Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
From designer Edmund McMillen, twist, turn and trap your oppenents in this game of intestinal tension! In Tapeworm, players race to be the first to get rid of all of their cards by connecting and growing the wriggling masses of different colored worm bodies.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Chaining
Link actions or effects so one result enables the next part of a sequence.
Hand Management
Time and sequence a limited hand of cards to preserve future options.
Pattern Building
Place elements to create arrangements that satisfy scoring or action patterns.
Action/Event
Cards can provide player actions, trigger events, or force a choice between them.
Matching
Pair items with corresponding symbols, properties, or categories.
Read the full game description
From designer Edmund McMillen, twist, turn and trap your oppenents in this game of intestinal tension! In Tapeworm, players race to be the first to get rid of all of their cards by connecting and growing the wriggling masses of different colored worm bodies. Gameplay is simple but strategic. A player's turn includes the drawing and laying down of matching color segments, which continues until a head is attached or you run out of that color card. Whichever player ends up with an empty hand first wins the game. There are special mechanics to propel a player forward, as well as cards intended to hinder the efforts of their opponents. These cards include: Cut, to sever a worm segment at play; Peek, to draw a card and replace it with another card from a hand; Hatch, to force an opponent to draw from the deck; Swap, to look at an opponent's hand and decide if cards should be traded; Dig, to draw a card from the deck and discard one from a hand. An astoundingly easy-to-learn game of card management for the whole family that is sure to leave you holding your sides... with laughter!