Bruce Attwood FIXXed me good and won the game.

"It's an easy one to learn, but there are so many strategies to use in playing the game," he explained. Attwood had a point as he talked about his game, FIXX.

As we sat in a local restaurant and played a game that is reminiscent of Tic-Tac-Toe, the possibilities for two, three or four players appeared to be seemingly endless.

The owner of Bad Pig Games, Attwood recently created and patented the game FIXX.  

The blue-colored vinyl board is 24 by 24 inches on which there are 576 squares.  Each player has 50 colored (red, blue, yellow or green) markers with which to play.

"The goal is to get five or six of the markers in a row," explained Attwood.  "With 576 squares, the possibilities of accomplishing that are endless."

When two players compete, they try to get five of their markers in a row.  When three or four players play, their goal is to get six of their markers in a row.

Along with the game board and markers is a rulebook and a clear plastic tube in which to keep everything.

Games can last from 30 seconds to 30 minutes long.  The length is dependent on the skill of the players. While Attwood has played the game for more than 30 years, I was able to last six or seven minutes in each of the two games I played.

"You've been FIXXed," he said with a smile as he won the second game.

A Vietnam-era Army veteran stationed in Korea in the late 70s, Attwood discovered the game in an out-of-the-way tavern out in the "sticks," he said.

The excitement and challenge of the game never left him. In fact, he made a game board out of a piece of sheetrock, and from that point on played his friends and refined the game.

"After thirty-some years and much improvement on the game, I received a patent on the game and will soon be ready to offer it for sale," said Attwood. "Since I first learned about the game while I was in the military, I would like to return the favor by giving members of the military a reduced price." He thinks that making the game available to deployed Soldiers would be a welcomed addition.  

Attwood is interested in working with any individual or organization that would like to send his game downrange.

"Whenever people play FIXX, they tell me how intrigued they are by it," he said.

He estimates that he has spent about $18,000 in creating and promoting FIXX.

Production of the game is in progress and it should begin to appear for sale in late spring at www.badpiggames.com or www.fixxgame.com. The suggested retail price is $24.95.

"We will also put the game on the web, and we are looking forward to developing a web and phone app," continued Attwood. "Folks are going to want to buy and play this game."