Downtown depicts the great air battles that spun out across the skies above "Downtown" Hanoi during the Vietnam War. The game covers the gamut of operations in the deadly Route Package 6 strike zone, from the gradualist Rolling Thunder campaign of 1965-1968, to the hammer-blows of the 1972 Linebacker operations, culminating with the "Christmas B-52 bombing" campaign that brought the Vietnam War to a conclusion.
Downtown recreates the entire air raids in detail. The U.S. player is the raid commander, marshalling packages of 30-70+ Air Force or Navy aircraft, comprising bombers, fighters, defense suppression, jamming, and recon planes. The North Vietnamese (DRV) player manages a network of AAA and SAM anti-aircraft defenses supported by a "thin red line" of MiG fighters.
With great detail built onto a simple game system, Downtown features fast and accessible gameplay. There are 16 raid scenarios, 3 multi-raid campaign games, and 42 aircraft types, from MiGs to B-52s and Wild Weasel defense suppressors. Full orders of battle for U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy raids are supplied, including formations, weapons, and aircraft carrier compliments.
As the North Vietnamese player, set up flak traps and SAM ambushes while the "Yankee Air Pirates" try and rush your missile defenses. Fend off enemy jamming and shepherd the enemy into kill zones. As the U.S. player, plan your missions, fight your strike aircraft through the SAM belt, and lay down bombs on-target as MiGs stalk you amongst the clouds.
You're going Downtown, where all the lights are bright...
Game Components
COUNTERS 560 full-color die-cut counters.
MAP One 22"x34" full-color mapsheet
OTHER 2 10-sided dice
U.S. and DRV Log Sheets
5 11x17 Full Color Player Aid Cards
2 8-1/2x11 Full Color Player Aid Cards
40-page Scenario Book
48-page Rule Book
Game Features
TIME SCALE 1 minute per turn
MAP SCALE 2.5 miles per hex
UNIT SCALE Flights and batteries
NUMBER OF PLAYERS One or two