"BrikWars" originated in 1995 as an extensive expansion of an earlier game entitled "Legowars", a miniatures wargame invented in March 1991 by Eric O'Dell and R. Todd Ogrin. "Legowars" gained a cult following on local bulletin board systems before becoming more generally known on the Usenet newsgroup rec.toys.lego. The game featured space-themed combat between Lego minifigures, and was distinguished from other miniature wargames of the time by a strong building-brick construction theme allowing the customization of playing pieces. It was followed in January 1995 by an Internet-released sequel, "Legowars II," which the authors had refined in the hopes of making the game more attractive for publication.