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V4 wide feature row
V4 archetype-fit rows
W
1994 · 3-5 players · 20min · weight 1.09 · 1,086 ratings
no digital port yet
BGGEnrichedDeep analysis5Sources3RulesPickDeep dive
Rating
5.62
Users rated
1,086
Owned
1,767
Wishing
101
At a glance
What playing it feels like, broken down.
Core loop
Secretly choose a movement value on your die; if unique, move your worm that many steps by shifting disc segments head-to-front.
What it gives you
How strongly each kind of experience comes through (0–3)
Sensation
1
Fantasy
0
Narrative
0
Challenge
2
Fellowship
2
Discovery
0
Expression
1
Submission
2
How it works (3 mechanics)
- [3]simultaneous_action_selection— “all players secretly choosing on their dice the amount that they want to move... simultaneously revealed, all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement”
- [3]_other:collision_cancels_move— “all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement for that turn”
- [2]action_blocking— “sometimes curving a bit in an attempt to cut off other worms' movement”
Under-the-radar score: 0.22
Archetype fits
How well this game shape maps to mobile archetype templates. Composite is a weighted sum of the 10 fit dimensions.
| Archetype | Composite | LTF | Session | Combo | Arc | Share | 5in | Onboard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snap Simultaneous_action_selection (strength 3) and collision_cancels_move are the strongest bluff-info primitives in the corpus — every turn is a mini-game of predicting opponent die choices, directly analogous to Snap's hidden card-play reveal. Session at 5-10min fits. Loss is Open (Race mechanism), cap 5. | 5.70 | 5.0 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| Wordle At 5-10min with trivial onboarding the session time fits, but there's no natural puzzle-of-the-day structure or emoji-grid output. The race outcome could be represented as a speed-sequence emoji string, but this requires design work not present in the original. | 5.50 | 8.0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 10 |
| Balatro Simultaneous_action_selection + collision_cancels_move create a pure guessing/bluffing loop with no combo engine — combo_scaling_depth is 1 (linear movement, no multiplicative payoffs). The balatro archetype requires deck-building momentum that Worm Up! completely lacks. | 4.80 | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 9 |
| Coop Worm Up! is a direct-competition race with zero cooperative mechanics — no shared fail-state, no communication constraints. The simultaneous_action_selection is purely competitive. Coop fit is effectively zero; the collision mechanic is designed to impede rivals, not coordinate with allies. | 4.80 | 7.0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 10 |
| Cozy Cozy tier: Hard — action_blocking (strength 2) and direct collision cancellation make losing your move feel like direct opponent interference. No Tug of War BGG tag but the collision_cancels_move primitive is functionally anti-cozy. Capped at 3. The colorful cartoon aesthetic is tonally cozy but the collision punishment is not. | 4.70 | 3.0 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 10 |
Raw extraction payloads
The JSON rows behind this page, before analysis turns them into candidate ranking signals.
V4 wide feature rowgame_llm_features_v4.raw_json · v4-wide · vocab v1 · 2026-05-03
{
"bgg_id": 404,
"name": "Worm Up!",
"core_loop_micro": "Secretly choose a movement value on your die; if unique, move your worm that many steps by shifting disc segments head-to-front.",
"mda_aesthetic_vector": {
"Sensation": 1,
"Fantasy": 0,
"Narrative": 0,
"Challenge": 2,
"Fellowship": 2,
"Discovery": 0,
"Expression": 1,
"Submission": 2
},
"mech_interaction_primitives": [
{
"primitive": "simultaneous_action_selection",
"strength_0_3": 3,
"evidence_quote": "all players secretly choosing on their dice the amount that they want to move... simultaneously revealed, all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement"
},
{
"primitive": "_other:collision_cancels_move",
"strength_0_3": 3,
"evidence_quote": "all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement for that turn"
},
{
"primitive": "action_blocking",
"strength_0_3": 2,
"evidence_quote": "sometimes curving a bit in an attempt to cut off other worms' movement"
}
],
"session_length_tolerance_min": 5,
"content_extensibility_score": 1,
"confidence": 0.6
}V4 archetype-fit rowsgame_llm_archetype_fit_v4.raw_json · 5 archetypes
[
{
"archetype_id": "snap",
"raw_json": {
"archetype_id": "snap",
"session_length_fit": 8,
"combo_scaling_depth": 2,
"arc_tightness": 6,
"bluff_info_asymmetry": 8,
"content_extensibility_fit": 2,
"solo_decision_density": 5,
"share_emoji_output": 4,
"loss_tolerance_fit": 5,
"visual_legibility_5in_fit": 7,
"onboarding_cliff_fit": 10,
"archetype_fit_rationale": "Simultaneous_action_selection (strength 3) and collision_cancels_move are the strongest bluff-info primitives in the corpus — every turn is a mini-game of predicting opponent die choices, directly analogous to Snap's hidden card-play reveal. Session at 5-10min fits. Loss is Open (Race mechanism), cap 5.",
"mda_survival": {
"Sensation": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
},
"Fantasy": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Narrative": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Challenge": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
},
"Fellowship": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Discovery": {
"verdict": "conditional",
"condition": "collision patterns must generate emergent strategic variety"
},
"Expression": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
},
"Submission": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
}
}
}
},
{
"archetype_id": "wordle",
"raw_json": {
"archetype_id": "wordle",
"session_length_fit": 7,
"combo_scaling_depth": 1,
"arc_tightness": 5,
"bluff_info_asymmetry": 3,
"content_extensibility_fit": 3,
"solo_decision_density": 4,
"share_emoji_output": 5,
"loss_tolerance_fit": 8,
"visual_legibility_5in_fit": 9,
"onboarding_cliff_fit": 10,
"archetype_fit_rationale": "At 5-10min with trivial onboarding the session time fits, but there's no natural puzzle-of-the-day structure or emoji-grid output. The race outcome could be represented as a speed-sequence emoji string, but this requires design work not present in the original.",
"mda_survival": {
"Sensation": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
},
"Fantasy": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Narrative": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Challenge": {
"verdict": "conditional",
"condition": "must be reframed as a deduction puzzle with known answer"
},
"Fellowship": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Discovery": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Expression": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Submission": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
}
}
}
},
{
"archetype_id": "balatro",
"raw_json": {
"archetype_id": "balatro",
"session_length_fit": 6,
"combo_scaling_depth": 1,
"arc_tightness": 4,
"bluff_info_asymmetry": 5,
"content_extensibility_fit": 2,
"solo_decision_density": 3,
"share_emoji_output": 3,
"loss_tolerance_fit": 7,
"visual_legibility_5in_fit": 8,
"onboarding_cliff_fit": 9,
"archetype_fit_rationale": "Simultaneous_action_selection + collision_cancels_move create a pure guessing/bluffing loop with no combo engine — combo_scaling_depth is 1 (linear movement, no multiplicative payoffs). The balatro archetype requires deck-building momentum that Worm Up! completely lacks.",
"mda_survival": {
"Sensation": {
"verdict": "conditional",
"condition": "worm movement animation must capture the tactile disc-shifting feel"
},
"Fantasy": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Narrative": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Challenge": {
"verdict": "conditional",
"condition": "collision math must feel skill-readable not purely random"
},
"Fellowship": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Discovery": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Expression": {
"verdict": "conditional",
"condition": "curving paths must feel expressive not predetermined"
},
"Submission": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
}
}
}
},
{
"archetype_id": "coop",
"raw_json": {
"archetype_id": "coop",
"session_length_fit": 6,
"combo_scaling_depth": 1,
"arc_tightness": 4,
"bluff_info_asymmetry": 3,
"content_extensibility_fit": 2,
"solo_decision_density": 3,
"share_emoji_output": 3,
"loss_tolerance_fit": 7,
"visual_legibility_5in_fit": 9,
"onboarding_cliff_fit": 10,
"archetype_fit_rationale": "Worm Up! is a direct-competition race with zero cooperative mechanics — no shared fail-state, no communication constraints. The simultaneous_action_selection is purely competitive. Coop fit is effectively zero; the collision mechanic is designed to impede rivals, not coordinate with allies.",
"mda_survival": {
"Sensation": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Fantasy": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Narrative": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Challenge": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Fellowship": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Discovery": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Expression": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Submission": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
}
}
}
},
{
"archetype_id": "cozy",
"raw_json": {
"archetype_id": "cozy",
"session_length_fit": 8,
"combo_scaling_depth": 1,
"arc_tightness": 5,
"bluff_info_asymmetry": 2,
"content_extensibility_fit": 2,
"solo_decision_density": 3,
"share_emoji_output": 4,
"loss_tolerance_fit": 3,
"visual_legibility_5in_fit": 9,
"onboarding_cliff_fit": 10,
"archetype_fit_rationale": "Cozy tier: Hard — action_blocking (strength 2) and direct collision cancellation make losing your move feel like direct opponent interference. No Tug of War BGG tag but the collision_cancels_move primitive is functionally anti-cozy. Capped at 3. The colorful cartoon aesthetic is tonally cozy but the collision punishment is not.",
"mda_survival": {
"Sensation": {
"verdict": "survives",
"condition": null
},
"Fantasy": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Narrative": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Challenge": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Fellowship": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Discovery": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Expression": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
},
"Submission": {
"verdict": "does-not-survive",
"condition": null
}
}
}
}
]Rules card
Synthesized from sources below. Readiness: needs-source. Confidence: 0.38.
Readiness
needs-source (confidence=0.38, rules=0.10, fun=0.90). BGG rank: 8473; year: 1994; weight: 1.09; playtime: 20 min
| Source | Quality | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
bgg_comments | 0.75 | player voice | positive/player-voice sample |
llm_memory | 0.10 | sonnet draft | sonnet-self-rated-2-unknown |
llm_memory_opus | 0.10 | opus draft | opus-self-rated-3-unknown |
Core Loop
In this fun, goofy game, each player controls a worm formed from several lined-up discs. A turn consists of all players secretly choosing on their dice the amount that they want to move. When the choices are simultaneously revealed, all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement for that turn. All other players move their worms according to their dice, taking the appropriate number of discs from the back of the worms and adding them to the front, sometimes curving a bit in an attempt to cut off other worms' movement.
Turn Structure and State
- No manual/BGA/transcript source is present; card relies on memory plus BGG context.
- BGG description anchor: In this fun, goofy game, each player controls a worm formed from several lined-up discs. A turn consists of all players secretly choosing on their dice the amount that they want to move. When the choices are simultaneously revealed, all players who chose the same number as someone else lose their movement for that turn. All other players move their worms according to their dice, taking the appropriate number of [...]
Win Condition and Arc
Win/scoring arc needs verification from a rules authority.
Decision Primitives
BGG mechanisms: Simultaneous Action Selection
v4 controlled primitives: simultaneous_action_selection, _other:collision_cancels_move, action_blocking
Top iOS archetype fits: snap 5.7, wordle 5.5, balatro 4.8.
Why It Is Fun
Fun read needs player-voice synthesis.
Player-voice evidence:
- Cmon, mixing Hols der Geier and miniatures into a 10 minute worm race - how can you not like it? This one's a lot of fun for an occasional closer.
- Very light and silly game which makes it lots of fun. Wurmeln edition
- Nice camels. A good little filler. Bluff and double guess your way to win the race.
- Great, light racing game, with outguessing and some strategy. Great with kids too. I have the original Wurmeln version.
- Blazing Camels. The rules for this game did not really make me want to play it. But now that I've had a chance to play I've decided that it's fun and much better than expected. A silly, light filler.
Friction and Failure Modes
- Treat Sonnet-memory edge rules as draft until confirmed by manual, BGA, or transcript.
- Needs at least one stronger rules authority before final extraction use.
Translation and Design Hooks
- Use this card to ask: which primitive carries the fun if theme/licensing is removed?
- For iOS, look for short-session compression, clear state visualization, and a digital-only twist.
- For new tabletop design, look for the tension source and decide whether to preserve or invert it.
Edge Rules and Gotchas
No verified edge-rule section yet.
Sources Used
[
{
"kind": "bgg_comments",
"path": "data/bgg_comments/404.txt",
"quality": 0.75,
"note": "positive/player-voice sample"
},
{
"kind": "llm_memory",
"path": "data/llm_memory_sonnet/404.md",
"quality": 0.1,
"note": "sonnet-self-rated-2-unknown"
},
{
"kind": "llm_memory_opus",
"path": "data/llm_memory_opus/404.md",
"quality": 0.1,
"note": "opus-self-rated-3-unknown"
}
]
Sources (3)
Inputs to rules-card synthesis. Click any pill with ↗ to open the original source.
BGG comments0.75LLM memory0.10LLM memory (Opus)0.10
BGG tags
Mechanisms (1)
Categories (3)
AnimalsChildren's GameRacing