Twin Tin Bots 2013

"The robot was advancing fast towards the base, loaded with crystals – but the opponent team's robot was nearing. 'Bzzzzt!' Lightning sparked briefly, and the Bot changed course to unload the crystal a few meters from his base, his programming slightly jammed by the shock wave. The opponent Bot immediately loaded the crystal and proceed to rejoin his base; two other Bots were nearing and they didn't look too friendly! The mechanic sighed heavily as he knew this would inevitably end up in a melee, damaged Bots, and long hours in the repair shop afterwards..."

In Twin Tin Bots, the robot-programming game for the new generation, many corporations have invested in crystal mining after they were discovered as a potent energy source. They designed and improved robots to harvest crystals and a few people can now run a big crystal harvesting rig. Many teams work on the same harvesting plant, but the game's always on to bring more crystals back than the others.

In the game, each player programs two robots to harvest crystals from the game board and bring them back to his base. The catch is that robots repeat their programming, but changes to the program from turn to turn are limited. Robots can also interact with other robots so even the best laid plans can end up slightly different than expected.

The player who harvests the most valuable crystals wins.