# Chitin: I > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chitin:_I > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Chitin:_I.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin%3A_I > Source revision: 1295796874 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) ***Chitin: I*** is a science fiction [microgame](/source/Microgame_(board_games)) published by [Metagaming Concepts](/source/Metagaming_Concepts) in 1977 in which bands of intelligent insects vie for resources. ## Description *Chitin: I* is a two-player [board wargame](/source/Board_wargame) in which both players control cities of Hymenoptera, intelligent insects, who are battling for enough food to survive.[1] ### Components The game's plastic bag contains:[1] - 9" x 14" paper [hex grid](/source/Hex_grid) map - 112 die-cut counters - 17-page rulebook ### Gameplay Each insect army is divided into three castes: warriors, leaders, and workers, each of which have various capabilities. Players must use a combination of castes effectively in order to maximize their combat capabilities and food collection. Food chits on the board are what both sides covet, but the dead bodies of both sides can also be collected for food. Victory is dependent on how much food is collected.[2] There are six scenarios included in the game starting with a simple introductory scenario designed to teach the rules. Each subsequent scenario then grows in complexity and length. The game can either be played with Basic rules, or with the Advanced rules, which add two new types of insects. Turns are a simple "I go, You go" system, where one player moves and fights, then the other player moves and fights.[2] Combat is typical for wargames of the time: the ratio of attacker to defender strength is determined, the corresponding column of a Combat Results Table (CRT) consulted, and a die rolled to determine the exact result: elimination of a unit, forced retreat, or disruption, which interferes with a unit's combat and movement abilities for the next turn.[2] ## Publication history In 1977, [Metagaming Concepts](/source/Metagaming_Concepts) pioneered a new type of small, fast and cheap wargame packaged in a ziplock bag. *[Ogre](/source/Ogre_(board_game))* was the first of this [MicroGame](/source/MicroGame) series, and *Chitin: I* was the second, designed by [Howard Thompson](/source/Howard_Thompson_(wargame_designer)), with artwork by [Jennell Jaquays](/source/Jennell_Jaquays).[a] The game sold well enough that a second edition, with new artwork by Jaquays, was published the following year. The game was still popular enough four years after its publication that *[Dragon](/source/Dragon_(magazine))*, owned by rival game company [TSR](/source/TSR_(company)), published a two-page article on variant castes for *Chitin: I*.[3] ## Reception [David James Ritchie](/source/David_J._Ritchie) reviewed *Chitin: I* in *[The Space Gamer](/source/The_Space_Gamer)* No. 13, commenting that "For those who like their carnage in cardboard, *Chitin: I* is definitely an attractive brew."[1] Ritchie also reviewed the game in *[Ares Magazine](/source/Ares_(magazine))* #1, rating it a 5 out of 9 and with the comments "Fairly short and simple. Lots of fun. Those with a taste for the bizarre will appreciate their units' ability to eat friendly casualties."[2] In the October 1980 issue of *[Fantastic](/source/Fantastic_(magazine))*, game designer [Greg Costikyan](/source/Greg_Costikyan) wrote, "Though the concept was rather interesting, *Chitin* was something of a disappointment after *[OGRE](/source/Ogre_(board_game))*. Not a bad game, but it didn't live up to expectations."[4] In Issue 27 of *Simulacrum*, Brian Train noted, "This is a good example of a 'minimalist' yet open ended design with a lot of replay value, making it typical of the early Metagaming microgames."[5] In Issue 35 of *Warning Order*, Matt Irsik commented, "The gameplay was pretty good and this game is still well thought of after all these years."[6] In a retrospective review of *Chitin: I* in *[Black Gate](/source/Black_Gate_(magazine))*, John O'Neill said "Like *Ogre* before it, *Chitin* fired the imagination. Losing a war had pretty dire consequences for your insect colony. My most vivid memories of the game were in the hours after the board was put away, wondering what would happen to the losing side as summer ended and the hive retreated to face starvation and a long winter... would they survive to next summer? Or would a series of setbacks wipe out an entire culture? For a simple little game, *Chitin* packed an emotional punch."[7] ## Notes 1. Credited as *Paul Jaquays*. ## References 1. Ritchie, David James (September–October 1977). "Reviews". *[The Space Gamer](/source/The_Space_Gamer)*. '***(13): 40–41. [Metagaming](/source/Metagaming_Concepts)*** 1. Ritchie, David (March 1980). "A Galaxy of Games". *[Ares Magazine](/source/Ares_(magazine))*. '***(1): 28. Simulations Publications, Inc.*** 1. Crowell, Ben (July 1981). "A new breed of bug". *[Dragon](/source/Dragon_(magazine))*. No. 51. [TSR, Inc.](/source/TSR_(company)). pp. 30–31. 1. Costikyan, Greg (October 1980). "Games fen will Play". *Fantastic*. Vol. 27, no. 11. p. 20. 1. Train, Brian (2007). "Chitin: I". *Simulacrum*. No. 27. p. 38. 1. Irsik, Matt (Summer 2013). "Blast from the Past". *Warning Order*. No. 35. pp. 6–7. 1. ["The Classic Games of Metagaming: Chitin I: The Harvest Wars – Black Gate"](https://www.blackgate.com/2014/12/28/the-classic-games-of-metagaming-chitin-i-the-harvest-wars/) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chitin: I](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin%3A_I) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chitin%3A_I?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.