'Nasty, Brutish and Short' is a truncated and oft-parodied excerpt from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan, and refers to the life of man. It has frequently carried the rider 'just like [species X] themselves'. I seem to remember Terry Pratchett using it in reference to one of the discworld races, possibly the gnomes, or the gnolls. The full quotation in its original format is:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan
"Whatsoever therefore is consequent to a time of Warre, where every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to the time, wherein men live without other security, than what their own strength, and their own invention shall furnish them withall. In such condition, there is no place for Industry; because the fruit thereof is uncertain; and consequently no Culture of the Earth; no Navigation, nor use of the commodities that may be imported by Sea; no commodious Building; no Instruments of moving, and removing such things as require much force; no Knowledge of the face of the Earth; no account of Time; no Arts; no Letters; no Society; and which is worst of all, continuall feare, and danger of violent death; And the life of man, solitary, poore, nasty, brutish, and short."
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...so it's debatable how much copycatting is going on.
One thing that did strike me about the game as you describe it is its similarity to that grand old beer-and-pretzels game, Kobolds Ate My Baby. Except it sounds like it doesn't have anywhere near the same sense of humour as that amusing little game does.
Ash