Roborally (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009HLSP0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...) is the exact same game just targeted for an older audience.
Can you patent or copywrite gameplay mechanics?
I'd still recommend any programmer give it a try, it's a brilliant game that makes your brain grind hard. It just has its flaws.
If this "Robot Turtles" game is a stripped-down form of it, I'd love to give that a try.
And no, you can't copyright gameplay mechanics. As long as no actual art or verbiage of the rule-book is copied, a game can be copied freely.
So I really could satisfy all of the pent up demand for this game by making a clone with different artwork and a different rule book? Sounds too good to be true.
Anyone know some good one off game manufacturers?
No, but Wizards has in the past, so it really depends, like everything else, on how much money you have.