A few years ago, I was introduced to a new racing game published by Restoration Games that has become one of my favorite racing games of all time – Downforce!

In the game, players bid in car auctions, race the cars, use special powers, and bet on the outcomes. There’s no dice rolling as it’s the cards that determine which color cars move and how far. And even though you want to favor the cars you bought in the auction, the cards you play will also be moving other player’s cars as well.

I first played Downforce at SaltCon End of Summer 2021 and then bought a copy later that year.

So it’s high time for me to write a review about it and share why I enjoy it so much.

 

How to play Downforce

The goal in Downforce is to be the player with the most winnings once all cars have finished the race.

To begin, players must first choose which racetrack they want to race on. The game board is double-sided – giving players a choice of 2 different tracks.

Each player is given a score sheet and is dealt a hand of Speed cards. There are 42 Speed cards in the game and they’re dealt out evenly. The cars are randomly placed on the track in the starting spaces.

The Auction

Then the cars are all auctioned off one at a time. A random color is drawn as well as a special power. Those are paired together and all players bid on it.

Players bid using Speed cards from their hand. The amount they bid is the number indicated on that color on the card they choose.

For example, if the Yellow car is up for auction and I choose a card with a 6 Orange, 4 Blue, and 2 Yellow, then I’m bidding 2 for the Yellow car and it’s paired power.

The player who offers the most gains ownership of that car as well as the paired power card and the 8 Speed card for that car. The winner also writes the amount they paid for their car on their score sheet. The cards used to bid are not spent. They are returned to the players’ hands.

Every player must end up with at least one car. When the number of cars remaining equals the number of players without cars, only players without cars can bid.

Once all cars are auctioned off, it’s time to race!

The Race

The player who controls the car in the pole position, starts the race.

On a player’s turn, they choose one of the Speed cards and plays it to the board. Then they move each indicated car the listed amount of spaces from top to bottom of the card.

For example, if I played the card mentioned earlier in the auction for my turn, I would move the Orange car 6 spaces, then the Blue car 4 spaces, and finally the Yellow car 2 spaces. The grey items on a Speed card are Wild and can be used for any color car not listed on the card.

Cars move forward on the track to the next adjacent space straight ahead or diagonally ahead. They can not move directly to the side or backwards. Each car must be moved the full number of spaces if possible or as far as possible – as there are a number of choke points where cars may get stuck behind other cars. Players can move cars strategically to either create a block or get a car behind a block.

Players may also use their special power during their turns. These powers include abilities that allow them to alter the rules on their turn. For example, the Tricky power lets the player move the cars in reverse order on the Speed card (bottom to top).

Once a player has moved all the cars on their played car, the player to their left takes a turn.

The Betting

There are times during the race where players will place bets on the outcome. Once a car crosses a yellow line on the racetrack, all players will place a bet (after all cars on that turn finish their movements). Players can bet on any car they choose.

To place a bet, players simply place a checkmark on their score sheet next to the car they think will win the race. There are 3 columns on the score sheet indicating each of the 3 different betting lines. Players will earn payouts for their correct bets at the end of the race for the cars that finish in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Until then, players keep their bets secret.

The Finish

When a car crosses the finish line, it’s place in the appropriate winner’s space on the board. When all of a player’s cars have finished the race, they discard their remaining cards. They won’t take any more turns.

After all cars have finished the race, players mark on their score sheets how much they earn for how their owned cars finished the race. Then they circle the amounts they gain from their 3 bets.

They total these amounts and subtract the amount they spent on their auction. Their final amount is their final score. The player with the most winnings wins the game!

 

Can the whole family enjoy playing Downforce?

Downforce is a very fun family board game.

The published recommended age is 10+ but we’d put it more in the 8+ range. The main racing stage is very easy to understand – choose a card and move all the cars indicated on it. Where more thought is required is in the auction and betting stages.

The auction stage is fun for trying to figure out what your opponents will bid for a car and how much should you bid. It will often depend on your hand of cards and which colored car you’ll be most able to influence during the race. But you also need to take into account the paired power that goes with each car. You may not want the car as much as you’ll want the power.

And when it comes to the 3 betting points in the game, there are more things to consider. Should you simply bet on the car already in the lead or will you be able to make a move to bolt another car into the lead before the end?

Because with each betting mark, the payouts will change. If you bet on the winning car at the first betting point, you’ll get a higher payout than if you bet on that car at the 3rd betting point (when the race is closer to being determined). So it pays to pick the right car early.

Or can you fake out your opponents by rushing a car across that first betting line in the lead that you plan to thwart later to pull another car ahead in the mid-race for the true win?

Of course, the best laid plans can (and often are) ruined by the other players. Just when you think you’ve made a great move, your opponents will play a card that gets your cars stuck and you’ll have to adjust your plans.

But that’s what I enjoy so much about the game – the planning and adjusting.

The element I like the most in the game is that every player moves all the cars. In most racing games, I have 1 car and all my moves and choices are about what I do with that car. Some racing games have me choosing which gear to be in each turn and roll a die for it. Or they have me making pit stops, changing tires, or spinning out and getting back in the race.

But with Downforce, sure I own a car or two, but I will influence all the cars and their positions. When I play a card, I have to move all the cars on the card (unless they’re blocked). And I can place bets on any car I want. So even if the cars I own won’t finish near the top (and get high points that way), if I bet correctly, I can still win.

It’s also a lighter game, and doesn’t take long to play. The race only lasts one lap and then you settle the scores. It doesn’t overstay it’s welcome at all. In fact, the 20-30 minutes feels like a perfect length. There are plenty of choices made along the way and I feel satisfied as it comes to a close.

Then, if we want more, we can just flip over the board and race the other side!

I also love that 6 people can play!

There’s more of a feeling of chaos with 6 players though. That’s because the cars move a lot more between your turns. Which means there are more car movements out of your control. But it’s still great fun. And we’re always looking for games that can accommodate 6 players well. Downforce definitely hits that mark.

Plus, there are a couple of game expansions that introduce more tracks and more powers. They’re harder to find copies of, but they’re just as fun.

 

How does Downforce score on our “Let’s Play Again” game meter?

Downforce scores very high on our “let’s play again” game meter. Like I just mentioned, after we finish one race, it’s super easy to just flip the board over and race the other track.

Downforce is also a game that often gets picked when we want a game for up to 6 players. And it’s a game that gets borrowed frequently by friends and other family members. That’s why it has a prominent spot in our game closet – nice and accessible.

We highly recommend getting a copy of Downforce for your family!

 

Reviewed by TheBoardGameFamily.com

 
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