Darkover (board game)

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Darkover, subtitled The Ages of Chaos, is a 1979 board game from Eon Products. It’s based on Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover novels and is played by 2–4 players. The aim is to take and keep control of the Elhalyn Tower for a full turn, using armies and psychic powers. While it has the feel of a wargame, it also has light party-game elements.

How to play in brief:
- Setup: The game includes dares written by players, tokens placed on the board, and two special roles chosen at the start: Monitor and Crown holder.
- On your turn: You collect power, set your Power discs to three, and draw two peril chips or two clan tokens. You may gain extra tokens if you hold the Crown or castles.
- Conquest and towers: Use clan tokens and other powers to conquer regions and gain control of towers with special abilities.
- Combat: Battles are decided with rock-paper-scissors. If both players throw Rock, they enter a 30-second chanting duel; the first to show emotion or look away loses.
- Punishments and turn order: The Monitor can punish a player who shows negative emotions by removing one of that player’s clan tokens, and the punished player becomes the new Monitor.
- Winning: A player wins by controlling the central Elhalyn Tower with four clan tokens for an entire turn.

Background and reception:
The Darkover game was designed as a licensing collaboration by Bill Eberle, Jack Kittredge, and Peter Olotka. The Planet Savers (1958) started the Darkover book series, which grew to many titles over time. In reviews, John Olsen gave the game a high rating (9/10) and recommended it warmly. The Space Gamer’s Bob Von Gruenigen found it light but enjoyable, especially with four players, and noted its impressive physical quality. The game was also listed among Top 100 Games of 1982, described as bizarre but requiring strategic thinking, self-control, and a willingness to embrace its unconventional mechanics.