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@manaworm.com
· Aug 5
mana worm
manaworm.com
I started writing about board games over on a new blog! I'll be sharing my reviews/essays/etc. on BlueSky when I publish them. There's a couple already on there and they're pretty good, I'm proud of what I have done.
#boardgames #boardgamesky
manaworm.com
#boardgames #boardgamesky
manaworm.com
I reviewed Casinopolis, my first Button Shy game and one I've had my eyes on for a while now. With just eighteen cards, you build your own little Vegas by matching colors and creating runs.
manaworm.com/2025/11/15/c...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/11/15/c...
#boardgames
Casinopolis Review: Paving Paradise
★★☆☆ — I am impressed by how much “game” has been compressed to fit into such a thin and pocketable package, but I’m coming away with the impression that the Opolis series m…
manaworm.com
November 15, 2025 at 6:00 PM
I reviewed Casinopolis, my first Button Shy game and one I've had my eyes on for a while now. With just eighteen cards, you build your own little Vegas by matching colors and creating runs.
manaworm.com/2025/11/15/c...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/11/15/c...
#boardgames
Nature is a game by @dcrapuchettes.bsky.social where you evolve nature's most un-huntable critters... and the animals who hunt them. It is beautiful.
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/10/n...
#boardgames
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/10/n...
#boardgames
Nature Review: Invincible Mice and Other Captivating Creatures
Imagine, if you will, a creature. It is roughly the size of a mouse. Its body is covered in a rock-hard defensive carapace. Beneath that solid armor, which I’ve chosen to imagine clanks aroun…
manaworm.com
November 10, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Nature is a game by @dcrapuchettes.bsky.social where you evolve nature's most un-huntable critters... and the animals who hunt them. It is beautiful.
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/10/n...
#boardgames
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/10/n...
#boardgames
I wrote about the first trick-taking game I ever played, The Fox in the Forest. It remains one of my favorites, and one of the few I can still get to the table.
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/04/t...
#boardgames
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/04/t...
#boardgames
The Fox in the Forest Review: A Humble Start
The Fox in the Forest was my first ever trick-taking game. If my understanding of board game genealogy is correct, less trick-taking games were coming out in the year 2017. As a trick novice, I ten…
manaworm.com
November 4, 2025 at 4:05 PM
I wrote about the first trick-taking game I ever played, The Fox in the Forest. It remains one of my favorites, and one of the few I can still get to the table.
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/04/t...
#boardgames
my review: manaworm.com/2025/11/04/t...
#boardgames
My October plays. Got sort of addicted to Death May Die, but played a decent selection of other stuff too. What've you been playing? 🎲 #boardgames
November 1, 2025 at 9:22 PM
My October plays. Got sort of addicted to Death May Die, but played a decent selection of other stuff too. What've you been playing? 🎲 #boardgames
I play a lot of word games but Things in Rings stands out. There's a facilitator who gets to have a good time, a cooperative variant that's actually fun, and a frivolous understanding of labels ready to be undermined.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/28/t...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/28/t...
#boardgames
Things in Rings Review: Whorl Words
When a board gamer goes out of their way to describe a game as an “activity,” in my experience, they are saying the game is mostly bad. The points don’t matter or maybe the rules …
manaworm.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:38 PM
I play a lot of word games but Things in Rings stands out. There's a facilitator who gets to have a good time, a cooperative variant that's actually fun, and a frivolous understanding of labels ready to be undermined.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/28/t...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/28/t...
#boardgames
as a pacers fan, it feels like a cruel joke to have our first game without tyrese be clutch moment after clutch moment. gonna suck not seeing him out there all year. #nbasky
October 24, 2025 at 4:11 AM
as a pacers fan, it feels like a cruel joke to have our first game without tyrese be clutch moment after clutch moment. gonna suck not seeing him out there all year. #nbasky
Fear of the Unknown is the second standalone box in the Death May Die universe, designed by @ericlang.bsky.social, @robdaviau.bsky.social, and Marco Portugal. As the first "big" game I've really dove into, I didn't know what to expect.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/21/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/21/f...
#boardgames
Cthulu Death May Die Fear of the Unknown Review: Jumping Coffin
Until recently, I owned a single bookshelf that was host to my books, records, DVDs, and board games. I do not have a lot of space for big games with lots of components– so I don’t own …
manaworm.com
October 21, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Fear of the Unknown is the second standalone box in the Death May Die universe, designed by @ericlang.bsky.social, @robdaviau.bsky.social, and Marco Portugal. As the first "big" game I've really dove into, I didn't know what to expect.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/21/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/21/f...
#boardgames
@kennysun.com made one of the most criminally underrated rogue-lites ever in mr. sun's hatbox. ball x pit might be even better! so good
October 16, 2025 at 10:37 PM
@kennysun.com made one of the most criminally underrated rogue-lites ever in mr. sun's hatbox. ball x pit might be even better! so good
Flamecraft is an adorable game about building up a town square and getting heaps of points for doing so. I enjoy enchanting and making potions but I find myself asking, "Is competition really the driver of the dragon-latte industry?"
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/16/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/16/f...
#boardgames
Flamecraft Review: A Gentle Simmer
Flamecraft's world emanates a gentle warmth, provided primarily by Sandara Tang's watercolor illustrations. How can you resist little crystal dragons putting together a bracelet or purple potion dragons making latte art?
manaworm.com
October 16, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Flamecraft is an adorable game about building up a town square and getting heaps of points for doing so. I enjoy enchanting and making potions but I find myself asking, "Is competition really the driver of the dragon-latte industry?"
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/16/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/16/f...
#boardgames
Please Don't Burn My Village! is a neat 20 minute market speculation, push your luck game. There is a weird dragon whose face I don't like. But I do have some quite positive thoughts on the game.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/11/p...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/11/p...
#boardgames
Please Don’t Burn My Village! Review: Fiery Temperament
Oddly enough, I am reviewing a second game in the month of October whose name contains an exclamation point. In a related data point: I was, to this point, aware of less than five games whose names…
manaworm.com
October 11, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Please Don't Burn My Village! is a neat 20 minute market speculation, push your luck game. There is a weird dragon whose face I don't like. But I do have some quite positive thoughts on the game.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/11/p...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/11/p...
#boardgames
I love drafting games, but those games tend to be razor-sharp. Let's Go! To Japan offers a cozy alternative. It's a game for those who love reading Wikipedia articles and restaurant menus, basking in the anticipation of a well-planned trip.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/04/l...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/04/l...
#boardgames
Let’s Go! To Japan Review: A Cozy Week Away
Before I go someplace new, I revel in the opportunity to do some research. Reading blog posts from locals, restaurant reviews (and their menus), Wikipedia articles, rosters of local sports teams an…
manaworm.com
October 4, 2025 at 9:09 PM
I love drafting games, but those games tend to be razor-sharp. Let's Go! To Japan offers a cozy alternative. It's a game for those who love reading Wikipedia articles and restaurant menus, basking in the anticipation of a well-planned trip.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/04/l...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/10/04/l...
#boardgames
October 1, 2025 at 4:45 PM
FlipToons takes the formula of Luck Be a Landlord and shrinks it down into a 20 minute small box card game. A great deckbuilding 101 style game, with a pretty good solo mode, too.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/27/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/27/f...
#boardgames
FlipToons Review: Luck Be a Ladybug
Like designers Jordy Adan and Renato Simões Silva, I was very intrigued by the video game Luck Be a Landlord. In that game, the player builds up a tiny slot machine to pay off the titular landlord.…
manaworm.com
September 28, 2025 at 1:50 AM
FlipToons takes the formula of Luck Be a Landlord and shrinks it down into a 20 minute small box card game. A great deckbuilding 101 style game, with a pretty good solo mode, too.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/27/f...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/27/f...
#boardgames
shocking: local man finally tries out slay the spire board game and it's... really good. people really weren't kidding about how well it's adapted, huh
September 26, 2025 at 3:43 AM
shocking: local man finally tries out slay the spire board game and it's... really good. people really weren't kidding about how well it's adapted, huh
In Duel for Cardia, tactical losses compound to gradual wins. It is a clever treat, albeit one that may have trouble standing out.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/23/d...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/23/d...
#boardgames
Duel for Cardia Review: Seven Signets
The name “Duel for Cardia” did not instill confidence in me. Worse yet was my little brother, for whom the invocation of “Cardia” was less a tongue-in-cheek reference to, yo…
manaworm.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:22 AM
In Duel for Cardia, tactical losses compound to gradual wins. It is a clever treat, albeit one that may have trouble standing out.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/23/d...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/09/23/d...
#boardgames
With the second printing and retail release of Leviathan Wilds, I finally got a chance to claw my way up the side of all these behemoths. Here's my review, an ode to these sick leviathans and the heights they reach:
manaworm.com/2025/09/18/l...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/09/18/l...
#boardgames
Leviathan Wilds Review: Once More Unto the Beast
You can’t deny the inherent drama of The Climb. Starting low, looking up at the insurmountable; lodging an ice pick here, leaping there; finally reaching the precipice of what was always seem…
manaworm.com
September 18, 2025 at 6:08 PM
With the second printing and retail release of Leviathan Wilds, I finally got a chance to claw my way up the side of all these behemoths. Here's my review, an ode to these sick leviathans and the heights they reach:
manaworm.com/2025/09/18/l...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/09/18/l...
#boardgames
Sky Team is one of the easiest two player games to recommend to just about anyone. I wrote about how good it is, even if the theme of two pilots who can't communicate is a little... strange.
manaworm.com/2025/09/12/s...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/09/12/s...
#boardgames
Sky Team Review: Don’t Talk to Me Until I’ve Had My Morning Cup of Crashing the Airplane
Much has been written about the precarity of Sky Team’s airplane. This is a plane that, if the intern-on-board hasn’t done sufficient grunt work, will disintegrate upon touching the tar…
manaworm.com
September 12, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Sky Team is one of the easiest two player games to recommend to just about anyone. I wrote about how good it is, even if the theme of two pilots who can't communicate is a little... strange.
manaworm.com/2025/09/12/s...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/09/12/s...
#boardgames
the running joke in my family is that I always *always* get a rule wrong that makes the cooperative game we are learning way harder to win.
i just saw someone explain the rules to the lord of the rings trick taking game and realized i did it again.
#boardgames
i just saw someone explain the rules to the lord of the rings trick taking game and realized i did it again.
#boardgames
September 11, 2025 at 4:03 AM
the running joke in my family is that I always *always* get a rule wrong that makes the cooperative game we are learning way harder to win.
i just saw someone explain the rules to the lord of the rings trick taking game and realized i did it again.
#boardgames
i just saw someone explain the rules to the lord of the rings trick taking game and realized i did it again.
#boardgames
I wrote about Blade Runner-inspired roleplaying board game Inhuman Conditions. It's about, among other things, Being A Normal Chill Guy.
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/09/05/i...
#boardgames #ttrpg
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/09/05/i...
#boardgames #ttrpg
Inhuman Conditions Review: Act Normal
I’m intimidated by writing about RPGs. I have a deep-seated belief that everyone is playing every game so completely differently that valuable insight is hard to come by. The characters we in…
manaworm.com
September 5, 2025 at 10:45 PM
I wrote about Blade Runner-inspired roleplaying board game Inhuman Conditions. It's about, among other things, Being A Normal Chill Guy.
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/09/05/i...
#boardgames #ttrpg
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/09/05/i...
#boardgames #ttrpg
September 2, 2025 at 11:22 PM
I love @dom2d.bsky.social's art, deduction, and not blowing up. A lot of people seem to agree.
My review of Bomb Busters:
manaworm.com/2025/09/01/b...
#boardgames
My review of Bomb Busters:
manaworm.com/2025/09/01/b...
#boardgames
Bomb Busters Review: Duct Tape Defusal
All good cooperative games should strive to be a heist movie. Not that they should be about stealing from some vault– though at least a couple are– I mean the opportunities for people t…
manaworm.com
September 1, 2025 at 7:25 PM
I love @dom2d.bsky.social's art, deduction, and not blowing up. A lot of people seem to agree.
My review of Bomb Busters:
manaworm.com/2025/09/01/b...
#boardgames
My review of Bomb Busters:
manaworm.com/2025/09/01/b...
#boardgames
I wrote about Alibis, a new game by Allplay about exonerating villains with one-word clues. If you want a new Codenames-adjacent game, you should give this one a try.
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/08/25/a...
#boardgames
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/08/25/a...
#boardgames
Alibis Review: Your Honor, My Client Should Be Hooping
For my family, party games hit the table frequently. When I can wrangle together a group of my siblings, it is almost guaranteed that someone at the table will cap the type of game we play to somet…
manaworm.com
August 25, 2025 at 11:03 PM
I wrote about Alibis, a new game by Allplay about exonerating villains with one-word clues. If you want a new Codenames-adjacent game, you should give this one a try.
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/08/25/a...
#boardgames
My review:
manaworm.com/2025/08/25/a...
#boardgames
Kinfire Delve is a very cool take on the "one deck dungeon" style of smooshing a dungeon crawl into a tiny box.
There's a lot of offerings in the Kinfire universe but for 20 dollars, this seemed like a good place to start. My review of Callous' Lab:
manaworm.com/2025/08/19/k...
#boardgames
There's a lot of offerings in the Kinfire universe but for 20 dollars, this seemed like a good place to start. My review of Callous' Lab:
manaworm.com/2025/08/19/k...
#boardgames
Kinfire Delve Callous’ Lab Review: Well Kept
In Kinfire Delve: Callous’ Lab, I’ve been beset on all sides by half-finished science experiments called husks. I’ve been befuddled by a sapience test when a guardian stumbled upo…
manaworm.com
August 19, 2025 at 11:32 PM
Kinfire Delve is a very cool take on the "one deck dungeon" style of smooshing a dungeon crawl into a tiny box.
There's a lot of offerings in the Kinfire universe but for 20 dollars, this seemed like a good place to start. My review of Callous' Lab:
manaworm.com/2025/08/19/k...
#boardgames
There's a lot of offerings in the Kinfire universe but for 20 dollars, this seemed like a good place to start. My review of Callous' Lab:
manaworm.com/2025/08/19/k...
#boardgames
Ahead of the new Extra Pepper expansion, I reviewed Sea Salt & Paper. It's a game that allows you to be very annoying to your partner by taking all the stuff they discard and some cards from their hand, too.
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/08/14/s...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/08/14/s...
Sea Salt & Paper Review: Two Crabs Folding
I used to keep some origami cranes in my wallet. Someone had made them from post it notes. They lived condensed back behind the dollar bills and so I’d sometimes accidentally drop one when I …
manaworm.com
August 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Ahead of the new Extra Pepper expansion, I reviewed Sea Salt & Paper. It's a game that allows you to be very annoying to your partner by taking all the stuff they discard and some cards from their hand, too.
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/08/14/s...
#boardgames
manaworm.com/2025/08/14/s...
New review! I wrote about Santorini: Second Edition, how intimidating 1v1 abstracts can be, and an abundance of plastic. It's a good game, too.
#boardgames
#boardgames
Santorini Second Edition Review: Chibi Showdown
If you need a little extra push to get into abstracts, I get it. I am happy to move chunky pieces around a grid and score for doing so. However, I would be happier if I was instead a druid or a til…
manaworm.com
August 11, 2025 at 8:10 PM
New review! I wrote about Santorini: Second Edition, how intimidating 1v1 abstracts can be, and an abundance of plastic. It's a good game, too.
#boardgames
#boardgames