All Aboard: Designing A Superhero Train Family Board Game

Around 6 years ago, my kids were finally old enough to sit at the table for game night—and I found myself stuck between a stack of preschool games and a wall of “when you’re older” classics. I craved something better: a fantasy board game for kids with simple strategy, real story, and a kind heart. That idea became The Quest Kids, and that moment became the start of Treasure Falls Games.

With The Quest Kids we set out to make a high-quality dungeon crawler that was easy enough for a five-year-old to play—and ended up shipping tens of thousands of copies, getting amazing reviews, and hearing from families all over the world. It was humbling, exciting, and honestly a bit surreal. 

The Quest Kids now has three expansions and a life-sized version. For our next adventure we are stepping out of the fantasy land of Treasure Falls and into the futuristic robot city of Gearland. Super Trains is a big, bold, action-packed city adventure with trains that care as much about kindness as they do about gears and explosions.

So What Is a Superhero Train Board Game?

At its core, Super Trains is a board game for kids and families where you control heroic trains trying to save the city of Gearland from the villainous Rollar, a rogue semi-truck who keeps causing all kinds of mechanical mayhem. Every turn starts with rolling dice to generate colorful gears and potentially trigger emergencies across the city. Then players spring into action—dropping off passengers, delivering cargo, upgrading their train boards, and teaming up to solve emergencies.

It’s fast-paced. It has amazing miniatures. It’s strategic enough to feel rewarding and light enough to keep things fun. And most importantly, it’s built from the ground up for young players, without ever talking down to them.

Designing for Kids (Who Are Smarter Than We Think)

When we design games at Treasure Falls, we start with one rule: respect the players. Yes, even the five-year-olds. Especially the five-year-olds. We want them to feel challenged, empowered, and included—without needing an adult to run the game for them.

That means every mechanic has to earn its place. Every rule has to be teachable in a minute or two. Every character has to feel fun. We test a lot with kids. We look for “aha!” moments—when a child figures something out on their own, solves a problem, or helps a friend. We lean into visual language, tactile components, and simple iconography. And we keep things moving. No one wants to spend 20 minutes stuck in a rule book when they could be solving a lava emergency at the carnival.

For Super Trains, that meant designing a layered gear system that feels like resource management, but plays like a mini-engine builder. It meant making each job (passenger or cargo delivery) come with both an immediate reward of end-game victory points and a long-term upgrade. And it meant creating Rollar—a villain who adds just enough tension to make your turns feel heroic.

A Train Game That’s About More Than Trains

Here’s the secret: Super Trains isn’t only about trains. It’s about the kind of sneaky teamwork that can bloom even in a competitive game. Sure, every player wants to earn the most stars—but the best moments come when kids help each other, trade resources, solve problems together, and cheer when someone pulls off a last-minute move to save the day.

The “Kind Train Cards” are a perfect example. When you help another player solve an emergency, you get rewarded—not just with points, but with powerful bonuses and abilities that feel great to use. That system encourages cooperation without forcing it, and teaches empathy and teamwork in a way that feels natural without ever having to say “Now remember to be nice.”

What’s Next?

We’re continuing to build out our catalog of accessible, imaginative games for young adventurers. But no matter the theme—fantasy, city-building, space, pirates—we’ll always chase the same goal: create games that kids are proud to own and that parents are excited to play with them.

Because when you make a six-year-old feel like the hero of game night? That’s magic.

So…all aboard.

✨ Join the Family Game Night Adventure

🛒 Super Trains and The Quest Kids are available NOW. Follow along for updates on our latest family board games for imaginative young adventurers!