BOARD OF KNIGHTMARE?
Settle down and draw close to the fire, readers, as I share with you some of my thoughts about the Knightmare board game, which was first released by MB Games in 1991. I myself did not purchase a copy until 1995, just after I had found out that Knightmare was no longer being made, but it has proved a popular pastime in my household (and beyond) ever since.
The game can be played by up to four players; there are four cardboard playing pieces, coloured red, blue, green and yellow, and each “wearing” the Helmet of Justice. The challenge involves a race through all three levels of the Dungeon, encountering characters, using objects, casting spells and answering riddles along the way.
The three levels of the Dungeon are set out in a kind of circular pattern around the playing board, with the twelve level one chambers all on the outside, the eight level two chambers further in, and the one large chamber that represents level three (Merlin’s throne room) right in the middle of the board. Each chamber is surrounded by a coloured border, and contains a list of the numbers from one to six on the left-hand side, each bordered by a different colour. Rolling the die tells you which chamber to visit next by matching up the number’s coloured border with that of another chamber.
Play begins in the red-bordered Starting Chamber, which is the only chamber that can contain more than one player at once. Upon entering a chamber, you must either challenge the occupant of the chamber to combat (by rolling the die and beating their score, which can be seen in a yellow shield beneath their picture) or draw a card from the pack provided and follow the instructions on it.
Some cards contain spells; a Helm Token is awarded if you draw a spell card. Helm Tokens can be played before challenging characters; each one increases your die roll by one point. If you win a challenge, you receive two Helm Tokens, and any object that might be in the chamber. Some cards set up scenarios where you may need to use these objects, or get out of trouble in some other way. Failure to deal successfully with any card scenario, or the loss of any challenge, will send you straight to prison, where you must stay until you roll 4, 5 or 6.
Travelling from level one to level two requires the use of a wellway; there are two wellway rooms. However, arrival in one does not guarantee onward travel to level two, for you must roll a number that is surrounded by a level two room’s border colour in order to descend. In each wellway room, you have a one third chance of reaching level two with a normal roll of the die, as two numbers out of six lead down the well.
Once in level two, you may still end up back in level one. This could happen if you roll the colour of one of the wellway rooms, or if you are sent to prison or back to the Starting Chamber. Onward travel to level three requires challenging the occupant of one of the four Quest Object Chambers in order to win the Sword of Freedom, the Shield of Justice, the Cup that Heals or the Crown in Glory. Helm tokens are vital for this, as each guardian has a challenge value equal to or greater than six, and is therefore impossible to defeat with a die roll alone.
Once in level three, you must answer riddles correctly in order to build a path of Helm Tokens to Merlin’s throne. Helm Tokens cannot be carried over from level two, although spells can. Seven correct riddles are required in order to reach the throne and be declared the winner.
The Knightmare board game is fun, exciting and challenging. It is a great way to pass a few spare minutes (or hours) and is suitable for players of all ages. However, it can go on for a VERY long time, depending on how quickly you manage to reach levels two and three. Theoretically, someone could reach level three in four moves, but it has been known to take two or three hours for this to happen – I kid you not! If younger players get bored, it may be a good idea to introduce a rule that you cannot leave level two once you’re in there, or (in extreme cases) let them cheat!
Level One:
Red chamber: The Starting Chamber. A four-door room featured in series 1, 2 and 3, levels one and two, for such challenges as bridging the pit, neutralising a catacombite, or avoiding Khar.
Occupant: The Master At Arms (Challenge Value 3).
Object: The Mace.
Light green chamber #1: A two-door room featured in series 1 and 2, level two, for such scenes as Cedric knocking out Gumboil, and Stuart giving Olaf a pot of honey.
Occupant: A hobgoblin (2).
Object: The Food (bread, apple, cheese and water).
Light green chamber #2: A two-door room featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level one, for such challenges as the Spectral Scorpion and the Slithering Snakes.
Occupant: The Barbarian (4).
Object: The Shield.
Black chamber: Prison; the same room as the Starting Chamber, but slightly modified.
Blue chamber #1: Mildred’s cave, featured in series 2 and 3, level one.
Occupant: The Sorceress (3).
Object: The Book of Spells.
Blue chamber #2: Clue room, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level two.
Occupant: The Warlock (4).
Object: The Potion of Invisibility.
Light brown chamber: The Vale of Vanburn, featured in series 3, level one.
Occupant: A skull ghost (3).
Dark brown chamber: The Troll’s ledge, featured in series 2 and 3, level one.
Occupant: Ariadne (3).
Object: The Magic Ring.
Pink chamber: The smaller bomb room, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, levels one and two.
Occupant: The Thief (2).
Object: The Crystal Ball.
Grey chamber: The Giant’s ledge, later the maggot’s pit, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level one.
Occupant: The Wolf (3).
Yellow chamber: Wellway room, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level one. Roll a 2 or a 5 here to reach the second level.
Occupant: A goblin (1).
Object: A bag of gold.
Dark green chamber: Wellway room, featured in series 1 and 2, level two. Roll a 1 or a 5 here to reach the second level.
Occupant: The Sword Mistress (4).
Level Two:
White chamber: The Monster’s Maw, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level one.
Occupant: The Ogre (7).
Black chamber: The Bridged Vale, featured in series 2 and 3, level two.
Occupant: The Necromancer (5).
Light blue chamber: Clue room, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level three.
Occupant: The Mercenary (5).
Yellow chamber: Level three entrance hall, seen containing standing skeletons and Mogdred, later became the minecart crash site, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level three.
Occupant: A pooka (6).
Pink chamber: Cave with stalactites, part of the Cavern Range, featured in series 3, level two.
Occupant: Medusa (6).
Object: The Shield of Justice.
Purple chamber: The Gargoyle’s chamber, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level three.
Occupant: The Gargoyle (7).
Object: The Crown in Glory.
Dark blue chamber: Cavernwights’ chamber, also the site of Martin’s hobgoblin attack, featured in series 1, 2 and 3, level three. It is impossible to get here from any chamber except the purple or the pink, meaning that the Cup that Heals cannot possibly be redeemed before either the Shield of Justice or the Crown in Glory has been.
Occupant: The Barrow Lizard (8).
Object: The Cup that Heals.
Orange chamber: Room with a chequered floor, used first for Combat Chess, then for Khar’s level three pit, featured in series 2 and 3, levels one, two and three.
Occupant: A frightknight (9).
Object: The Sword of Freedom.
Spell cards:
Spell of Destruction: You may remove one Helm Token from another player’s path in Merlin’s Throne Room.
Spell of Foresight: Incredibly useful! You may choose any colour border from the chamber’s array for your next move, instead of rolling the die. Particularly useful for changing levels and reaching quest objects.
Spell of Imprisonment: You may cast another player into prison. Particularly useful if you want to get someone out of level two.
Spell of Protection: Whenever you are sent to prison, you must cast one of these or else forfeit one of your objects.
Spell of Resistance: Incredibly useful, so cast it wisely. Cancels out the effect of a Spell of Imprisonment, a Spell of Stealing, a Spell of Slowness or a Spell of Destruction.
Spell of Slowness: You may force any other player to miss one turn.
Spell of Speed: You may take an extra turn yourself.
Spell of Stealing: You may steal an object from any other player. Cannot be used on any of the four quest objects.
Some points to remember about spells:
1.) Any player that reaches level three is immune to Spells of Imprisonment and Stealing, but is not immune to Spells of Destruction and Slowness.
2.) Upon reaching level three, as well as abandoning any objects you may still have left (apart from the quest object, obviously) you may as well abandon any Spells of Foresight, Protection or Stealing you may have, as these can no longer aid you in any way. However, Spells of Destruction, Imprisonment, Resistance, Slowness or Speed may still prove useful.
3.) Most spells must be cast during your own turn. The only spells that can be cast during another player’s turn are the Spell of Resistance, if they cast something against you, and the Spell of Protection, if they cast you into prison and you want to keep all your objects.
4.) There are certain circumstances in which you may be told to abandon a spell card in order to stop yourself from being sent to prison. If you have a choice of spells to discard, think very carefully about which ones you can most afford to lose. I advise the following spell hierarchy, from the most to the least useful: Resistance, Foresight, Imprisonment, Protection, Stealing, Speed, Slowness, Destruction.