RustBots

Rustbots (originally Junkbots) is a robot building turn based card game. The goal is to be the first to assemble a robot that can perform a specific wacky task, thereby completing the mission and gaining points. You are charged with creating this robot by an independent tech genius billionaire whose life mission is to integrate robots into society. He will be holding a contest to find his chief engineer. Will it be you?

The game is played (2-6 players) in a turn-based fashion. Players draw a “junk card” which represents an item found at the junkyard that can be used to part out and form different robot components (arms, legs, body, head) to help complete the mission. Be careful! Because it is a cutthroat world out there, and other players will do everything in their power to sabotage your progress. The first one who successfully builds a robot that can accomplish the mission wins the round! Each mission differs in difficulty, and rewards points accordingly. The one with the most points at the end of the game wins, and become the new chief engineer!

Approximately 11" x 10.5" x 2"

I have always loved board games. As a kid, I thoroughly enjoyed slowly squeezing the life out of my opponents in Monopoly, even so far as giving away “free stays” at my resorts, just to prolong the misery. My brothers and our cousin Michael Valentine played board games all the time as we grew up, sometimes not even knowing how to actually play the game, and making up our own rules. I guess that’s where it started for me. I always enjoyed the creativity of the games and the social interactions that it encouraged (and the holidays they sometimes ruined!).

 I was introduced to Euro games by my friend and neighbor Brandon Butcher who had an enormous board game collection. I was stunned! I didn’t know people still played board games, and I had no idea how many games there were! I vowed right then to never again play “Don’t Wake Daddy”... Once I got the hang of Settlers of Catan, I was hooked. As I played these games, I would unconsciously ask myself, “how would I make this game better”, or “it would be more fun if it had this element in it”. 

Logically, the next step was thinking up my own games and constructing them in my mind. I talked to a few people about my ideas, but there didn’t seem to be much interest, so I let those ideas gather dust through the years. It wasn’t until I got a call from my cousin Michael saying that he and his friend Kyle had talked about making a board game. This was my moment! We got together and I told them a few of my ideas, and we settled on starting full force on developing JunkBots. Without them, I don’t think I would have ever successfully made a board game. Sometimes it takes just the right people in the right situation to make things work, and that’s what happened!

We are passionate about our games, and we hope that you enjoy them as much as we do!

 -Caleb Huff of Route 60 Man Gaming Co.