I feel the need…. the need for SPEED!

Downforce
Designer: Rob Daviau, Justin D. Jacobson, Wolfgang Kramer
Publisher: Restoration Games
Number of Players: 2-6
Playing Time: 20 – 40 mins
Age Limit: 10+

Never have I seen or played a racing board game where I actually felt like I was racing. This game is easy to set up, play, and score. Along with quick enough game play to get multiple games in.

Lets get on to the breakdown.

 

 

This definitely goes down as one of the most quick and easy games to set up that I have ever played. I mean after choosing one of the race tracks on the double-sided board and laying it down on the table, well there isn’t  much left to set up other than making sure to grab each racers speed 8 cards and setting them aside. Shuffle the rest of the speed deck and deal the cards to each player until the deck is gone, in two player games a player is dealt 7 cards. Each player should have a decent size stack of cards again depending on the amount of players. You’ll then shuffle the power cards setting them off to the side along with shuffling the speed 8 racer cards and also setting them off to the side. After this we are ready to RACE!

 

 

Well we are almost to the racing first thing we do is we gotta auction off some cars!

THAT’S RIGHT!

Unlike most family games where everyone gets to choose the color they like best, this game makes you buy it. We start with flipping face up one racer speed 8 card along with one power card. Players then pick a card from there hand with a matching color on it and place it face down. Once all players have chosen, everyone then flips their card face up and whoever had the highest number on the card matching that racers color wins the car and power. But watch out, even though you get your card back after each bet, you start negative however much you bet. How bad did you want that green car….real bad! Last thing players will do is choose one of their purchased power cards to apply to all there racers if you happen to purchase more than one car, and I would recommend that each player is allowed to be able to purchase one car, even though there are rule variants that allow you to own none

 

OK Finally on to the racing!

Now that everyone owns one or more cars its time to choose who goes first, randomly select cars and place them on the yellow arrows by the starting/ finish line. The player with one of their cars on the yellow arrow marked with a “1” on it goes first. Players take turns playing a card into the discard pile and activating the cars on that card in order of top to bottom with the active player choosing how each car moves. Which leads to blocking cars in while hopefully allowing your cars to speed on by. Every time the first place car passes one of the three yellow checkpoints, players will secretly bet on their score sheets which car they think will end up first in the end for a possible cash grab. Once all cars have passed the finish line or every player has run out of cards its time to see which player came away with the most money. Players collect their Racing payouts depending on what place all their cars came in, and also adds their betting payouts based on how well the car or cars they bet on did in the end. Before we get all excited about our newfound cash we must subtract the auction prices from the total with players then comparing who has the most money in the end and that player winning.

 

Again not a lot to this game,  Down Force is very quick and easy to learn which makes this fun to play multiple races. I will say that the power cards add some variety in which opponents can ignore certain elements of the game, but there is only 6 powers. So after a few play troughs you have seen them all and know what to expect. This is a good family game that can be brought to the table with people who have a lot or a little of board game experience. That is to say there are moments when you purposely try to mess up other drivers, and not everyone is into that sort of game play.

 

Pros

• Fast/ Quick game-play
• VERY easy to learn
• Up to 6 players
• Fun Theme
• Game components are very nice

Cons

• Game becomes cutthroat
• Not enough strategy/ replay-ability for more hardcore gamers.

 

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