It was nominated for two 2023 Indie Game Developer Network awards, "Best Rules" and "Best Art.

"[1][2][3] Unlike typical tabletop role-playing games, Ma Nishtana does not use dice.

Instead, it guides play through storytelling prompts and special character class moves.

[2] Ma Nishtana focuses on themes of family, identity, and community struggles.

The theme of plagues was inspired by both the Passover Seder and the COVID-19 pandemic, which had just begun when Rabinowitz and Bisogno began designing the game.