Zugzwang's Tower

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Hunters can safely leave Zugzwang's Tower without resetting progress or losing Tower Amplifier. Seasonal Garden is “locked” if progress in tower has been made i.e. catching any mouse in Zugzwang's Tower. Retreating from tower by clicking the Retreat button would reset the Hunter's progress in tower and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge.
Hunters in Zugzwang's Tower who capture the Technic King or Mystic King without Checkmate Cheese or Stalemate Charm armed, or Chess Master without Stalemate Charm armed, will be moved to the Seasonal Garden.

Zugzwang's Tower
Region: Rodentia
Minimum Rank: Lord/Lady
Travel Requirement: Zugzwang's Tower Key
Required Power Type: Tactical
Number of Mice: 13
Shops: None
Lose Gold: Yes
Lose Points: Yes
Lose Cheese: Yes
Release Date: 26 August 2010
An ordered chaos consumes the enchanted tower as the technological chess mice do battle with their mystical counterparts, all under the auspices of a dark game master who hides in the shadows. Conquer both Kings to find what lurks beyond the chess board, but beware: this is a place of powerful magics, where things are not always what they seem.

Overview

Hunters can safely leave Zugzwang's Tower without resetting progress or losing Tower Amplifier. Seasonal Garden is “locked” if progress in tower has been made i.e. catching any mouse in Zugzwang's Tower. Retreating from tower by clicking the Retreat button would reset the Hunter's progress in tower and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge.
Zugzwang's Tower is a Chess themed location in the Rodentia region requiring a minimum rank of Lord or Lady and the Zugzwang's Tower Key to enter.

Mice found in Zugzwang's Tower are part of the Wizard's Pieces group and are weak to Tactical weapons.

Hunters rely on the Tower Amplifier's charge to give their Tactical traps the needed power to capture the mice found in this location. Each hunt within Zugzwang's Tower reduces the Hunter's Amplifier charge and reduces the power of their trap set-up.

Hunters must complete the Capture the Mystic and Technic Kings Adventure to obtain the Sandtail Call to Arms, which is necessary to gain access to the Fiery Warpath.

Hunters wishing to travel to the Crystal Library location must obtain a Crystal Library Card from the mice found in this location.

Encountering Mice

The mice found in Zugzwang's Tower are divided into a Technic group and a Mystic group and the mice within the groups become available in a specific order.
Example: All Mystic mice of a specific type must be captured before the next type of Mystic mouse can be encountered. Pawns of both types can be encountered immediately upon entering Zugzwang's Tower.

Order of encounter

Hunters must catch a specific number of each type of mouse within the Technic or Mystic group before the next type of mouse within the group is added to the mouse population.

  • Hunters must capture 8 Pawns of one type to encounter Knights of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Knights of one type to encounter Bishops of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Bishops of one type to encounter Rooks of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Rooks of one type to encounter Queens of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 1 Queen of one type to encounter the King of the same type.
  • Capturing a King with Checkmate Cheese armed will allow Hunters to encounter the Chess Master.
  • Hunters must arm Checkmate Cheese to encounter the Chess Master.

Tower Amplifier

Hunters can safely leave Zugzwang's Tower without resetting progress or losing Tower Amplifier. Seasonal Garden is “locked” if progress in tower has been made i.e. catching any mouse in Zugzwang's Tower. Retreating from tower by clicking the Retreat button would reset the Hunter's progress in tower and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge.

Catching mice in the Seasonal Garden charges the Hunter's Tower Amplifier. A fully charged Tower Amplifier is necessary for Hunters to have the best chance of capturing the most powerful mice found in Zugzwang's Tower. Hunters can travel to Zugzwang's Tower with an Amplifier that is not fully charge, but this will reduce the likelihood of catching the strongest mice found here.

Hunters ranked Lord or Lady can charge their Amplifier to 150%.
Hunters ranked Baron or Baroness can charge their Amplifier to 160%.
Hunters ranked Count or Countess and above can charge their Amplifier to 175%.

Every catch of a mouse in Zugzwang's Tower will reduce the charge of the Hunter's Tower Amplifier from 1% to 10%, depending on the mouse captured.
Every Failure To Attract a mouse will reduce the charge of the Hunter's Tower Amplifier by 3%.
Failing to catch a mouse will have no effect on the Tower Amplifier's charge.

Exiting Zugzwang's Tower, by catching a King or the Chess Master, will reset the Hunter's progress and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge. Reaching 0% on the Tower Amplifier does not transport the Hunter out of Zugzwang's Tower, but Hunters will be unable to capture any mice.

Journal Entries

Checkmate! I defeated a Technic King Mouse! I was transported to the Seasonal Garden.
OR
Checkmate! I defeated a Mystic King Mouse! I was transported to the Seasonal Garden.
Checkmate! I defeated a Chess Master! I was transported to the Seasonal Garden.

Zugzwang's Tower HUD

The Heads-Up Display in Zugzwang's Tower shows the Hunter's current Amplifier charge, the maximum charge available to the Hunter, and the progress with the Technic and Mystic groups of mice.

Mousing over the Tower Amplifier reveals the following message:

Every time you hunt in the tower, your amplifier will go down making your trap less powerful. To recharge your amplifier, retreat from the tower to return to the garden.
Good luck and be sure to shout CHECKMATE when you capture a King!

Mousing over the Technic status display reveals the following message:

These are the Technic mice you have caught since entering the tower.
The mice must be caught in this order: Pawn, Knight, Bishop, Rook, Queen, King.

Mousing over the Mystic status display reveals the following message:

These are the Mystic mice you have caught thus far.
Capturing either a Technic or Mystic King resets your progress and moves you back to the Seasonal Garden.

Zugzwang's Tower Mice

Mice in Zugzwang's Tower are all members of the Wizard's Pieces and are weak only to Tactical weapons.
Standard Cheese will attract all mice found in Zugzwang's Tower, except the Chess Master which is only attracted to Checkmate Cheese
Checkmate Cheese will increase the attraction rate of the highest ranked mouse Hunters are currently able to attract.

Example: Hunters needing to catch a Rook in order to unlock the Queen can arm Checkmate Cheese to increase the odds of encountering a Rook.

Order of Encounter

Hunters must catch a specific number of each type of mouse within the Technic or Mystic group before the next type of mouse within the group is added to the mouse population.

  • Hunters must capture 8 Pawns of one type to encounter Knights of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Knights of one type to encounter Bishops of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Bishops of one type to encounter Rooks of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Rooks of one type to encounter Queens of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 1 Queen of one type to encounter the King of the same type.
  • Mystic King and Technic King

.

Mouse
Points
Gold
Decrease in
Tower Amplifier
Loot
Mystic Pawn 8,800 890 1%
Mystic Knight 19,060 1,620 3% Crystal Library Card
Mystic Bishop 40,655 900 3% Crystal Library Card
Mystic Rook 72,600 2,277 5% Crystal Library Card
Mystic Queen 80,960 13,970 9% Crystal Library Card
Mystic King 98,670 8,560 10% Hunting Research (10,000 points)
Mystic Crystal
Mystic Curd
Torn Mystic Page
Technic Pawn 7,200 1,090 1%
Technic Knight 15,590 1,980 3% Crystal Library Card
Technic Bishop 33,265 1,100 3% Crystal Library Card
Technic Rook 59,400 2,785 5% Crystal Library Card
Technic Queen 66,240 17,080 9% Crystal Library Card
Technic King 80,730 10,470 10% Droid Jetpack
Satchel of Gold (5,000)
Technic Cheese Mould
Torn Technic Page
Chess Master
Requires Checkmate Cheese
119,600 19,000 10% Ancient Relic
Master Bindings
Zugzwang's Left Sock

Mice with Special Requirements

Obtaining Checkmate Cheese

The primary source for Checkmate Cheese is crafting. The Mystic King drops the required Mystic Curd and the Technic King drops the required Technic Cheese Mould.

3 Piece Recipe

Hunters must reach the rank of Lord or Lady before they can use this recipe.

Formula: Checkmate Cheese (3 pieces)
Recipe can be unlocked by: Capture a Mystic King mouse and a Technic King mouse
Item Item
Qty
Item
Cost
Item Source
Mystic Curd 1 N/A
Technic Cheese Mould 1 N/A
Ionized Salt 12 450
(5,400 total)
Total 5,400 gold Cost Per Piece: 1,800 gold
Recipe costs represent Shoppe prices only. The cost of items obtained through other sources will affect the total cost of crafting.

9 Piece Recipe

Hunters must reach the rank of Lord or Lady before they can use this recipe.

Formula: Checkmate Cheese (9 pieces)
Recipe can be unlocked by: Capture a Mystic King mouse and a Technic King mouse
Item Item
Qty
Item
Cost
Item Source
Mystic Curd 1 N/A
Technic Cheese Mould 1 N/A
Magic Essence 6 N/A
  • Loot when opened:
  • Loot when used:
Ionized Salt 12 450
(5,400 total)
Total 5,400 gold Cost Per Piece: 600 gold
Recipe costs represent Shoppe prices only. The cost of items obtained through other sources will affect the total cost of crafting.

Hunting Strategy

Hunters can safely leave Zugzwang's Tower without resetting progress or losing Tower Amplifier. Seasonal Garden is “locked” if progress in tower has been made i.e. catching any mouse in Zugzwang's Tower. Retreating from tower by clicking the Retreat button would reset the Hunter's progress in tower and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge.

Hunters will have difficulty capturing the stronger mice found in Zugzwang's Tower without fully charging their Tower Amplifier by capturing mice in the Seasonal Garden.

The mice found in Zugzwang's Tower are all part of the Wizard's Pieces group and are weak only to Tactical weapons.

Standard Cheese and SUPER|brie+ will attract all mice found in this location, except the Chess Master, which requires Checkmate Cheese.
Checkmate Cheese will increase the attraction rate of the highest ranked mouse Hunters are currently able to attract.

Example: Hunters needing to catch a Rook in order to unlock the Queen can arm Checkmate Cheese to increase the odds of encountering a Rook.

Hunters must catch a specific number of each type of mouse within the Technic or Mystic group before the next type of mouse within the group is added to the mouse population.

  • Hunters must capture 8 Pawns of one type to encounter Knights of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Knights of one type to encounter Bishops of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Bishops of one type to encounter Rooks of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 2 Rooks of one type to encounter Queens of the same type.
  • Hunters must capture 1 Queen of one type to encounter the King of the same type.
  • Capturing a King with either Checkmate Cheese or a Stalemate Charm armed will allow Hunters to encounter the Chess Master.
  • Hunters must arm Checkmate Cheese to encounter the Chess Master.

Every catch of a mouse in Zugzwang's Tower will reduce the charge of the Hunter's Tower Amplifier from 1% to 10%, depending on the mouse captured.
Every Failure To Attract a mouse will reduce the charge of the Hunter's Tower Amplifier by 3%.
Failing to catch a mouse will have no effect on the Tower Amplifier's charge.

Being forcefully moved from Zugzwang's Tower by catching a King or the Chess Master will reset the Hunter's progress and completely drain the Tower Amplifier of its charge. Reaching 0% on the Tower Amplifier does not transport the Hunter out of Zugzwang's Tower, but Hunters will be unable to capture any mice.

Single and Double Runs

The terms used here reflect player usage. They describe ways in which Hunters can make Zugzwang's Tower more challenging.

A Single Run requires catching all the mice of either the Mystic or Technic group. Catching the King will return the Hunter to the Seasonal Garden and will reset the Hunter's Tower Amplifier to 0%.

A Single Run with Chess Master requires catching all the mice of either the Mystic or Technic group and capturing the Chess Master. Hunters must capture a Technic King or Mystic King with either Checkmate Cheese or a Stalemate Charm armed to prevent being moved to the Seasonal Garden. Catching the Chess Master, which is attracted only to Checkmate Cheese, without also arming a Stalemate Charm, will return the Hunter to the Seasonal Garden and will reset the Hunter's Tower Amplifier to 0%.

A Double Run requires catching all the mice of both the Mystic and Technic groups. Hunter's will need to capture the first King with either Checkmate Cheese or a Stalemate Charm armed to prevent being moved to the Seasonal Garden. Catching the second King will return the Hunter to the Seasonal Garden and will reset the Hunter's Tower Amplifier to 0%.

A Double Run with Chess Master, also known as a Triple Run, requires catching all the mice of both the Mystic and Technic groups and capturing the Chess Master. Hunters must capture the Technic King and Mystic King with either Checkmate Cheese or a Stalemate Charm armed to prevent being moved to the Seasonal Garden. Catching the Chess Master, which is attracted only to Checkmate Cheese, will return the Hunter to the Seasonal Garden and will reset the Hunter's Tower Amplifier to 0%.

When doing a double run, upon capturing the first King with either Checkmate Cheese or Stalemate Charms armed, the mouse population changes, if Checkmate Cheese is armed, the available mice will be the Chess Master, the Rook of the first side done, and whichever mice have been unlocked from the second side., if Standard Cheese is armed, the available mice will be the the Pawn of the first side done, and whichever mice have been unlocked from the second side.

If both Kings have been caught, the mouse population changes again. If Checkmate Cheese is armed, the available mice will be the Chess Master and both Rooks. If Standard Cheese is armed, the only available mice will be both Pawns.

Location-Specific Effects

Charms

Traps

Adventure Book

Library Assignments

Tournaments

Zugzwang's Tower mice are worth points during some Tournaments.

Treasure Maps

Mice in Zugzwang's Tower are often found on Zugzwang Treasure Maps and Relic Hunter Treasure Maps.

Hunting Tips by Larry

Greetings, Mousehunter!

I hope you've got your Tower Amplifier charged, because the mice of Zugzwang's Tower are going to put up a fight unlike any other.

Long ago, the Tower mice became enchanted chess pieces in a game that never ends. The two teams, Technic and Mystic, use a clear strategy when attacking, much like real chess pieces. Catching eight Pawns releases the Knights. Catching two Knights releases the Bishops. Catching two Bishops releases the Rooks. Catching two Rooks releases the Queen, and catching one Queen releases the King.

Did you get all that? Don't worry if you didn't-- when you enter the tower, your Tower Amplifier also comes equipped with a progress bar to let you know how close you are to the King!

Each time you catch a mouse, or fail to attract, your Tower Amplifier's charge decreases. Make sure you don't leave the Tower before you catch a King, or drain your Amplifier. If you do, your progress, and your Amplifier will be set back to zero.

If your strategy is sound, and you capture the King, your progress will be reset and you will be whisked away to the Seasonal Garden. If however, you catch a King using the rare Checkmate Cheese then you shall remain in the tower and a greater adversary will await your challenge.

History and Trivia

Links


Locations
Gnawnia:  • Meadow   • Town of Gnawnia   • Windmill   • Harbour
 • Mountain
Valour:  • King's Arms   • Tournament Hall   • King's Gauntlet
Whisker Woods:  • Calm Clearing   • Great Gnarled Tree   • Lagoon
Burroughs:  • Laboratory   • Mousoleum   • Town of Digby   • Bazaar   • Toxic Spill
Furoma:  • Training Grounds   • Dojo   • Meditation Room   • Pinnacle Chamber
Bristle Woods:  • Catacombs   • Forbidden Grove   • Acolyte Realm
Tribal Isles:  • Cape Clawed   • Elub Shore   • Nerg Plains   • Derr Dunes
 • Jungle of Dread   • Dracano   • Balack's Cove
Varmint Valley:  • Claw Shot City   • Gnawnian Express Station   • Fort Rox
Queso Canyon:  • Queso River   • Prickly Plains   • Cantera Quarry   • Queso Geyser
Rodentia:  • S.S. Huntington IV   • Seasonal Garden   • Zugzwang's Tower   • Crystal Library
 • Slushy Shoreline   • Iceberg   • Sunken City
Sandtail Desert:  • Fiery Warpath   • Muridae Market   • Living Garden   • Twisted Garden
 • Lost City   • Cursed City   • Sand Dunes   • Sand Crypts
Hollow Heights:  • Fungal Cavern   • Labyrinth   • Zokor   • Moussu Picchu   • Floating Islands
Folklore Forest:  • Foreword Farm   • Prologue Pond   • Table of Contents   • Bountiful Beanstalk
Rift Plane:  • Gnawnia Rift   • Burroughs Rift   • Whisker Woods Rift   • Furoma Rift
 • Bristle Woods Rift • Valour Rift
Events:  • Great Winter Hunt: Great Winter Taiga
 • Cinnamon Hill   • Golem Workshop   • Ice Fortress
 • Halloween: Gloomy Greenwood
 • MouseHunt Birthday: The SUPER|brie+ Factory
 • Ronza: Ronza's Traveling Shoppe
 • Historic uses: King's Party Zone   • Festive Comet
Others:  • King's Stockade   • Vacant Lot