Defining the World, One Page and One Play at a Time.

The Geeky Guide is my way of documenting a lifelong obsession with how we tell stories. What started in 2003 as a personal project to keep track of what I was reading has grown into a growing archive designed to help you figure out exactly which game or book is worth your time. When I first launched the original Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything in 2006, I tried to write reviews about just about any piece of content or media I engaged with. This new 2026 site is a lot more focused on my two biggest geeky hobbies - tabletop games and reading books.

Two Decades of Taking Notes

The "Great Migration" of 2026 isn't just a site redesign; it’s me cleaning out the cabinets and keeping only the best stuff. My writing has moved through a few different eras to get here:

2003-2011
LiveJournal

This was the foundation. This was started as a slice-of-life personal blog with the occasional geeky divergence. I was all about being somehow being an active participant in documenting history and did my best to document just about anything I experienced. But more and more, I found myself wanting to write more dedicated reviews that were taking up more of my personal blog space.

2006-Present
Blogger

I launched the original Geeky Guide here. It survived the early days of the web and saw the "Modern Board Game Renaissance" happen in real-time. The bulk of my early reviews were of the books I read and the different movies and TV shows I watched.

2009-Present
Modern Gaming

My approach changed in 2009 when I met my partner, Tobie. He introduced me to tabletop RPGs and modern board games and has been my regular “player two” (and maybe my board game nemesis of sorts) across the 16+ years we’ve been together. A week doesn’t go by that we don’t play some sort of board game or RPG, which means hours and hours of actual game time.

2016-Present
Reading Challenges

I’ve always been an avid reader since I was a kid, but it was when I started playing around with Shelfari’s reading challenge feature that I realized I can get kinda bonkers with books. That first year, I read 307 titles versus a goal of 300, and I formalized a “book-a-day” goal by 2019. I’ve consistently hit that reading goal across the years with over 4,800 books/graphic novels/audiobooks tracked as Read over on Goodreads.

How I Review: The "At the Table" Test

Teaching Curve

With our gaming groups, it tends to fall to Tobie and me to teach most of the new games to friends. And this plays a role in what game we choose to bring to game nights, since we know we’ll have to help friends get on board. I’m trying to capture that experience when I talk about the complexity of the rules and the little things one needs to watch out for to help players at the table have a fun experience.

Ease to Table

While it’s easier to host game nights at home, we’re also very familiar with the challenges of hauling games around Metro Manila. I’ve been investing a lot more in third-party board game inserts and organizers in order to better organize our collection and speed up setup time at the table. And I know we’re not alone in thinking about the logistics of a game when it comes to this hobby.

Social Vibe

Mechanics like 'worker placement' "push your luck" don't always capture a game’s actual feel. I try to go beyond the rules to find the right keywords for games - telling you if it’s a quiet strategic experience or a rowdy party game. While groups vary between aggressive social play and controlled strategy, I’ll help you find what best fits your table.

The 2026 Standard: Curation Over Clutter

I’m still working through our collection of 1,600 board game titles, and I’m prioritizing games based on how often we’ve played them or whether or not we’ve completed an escape room game or legacy experience. Tobie and I have played a LOT of games together, so I’m trying to catch up on 16+ years of regular game nights.

And I haven’t forgotten about the book reviews! While I’ve managed to migrate over 500 book reviews from the original site, I’m still mapping out how to incorporate book reviews in the new Geeky Guide. Do stay tuned!

Rocky Sunico, the creator of The Geeky Guide, wearing glasses and a dark polo shirt while thoughtfully reviewing a board game rulebook for Overparked.

About the Geek

I’m Rocky Sunico. By day, I work in digital marketing; by night, I’m usually trying to figure out which games to bring to our next game night or weighing if a tabletop game crowdfunding campaign is worth investing in. Whether you’ve been following my notes since the LiveJournal days or you just found the site through the migration, thanks for being part of this living archive of geekery.

Review Policy: Every review on this site is based on games and books I have actually played or read. I own most of the titles reviewed here, or have played copies owned by friends or via digital platforms like Board Game Arena. My opinions are my own and are never for sale.

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