If someone ever has any conflicting thoughts as to whether game design is as much art as it is product development, all you have to do is dive into the litany of inspirations that lead to such games in the first place. From places of personal exploration, to celebrations of regional homelands and cultures, to the desire to tell a specific story, a game’s inception can quite literally be conjured out of think air. This ability to take thoughts anywhere from the wild and esoteric to the most pragmatic and systems-driven and morph them into something people the world over will find enjoyable as a game is part of the hobby’s mystique. It further cements the notion that board games are an incredibly human-driven venture, while at the same time allows for a broad spectrum of variety in what the hobby has to offer. It’s this creative element which makes it such that guarantees there’s a game out there to cater to everyone.
Put more simply, thanks to the limitless nature of human creativity and ingenuity, it is quite possible to take any one idea and turn it into a game for someone else’s enjoyment.
Say, for instance, by turning the idea of a classic quarter-fed coin arcade tumbler into a game about anthropomorphic beetles trying to knock each other off a raised platform.
Which is precisely what happened with Kabuto Sumo. Concocted by up and coming designer Tony Miller and published by Boardgametables.com – with the added artwork of estimable Kwanchai Moriya for good measure – Kabuto Sumo takes players into the fantastical realm of beetle wrestling. Borrowing from real-world beetle fighting contests, in this quick and entomological showdown, players are bugs with special powers looking to emerge as the king of their tiny hill. By pushing discs atop a raised platform other discs fall off in a cascading manner, continually changing the layout of the tiny board. Your end goal in all this is to have one of your opponent be one of those pieces that gets bounced out, letting you claim…whatever the beetle equivalent of a title belt would be.
Kabuto Sumo is lightweight and low-stakes, but nevertheless an upbeat experience catering to adults and kids alike. With a balanced mix of dexterity, strategy, and luck, bolstered by components both vibrant and sturdy, Kabuto Sumo manages to take the inspiration from one childhood memory in its creation, and, if all pans out, will help create new memories for someone on the other end. Which for any designer is a victory in its own right.
Now, we’d like to say that if this short and sweet bug fighting arena sounds like something you’d like to dig your own mandibles into, then simply grab a chair (for sitting in!), and see if you have what it takes to win the tiniest little world title around….
But we’re taking it one step further. We’re putting up two copies of the game as a prize. For a chance at one, all you need to do is enter the ring and show us what you would bring to the table in trying to win the World Insect Wrestling Championship title belt!
Yes, from now though November 10th, 2021, you can check out the contest details and enter below. Just follow the entry form and proceed with the contest. The more of these entries you do, even if just one, you still have a better chance than not entering at all. Of course you’re welcome to do that too. But your odds of winning drop to zero. No pressure or anything.
The Cardboard Republic, in conjunction with BoardGameTables.com is giving this game away strictly for entertainment purposes. This act is not a paid endorsement by BoardGameTables.com or any other entity. This contest is open to individuals only. Staff members of The Cardboard Republic and BoardGameTables.com are not eligible to participate. For winners outside of the Continental US, the publisher reserves the right to request they cover part or all of the shipping costs.