We're making a model trains video game — so we built a board game first to test the mechanics
We're a small indie studio. Our previous game is a slot racing game — simple concept, pure arcade fun, easy to validate.
Now we're working on something with a bit more depth: a model trains game where the core loop is about missions. Pick up passengers or cargo, deliver them on time, manage your locomotive's trade-offs (fast vs. heavy load capacity), swap wagons at the right stations, and don't derail.
The problem with deeper mechanics is they're harder to test quickly in code. So we did what any reasonable developer would do — we made a physical prototype.
Each turn moves your train a set number of track tiles. Stations let you swap wagons depending on your current task. Complete missions = points. Late delivery or derailment = penalty. It's rough, it's made of printed paper and whatever we had at hand, and it was incredibly useful.
Lumber, pipes, oil, copper, passengers — each mission uses a different wagon type, and your locomotive's stats determine whether you can pull it off in time.
Playing it around a table for an hour told us more about the feel of the game than a week of design docs would have.
We're aiming for an Early Access launch in about two months to hit Steam's Train Fest — which is either ambitious or completely insane, depending on who you ask. Probably both.
If you're curious where this is headed, wishlists help a small studio more than you'd think:
👉 Speed Rivals: Model Trains on Steam
Happy to answer questions about the mechanics or the board game version if anyone's into that kind of thing.