Nick shares his 1st impressions of board games he's been playing lately:

0:41 - Courtisans
3:43 - Ark Nova: Marine Worlds
7:42 - Klink
11:22 - Heat: Heavy Rain Expansion
13:55 - Expressions
17:46 - Things in Rings
21:48 - Arcs

Don't miss our Secret Epic Big Box Knizia Project launching in October! Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter to follow along.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of new-ish games he has been playing recently:

0:49 - Iki
3:27 - Palmyra (Buy Low Sell High)
6:12 - Harmonies
9:33 - A Message from the Stars
12:40 - Pax Penning
17:45 - Knarr

Check out our new releases (now shipping worldwide) including Cascadero, Cascadito, Spectral, and Trailblazers: Sasquatch Expansion.

Nick looks back on over 50 of the best board games of 2022 and categorizes them into lovers, keepers, dumpers, flingers, and seekers.

Check out similar look back posts of 2019, 2020, and 2021 releases.

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter

Candid Cardboard is a monthly series containing genuine, blunt, and thoughtful opinions about board games that the folks at Bitewing Games have recently played!  Most often, these are first impressions of hot new releases.

In this episode, Nick shares his first impressions of recent releases including Sidereal Confluence (Remastered Edition), Sequoia, GPS, Mountain Goats, Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy, and Babylonia!

1:02 - Sidereal Confluence (Remastered Edition)
3:23 - Sequoia
4:31 - GPS
6:00 - Mountain Goats
7:00 - Eclipse: Second Dawn for the Galaxy
9:38 - Babylonia

Kyle joins Nick in sharing our 10 hot things we are currently most excited about in the board game industry.  These hot things span through specific board games, talented game designers, engaging mechanisms, and more!

  Additionally, we share the origins and purpose of Bitewing Games and peek behind the curtains of exciting plans to come!

  This episode does not exist in blog form, but if you prefer to read then you can learn plenty more about Bitewing Games and things we are hot on at BitewingGames.com

Welcome to Tabletop Tastes: My favorite flavors in board games. Today, we explore the importance of a dynamic arc in games (and snacks)!

  Games discussed include A Feast for Odin, Raiders of the North Sea, Dead Man's Cabal, and Babylonia.

  If reading is your preference, you can catch this episode in blog form after January 11 at https://bitewinggames.com/category/tabletop-tastes/

Welcome to the Bitewing Games Podcast!  Our mission is to create and share unique and evocative tabletop gaming experiences – or, in other words, board games that bite!  For hobbyist gamers, this podcast will help you to explore your own tastes in the hobby and perhaps discover your next favorite game that fits those tastes. For game designers, this podcast will offer you more tools to add to your utility belt and metrics to measure your projects by.

  In this episode, we'll take a look at 20 of the most anticipated board games of 2021 as well as publishers and designers you should keep on your radar.  Games will range from sprawling, epic Egyptian wars to family-friendly beetle wrestling.  All aboard the hype train!

  If reading is your preference, you can catch this episode in blog form at https://bitewinggames.com/category/game-list/

Nick shares his 1st impressions of (mostly) recent releases and hot 2023 board games:

0:49 - General Orders: World War II
5:09 - Loot
8:13 - Sea Salt & Paper
12:42 - Havalandi
19:10 - Dragonkeepers
22:50 - Thunder Road: Vendetta
27:01 - Amun-Re: 20th Anniversary Edition

Nick shares his 1st impressions of the following board games:

0:46 - Sky Team
4:33 - The Quest for El Dorado: Dragons, Treasures, & Mysteries
14:26 - Match of the Century
19:13 - Cat Ass Trophy / Zero Down
22:14 - Lacuna
24:22 - MLEM: Space Agency

Check out our Black Friday Stocking Stuffer Sale

Nick is joined by fellow Reiner Knizia Enthusiasts, Scott and Jared, as they draft and discuss the B-Side games (underdogs, hidden gems, unsung newcomers, etc.) from Knizia's catalogue.

Cast your vote (and enter the contest to win a free game) here.

Join the Reiner Knizia Enthusiasts Discord Server here.

Check out the Ultimate Reiner Knizia Ranked Tier List here.

Preorder Cascadero and Cascadito here.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of EIGHTEEN Reiner Knizia board games in this marathon episode of candid cardboard:

1:23 - My Island
5:18 - Galaxy Cat Extension
9:16 - Pick a Pen Trilogy (Crypten, Riffen, Tuinen)
13:19 - Yangtze
17:11 - Sunrise Lane / Rondo
23:13 - Amun-Re: The Card Game
27:11 - Karate Tomate
31:35 - Palazzo
36:08 - Silver Screen
40:27 - Sushi Bar (Sushizok im Gockelwok)
44:24 - Age of War (Risk Express)
48:57 - For One Series (Number Up, Galaktix, Schwarze Rosen, Kniffel)

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Youtube Channel to catch the upcoming Ultimate Reiner Knizia Games Tier List.

Follow the Kickstarter Page for Cascadero & Cascadito, two new strategy games from Reiner Knizia.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of a whopping 10 Reiner Knizia board games spanning a wide range of genres.

1:10 - Foodie Forest
6:38 - Dragon Land
10:36 - Medici: The Dice Game
14:38 - The Lord of the Rings
17:17 - Chartae
20:53 - Lost Cites: Rivals
23:37 - Cheeky Monkey
25:56 - High Society
30:48 - Res Publica
33:42 - Classic Art

Follow the Kickstarter page for Cascadero & Cascadito here.

Join the Reiner Knizia Enthusiasts Discord Community here.

In celebration of our newly revealed tile placement games, Nick shares his Top 15 Tile Layers!

Learn more about our new Knizia titles: Cascadero and Cascadito

Follow the Kickstarter page for Cascadero and Cascadito here.

Nick shares his first impressions of 7 recently released board games:

0:48 - Archeos Society
6:11 - Judge Domino
9:00 - Stick Collection
11:37 - Ninja Master
15:40 - Viking See-Saw
19:30 - That's Not a Hat
22:39 - Challengers!

Check out our Kickstarter campaign for Spectral and Trailblazers: Sasquatch here.

Now available from our webstore — Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas. Order today!

In this episode, Nick shares the interesting tale of how Spectral went from a game he had zero interest in all the way to his absolute favorite game of its genre... a game that he loves so much that he had to publish it himself. Who doesn't love a good underdog story? 😉

Check out the Kickstarter campaign for Spectral here.

Nick shares 23 of his most anticipated board games and crowdfunding campaigns for the second half of 2023.

Check out the Kickstarter Page for Spectral & Trailblazers: Sasquatch Expansion Here

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter Here

Other cited podcast episodes:

Full thoughts on Pick-A-Pepper and Wandering Towers

Top 15 Games of 2022

Nick shares his first impressions of new-to-him board games he's been playing lately:

• Through the Desert: Bazaar Expansion - 0:45
• Innovation - 6:26
• Apiary - 11:13
• Wonder Bowling - 14:46
• Skyrise - 17:23
• London (Second Edition) - 25:22
• Great Plains - 27:50

Follow the Kickstarter page for Iliad and Ichor. Thanks for your support!

We all have our favorite genres and mechanisms of board games... from deck building to roll & writes to area control and more. In this episode, Nick explores 10 board game genres, identifies their common weaknesses, and highlights specific games that defy those weaknesses.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of new-ish and upcoming board games including:

0:49 - Wandering Towers
4:38 - Pick-A-Pepper and Abluxxen
9:49 - Circus Flohcati
13:08 - Trajan
16:49 - QE: Commodities (expansion)
20:23 - 7 Wonders: Architects
23:02 - Mille Fiori: The Masterpieces (expansion)

Join the Reiner Knizia Enthusiasts Discord Server Here

Check out our games and webstore here.

Follow our upcoming Kickstarter — Spectral and a Secret Trailblazers Expansion — here.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of a rather solid batch of 7 board games:

0:42 - Big Top
3:51 - Hallertau
6:29 - My City: Roll & Build
15:29 - Yokohama
17:51 - Earth
23:00 - Inside Job
27:14 - Pollen

Order Trailblazers (and other Bitewing titles) from our new webstore here.

Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Today Nick is sharing his Top 10 Logic Deduction Games, and be sure to stick around for the grand reveal of Bitewing Games’ next big project!

Check out our new game here.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of newer board games including:

0:38 - Dandelions
3:28 - High Score
9:11 - Turncoats
13:02 - Paint the Roses
19:00 - Cascadia
22:55 - SWAT!
24:49 - nana

Click here to subscribe to the Bitewing Games newsletter and be notified when:

•  Zoo Vadis becomes available for preorder
• Trailblazers becomes available on our webstore
• We reveal new information about our upcoming projects

In this Galactic Renaissance Preview, Nick dives deep into this cosmic spiritual cousin of the legendary board game, Inis!

Galactic Renaissance launches on Kickstarter on March 21st. Check it out here.

The hunt is on, and Nick has been tearing through even more board games by Reiner Knizia in a quest to uncover hidden gems. Featuring his first impressions of:

0:45 - Lost Cities: The Board Game
3:45 - Odd Socks / Relationship Tightrope
7:18 - Wiener Walzer
10:56 - Medici: The Card Game
13:58 - Forbidden City
18:44 - Cat Blues / Katzenjammer Blues

Kyle is back on the show with Nick to discuss board game modules. When do they go too far? How are they different from variants and expansions? 

Games discussed include: 

• Trailblazers
• Clever 4 Ever
• Zoo Vadis
• Whale Riders
• Bohnanza
• Taverns of Tiefenthal
• Our upcoming Ryan Courtney deduction game and Reiner Knizia tile placement game
• And more!

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games newsletter here.

Look for Kyle at Salt Con and Nick at Dice Tower West in March! Join our Bitewing Games discord server here. Feel free to reach out if you want to game with us at these conventions.

Today's round of candid cardboard is extra special in that it includes Nick's 1st impressions of the hotly anticipated upcoming game Galactic Renaissance. But before we get to that, let's explore 6 other games he has been playing lately...

0:42 - Undaunted: Stalingrad
4:45 - Spots
10:04 - Gutenberg
13:17 - Blood Rage
17:51 - Skymines
20:35 - Terra Nova
23:02 - Galactic Renaissance

Our Kickstarter for Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas ends this Thursday, February 16. Check it out here. Thanks for your support!

2022 has come and gone, which means it’s time again to celebrate the best new board games of the year!

Check out the Kickstarter page for Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas

Thanks for your support!

Nick is joined by the excellent Cardboard Philosophy podcast where they discuss their show, the Jazz Collection, and their prognosis of board games they've been playing lately.

Check out the Cardboard Philosophy Podcast here.

Check out the episode that Nick joined here.

Check out the Jazz Collection Kickstarter here.

Some of the hottest board games of 2022 are still hitting Nick's table and he's ready to share his first impressions of the following:

0:43 - Axio / Ingenious
4:41 - Turing Machine
9:45 - Planet Unknown
14:37 - Horrified: American Monsters
19:36 - Heat: Pedal to the Metal

Nick has researched and uncovered 27 — count 'em, TWENTY-SEVEN — exciting games set to release this year. Come check out what upcoming releases might be worthy of your wishlist...

For links to (and more info on) these games, head over to the blog post version of this podcast episode.

We're launching Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas on January 24th via Kickstarter! Be sure to follow this link and click to be notified at launch. Thanks for your support!

How did Quo Vadis get turned into Zoo Vadis? What inspired the changes and added features? What does Reiner Knizia have to say about this new version of his design? Find out in today's in-depth publisher diary of Zoo Vadis!

The Kickstarter for Zoo Vadis launches on January 24th! Follow this link and click to be notified when it launches.

Nick shares his first impressions of 4 spicy hot board games, 2 stone-cold classics, and 1 hidden gem:

0:56 - Ahoy
5:09 - Orleans
8:14 - Kabuto Sumo: Total Mayhem (Expansion)
11:16 - Carcassonne: The Castle / Zamek
14:51 - Wormholes
19:10 - Space Worm
23:26 - John Company: Second Edition

In January 2023, we’ll be launching Zoo Vadis (by Reiner Knizia) and Gussy Gorillas (a Bitewing Games original) — two wildly clever games of trading and negotiation. Be sure to head over the pre-launch page and click to be notified the moment it launches. Thanks for your support!

Lookout! Loads of interesting new games have been hitting store shelves recently and Nick is here to share his 1st impressions after playing the following:

0:49 - Splendor Duel
3:49 - Guards of Atlantis II
9:16 - Qin
13:15 - The Manhattan Project: Energy Empire
15:32 - 9 Lives
18:22 - The Wolves
22:31 - Ready Set Bet

Zoo Vadis and Gussy Gorillas are launching via Kickstarter in January! Check out the pre-launch page here.

The year is coming to an end which means it’s time again to look back… not on this year but on last year.  That’s right, today we’ll be revisiting and reminiscing the best board games of 2021!

Nick will be offering his thoughts on over 50 games and categorizing them into Lovers, Keepers, Dumpers, Flingers, and Seekers.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of hot board games including the following:

0:40 - Nightmare Productions
5:52 - Zombie Mania
10:39 - Transatlantic
13:24 - Puzzle Strike 2
16:55 - Resist!
20:15 - Carnegie

Nick shares some exciting new details and publication plans for Bitewing Games including unrevealed Reiner Knizia and Ryan Courtney games coming in 2023 or later!

Order Reiner Knizia's Criminal Capers Collection Here

Preorder Trailblazers Here

Check out the Zoo Vadis Weekly Reveals Here

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter Here

It's an all Knizia episode!  Nick shares his 1st impressions of 8 Reiner Knizia board games:

1:06 - No Mercy
3:51 - Gang of Dice
7:37 - Treasures of Nakbe
13:42 - Great Wall of China
16:51 - Heckmeck am Karteneck
22:26 - Aristocracy
27:32 - Marshmallow Test
31:02 - The Quest for El Dorado: Dangers & Muisca

Speaking of Reiner Knizia, be sure to subscribe to the Bitewing Games newsletter where we'll keep you up-to-date on our upcoming project: Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia.

Nick shares his first impressions of 8 new-to-him board games:

0:53 - San Francisco
8:08 - Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition
11:47 - Lost Cities: Roll & Write
16:20 -  The Golden Ages
18:40 - Coloretto
20:37 - Poison
24:55 - Catherine: The Cities of the Tsarina
28:58 - Municipium

🚨There is only one week remaining before the close of the Trailblazers Kickstarter!  Support Bitewing Games and secure a copy of Trailblazers for yourself before it's too late. 🙌
Visit the Trailblazers Kickstarter page here.

Nick shares his 1st impressions of the following new(ish) board games:

0:42 - Galactic Renaissance
3:56 - Clash of the Gladiators
7:56 - Sol: Last Days of a Star
13:52 - Die Patin, Löwenherz
19:42 - Botanik
24:16 - Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West

Our Jazz Collection Kickstarter (Bebop, Shuffle & Swing, and Cat Blues) is now live! Check out the Kickstarter here.

Continuing on from last week's episode, Nick shares his Top 25 board games of all time!  He also shares where Bitewing Games' revealed publications would fit into his Top 100.

Trailblazers is now live on Kickstarter, and it has already raised over $100k!  Click here to check it out and support Bitewing Games.

Buckle up!  Nick shares and discusses his updated Top 50 board games of all time list, beginning with games 50-26. 

Trailblazers launches on Kickstarter this week (Tuesday, August 16).  Check it out here.

1:20 - Out with the ratings, in the with prognosis

Nick shares his first impressions of the following games:

5:22 - Indigo
8:02 - Savannah Park
10:08 - Railroad Revolution
14:29 - Spectaculum
19:46 - Super Skill Pinball: Ramp it Up
22:26 - Rumble Nation
25:47 - Azul: Queen's Garden
28:39 - An Empty Throne

Our next publication, Trailblazers, launches on Kickstarter next week.  Check out the pre-launch page and follow along.

Nick shares his Top 10 Negotiation Board Games before revealing the next thrilling publications coming from Bitewing Games!

0:39 - Top 10 Negotiation Games
16:03 - Honorable Mentions
20:21 - Our Upcoming Negotiation Publications Revealed!

Read this episode in Blog Post form

Link to Zoo Vadis (and the epic box art)
Link to Gussy Gorillas

Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter

In this episode of candid cardboard, Nick shares his 1st impressions of new-to-him games:

0:43 - The Great Zimbabwe
5:00 - Switch & Signal
10:54 - Longboard
14:45 - Carpe Diem
17:24 - Sumatra
23:00 - Green Team Wins
24:53 - Wonderland's War
28:10 - Beowulf: The Legend

What are the best travel-friendly board and card games? These 19 portable games are perfect for any trip or outing.

Visit the Kickstarter Pre-Launch page for Trailblazers and click to be notified when it launches!

Read this episode in blog post form.

After 6 months of publisher announcements and upcoming game research, Nick shares even more of his most anticipated games of the year—15 games in 15 minutes!

Check out our Trailblazers Kickstarter Pre-Launch Page and click to be notified the moment it launches.  Thanks for your support!

Nick shares his 1st impressions of hot new games and stone-cold classics including:

0:56 - Into the Blue
6:47 - Ultimate Railroads / Russian Railroads
9:23 - Kingdom Builder
13:00 - Santiago
17:22 - Sound Box
25:30 - Faiyum
28:25 - Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation

After receiving and playing a preview copy, Nick shares his full thoughts on the latest version of Ra by designer Reiner Knizia, artist Ian O'Toole, and publisher 25th Century Games.

Crowdfunding for Ra is still ongoing until May 25th.  You can find the Gamefound page here.  Preview copy provided to Bitewing Games by 25th Century Games.

Bitewing Games is planning to cover even more exciting releases from publishers including upcoming Knizia games and beyond.  We are also collaborating with Reiner on several publishing projects of our own.  To follow our game coverage and publishing projects, subscribe to the Bitewing Games newsletter!

Nick shares his 1st impressions of recently released and classic board games including the following:

1:15 - Foundations of Rome
6:00 - Excape / Rapido
8:35 - The Voyages of Marco Polo
11:26 - Meadow
15:11 - Iberian Gauge
19:54 - Rheinlander
23:28 - Mombasa
31:18 - Long Shot: The Dice Game

Nick shares his first impressions of another big batch of Knizia games... from old classics to recent reskins!

0:52 - Penguin Party
3:41 - Genial Spezial
6:08 - Tatari
11:05 - City of the Living
16:34 - Keltis + New Ways, New Goals Expansion
19:06 - Keltis: Fun & Go
21:35 - Genesis
25:42 - Reif fur die Insel
29:23 - King's Road
32:54 - Money

Follow our upcoming Jazz Collection Kickstarter here.