While developing the arcade-style racing game Star Wars: Galactic Racers, Fuse Games used a simple tabletop prototype to test the reward loop outside of races. The team wanted to quickly experience this progression system to see if gradual upgrades were engaging.
Creative Director Kieran Crimmins and CEO Matt Webster explained that the team built prototypes using sticky notes, sketches, and dice to facilitate faster discussions about player choices and rewards at each stage, without waiting for the in-game systems to be fully implemented.
In this design, rewards vary across different events. Players typically earn tuning points, which they can allocate to one of three random attributes; rewards may also include parts that affect vehicle capabilities or are tied to specific status effects. After completing several races, players can use their accumulated points to purchase upgrades, parts, or new abilities.
The progression system also features roguelike meta-progression: newly unlocked content enters the pool of obtainable items in subsequent runs, and tuning points earned during each run can be used for permanent upgrades. The board game was merely a prototype for the team to test this system.