Bitewing Games Podcast
At Bitewing Games, our mission is to create and share classy 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. Subscribe to our newsletter at BitewingGames.com, follow us on social media, and stay tuned for exciting things to come!
The Bits with Joe & Nick — Episode 7: Q&A
Joe (Allplay) and Nick (Bitewing Games) have a meaty Q&A covering all kinds of topics from viewer/listener questions.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter. (https://bitewinggames.com/subscribe/)
Subscribe to the Allplay Newsletter (near the bottom of this page). (https://www.allplay.com/)
The Bits with Joe & Nick — Episode 6: Marketing Games
Joe (Allplay) and Nick (Bitewing Games) discuss all things marketing board games:
- Revealing a new game
- Kickstarter marketing
- Paid marketing
- Marketing after release
Check out Azure and Moytura on Kickstarter here.
Check out Container on Kickstarter here.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter.
Subscribe to the Allplay Newsletter (near the bottom of this page).
1st Impressions of Hot Streak, Leviathan Wilds, Critter Kitchen, Positano, and more!
Nick shares his 1st impressions of hot new board games including:
0:38 - Leviathan Wilds6:24 - Positano9:20 - Critter Kitchen12:40 - Amazonia Park16:51 - Shell We?19:30 - Hot StreakSILOS, EGO, and ORBIT are now available to order. Order here!
Most Anticipated Board Games of 2025, Part 2
Nick shares 15 more of his most anticipated board games of 2025 including a tiny rippable game, a big swampy game, and everything in-between.
Follow the Moytura and Azure Kickstarter here.
Preorder Gingham, Gazebo, and Bombastic (in late August) here.
The Bits with Joe & Nick — Episode 5: Boxes & Packaging
Note: This episode also exists in video form on YouTube.
Joe (Allplay) and Nick (Bitewing Games) discuss the thing that holds the bits — board game boxes and packaging:
How much does the box matter?Box sizes — big vs small, airy vs tightAlternatives to standard boxesBox backs — thinking outside the boxCheck out the current Kickstarter for Bitewing's Travel Line: Gazebo and Gingham.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter
Subscribe to the Allplay Newsletter (near the bottom of this page)
Best Travel Size Board Games (Featuring Chris Yi)
Nick and Chris Yi (The Dice Tower) discuss travel size board games and share their favorites!
Check out the upcoming Kickstarter project for Bitewing's Travel Line: Gazebo and Gingham, launching on April 22!
The Bits with Joe & Nick — Episode 4: Board Game Components
Note: This episode also exists in video form on YouTube.
Joe (Allplay) and Nick (Bitewing Games) discuss components in board games:
The value of component hooks/gimmicks. Can games be too overproduced or too underproduced? The impact of components in the board game experience.Check out the upcoming Kickstarter for Bitewing's Travel Line: Gazebo and Gingham.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter: https://bitewinggames.com/subscribe/
Subscribe to the Allplay Newsletter (near the bottom of this page): https://www.allplay.com
1st Impressions of The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game, SETI, Altay, Nova Era, and Agent Avenue
Nick shares his 1st impressions of 5 new board games:
0:42 - Agent Avenue
5:13 - Altay: Dawn of Civilization
8:50 - The Fellowship of the Ring: Trick-Taking Game
12:34 - Nova Era
18:20 - SETI: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence
Merchants of Andromeda Preview — The Biggest Allplay Game Ever?
After two plays, Nick shares his experience and impressions in this full preview of Merchants of Andromeda by Reiner Knizia and Robert Hovakimyan.
Top 20 Board Games of 2024
Nick shares his Top 20 Board Games of 2024 as well as many other awards for what was a killer year for board gaming.
The Bits with Joe & Nick (& Special Guest Robert Hovakimyan) — Episode 3: Development
Note: This episode also exists in video form on YouTube.
Joe (Allplay) and Nick (Bitewing Games) discuss board game development. What is development? How do publishers take a design from signed prototype to published game? Best practices for board game development?
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter: https://bitewinggames.com/subscribe/
Subscribe to the Allplay Newsletter (near the bottom of this page): https://www.allplay.com
The Bits with Joe & Nick — Episode 2: Conventions
Note: This episode also exists in video form on YouTube.
Joe (from Allplay) and Nick (from Bitewing Games) share insights and experiences of board game publishing! Get a peek behind the curtains of the board game industry. This series is meant to be both interesting to hobbyist gamers and helpful to other publishers, designers, and professionals in board games.
In this episode, Joe and Nick discuss board game conventions. What is their purpose? How do publishers make the most of them?
If you want to catch up on previous episodes, then head over...
Most Anticipated Games of 2025
Nick shares 18 of his most anticipated Board Games of 2025!
Preorder Iliad, Ichor, SILOS, EGO, and/or ORBIT here.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter here.
Revisiting the Best Games of 2023
Nick revisits over 50 of the best board games of 2023 by categorizing them into lovers, keepers, dumpers, flingers, and seekers.
Don't miss out on a huge upcoming year for Bitewing Games! Be sure to subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter.
Top 100 Board Games of All Time, 2024 Edition — Games 25-1
Nick finishes his Top 100 Board Games of All Time list by sharing games 25-1 (plus how he would rank Bitewing's publications among his Top 100).
Check out SILOS, EGO, and ORBIT on Kickstarter!
Top 100 Board Games of All Time, 2024 Edition — Games 50-26
Nick continues his Top 100 Board Games of All Time list by sharing games 50-26.
Check out Reiner Knizia's SHOCKING Confession Video.
Check out the Epic Knizia Project, now live on Kickstarter.
Top 100 Board Games of All Time, 2024 Edition — Games 75-51
Nick continues his Top 100 Board Games of All Time list by sharing games 75-51.
Check out Reiner Knizia's SHOCKING Confession Video.
Check out the Epic Knizia Project, now live on Kickstarter.
Top 100 Board Games of All Time, 2024 Edition — Games 100-76
Nick shares his Top 100 Board Games of All Time, starting with games 100-76!
Follow the Secret Epic Big Box Knizia Kickstarter Project, launching this month!
1st Impressions of Arcs, Things in Rings, Courtisans, Ark Nova: Marine Worlds, and more!
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.
1st Impressions of Harmonies, Iki, Knarr, Pax Penning, and more!
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.
1st Impressions of Skyrise, Apiary, Innovation, and more!
Nick shares his first impressions of new-to-him board games he's been playing lately:
Follow the Kickstarter page for Iliad and Ichor. Thanks for your support!
Cardboard Philosophy and Jazzy Gaming
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.
1st Impressions of Ticket to Ride Legacy, Galactic Renaissance, Sol: Last Days of a Star, and more!
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.
1st Impressions of 10 Knizia Games — City of the Living, Money, Keltis, and more!
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.
1st Impressions of World Wonders, Marabunta, Couture, Chomp, Strike, and more!
Nick shares his first impressions of new-ish board games he's been playing lately:
0:42 - Strike
3:43 - Sobek: 2 Players
8:46 - Ingenious (2023 Edition)
11:35 - World Wonders
15:17 - Chomp
17:40 - Couture
20:06 - Marabunta
Follow our jazz game Kickstarter project here.
Top 15 Board Games of 2023 + A New Bitewing Project Reveal!
Nick shares his Top 15 Board Games of 2023 and reveals the next big Kickstarter project coming from Bitewing Games.
Follow the Jazz Collection Kickstarter page here.
Learn more about Bebop here.
Learn more about Shuffle & Swing here.
Learn more about Cat Blues: The Big Gig here.
1st Impressions of Sail, Witchcraft, Undaunted: Battle of Britain, Patterns, Bacon, Lunar, Mori, and Pies!
Nick shares his 1st impressions of 7 new board games including 5 trick takers, 3 two-players, and 1 solo game.
0:45 - Sail
2:48 - Patterns: A Mandala Game
5:39 - Undaunted: Battle of Britain
9:37 - Pies, Lunar, Mori, and Bacon
20:54 - Witchcraft! (also listen to my thoughts on Resist!)
Most Anticipated Games of 2024
Nick shares his 25 Most Anticipated Games of 2024 and leaks some teasers about Bitewing Games' next big reveals.
Preorder Cascadero, Cascadito, Spectral and/or Trailblazers: Sasquatch Expansion here.
Subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter here to follow our upcoming Kickstarter project!
Revisiting the Best Board Games of 2022
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
1st Impressions of General Orders, Thunder Road: Vendetta, Havalandi, Amun-Re: 20th Anniversary Edition, Sea Salt & Paper, and more!
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
1st Impressions of Sky Team, MLEM: Space Agency, Match of the Century, Lacuna, Quest for El Dorado: Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries, and more!
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
Battle of the B-Sides — A Draft of Knizia's Hidden Gems
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.
1st Impressions of My Island, Sunrise Lane, and SIXTEEN MORE Knizia games!
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 - <...
1st Impressions of TEN Knizia Games!
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.
Top 15 Tile Placement Games + Two New Knizia Games Revealed!
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.
1st Impressions of Archeos Society, Challengers, That's Not a Hat, Viking See-Saw, Ninja Master, and more!
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!
Spectral Publisher Diary: How I ended up publishing something that I initially had zero interest in — a logic deduction game.
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.
Most Anticipated Games of 2023 Part 2
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
10 Board Game Genres - Their Weaknesses, And The Games That Defy Them
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.
1st Impressions of Wandering Towers, Pick-a-Pepper, 7 Wonders: Architects, Mille Fiori: The Masterpieces, and more!
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.
