Robots on the Line is the first board game created by Phil Hunter. In Robots on the Line, you build robots from spare parts and sell them for money.
Basic Information
Players: 2 – 4
Ages: 12+
Time: 45 – 75 minutes
Estimated Delivery: October 2014
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Game overview
Forum: Robots on the Line
The basic mechanic revolves around robot parts moving down two conveyor belts on the production line. Players take turns pulling robot parts (heads, bases, arms, hands, batteries, antennas and magnets). As players collect parts they are able to build robots throughout the game and once they’ve met requirements they can sell the robots and earn money. The game ends when all tiles are off the line or when a player builds 4 robots. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins.
According to Phil Hunter, the creator of Robots on the Line, the game is currently on its 37th version after many testing phases. Phil is also getting advice from others in the Board Game Designers Guild of Utah: a group to which he belongs. The game itself seems interesting and we’ll be happy to test this one out in October.
Kickstarter Specifics
Goal: $40,000
Pledge Levels: 10 levels ranging from $5 to $200
End Date:
Chances of success
I’d put the chances for this project at 50/50 right now. It seems like Phil has put a lot of work into designing this product and has done a fair amount of testing and advertising, but he is a first time game developer. Usually having at least one successful campaign under your belt helps to make future campaigns more successful. Much of the initial support seems to be coming from those who have play tested the game, which is good, but it’s not enough.
As with some of the other games that I’ve reviewed, backer customized content isn’t easy to manage, so it is understandable that it’s not included, and the game has been play tested multiple times so I can see why Phil may be reluctant to include a beta test option, but that might be a good idea none the less.