iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

A surprisingly low amount of Knizia this month. But I got in Whale Riders The Card Game (first published as Trend). Bear Mountain Camping Adventure was interesting: a deck builder that's mostly about getting cards to get resources.

An Infographic showing games played in the month of September.
Dominion, 7 Wonders, Got Five, 3 Chapters, Bear Mountain Camping Adventure, Elysium, Paperback, The Ticket Booth, Whale Riders The Card Game.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A bit more on "Witchstone" from Reiner Knizia and Martino Chiacchiera. It has a BIG board where you're placing witches for area control, another section where you're moving around gathering bonuses or points. The central mechanism is Ingenious(the Knizia design) matching symbols for actions.

A classroom board with a bunch of tiles placed, the tiles all have different symbols like gems and magic pathways. There are also some plastic gems. At the top of the picture are green "magic pathway" pieces.

Player screen, End Game Scoring cards and playing pieces. On the player screen is a map of the Crystal Ball in the middle of the main board showing the different types of spaces(red, blue, orange, green and tower).

The main board with the Crystal Ball in the center. Near the bottom of the picture are the "Scroll Cards” at the top there's a "Shelves" section where players place gems when they come off the player board. Also at the top is a Pentagram. On the left side is the Want.
On the Crystal Ball there are many Magic Pathway pieces linking locations. There are also several witches on the Crystal Ball spaces.
No, you're right, it's a lot.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

August Game Plays Frenzy Falls was... Way faster than I expected. I really enjoyed Gold Country and LOVED Hanami. Witchstone was good, but really hard to teach, lots of things to introduce at the start before anyone knows what's going on. Diamonds is a classic, and so is Alhambra.

Game Boxes for Alhambra, Diamonds, Frenzy Falls, Gold Country, Hanami and Witchstone.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

I might forget to post my plays, but I've been active. I enjoyed dnup, but Scout still shines. Propolis is a great design, I was surprised by how much game was in such a small box.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

The most recent #GameNight had us playing Incan Gold, DNUP, Startups and (not pictured) Cockroach Poker. The pictured Temple for Incan Gold was what ONE player had access to after the rest of us all tried to grab the Unique Treasure at the same time. He easily won. He got 70 points, we got 5.

A run of cards from Incan Gold there's a 17 Treasure card, followed by a Fire Danger, 7 Treasure, 5 Treasure, and a Unique Treasure worth 5 points. These were shared by 5 players, 4 of whom all tried to get the Unique Treasure and banked 5 points each. The remaining player got the following cards on their own: 13 T(reasure), 14 T, 1 T, 15 T, 11 T and 11 T. Not seen: the next card was a Rocks Fall Danger, at which point the player Went Back To Camp and banked...70 points! And that 5 Point Unique Treasure.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

My #BoardGame plays for June. Really loved Mille Fiori, Lord of things to think about. Always good to play 6Nimit.

BG Stats Jun 2026

Plays: 12
H-index: 2
Games: 10
New: 3
Players: 9
Locations: 0

Escalation!: 2
Mind Up!: 2
6 nimmt!: 1
Above and Below: 1
dnup: 1
The Isle of Cats: 1
Mille Fiori: 1
Railroad Tiles: 1
Soda Smugglers: 1

9 designers:
Reiner Knizia: 30%
Dave Chalker: 10%
Frank West: 10%
Hjalmar Hach: 10%
Kei Kajino (梶野桂): 10%.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

In May I made sure to make up for the lack of Knizia games in April. I really liked Avante Card, interesting take on a Deck Building Game and great production. I played Blue Moon City to prepare for Discworld: Readers Digested. Art Robbery remains a favorite recent find, quick and fun to lose.

Board Game Covers for several games played in the month of May.
Art Robbery has a thief stalking a painting. Avant Carde had Avant Garde art. Blue Moon City has a shot of a large fantasy city. Foodie Forest has a raccoon making a stew. Istanbul has a merchant in the alleyways of Constantinople. Kariba is a multicolor striped background with an elephant. Keyflower is a big boat sitting in a harbor.
There are also stats showing that 53% of the games were from designer Reiner Knizia. All other designer starts are single digit %s.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

It turns out both @tmbg.bsky.social and The Sacramento Public Library want me to Meet James Ensor

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 17/05/2026

If you lost a puzzle piece to a Pokemon puzzle I left it where I found it in the park at the Auburn Overlook. I think it's Pokemon. It looks kind of like Pikachu. Or maybe a Lego man. What's important is they're yellow and waiting for you.

A hand holding a pen and a puzzle piece.
The puzzle is mostly yellow with some black for an eye and a smiling face. The lower left corner has a bit of red.

The ground.
With a puzzle piece.
View is roughly 5 1/2 feet off the ground.
The puzzle piece is very small, but fairly well centered.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

With the last Tuesday now pay here is my April Board Game Night stats block. We replayed a lot of things this month, and I didn't get a single Knizia in! New to me was "Got Five!", which is a very fun deduction game that moves fast, even if I'm still pretty bad at it and Excalibur really good game.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

I was on Instagram and got a very strange algorithmic suggestion.

9 pictures in a collage.
7 of them are the same picture, with 6 unique showing 1-6/40. The picture is a cartoon rooster that's also a priest with the same caption, partially cut off saying "I'm going to let God fix it because of I fix it..." The rest of the phrase being cut off by Instagram. There's also a picture of a pillow of a pillow with a screaming goat, and a picture of a large bottle of joints of marijuana (?).

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

In the past few weeks we've played the following at Game Night: Charioteer, For Sale, Cascadero, and Scholars Of The South Tigris. For Sale is a classic, Cascadero is a very fun Knizia design, Charioteer is something our whole group enjoys, Scholars was difficult to learn.

Charioteer: a chariot race is in progress. Near the viewer are the blue and green horses and at the other end of the track are all the other players.
This is not because of how far ahead blue and green are.
On the track there are cards and a die. Off to the side there's a light blue player board showing the progress of some colorful pegs.

A three player game of For Sale. There's a deck of cards with a green backing.
There are three cards on a red playmat showing different houses.

A three player game of Cascadero.
The board is filled with player tokens that look like guys on horseback.
There's also a track to the right that has tokens going up a few tracks.
Honestly, it's very busy and a little confusing.

A four player game of Scholars Of The South Tigris.
There's A LOT going on.
At the top of the board(the left of the picture) there's a line of cards representing people that can be hired.
At the bottom of the picture there's a track with cards filling the center. Then near the middle of the picture there are 6 separate columns for 6 different colors, showing several special abilities players can earn.
At the top of the picture are three silo shaped buildings that have cards.
It's a very full board, lots to look at, lots to try and understand.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

I got an ad for a Price Is Right game with @drewfromtv.bsky.social being played by comedian Kristen Key.

Drew Carey holds a guitar.
... Wait, no that's Kristen Key.
She has close cropped blonde hair. Almost like a military buzz cut. And thick black glasses.

A cartoon drawing of Drew Carey.
He has close cropped blonde hair, almost like a military buzz cut. And thick black glasses.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

4 years ago I saw a perfect car modification. No notes.

A red car with an angry face painted on the side and a sharkfin on top

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

This comes up in my Memories each year and I hope that someone out there made these They Might Be Giants Action Figures. @tmbg.bsky.social

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

If I saw "Children Love The Red Hot Swamp Goo” in a @heathcliffthecat.bsky.social comic I'd think it was a flight if fancy, like The Meat Tank. But somehow it's real.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 05/10/2025

For reasons unclear to me this fundraiser for an antique firetruck has given Every Attendant a bag with 6 plastic Jagermeister wristbands and one cloth rainbow Jagermeister wrist warmer.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 15/09/2025

Can someone come get Amazon? They're drunk and telling people that “Murder On The Orient Express” is a comedy.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

Non-traditonal Polyominos: NMBR9 The pieces start sorted in the box. No player board set up. Shuffle cards and you're ready to go.

Box for NMBR9 game with all the pieces sorted into their spaces.
The pieces are shaped to look like numbers.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

What's that at Walmart? Pickled Rope Bologna? What it called that? Oh, ew. That's not MY Bologna.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 26/08/2025

The @alyankovic.bsky.social show was great. This is what you call Foreshadowing.

A janitor mood the stage during "Smells Like Nirvana".
Nearby is a tuba.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

Saw this at the Dollar Tree and immediately thought "🎵it scares like the real thing🎵 🎵But if it were the real thing🎵 🎵 It would scare me more!🎵"

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Got my Kickstarter for #BareBonesCardGame from West Coast Bias Games today. Really excited to try it out next week at Game Night. Thanks to @tableflipsyou.bsky.social for bringing it to my attention.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

I was playing @coromonthegame.bsky.social earlier and found a Farmer named Al who comes off a little...Weird, has a wife named Suzanne. And their dialogue is the Sparks Notes version of Amish Paradise. And this made me so happy. Just, the best kind of Easter Egg.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

A.I. Bullshit out here asking the Real Questions. Is Superman a Superhero?

Thumbnail for a video from Red Letter Media talking about Superman.
Underneath are a bunch of A.I. Generated links including the question: "Is Superman a Superhero?"

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 10/07/2025

I didn't know if it's because of my new phone, or if my cat is just super photogenic, but look at her!

A Black and White photo of a Grey Cat who is looking directly at the camera.
Her name is Ashley, which is long for Ash, because she was named for the Ashfall in Mistborn: The Final Empire.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

I'm always a single sentence away from quoting "The Men Without Hats Conversation Channel" but never more than the day we bought this for our back steps. #ConanObrien @brianstack153.bsky.social

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 25/05/2025

Haters will say there was a glitch in the clock. The game is Stars from inkwellgames.com

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Everybody Shut Up! I just learned that I share a birthday with none other than Dr. Worm. @tmbg.bsky.social

Text stating that Ole Worm, a Danish physician was born in Aarhus, Denmark-norway was born in 1588.
It does not state that he's not a real doctor, but he is a real worm, an actual worm, who likes to play the drums.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

Cat Lady Premium Edition

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

I was at Board Game Night and looked up at the TV and said "Constable Jonstable?!?" And on the night before Wet Day! (Please ignore the spelling and pronunciation of this name) @mrkristianbruun.bsky.social @cbbworld.bsky.social

Picture of a basketball player named Christian Braun, which is almost the same as the name of actor Kristian Bruun, known for his roles on Orphan Black and as Constable Jonstable a character that totally has that name, just like how Ben Schwartz was on "House Of Pies".
I'd explain further, but maybe you should just listen to all ten years of Comedy Bang Bang The Podcast, it'll be faster.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

He never gets in the tower and he was looking so cute.

A light orange cat looks out from the second floor of a short cat tower.
He's almost the same color as the tower.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

You mean to tell me a monkey, sorry, The Monkey directed Longlegs? Is this the same one that wrote Hamlet?

Screenshot of an article headline that says "New horror movie from Longlegs director The Monkey..." all other text is immaterial to the joke.
There's a picture of a scary windup monkey toy.
This may or may not be the director of Longlegs, the headline is a little unclear if this monkey or another monkey directed the movie.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Happy Valentine's to @scottaukerman.bsky.social , Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber @pftompkins.bsky.social and that scamp Fourval @bibbymoynihan.bsky.social If only we could remember what it stood for

A green candy heart for Valentine's Day
Printed on the candy is the pneumonic phrase K.N.I.F.E.G.R.A.B.
K-Kid, he's a kid.
N-Naughty, he's a naughty kid
I- I, I am going to grab a knife
F- Friend, he is not our friend
E-Education, every child should have an education(it also stands for "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge")
G- Gadzooks! I'm terrified of this little cold who is going to stab me with a knife. I must wrest the knife away from his control and therefore gain the upper hand.
R- Really! Funny you think it's time you grab the knife?
A-A shame it would be were this little boy to grab the knife first and stab us.
B- Boy.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

This is a picture of a white T-shirt with a block of text in white on a white background. I did not set the text, T-shirt, or font color, this is the default.

The torso of a man wearing a white T-shirt.
On the shirt there is a block of text in white letters on a white background.
You can not read what is written on the shirt.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

I've played this game, I like this game, but the slogan is false advertising as there is no appearance by Triumph The Insult Comic Dog anywhere. @triumphicdhq.bsky.social

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

We played Three Reiner Knizia games last night and my phone only saved one. Here's Tutankhamun with 6 players. We also played Soda Smugglers with 5 players and Babylonia with 4.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 10/01/2025

Unlike you I get my news from a reliable source.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 07/01/2025

Well that's just rude. I'm very happy for them personally.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 29/12/2024

My Four Most Photographed Faces from Google Photos, 3 of my 4 cats and one of the neighborhood cats. My 4th cat will not be happy when he finds out.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 26/12/2024

Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas and a Cheerful Metallica to all who celebrate

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

It sounds like the Frasier reboot is going to go in a really weird new direction.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

A year ago I thought of this joke and felt it sounded like a joke by @colinmochrie.bsky.social

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 25/11/2024

It's been a couple months again, so I should probably post some of my recent Board Game Night games that have been played.

The modular board for Blue Moon City. Most of the buildings have been completed. There are three dragons just south of the Obelisk time. The Obelisk board to the right of the board shows Grey and White have made two contributions while Purple and Blue have made one contribution each.

A nearly complete board for Lucky Numbers.
Clovers of multiple colors with numbers from 1-20 are placed on the board ascending left to right and top to bottom.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 30/10/2024

This is the only media I trust.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 17/09/2024

Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #118,655! (Apparently)

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 16/09/2024

Some recent and upcoming games from the last couple months of Board Game Night.

Quadropolis box cover. People looking kind of smug while buildings are being constructed in the background.

Wandering Towers box cover. A wizard is in the foreground casting a spell to move a tower. There's wildlife (a moose, a fox, and an owl?) running from the moving tower.

Navegador box cover.
A man looks gloomily at a map. He's probably thinking he shouldn't have sacrificed a ship so early on in the game.
In the background there are some ships and bits of a map.

The Quest For El Dorado box cover.
Explorers stand in ruins. One is holding a golden idol. One is looking at some marks on the ground. Two are looking towards the horizon where there's a giant city made of gold.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 23/08/2024

They're also hiding the fact that this is only Part 1. Which is absolutely wild to me. Both the fact that they split the production in half and that they aren't saying that it's only the first half in any advertising.

Quote from an article about the upcoming movie adaptation of the musical 'Wicked':
"Wicked will only cover the first half of the story. A sequel, Wicked Past Two, will hit theaters one year later, currently set to premiere on November 26, 2025.

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Mike A. @maick.bsky.social · 21/08/2024

The monkey's paw curls and I feel a cup down my spine. There will be a second season of #TheAccolyte but at what cost?

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