For many Boston commuters, taking the T can be an adventure in itself. Delays, shuttle buses, and unexpected problems are all part of the experience. Now, one local board game designer has turned those everyday transit struggles into a game you can actually enjoy!
Mass Transit is a handmade board game created by Malden resident Michelle Dundek. Inspired by her seven years of travelling around Boston on the MBTA, the game challenges players to navigate the city, visit stations, and collect cards to score points.
Know your T!
The aim of Mass Transit is simple. Players take on different characters and travel around Boston's subway system, visiting specific stations to collect cards and earn points.
Those characters aren't your usual board game pawns, either. Players can find themselves taking on roles such as a college student, marathon runner, or duck boat driver, each with their own objectives. The game also includes secret goals that can affect how players approach their journey. Of course, travelling on the MBTA wouldn't feel quite right without a few things going wrong!
Special cards can throw unexpected problems into your plans, from service disruptions to an Orange Line shutdown. Other events can actually work in your favour, giving players new opportunities to get around the network.
From commute to table
Dundek has been making board games as a hobby for several years, but Mass Transit became a much bigger project. She spent around a year developing the game, using her own experiences on Boston's subway system as inspiration.
The result is less about accurately simulating public transport and more about capturing the shared experience of using it. That's an important distinction, because nobody needs a board game that makes them wait 15 minutes for a train in real time!
The game has clearly struck a chord with Boston's board game and transit communities. Dundek's Etsy shop has sold out of copies, with one recent drop reportedly disappearing within 24 hours. She makes the games by hand at home and has also taken copies to local markets and trade shows.
Going viral!
Mass Transit really took off after Dundek shared a walkthrough video of the game online. The response was far bigger than she expected, bringing a huge wave of attention to the project and connecting her with people who share her love of both board games and public transport.
That crossover is perhaps what makes Mass Transit so interesting. It takes something incredibly ordinary, getting from one side of Boston to another, and turns it into a social tabletop experience. And Dundek isn't stopping there. With plans to explore other transit systems and develop more board game ideas, Mass Transit could be just the first stop on a much longer journey!
For now, though, Boston commuters can finally experience the T without actually having to leave the house. No delays guaranteed!
