Downtown Militarized Zone

Last updated

Cover art by John Zeleznik Cover of Downtown Militarized Zone.png
Cover art by John Zeleznik

Downtown Militarized Zone is a board wargame published by FASA in 1990 that is set in the same near-future cyberpunk universe as the role-playing game Shadowrun .

Contents

Contents

Downtown Militarized Zone is a two-player board wargame that simulates street combat in the Shadowrun setting. Each player takes one or more characters from the Shadowrun setting, represented by stand-up cardboard cutouts, and tries to defeat the other player's side. [1] As in Shadowrun, the Rule Book covers the use of magic in combat. Movement is covered, including the use of vehicles such as motorcycles. [1]

A second booklet titled "Archetypes" lists the combat capabilities of every character class and non-player character class published to that date. [1]

The game comes with many maps of urban landscapes that can be used to design combat scenarios. It also comes with four combat scenarios of increasing difficulty. The game can also be used as a quick substitute for the usual combat rules in Shadowrun, although one critic noted that it doesn't save any time, and is considerably more lethal. [1]

Publication history

FASA published the cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun in 1981, and followed up with many role-playing adventures and supplements. To serve as an introduction for new players to the Shadowrun setting and aesthetic, Tom Dowd, Sam Lewis and Jordan Weisman designed the board wargame Downtown Militarized Zone. It was published by FASA in 1990 as a boxed set with cover art by John Zeleznik that contained a 72-page Rule Book and 48-page Archetypes book, both lavishly illustrated by Dana Andrews, Joel Biske, Tim Bradstreet, Sean R. Cannon, Todd Hamilton, Rick Harris, Chuck Harris, Karl Kochvar, Jeff Laubenstein, Larry MacDougall, Jim Nelson, and Mike Nielson. The box also included several full-color mapsheets and stand-up character counters. [1]

Reception

In Issue 26 of White Wolf (April/May 1991), Matthew Gabbert liked the look of the boxed set, noting, "As usual, FASA has spent no expense on production values ... the maps and counters are truly impressive — even if you decide to toss the DMZ rules, these visual aids cold be invaluable in any Shadowrun campaign." However, in terms of its intended purpose, Gabbert gave it a rating of 3 out of 5, saying, "While it succeeds as a board game, with both simple mechanics and a relatively fresh milieu, it fails as a Shadowrun supplement. It isn't really any faster and, by the designer's admission, it's a whole lot deadlier to characters and NPCs alike. Unless you just aren't getting enough wholesale slaughter in your campaign, or unless everyone in your group chips in to get the maps and counters, I recommend leaving DMZ in the Distorted Marketing Zone." [1]

In Issue 61 of the French games magazine Casus Belli , the game designer Croc found the exterior of the box very inviting — "the most beautiful cover of any game published in a while" — but was somewhat puzzled as to the game's usefulness, commenting, "I don't really see what it can be used for. As a system for resolving mass combat, it falls short ... As a board game simulating tactical combat with firearms, there are much better ones." Croc also pointed out that game only comes with four scenarios "which is absolutely scandalous, especially since no point system has been devised to balance the two sides." Croc did think that the game could be used by a gamemaster to test out possible combat encounters that involve the player characters. But Croc concluded, "I expected a lot from this game (again from that damn cover!) so I was a little disappointed." [2]

Other reviews

Related Research Articles

<i>GURPS Cyberpunk</i>

GURPS Cyberpunk is a genre toolkit for cyberpunk-themed role-playing games set in a near-future dystopia, such as that envisioned by William Gibson in his influential novel Neuromancer. It was published in 1990 after a significant delay caused by the original draft being a primary piece of evidence in Steve Jackson Games, Inc. v. United States Secret Service.

<i>The Longest Day</i> (game)

The Longest Day is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1979 that simulates the Allied D-Day invasion of June 1944 and the subsequent Normandy campaign during World War II until August 31st, 1944.

<i>Fire in the East</i> Board game

Fire in the East is a monster board wargame published in 1984 by Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) that simulates Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

<i>Guadalcanal</i> (1992 game)

Guadalcanal is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill as part of the Smithsonian American History Series. The game simulates World War II naval battles near the Solomon Islands and is primarily designed for two players. It uses the same game design as the Smithsonian edition of Midway.

<i>Battle of the Bulge</i> (board wargame)

Battle of the Bulge is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill (AH) in 1965 that simulates the World War II battle of the same name. General Anthony McAuliffe (ret.), who had been commanding officer at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge, was a consultant during the game's development. The game proved popular and sold more than 120,000 copies, but was dogged by criticisms of historical inaccuracies, and was finally replaced by a completely new edition in 1981. A third edition in 1991 was released as part of the Smithsonian American History Series.

<i>Cry Havoc</i> (1981 board game) Board game published in 1981

Cry Havoc is a board wargame published by Standard Games and Publications in 1981 that uses a complex set of rules to simulate medieval one-on-one combat.

BattleSpace is a science fiction wargame published by FASA Corporation in 1993. Set in the BattleTech universe, it simulates naval warfare in space.

<i>Across Suez</i>

Across Suez, subtitled "The Battle of the Chinese Farm October 15, 1973" is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications (SPI) in 1980 that simulates operational level ground combat between Egypt and Israel at the Battle of the Chinese Farm during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

<i>Dragons of Glory</i>

Dragons of Glory is a Dungeons & Dragons source book in a series of modules from the Dragonlance campaign setting. It is one of the 16 DL modules published by TSR between 1984 and 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityTech</span> 1986 board game

CityTech is a FASA wargame first published in 1986 and set in the BattleTech fictional universe.

<i>Behind Enemy Lines</i> (role-playing game) WWII tabletop role-playing game

Behind Enemy Lines is a military role-playing game published by FASA in 1982 that is set during World War II; it was the first role-playing game of this genre.

<i>Shadowrun</i> Tabletop science fantasy role-playing game

Shadowrun is a science fantasy tabletop role-playing game set in an alternate future in which cybernetics, magic and fantasy creatures co-exist. It combines genres of cyberpunk, urban fantasy, and crime, with occasional elements of conspiracy, horror, and detective fiction. From its inception in 1989, it has spawned a franchise that includes a series of novels, a collectible card game, two miniature-based tabletop wargames, and multiple video games.

<i>Denver: The City of Shadows</i>

Denver: The City of Shadows is a supplement published by FASA in 1994 for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

La Bataille de la Moscowa is a board wargame published originally by Martial Enterprises in 1975, later republished by Game Designers Workshop in 1977, and by Clash of Arms in 2011.

<i>DNA / DOA</i>

DNA / DOA is the first published adventure for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun, released by FASA in 1989. Written by Dave Arneson, the co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, Stephan Wieck criticized it for being more like a D&D adventure than a modern high-tech cyberpunk scenario.

<i>Street Samurai Catalog</i> Role-playing game supplement

Street Samurai Catalog is a supplement published by FASA in 1989 for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

<i>The Universal Brotherhood</i> Role-playing game adventure

The Universal Brotherhood is an adventure published by FASA in 1990 for the dystopic near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

<i>Rigger 2</i> 1997 role-playing game supplement

Rigger 2 is a role-playing game supplement published by FASA in 1997 for the second edition of the dystopian cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

<i>West of Alamein</i> 1988 board game

West of Alamein is a board wargame published by Avalon Hill in 1988 that simulates combat in North Africa during World War II.

<i>Shadowrun Companion</i> 1996 RPG sourcebook

Shadowrun Companion is a sourcebook published by FASA in 1996 for the near-future cyberpunk role-playing game Shadowrun.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gabbert, Matthew (April–May 1991). "Capsule Reviews". White Wolf Magazine . No. 26. p. 39.
  2. Croc (1991). "Têtes d'Affiches". Casus Belli (in French). No. 61. pp. 30–31.
  3. "Downtown Militarized Zone | Article | RPGGeek".
  4. https://archive.org/details/computer-videogiochi-21/page/n113/mode/2up