Welcome, traveller! Before you rises Fortune’s Tower — a rickety stack of chance, courage, and the occasional flaming disaster. Climb from the humble Gate at Row 1 all the way to the lofty (and lucrative) Row 8, and perhaps Lady Luck will let you walk away with your purse jingling rather than smouldering.

Below are the rules, laid out with all the clarity of a scholarly monk… but with considerably more entertainment value.

The Aim of the Game

Your goal is simple enough for even a Hollow Man to understand:

Climb the tower from Row 1 to Row 8.
Each new row raises your potential winnings, but also your chance of a fiery, embarrassing end.

At any point from Row 2 onward, you may Cash Out and take your winnings…
—or keep climbing toward the glorious Jackpot at Row 8.

The Deck

Fortune’s Tower uses the following cards:

• Aces through 7s (A–7) — the lifeblood of your tower.
• Kings — the legendary Heroes, who save your hide when disaster strikes.

No 8s, 9s, 10s, Jacks, or Queens. They’ve been banished for excessive meddling.

Setup

1. Place Your Bet — your stake for the run.
2. Hit Start — the moment of commitment.
   • Your stake vanishes from your purse (temporarily, if fortune permits).
   • The Gate Card (Row 1) is dealt face‑down.
   • Row 2 is dealt immediately.
3. From Row 2 onward, you may Cash Out or tempt the Fates with Deal Next Row.

The Tower Itself

The tower is built from the ground up:

• Row 1 → 1 card (the Gate)
• Row 2 → 2 cards
• Row 3 → 3 cards
  …
• Row 8 → 8 cards

Each press of Deal Next Row reveals an entire new row, stacked neatly (or precariously) on the last.

Card Values

• Ace = 1
• 2–7 = face value
• Hero (King) = no value

Misfortune

Misfortune is what happens when the tower decides it has laughed enough for one day.

When does Misfortune strike?

Whenever you deal a new row (Rows 3–8):

Each new card checks the two cards diagonally above it.

A card triggers Misfortune if:

• It matches the value of either card above it.

Resolving Misfortune

If a new row triggers misfortune, resolve in this order:

1) Hero Saves the Row (if a Hero is present)

If ANY Hero appears in the row:

• The Hero saves the entire row.
• Burned cards remain revealed but don’t count toward scoring.
• You continue your climb, perhaps kissing the Hero’s boots.

2) Use the Gate

Your Gate Card can be used once per run:

• The Gate replaces one misfortune card in the new row.
• Misfortune is then checked again.
• If misfortune still exists… the tower shows you the exit.

3) Misfortune Wins

If neither Hero nor Gate can help:

• The tower collapses beneath you.
• Your run ends in a dramatic whoosh, and your stake is gone.

Perfect Rows

If ALL cards in a row share the same value, the tower is stunned by your improbable luck.

A Perfect Row grants a multiplier:

• Perfect Row Score = (sum of cards) × (row number)

Otherwise:

• Normal Row Score = sum of cards
  (Heroes and negated misfortune cards are ignored)

Cashing Out

From Row 2 onward, you may Cash Out.

The amount of the cashout is shown besides each row.

The Jackpot

Reach Row 8, and your run ends instantly with one of two finales:

Jackpot Win

If you reach Row 8 without ever using the Gate, you earn the Jackpot:

• Your total score becomes the sum of Row Scores from Rows 2–8.

Normal Win

If the Gate was used:

• You still win, but only using the current row’s score, not the grand total.

Either way: your purse grows, your legend spreads, and the tavern folk glare jealously.