Mana Within TCG

Born from a game jam amongst creative colleagues, Mana Within is a tabletop card game (TCG) designed with the goal of capturing an intense rapid-fire spell-slinging mage battle. Decisions are quick, turns are simple, options are limited, and players must make the best decisions with what they have turn after turn until only one player is left standing.

This project represented my personal deep dive into the board game space with the intent to create a commercial product. Mana Within fits within the category of simple game, designed for 2 players (1v1) ages 10+. Average game length is 10 minutes.

As the full-stack developer for this product, I own every piece of the process. Paper prototyping began in January 2025 to allow for rapid iteration and game mechanic exploration. A functional alpha was playtested in February 2025 with outside individuals with knowledge of board and tabletop games. Graphic design, alpha iteration, and production research began in March 2025. Closed beta will begin in summer 2025 with the first set visually-produced prototypes.

Timeframe: January 2025-Present

Toolset: Pencil & paper, Figma, Adobe PS

My role: Full-stack developer