Prototyping in Board Games
Years ago I read that Jake Solomon prototyped the Firaxis reboot of XCOM by creating a simple board game version that could be played on scrap paper in the office. The rudimentary game let the team explore core ideas and discover what felt fun without committing to a full digital build.
As Fuse Games creative director Kieran Crimmins told Eurogamer, “You can’t know if you can feel the system until you can play the system.” The early prototype for the high‑speed arcade racer was indeed a board game.
“Modern engines are so capable that you can do a lot in‑software,” CEO Matt Webster said, “but there’s still something that isn’t as fast as getting a written idea down. From a board‑game perspective you decouple yourself from a particular prototype and talk about moment‑to‑moment.”
The board game mirrored Galactic Racer’s progression system. Players earned tuning points to spend on random stats or parts that altered their speeder’s abilities or granted status bonuses. After a few races they could spend earned credits on upgrades, new parts, or a fresh ability, creating a loop that felt like a roguelite.
This progression, with unlocks added to a pool for future runs and permanent tuning points carried over, is unusual for a racing game and likely required several play‑tests to find the fun.
“There’s a prototyping tool for every system you want to test,” Crimmins explained, “and you pick the one that gets you there fastest and validates the emotion quickly. For upgrades and meta‑progression, a board game can be built in a day — often just Post‑its, a scribble, and some dice. We choose the best tool for the moment.”
