Alright, so I’ve been meaning to share this for a bit. I got this itch, you know? An itch to actually make something with my hands, not just type away or swipe on a screen. And that’s how this whole board game horse racing thing started. It wasn’t some grand plan, just a thought that popped into my head one afternoon when I was trying to figure out what to do.
Getting the Idea Rolling
I remembered playing a really simple horse racing game as a kid. Nothing fancy, just pure luck and a bit of fun. So, I thought, why not try to recreate that feeling? I wasn’t aiming for a masterpiece, just something playable, something to pass the time with, maybe get a few friends involved if it turned out okay.
First things first, I needed a plan. Or, well, a very loose idea of a plan. I knew I needed a track, some horses, and a way to make them move. Seemed simple enough, right? Famous last words, sometimes.
Gathering the Supplies (Or Scavenging, More Like)
I didn’t want to go out and buy a ton of stuff. That kind of defeated the purpose of a simple home project. So, I rummaged around the house.
- Found some old cardboard from a package – perfect for the board.
- Grabbed some colored paper and markers from the kids’ art supplies.
- A pair of dice from an old game we barely play anymore.
- And of course, glue and scissors. Essential tools for any serious crafting endeavor, ha!
My workspace was the kitchen table. Cleared everything off, spread out my “materials,” and got to it.
Making the Actual Game Bits
This was the fun part, but also where things got a bit messy. I started with the track. I drew out a simple oval shape on the cardboard. Then I tried to make lanes. My lines weren’t exactly straight, let’s be honest. Looked a bit like a toddler drew it after too much sugar, but it was a track, nonetheless. I decided on six lanes. Seemed like a good number.
Next up, the horses. I wasn’t about to sculpt mini thoroughbreds. I just cut out some small, vaguely horse-shaped pieces from different colored paper. Glued them onto little cardboard stands I made so they wouldn’t just flop over. They weren’t pretty, but you could tell which color was which, and that’s all that mattered.
Then, the movement. Dice were the obvious choice. Roll a die, move your horse. But I wanted a little more. So I thought about event cards. I made a small stack of cards with things like:
- “Jockey Fumbles!” – Miss a turn.
- “Sudden Burst of Speed!” – Move forward an extra 2 spaces.
- “Crowd Favorite!” – If you’re in last place, move forward 1 space.
- “Boggy Patch!” – Move back 1 space.
Just a few simple things to mix it up. I wrote them out by hand on small pieces of paper. Nothing fancy.
Putting It All Together and Testing
Once all the pieces were ready – the wobbly track, the colorful blob-horses, and the handwritten cards – it was time for a test run. I roped in my family. The first playthrough was… interesting. We found out pretty quickly that some of my “event” cards were a bit too harsh. One horse basically went backwards for half the race. Not very fun for that player!
So, we did some tweaking. I took out a couple of the meaner cards and adjusted the wording on others. We played again. And again. Each time, it got a little bit better, a little smoother. The rules were dead simple: roll your die, move your horse. If you land on a special “event” space (I just marked a few random spaces on the track), you draw a card. First horse to the finish line wins. Classic.
The Final Product and What I Reckon
So, what did I end up with? A very homemade, slightly lopsided, but perfectly functional horse racing board game. It’s not going to win any awards, and I’m definitely not going to start selling kits. But you know what? It was fun to make. And even more fun to play, especially knowing I’d put it together myself from bits and pieces.
It was a good reminder that you don’t always need complicated rules or expensive components to have a good time. Sometimes, just the act of creating something, however simple, is rewarding enough. And seeing people actually enjoy playing something you cobbled together? That’s pretty cool. It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s ours, and it gave us a good few laughs. Better than just sitting around, that’s for sure.
