March 12, 2004

By: Bill Kern
Website: http://www.1st-in-games.com

Amateur game designer gets his 15 minutes of fame

Robo Battle Pigs is one of seven finalists announced yesterday in the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition sponsored by About Boardgames, Abstract Games magazine and the Strategy Gaming Society. Randy Cox, the designer of Robo Battle Pigs, was taken by surprise.

I never dreamed that my little game would go so far, said Cox. When I heard that over 50 games were entered, I really didn't think RBP stood a chance.

Cox attributes much of his success to his friend Chris Houser, who helped him playtest the game during their lunch hour at work. Robo Battle Pigs is a lot like one of his earlier games, RoBox, notes Houser. Thankfully, Robo Battle Pigs isn't as boring. And what a name!

The contest was to design a two-player game that can be played on an 8x8 board (the same size as a standard checker board) and uses only game pieces that people probably already own. Robo Battle Pigs is a one-on-one battle game designed to fit within that criteria. Each player has a piece that represents their fighter, and selects from a number of possible movements and attacks, deciding on five moves at a time.

You can use regular chess knights as fighters, but I prefer to use little rubber pigs, explained Cox. That's where I got the name for the game. Since they have lasers, I decided they must be robot pigs.

Also see: hilarium game.

About The Author:

Bill Kern is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-games.com.  Great games for the entire family for hours of fun or competition. We feature all your favorites.