rid
@manaworm.com
he/him.
writing about tabletop games @ manaworm.com
writing about tabletop games @ manaworm.com
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rid
@manaworm.com
· 6d
A Gentle Rain Review: Water Memory
★★★★☆ — Kevin Wilson’s A Gentle Rain is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with an infinite number of subjective solutions. When I play, I imagine each blossom is an interlocking mec…
manaworm.com
I wrote a short lil review of my second @kevinwilson42.bsky.social game, a Gentle Rain. It got me thinking about the things I enjoy in tabletop games (and ambient music.)
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
been playing a lot of tetris ds
good game. i'm terrible at tetris though.
good game. i'm terrible at tetris though.
December 14, 2025 at 5:44 AM
been playing a lot of tetris ds
good game. i'm terrible at tetris though.
good game. i'm terrible at tetris though.
i know there's probably no easy solution, but i hope the nba can get rid of the fouling up 3 next year. it's not a fun watch.
December 14, 2025 at 5:25 AM
i know there's probably no easy solution, but i hope the nba can get rid of the fouling up 3 next year. it's not a fun watch.
i fell asleep to northernlion binding of Isaac videos for like two years straight (a couple years ago) and i still haven't found a suitable replacement since
December 11, 2025 at 4:34 AM
i fell asleep to northernlion binding of Isaac videos for like two years straight (a couple years ago) and i still haven't found a suitable replacement since
I wrote a short lil review of my second @kevinwilson42.bsky.social game, a Gentle Rain. It got me thinking about the things I enjoy in tabletop games (and ambient music.)
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
A Gentle Rain Review: Water Memory
★★★★☆ — Kevin Wilson’s A Gentle Rain is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle with an infinite number of subjective solutions. When I play, I imagine each blossom is an interlocking mec…
manaworm.com
December 9, 2025 at 7:55 PM
I wrote a short lil review of my second @kevinwilson42.bsky.social game, a Gentle Rain. It got me thinking about the things I enjoy in tabletop games (and ambient music.)
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/09/a...
#boardgames
this video got me to back 52 duels. i love matthew dunstan's work, and "dice throne but poker" as a pitch sold me
Today's video is all about the design of 52 Duels, the latest release from @postmarkgames.bsky.social (on KS until the end of this week!). In it, I explore how important good ideas are for game design, and surprising emergent gameplay that can come from simple rules.
🎲✂️
youtu.be/eOZKyLxdRBA
🎲✂️
youtu.be/eOZKyLxdRBA
The importance of a good idea: the design of 52 Duels
YouTube video by Matthew Dunstan
youtu.be
December 8, 2025 at 9:13 PM
this video got me to back 52 duels. i love matthew dunstan's work, and "dice throne but poker" as a pitch sold me
some good stuff hit the table in november
December 4, 2025 at 12:34 AM
some good stuff hit the table in november
Over the holiday, I replayed one of my all-time favorites, Bullet♥︎ . I figured it'd be fun to self-indulgently write a sweet little review. Bullet♥︎is so confident and sure of itself, it's hard not to love.
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/03/b...
#boardgames
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/03/b...
#boardgames
Bullet Heart Review: Extradimensional Lead Storms
★★★★ — Level 99 Games beamed Bullet♥︎ into this universe from an alternate one where its diverse cast was already beloved in profile pictures and fan forums. In our world, Bullet♥︎ is not emu…
manaworm.com
December 3, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Over the holiday, I replayed one of my all-time favorites, Bullet♥︎ . I figured it'd be fun to self-indulgently write a sweet little review. Bullet♥︎is so confident and sure of itself, it's hard not to love.
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/03/b...
#boardgames
Read here: manaworm.com/2025/12/03/b...
#boardgames
played some mtg, bomb busters, and cascadia (pictured) tonight. coupla good games #boardgames
December 1, 2025 at 2:35 AM
played some mtg, bomb busters, and cascadia (pictured) tonight. coupla good games #boardgames
supported my flgs today (bought a board game)
November 29, 2025 at 5:20 AM
supported my flgs today (bought a board game)
accidentally joined a tournament on board game arena that involves playing in 11 games async at once... just clicking buttons at this point
November 27, 2025 at 2:19 AM
accidentally joined a tournament on board game arena that involves playing in 11 games async at once... just clicking buttons at this point
In Tinderblox, you make a little campfire with tweezers and tiny wood blocks. It is adorable. Recently, when I have ten minutes before a bigger game or just want to play something small with family, it has been great.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/11/26/t...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/11/26/t...
#boardgames
Tinderblox Review: Little Inferno
★★★☆ — Piece by piece, you’re building this fire– not just the logs, but also the blocky fire and the blocky embers, too. Eventually, you’ve cobbled together malformed pixel…
manaworm.com
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 PM
In Tinderblox, you make a little campfire with tweezers and tiny wood blocks. It is adorable. Recently, when I have ten minutes before a bigger game or just want to play something small with family, it has been great.
My review: manaworm.com/2025/11/26/t...
#boardgames
My review: manaworm.com/2025/11/26/t...
#boardgames
got some good games in today: a couple more plays of tinderblox, a few rounds of bullet ❤️, and even a victory in cthulhu death may die (only one episode away from finishing season 3!)
November 24, 2025 at 3:34 AM
got some good games in today: a couple more plays of tinderblox, a few rounds of bullet ❤️, and even a victory in cthulhu death may die (only one episode away from finishing season 3!)
My latest is a review of Landmarks, a sometimes-frustrating but often-good party game about navigating a cursed island via word association.
Check it out here: manaworm.com/2025/11/22/l...
#boardgames @floodgategames.bsky.social
Check it out here: manaworm.com/2025/11/22/l...
#boardgames @floodgategames.bsky.social
Landmarks Review: Unclear Signage
★★☆☆ — It is their job to lead their team, the metaphorical horse, to water. In Landmarks, as in life, it is not possible to make them drink, nor keep the water jug intact.
manaworm.com
November 22, 2025 at 10:59 PM
My latest is a review of Landmarks, a sometimes-frustrating but often-good party game about navigating a cursed island via word association.
Check it out here: manaworm.com/2025/11/22/l...
#boardgames @floodgategames.bsky.social
Check it out here: manaworm.com/2025/11/22/l...
#boardgames @floodgategames.bsky.social
November 22, 2025 at 12:14 AM
i wish my basketball team wasn't losing every single game. alas
November 19, 2025 at 2:03 AM
i wish my basketball team wasn't losing every single game. alas
tried @playrelichunters.bsky.social on a whim and i've been really enjoying it. such a wholesome, well-written game. gameplay is killer too.
this year has quietly been pretty good for my video gaming, even as i feel i've been playing less.
this year has quietly been pretty good for my video gaming, even as i feel i've been playing less.
November 17, 2025 at 6:21 AM
tried @playrelichunters.bsky.social on a whim and i've been really enjoying it. such a wholesome, well-written game. gameplay is killer too.
this year has quietly been pretty good for my video gaming, even as i feel i've been playing less.
this year has quietly been pretty good for my video gaming, even as i feel i've been playing less.
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