MY FAVOURITE GAME

Corey Konieczka on X-Bugs

When I first became a professional game designer, I was completely unprepared for the most common question I would be asked, “what is your favourite boardgame?” I was at GenCon, showing off one of my new games when I first remember hearing this question. I had no idea what to say, and I clammed up. There are so many good games, how could I be expected to choose just one?

For years, I found ways of dodging the question with vague non-responses. “Well, I like a lot of games,” or, “I’m so busy designing games that I don’t get to play many these days.”

I think my timidness to answer the question came from feeling like I didn’t belong. I was fairly new to the industry, and I felt like my answer needed to be a highly respected title that would earn me their respect.

Over the years, my go-to response became Sid Sackson’s Acquire. It was one of the first deep board games I was introduced to as a child. Our family played plenty of Risk and the occasional game of Monopoly, but Acquire was the first one that I truly fell in love with. The game is also highly respected, so I felt good telling people that this was my favourite game.

But if I’m being honest with myself, there is one game that always brings a smile to my face and was central in forming who I am as a designer. That game is X-Bugs (also known as Micro Mutants).

In X-Bugs, each player controls an insect army with a unique theme. Examples include cybernetic bees known as the Flyborgs and the militaristic USArthropods.

Each player has three bases, and a variety of different soldiers represented by plastic discs with stickers on them. The goal is to destroy your opponents’ bases while protecting your own, and this is all done by flicking your soldiers, tiddly-wink style, and landing on your target.

Each soldier has different special abilities, and you can collect resources to purchase upgrades. There’s a surprising amount of depth.

The first time I played it, my eyes opened wide in shock. My favourite videogame at the time was StarCraft and this was a physical representation of it.

I couldn’t get enough of the game, and I immediately ordered the other armies.

Some people might ‘poo poo’ the dexterity elements of the game, but I think it introduces the perfect amount of luck. Even a poor player will sometimes get a lucky flip, and those moments are full of drama and excitement.

Needless to say, I loved the game and even went so far as to import Italian versions of the few armies that were never released in English. I’ve probably played close to 100 games of it, and I have even introduced it to my wife and daughter.

X-Bugs is crazy, wacky, fun and unlike anything else out there. After some soul searching, I am finally proud to say that X-Bugs is my favourite game.

My favourite videogame at the time was StarCraft and this was a physical representation of it