Downfall (game)

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The original version of Downfall

Downfall is a two-player game first marketed by the Milton Bradley Company in 1970 for players aged 7 and older.

The game consists of a vertical board with five slotted dials on each side. Each player starts with ten numbered tokens or discs at the top of the board. The object of the game is to move the discs to the bottom of the board by turning the dials. Players alternate turns moving the dials and cannot move a dial that their opponent has just moved. The winner is the first player to move all of their discs into the tray at the bottom. An advanced version of the rules dictates that the discs arrive in the tray in numerical order.

Since neither player can see the other's board, it is common to inadvertently advance the opponent's disc. The game rewards forward thinking and planning; players may try to "trap" their opponent into turning a dial that will advance their own disc, while trying to ensure that their own discs are not caught and dropped out of order.

The game is currently available in the UK under the name New Downfall, manufactured and marketed by Hasbro. The new version follows the same rules but has a more futuristic design in red and yellow.

The game's box art is parodied on the cover of Expert Knob Twiddlers, an album by Aphex Twin and Mike Paradinas.