Race Game

What to Make:

(Designers might call this the Design Brief and/or the Specification)

Design and make simple table top Race Game which each player has one piece or counter and takes it in turn to throw a Dice or spin a Teetotum with the aim of being the first to finish a route, track or circuit.

Making the Game Board:

• Design your game to be A3 size (or 2 x A4 size side by side).
• Sketch ideas on plain paper or use Squared Paper for example, for guidance.
• Draw out a final design accurately on two side-by-side A4 sheets and enhance (e.g. using Felt Tip Pens or Coloured Pencils), use Decoupage techniques, or use Computer Software and print out (Note: most printers are able to 'Tile' A3 designs by printing out on to two A4 sheets - alternatively the design may have to be organised as two sheets on screen).
• Each half of the finished design can then be pasted on to A4 pieces of Thick Card and either Laminated, covered with self-adhesive book-covering film or varnished for example.
• Temporarily secure the two A4 sheets side-by-side (e.g. with weights), leave a gap between them equal to the card thickness, and apply Adhesive Tape along the join to form a folding hinge (Note: you may have to allow for the tape width down the centre of the opened out board in your design).

Things to think about:

• What route or track will be followed as the counters move around the board? (e.g. zig-zag, squiggle, spiral, random).
• Will it have a beginning and end or should it be a continuous circuit?
• Alternatively, base the game on a local route or track near where you live (e.g. local footpaths, a tour of sites of interest, a heritage railway line or canal).
• Is the aim of the game just to win the race or is it also to learn something about the places visited on the board?
• Will the game Include forfeits (e.g. move backwards if you land on private land, cows are loose in a field, traffic lights are on red, roadworks, a level crossing barrier is down or a bridge raised) or include also some bonuses (e.g. find a shortcut, hitch a lift, get right of way). These might be triggered by the square landed on or the need to pick a card, throw a second Dice or spin a Teetotum.
• What kinds of playing pieces are envisaged?
• Will a player's score be determined by the roll of a Dice or spin of a Teetotum?

Testing and Evaluation

• Try playing the game with friends (it is a good idea to do this at the first paper-based draft stage to spot problems before committing to a final design):
  • is it enjoyable to play?
  • does it last too long or about the right amount of time?
  • is it possible to cheat?
  • would your friends wish to play it again?
  • are there any improvements you can make?

Further Work

• Consider how the finished game board, plus playing pieces, can be stored (e.g. a simple Storage Box can be made using Stripwood Technology techniques but more sophisticated options for Box Construction are also possible).
• See how a Folding Game Board can be stiffened with strips of timber if required.

DT Online Buyers' Guide

Kraft Brown Card	Assorted A2 Mountboard	Clear Sticky-Back Plastic	Coloured Gaffer Tape	Wood Draught & Backgammon Pieces	Probability Spinners	Game Counters	Wooden Stick Square	Balsa Wood Pack	PVA Glue Washable Adhesive