Duel in the Dark is a two-player tactical game about night-time bombing raids.

One player is the bomber, the tries to intercept it before it reaches home.

Duel in the Dark Overview

At the start of the game, the bomber player secretly plans the entire flight path on the map, choosing a route that balances speed, safety and deception.

Once the route is locked in, the defending player places fighters, anti-aircraft markers and weather tokens in the areas they believe the bomber is most likely to pass through.

Each turn plays out as the bomber moves one step along its predetermined path, revealing the next point of the journey.

The defender then responds by repositioning fighters, resolving anti-aircraft fire and applying any weather effects that come into play.

This process continues until the full route is flown and the aircraft either limps home or is brought down.

How Do You Win?

The bomber player wins by completing the flight with as little damage as possible, scoring points for surviving and successfully reaching the target.

The defender wins by inflicting heavy damage, disrupting the flight or destroying the bomber outright.

After the entire route is resolved, totals are compared and the higher score determines the victor.

Main Mechanisms

The game revolves around route-planning and hidden movement. It feels weird saying that because it’s all pre-programmed but it works.

USP

It was released in 2007, I can image that this combination of mechanisms would be unique then, but not now.

Theme

The night-raid theme is very well captured, with limited visibility and looming danger shaping every decision.

Setup

Players lay out the map, place city and weather markers, allocate units, and allow the bomber player time to secretly plan the full route before the action begins.

Components & Artwork

The map has a distinct atmospheric look, and the bomber and fighter pieces give the table an immediate sense of purpose.

The whole presentation supports the dramatic tone of night operations.

Ease of Teaching

It’s easy to teach because the rules themselves are simple, but players may need a full round to understand how the prediction and timing works.

Similar Games

Hidden movement games like Spectre Ops for its hunter-versus-hidden-movement tension.

Undaunted Stalingrad is a two-player war game so is worth mentioning here.

Duel in the Dark Review

Positives

The theme is very strong and the tension builds throughout the route.

The planning and prediction offers a unique strategic challenge for both players.

It tells a good story while still playing quite quickly.

The asymmetry gives each side a distinct feel without overcomplicating the rules.

Negatives

Bother players will need to be into this kind of game to play it correctly.

Asymmetry can feel unbalanced until both players have experience on both sides of the board.

Long-term replayability depends more on the players than the game play variety.

Summary

A decent 2 player only war-themed game.

Jesta ThaRogue