Breakneck Derby more than just another "Horse Race Game"

At first glance, our Breakneck Derby Classic Edition looks a bit like many generic "Horse Race Games" available widely on the internet. Many people at gaming events enthusiastically tell me they've played our game before, but considering our relatively small operation compared to the sheer number of manufacturers selling uncopyrighted "Horse Race Games" out there, I'm guessing the vast majority of these folks are probably confusing Breakneck Derby with one of those.

I understand their confusion. To the casual eye the games look similar. Both feature cribbage-like wooden boards, miniature racehorses on pegs, and poker cards, but that is where the similarity ends. Gameplay between the two is vastly different when it comes to player engagement and strategy. Here's a quick side-by-side comparison.

Breakneck Derby action is driven by the players who place cards into a shared five-card Bonus Hand. Players take on the role of owners of horses 1 (Ace) through 10 to run the race themselves. When their time comes to play a card, players must decide which horse moves, how far it runs, and in which lane. This produces a real racing experience with jockeys mixing it up around the track. Players don't always get to move their own horse, but opponents' horses can be pushed into the outside lane in turns or blocked entirely to slow them down. Once the Bonus Hand is full, additional scoring is granted to horses whose numbers are involved in poker-style hands (hopefully your own), adding an additional layer of strategy. Breakneck Derby is truly a race filled with interesting, sometimes agonizing, decision making that maximizes player interaction and table talk!

"Horse Race Game", on the other hand, is a very passive contest. Players do not run as any specific horse. Horses are numbered 2 through 12, corresponding to the total of two rolled six-sided dice. Horses run in their assigned lane along a number of holes based on probabilities. (Horse number 7 has more holes to cover to the finish line than numbers 2 or 12.) Gameplay basically consists of rolling two dice and moving the corresponding horse forward one space in their own lane, so no racing interaction. Poker cards are used only to decide which horses everyone is "betting" on, although even these bets aren't determined by players. Overall, "Horse Race Game" isn't a game so much as a spectator event. Players have no more control over the outcome than they would over an actual horse race on TV.

This isn't to say that passive betting with friends can't be fun on occasion, but if you like your "Horse Race Game" to include strategy, card play, and control over the outcome (and your bets) you should probably be playing Breakneck Derby!

See it in action here!