Twisted Rods

Learn About the Game Twisted Rods

I’ve spent more evenings than I’d care to admit hunched over the board in Twisted Rods, trying to outmaneuver my opponent by laying down rods that form a perfect loop. There’s something oddly satisfying about that click when a rod snaps into place and suddenly you see that you’ve hemmed in a cluster of open spaces. Once you complete a loop, you get to sweep up every empty edge inside it, which feels like a small victory lap—plus, you earn another turn, so you’re rewarded for drawing clever shapes.

What keeps it interesting is the constant tug-of-war over space. You’re not just building; you’re also blocking the other player from pulling off their own loops. Sometimes you’ll make a move that doesn’t net you an immediate loop but sets up a threatening shape down the line. Every rod you place alters the geometry of the board, and suddenly a quartet of spaces that looked harmless becomes the perfect trap.

I remember one marathon session with a friend where we both saw the same opportunity: a big loop that would have swallowed half the board. We danced around it for ages, placing rods on the outer edges, trying to bluff each other out. Eventually, I hesitated for just a moment too long, and my friend pounced, sealing the rest of the board before I could blink. It was crushing at the time, but it taught me how a single misstep in Twisted Rods can cascade into a total loss.

What I love most is how deceptively simple it is to learn but how fiendishly tricky it gets once you’re neck-and-neck. Whether you’re going for a quick skirmish or duking it out over several rounds, that final tally of claimed rods never fails to give you chills—especially if it comes down to a single rod. That nail-biting finish is why I keep coming back to this twisted little gem.