
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,417
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Downtown: Air War Over Hanoi, 1965-1972
- 2 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 4.1/5
- 2004

2012
Rules assistance for Bomber Command: The Night Raids
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bomber Command: The Night Raids is a board game released in 2012 for 2 players, 120 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Lee Brimmicombe-Wood and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation.
(from GMT website:) The Night War Over the Reich, 1943-1945 "We all love him; he's so bloody inhuman." - A 5 Group squadron commander on Sir Arthur 'Bomber' Harris March 1944. More than 700 British bombers are dispatched to the distant city of Nürnberg. As the bomber stream crawls across the German Reich, it is set upon by swarms of nightfighters. Following the bombers' contrails the figthers infiltrate the stream in great numbers and before the moon can set, they pick off bomber after bomber. The mauled stream makes a desultory attack on the target city, scattering much of their payload of high explosive and incendiaries harmlessly into the surrounding countryside. Then the raid struggles back towards England while fresh formations of nightfighters snap and bite at the retreating formation. More than ninety bombers fail to make it home safely. Soon afterward, the C-in-C of Bomber Command, Arthur "Bomber" Harris, calls off the Battle of Berlin. BOMBER COMMAND is a game of the night war in the skies over the Reich in World War II. The game recreates the great RAF bombing raids against the heart of Germany and the defence of the German Luftwaffe's night fighter arm. Based on an air combat system derived from the award-winning Downtown and The Burning Blue 'raid-scale' games, Bomber Command details the tactics of night fighting. The German player must manage flak, Himmelbett zones, Wild Boar and Tame Boar tactics. RAF 'main force' raids are supported by Mosquito diversions, "Gardening" operations (mining of seaways) and decoy raids. Two card decks--one for each player--are used to resolve the complex interactions of electronic countermeasures and radars, along with other operational factors such as Mahmoud patrols, Flower raids, and Beleuchter illumination units. A detailed bombing resolution system depicts the difficulties of marking targets and area bombing at night. There are two scenarios: 1. Berlin covers raiding from the 1943 Hamburg firestorm to the great Battle of Berlin and the RAF's defeat over Nuremburg in March 1944. 2. Downfall recreates the period from the Summer of 1944 to the collapse of the Luftwaffe in the face of fuel shortages and the RAF's "bomber support" effort. The game is fast-playing and raids typically resolve in 2 hours or less.
Bomber Command: The Night Raids supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Bomber Command: The Night Raids is 120 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Bomber Command: The Night Raids for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Bomber Command: The Night Raids has a complexity rating of 3.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Bomber Command: The Night Raids belongs to these categories: Wargame, World War II, and Aviation / Flight. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling, Hexagon Grid, and Simulation. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Bomber Command: The Night Raids are: Lee Brimmicombe-Wood. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Bomber Command: The Night Raids as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.