players must contend with a compact set of possibilities as they try to locate the key and identify the correct lock. The metal-box version includes several changes to the original game’s setup and end conditions:

• 12 spaces are available for hiding the key instead of 16.
• The magician must cover 6 spaces before entering the board, rather than 7.
• The tower has 5 keyholes instead of 6.
• When the magician wins, the magician takes the key token and another round is played.

Rather than winning by simply freeing the princess, the magician wins after winning all 5 rounds. This gives the compact edition of Der verzauberte Turm a distinct finale while preserving its straightforward hide-and-seek race.

Released in 2016, this version offers the familiar tower challenge in a smaller format. Its short play time and two-to-four-player support make the metal-box edition a concise way to play through the contest between Robin and the mage.