As a board game publisher operating in one of the most turbulent situations that this industry has ever seen, I’m noticing a lot of misinformation and assumptions floating around lately. This post is intended to help inform hobbyists (and possibly help some publishers as well) about the state of tariffs and crowdfunding for board games.

How will publishers handle the new tariff of 245%?

This is a brand new rumor running rampant today, yet it is not true for most goods (including board games). 

This rumor started due to a White House Fact Sheet posted late Tuesday which states, “China faces up to a 245% tariff on imports to the United States as a result of its retaliatory actions.”

Many folks (myself included) initially assumed that this was effectively a new executive order that piled an extra 100% on top of existing tariffs. But that is not the case. A few days ago the New York Times shared a helpful summary that describes the range of tariffs for goods coming from China. Notably, syringes and needles have a tariff rate of 245% currently because they already had a pre-existing tariff of 100% before this trade war began. Most goods (including board games) are still at 145% (which is significantly lower but obviously still painful). 

And here is a USA Today article from yesterday talking about the confusion.

Can’t publishers just manufacture board games outside of China to avoid these tariffs?

This has already been covered quite extensively by other sources, so I’ll stick to the short answer here:

Most publishers cannot. The US has bare-bones infrastructure/ability to produce board games as we know them. It would take years of investment to catch up to China’s capabilities, and the result would still be much more expensive than manufacturing in China with these tariffs. China is by far the global leader in board game manufacturing, and that will not change over night.

Even with a 145% tariff, are publishers toast?

That depends on a lot of factors:

Sales model (retail vs direct)

Publishers who rely heavily on retail sales will be hurt the most. With the cost of producing a game more than doubling (in the US), that means that the MSRP should nearly double to maintain the same margins. This is because publishers sell their games wholesale (to retailers and distributors) at a significant percentage discount (roughly 50-65% off) so that it is also profitable for those sellers. But a $30 game suddenly selling for $60 isn’t going to go very far in the market. So do publishers only increase prices a bit and eat the remaining losses? It’s a tough situation to be in.

Conversely, a publisher who sells their games direct to customers is not taking nearly as big of a hit. Where a $6 game may now cost $15 due to tariffs, the publisher would only have to increase their selling price by $9 (instead of $30) to maintain the same margins.

Sources of Income

Publishers with international localization, digital apps, popular merchandise (not made in China), and other sources of income outside of Chinese-made products will be able to fare the tariffs better.

Regional sales (US vs International)

Fortunately the cost to sell games outside of the US has not increased. So publishers who have more international sales avenues will be hurt less. It seems that most publishers who have decent distribution make at least 40% of their sales outside the US. For Bitewing Games, we are only importing 40% of our latest print run (Ichor and Iliad) into the US… the remaining units go to international hubs (Europe, Australia, Asia, UK, etc.).

Split Invoices

Most manufacturers are able to split their invoices into services (a smaller portion of the total fee) and goods (most of the manufacturing fee). Goods are hit with the tariff, services are not. It’s not a huge difference, mind you, but it certainly helps reduce the tariff burden a bit.

Cash Flow

This seems to be the most common thing to get publishers into trouble. When unexpected expenses arise and too much of your cash is tied up in stock, then the debts can pile up quickly and freeze a company’s operations (more on that in a minute).

Overhead Costs

This is somewhat related to cash flow. Overhead costs (especially salaries, rent, insurance, etc.) can quickly suck a company dry if they aren’t careful. This is why we’re already seeing layoffs in the industry such as Underdog Games (publisher of Trekking the World, etc.) cutting their workforce down to the bare minimum…

On Bitewing’s end, we’re lucky to have very low overhead costs. We’re partnered with Allplay who handles our warehousing, customer service, sales, fulfillment, and more. Similar to a distribution partner, they take a cut of our sales and charge for warehouse storage (but they seem to do it much more efficiently than standard distributors). Our main overhead costs come from the salaries that I pay myself and Kyle (the other owner) who are the sole employees of Bitewing. I’ve already planned our payroll for April and it sucks big time. I’m effectively paying myself a wage $4.70/hr (and working 40-hour work weeks) this month just keep extra cash in the business for the expected increase in expenses and decrease in sales. Good thing I love making and playing board games, because that’s just about the only compensation I’m getting for the foreseeable future.

I should note that Bitewing has plenty of cash on hand to cover our upcoming expenses. We’re not worried about going out of business or failing to fulfill our projects. But we’re trying to be as fiscally conservative as possible given the current situation. Also Kyle and I both have second jobs, so we’re still fully able to provide for ourselves and our families. But it does suck to take such a massive hit and not be able to compensate ourselves fully for our work.

There is no one “right” answer for the industry

I’ve seen companies like Allplay and Leder Games announce that they are not charging extra on their unfulfilled Kickstarter projects, they intend to swallow the costs. This is a “business as usual” approach that is possible for these kinds of publishers because they have many different sources of revenue outside of US board game sales. No doubt they are searching for other ways to cut down on expenses and increase sales.

I’ve heard other publishers state that they are holding their US-bound stock back in China (seemingly retail games)… waiting/hoping for the storm to pass. This especially makes sense if most of their US sales are retail-based and they can’t afford the tariff fees or can’t stomach the needed increase in MSRP.

For Bitewing Games, we fit into neither of those categories. Our direct sales (through crowdfunding, Allplay’s webstore, and Amazon) are strong enough that we intend to keep importing our games into the US (the next container being SIlOS, EGO, and ORBIT in roughly June). Yet we don’t have nearly as many sources of revenue as a company like Allplay or Leder Games. So we’ll have make some adjustments to keep things running smoothly (more on that below).

What about the announcement of Final Frontier Games (publisher of Merchants Cove) shutting down? Isn’t this just the first of many dominoes to fall?

Final Frontier shared a lot of details about what led to their demise. From reading their post, it is quite clear that their issue was cashflow, not tariffs. Even if tariffs didn’t exist it seemed like they were heading toward this result. The big problem is when a publisher uses the funds from today’s campaign to help pay off remaining expenses from the previous unfulfilled campaign. This can create a snowball effect of debt unless the publisher is lucky enough to strike it big with a particular project. It is also dishonest to put the money pledged by today’s backers toward a previous project they didn’t pledge for.

There of course will be other publishers who may shut down due to increased costs (tariffs), decreased sales (inflation), and poorly managed cash flow. Tariffs seem like a surefire way to test the stability of small businesses.

Is Crowdfunding for Board Games Dead?

Quite the contrary. As indicated above, the best way for publishers to survive is to increase their direct sales, increase their international sales, and increase their sources of revenue. Crowdfunding supports all of these needs.

That’s not to say that crowdfunding projects won’t need to adapt. With how volatile policies and economics have been in recent weeks, flexibility is the name of the game. The truth is that publishers simply don’t know how much it is going to cost to import their games into the US in several months when it is time to fulfill. Bitewing Games’ plan is to launch our pledge manager as close to fulfillment as possible (we already do this to avoid address changes) and then charge any current tariff fees directly to US backers as part of the shipping fee.

As an example: On April 22 we are launching our next Kickstarter project, Gazebo and Gingham. The pledge price of these games is unchanged from our original plan: $39 each. We are also keeping the same flat-rate regional shipping prices as usual: $4 US, $9 Canada/EU/UK, $14 Australia, etc. But for US backers, there will be an added tariff fee based on current tariff rates (a portion of the tariffs applied to the pledge will be passed on to the backer, the remaining amount will be covered by Bitewing). At the current rate (145%), that equates to roughly $4 per game. $8 shipping for one game and $12 shipping for two games is still much better than what most companies were charging before tariffs, so we’re happy with that.

And if tariffs are still around during fulfillment where we have to pass some of it along to backers, then we’ll also have to increase the US MSRP above $39 (even more than $4 per game) when they release to retail. If it wasn’t the case before, then it appears now that crowdfunding will likely be the cheapest way for US customers to acquire our games.

I wish we had a solution for retailers as simple as our solution for crowdfunding. But the reality is that the current distribution model for board games does not work in a world of tariffs. A higher MSRP to compensate for tariffs will certainly hurt sales for everyone in the distribution chain.

But is it too risky to back projects now?

There have always been risks with crowdfunding, there will continue to be risks. It’s important to know your personal limits. But if you want to see this hobby continue to thrive, then keep supporting it as much as you can. As far as managing your risks, it helps to follow these principles:

Cheaper/simpler games are safer bets. That’s because as the size, cost, and production complexity of a game increase, the risks increase exponentially (just look at container prices during COVID and now tariff rates). Lucky for Bitewing, we decided a year ago to generally move toward cheaper projects/games. A $39 game with mainly punchboard and (and a bit of wood) has far less risks than a mammoth box with tons of custom plastic

Development-complete games are safer bets. Some companies (like Leder Games) have a rock-solid and highly reliable process of launching a project during the game’s development and involving backers in the final part of the journey before delivering a banger. Leder Games is an exception to the rule. When a crowdfunded game has not finished development, both the creator and the backer are taking on a much bigger risk. Development could take longer than expected, all while overhead costs drain the Kickstarter funds, and the final product may not quite hit the mark. There’s a higher risk of the game not reaching expectations or not getting finished at all.

Proven companies are safer bets. Companies that have fulfilled multiple projects, generally fulfill on schedule, and communicate clearly with backers have proven again and again that they are trustworthy. It’s the companies that fail in one or more of these areas that you need to be wary of.

Look at their tariff policies/statements. Bitewing has opted for a flexible tariff policy that keeps us able to fulfill the project yet minimizes the effect on our backers (only US backers possibly pay a few more dollars). Other publishers may come up with other solutions, but acknowledging the problem with some kind of solution is far better than pretending it doesn’t exist.

What about non-US customers?

Publishers are taking different approaches for how to pay for tariffs. Some have announced that the worldwide MSRP of their games is increasing to cover these increased costs. Perhaps that is the best solution, especially if their worldwide orders fulfill from the US.

Bitewing Games has international fulfillment hubs, so it doesn’t make sense for us to charge international customers more. We are opting to charge US customers only for tariff fees (either during the pledge manager or with an increased US retail MSRP) and keeping international prices unchanged. Thanks to Allplay’s efforts, we’ll also now be shipping containers directly from China to Canada (instead of forwarding Canada stock from the US). So Canadians will be unaffected as well.

What can gamers do to help publishers and the hobby survive?

The best thing you can do right now is support creators directly. That means supporting their crowdfunding projects, ordering directly from their webstore, and/or buying directly from them at conventions. Now more than ever, it is your direct support that helps publishers continue to work and invest in amazing new games.

Shameless plug incoming: If you want to support Bitewing Games, the best way is to support our Kickstarter project launching on April 22.

Another thing you can do to support the industry is help spread awareness, especially among US citizens.Better informed citizens will lead to more pressure on the government to change. Let your friends and family know how these tariff policies are crushing small businesses and undermining your hobby. If you don’t know how to best explain it, then this CNN interview with Cephalofair Games (publisher of Gloomhaven) is easy and great to share.

Finally, American citizens can make their voice by calling their representatives. Here’s an easy method for doing that. 

This hobby lives and survives thanks to the support of its hobbyists and the dedication of its creators. Thanks for your support!

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the critically acclaimed titles Trailblazers by Ryan Courtney and Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share classy board games with a bite.

Disclaimer: When Bitewing Games finds a designer or artist or publisher that we like, we sometimes try to collaborate with these creators on our own publishing projects. We work with these folks because we like their work, and it is natural and predictable that we will continue to praise and enjoy their work. Any opinions shared are subject to biases including business relationships, personal acquaintances, gaming preferences, and more. That said, our intent is to help grow the hobby, share our gaming experiences, and find folks with similar tastes. Please take any and all of our opinions with a hearty grain of salt as you partake in this tabletop hobby feast.

The post The State of Tariffs & Crowdfunding for Board Games appeared first on Bitewing Games.

We know so little about the planned board game releases of 2024, and yet it is already shaping up to be a killer year for gaming. Predictably, in assembling this list of my Most Anticipated Games of 2024, a lot of these titles come from creators that I closely work with as a publisher and/or that I obsessively follow as a fan. So don’t be surprised to see titles from Reiner Knizia, Bitewing Games, Allplay, and the like. If I had a crystal ball, then there would be loads more titles on this list from other publishers and creators who have not yet revealed their secrets. But regardless of any personal ties to them, I’m genuinely stoked for these 25 games, and today I’ll tell you why.

The following 25 titles are games that I have already preordered, plan to order, or are even games that I have already played and am simply excited for their official release when I can enjoy them further and bask in their final production. They are roughly arranged by their expected release date. Here we go!

Note: This original post was sucked into an internet black hole a few weeks after going live. Fortunately, I still had a copy of the text, but the many of the images and links from the original post will be missing here.

Marabunta

Expected Release Date – January 2024

Marabunta sounds like a very different kind of roll & write game where two players duel it out on a shared area control board via an “I split, you choose” mechanism. And it is designed by Dr. Reiner Knizia. Say no more.

Heat: Petal to the Metal — Heavy Rain Expansion

Expected Release Date – Q1 2024

Better buckle up, the hottest hotness of recent years — Heat: Pedal to the Metal — is expected to get an expansion in early 2024. It introduces two additional tracks (Japanese Grand Prix and Mexican Grand Prix) with new features like puddles, new “air intake improvement” upgrade cards to help with cooldown, a new tournament season, and an orange racer to allow for a 7-player game.

City of the Living

Expected Release Date – February 2024

The team behind Nightmare Productions is back with another Knizia reimplementation in City of the Living (originally printed in 2013 as Prosperity). Where the old version had players balancing global prosperity against impending pollution, this new version poses the challenge of rebuilding society in a post-apocalyptic world amid an onslaught of zombie invasions. Either way, I’m excited to see what this economic game co-designed by Reiner Knizia is all about.

Captain Flip

Expected Release Date – February 2024

New publisher PlayPunk and their debut release, Captain Flip, have a promising team at their helm. The company is founded by Antoine Bauza (designer of 7 Wonders, Hanabi, Takenoko, Ghost Stories) and Thomas Provoost (co-founder of Repos Production – known for publishing many of Bauza’s most famous works), and the game is designed by Paolo Mori (Ethnos, Libertalia, Dogs of War, Blitzkrieg) and Remo Conzadori (3 Ring Circus, Rise). With that kind of pedigree behind Captain Flip, and the premise of quick push-your-luck decisions, I’m fully interested in this family-weight filler.

Skyrise

Expected Release Date – March 2024

It’s hard to believe, but I backed Skyrise way back in June 2022. It seems that the extensive plastic components caused a significant delay in the production and delivery of this area majority, auctioning, city building game. But the good news is that production is finally wrapping up and expected to begin freight in early 2024. Roxley has had their hands full with so many spinoffs and expansions and sequels of their other IPs that Skyrise represents their first new IP since 2021’s Radlands.

Cascadero

Published by Bitewing Games

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

One reason why Reiner Knizia is a legendary game designer is due to his killer offering of tile placement games featuring light rules yet heavy strategy. His most famous titles in this genre include Tigris & Euphrates, Through the Desert, and Samurai. And 2024 marks the latest entry into this list of legends with the release of Cascadero, a brand new Knizia design. The thing that makes Cascadero unique is the opportunity to set up and execute supremely satisfying combos while competing on a shared map.

Cascadito

Published by Bitewing Games

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Cascadito is the companion design and spin-off game to Cascadero. You can enjoy one or the other or both, as they each provide distinct experiences. The sensation of linking towns on a map which triggers combos along tracks is still present here, yet everything else is quite different. Players take turns drafting from the dice pool to fill in map spaces and advance up tracks on their own sheets. And the box offers 4 wildly unique sheets to explore and revisit. This one can be played in a shorter amount of time, features a solo mode, and is generally less in-your-face with the player interaction than its larger sibling.

Arcs

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

The legendary team behind Root and Oath (also the designer or Pax Pamir 2e and John Company 2e) are finally releasing their next big box epic, this time rooted (ha ha) in a futuristic sci-fi adventure. Where Oath requires a much larger commitment from its participants (one huge rules teach with regular 2 or 3 hour play sessions thereafter), Arcs aims to provide a similar experience while being a bit more approachable and narratively disciplined. You can either do a one and done 90-minute play (with the more affordable base game box) or a 3-act campaign (with the huge expansion box), which is still less of a commitment than Oath.

Through the Desert: Bazaar Expansion

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Through the Desert has long been a stone-cold classic of board gaming. Now that it’s getting an updated version from Allplay, they are also providing a few brand new expansion modules in this Bazaar Expansion (most of which are ideas from Reiner himself).

These modules introduce things like special watering holes (that replace regular point tokens), bazaars (that encourage connections between two points), Djinns (that change up the camel placement rules), and more.

Spectral

Published by Bitewing Games

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

We’ve seen a lot of interesting logic deduction games in recent years with titles like Search for Planet X, Turing Machine, and Cryptid. But this genre is typically weak on player interaction aside from racing to find the ultimate solution first. Spectral aims to offer a refreshing experience by cranking up the player interaction and bringing more nuance to the deduction puzzle. Treasure hunters enter a haunted manor to discover and deduce the locations of gems and curses, then they compete for area majority around the most valuable rooms. All of this culminates in an exciting climax where players discover which rooms are cursed and which rooms dole out the most treasure.

Trailblazers: Sasquatch Expansion

Published by Bitewing Games

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Trailblazers is one of our most popular titles yet thanks to its approachable route building, charming portability, and surprisingly puzzly depth. It released last year alongside far more expansion and solo mode content than most players will ever have time to fully explore or master. 

Rather than simply pile on more challenges or content, this year we’ve opted for something truly different. Trailblazers: Sasquatch Expansion is probably the most weird and wacky game we’ve ever published (and that’s including our many unrevealed titles). That’s because this expansion turns a fairly low-interaction, private map game into a high-interaction cooperative experience on a shared map with the potential for a hidden traitor being the secret Sasquatch.

Where Trailblazers is easy to plop down in front of 1-8 new players, the Sasquatch Expansion only plays 2-4 players and is best experienced with the same group across multiple sessions to enjoy an evolving meta.

A Message from the Stars

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Perhaps this is just a personal problem, but I can’t seem to wrap my head around the premise of any logic deduction game from a general overview. That’s at least the case with A Message from the Stars, and I imagine that’s the case for folks who hear about our own Spectral. But I’m certainly interested to check out this cooperative, word-based logic deduction challenge. Here the alien player and scientist players transmit and decode each other’s messages.

Galactic Renaissance 

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

I had the chance to play and preview this sibling design to Inis back when it initially crowdfunded, and within a few short months it’ll finally be delivering to backers. https://bitewinggames.com/galactic-renaissance-preview-should-you-back-this-spiritual-cousin-to-inis/

Here the drafting is replaced by deck building, and the king of the hill competition is replaced by a combotastic race, but one can still recognize that these area control games both come from the same designer. After enjoying my preview plays, I’m looking forward to seeing this one in its final, polished form.

Age of Rail: South Africa

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

The next title in the Iron Rail Series pulls into station as Age of Rail: South Africa. This series maintains several common traits including auctioning for shares, building up railroads across a map, sharing incentives with your rival investors, learning the game on a single sheet of paper, and sometimes sabotaging your own company to hurt opponents more than yourself. I don’t know much about what makes this particular title unique other than the action selection system which sounds a bit like worker placement — actions can be blocked off to others until that player relocates to another action.

Things in Rings

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Ever since I sampled Things in Rings at a recent convention, I’ve been hungry to play it more. This quick party game has players racing to empty their hand of item cards by taking turns adding one item at a time to a Venn diagram overseen by “The Knower.” This special player facilitates the game by knowing the logic rules for each ring and accepting or rejecting each item that gets placed within or outside of the diagram. If your object is accepted (you placed it in the proper position), then you are one card closer to winning the game. If it is rejected, then “The Knower” repositions it to the correct spot and you must draw a new card into your hand from the deck. Over time, players will deduce the logic rules of each ring and hope to clear their hands first. 

Assuming it lives up to that alluring first impression (and the delightful concept art I’ve seen), then Things in Rings is poised to become one of the best party games of 2024.

Fairy

Expected Release Date – Q2 2024

Much like recent dumb fun hits (such as That’s Not a Hat and Trio), Fairy is a game that sounds too mind numbingly simple to be… well, a game. But when it plays up to 10 players for only 10 bucks in less than 10 minutes, and when it causes your table to quickly erupt in a fiery passion, then Fairy might just be onto something here. Essentially, players are simultaneously revealing a hand gesture to make a bet on which suit will be revealed from the draw pile next. If your bet is correct, then you gain points. If your bet is incorrect, then you lose a point. First person to 15 points wins. I’ve played Fairy, and somewhat inexplicably, I need more Fairy in my life. I’m excited to see Allplay debut their “Tiny Box Line” of $10 games in 2024 with the likes of Fairy and others.

Moonrollers

Expected Release Date – June 2024

I’ve played Moonrollers, and I liked it enough that I had to pledge for my own copy. That’s because Bitewing Games has had the chance to collaborate with the designer of Moonrollers, Robert Hovakimyan, on some upcoming projects and we’ve been very impressed with this new designer’s output. Moonrollers features spicy push-your-luck, neat shared incentives, and is strongly influenced by Reiner Knizia’s design philosophy (and you know I can get enough of Knizia-esque games). Most importantly, Moonrollers keeps the focus on dice chucking drama like my favorite dice games.

Undaunted 2200: Callisto

Expected Release Date – September 2024

Undaunted is the bee’s knees of snappy, tense, streamlined war games. But up to this point, it has spent all of its time in the World War II setting. In 2024, it finally breaks free of those confines and goes way off into the future and way out into outer space. But this is no simple skin swap where tanks are replaced by mechs and AK-47’s are placed by laser rifles. Knowing David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin, they’ll undoubtedly make the sci-fi vehicles and weapons feel bonkers strong. And this box appears to contain four double sided game boards rather than a bunch of modular tiles to make up the map. Plus, the game will offer 2-player, 4-player, and solo options.

Kabuto Sumo: Sakura Slam

Kickstarter Launch – January 2024. Expected Release – Q3 2024.

Long live Kabuto Sumo — the disc pushing wrestling match between epic bug characters illustrated by Kwanchai Moriya. Sakura Slam is not another expansion to Kabuto Sumo. Rather, it is a standalone sequel which I hear will feature a classic square wrestling ring and undoubtedly some new dexterity and physics challenges to enjoy.

Calimala

Expected Release Date – September 2024

Calimala is another reskinned edition of a game I’ve played and discussed in the past.

This one originally hit my table at a time when I was burnt out on beige Eurogames with generic themes and presentations (and my initial thoughts on the game certainly reflect that mood). Ultimately, this was one design that I purged from my collection, but I never quite purged it from my mind. Something about the bitey gameplay lingered with me, and I’m thrilled to see that it will soon break free of its original look with a new presentation from Ian O’Toole. I’m hoping that this new version will help me uncover a newfound love for the clever Calimala.

River Valley Glassworks

Kickstarter Launch – March 2024. Expected Release Date – Q3 2024.

Publisher Allplay is on a quest to capture the hearts of Azul fans across the world with their major 2024 release, River Valley Glassworks. Here you’ll be drafting glass pieces from a river of flowing tiles and adding that glass to your shop. Some glass types are more rare than others, and part of the strategy is deciding which columns to fill with which types. It already appears to be starting on the right foot with charming artwork from Andrew Bosley and clackety glass tokens which are drawn from a bag.

Night Witches

Kickstarter Launch in 2024. Expected Release Date – TBD

Anything with David Thompson’s name on it (co-designer behind Undaunted, Resist, General Orders, and more) is bound to catch my attention, which is why Night Witches is on this list. This solitaire or 2-player cooperative game features the famous female pilots of World War II running missions across a 10-session campaign (where each session lasts about 30 minutes). On top of that, the game will be illustrated by Ian O’Toole. Count me in!

A Teaser for Bitewing’s Next Kickstarter

We’re not ready to spill all the beans quite yet, but you better believe we have some major tricks up our sleeve for our 2024 Kickstarter plans. Hopefully these vague descriptions of our next three games will be enough to whet your whistle until we’re ready to fully unveil them:

• [Redacted] is a modern, multi-rondel Eurogame with a timeless design ethos — clean systems, tight interaction, and focused scoring.
• [Redacted] is an old-school, shared board tile laying game with a refreshing twist — dual-layered placements of tiles and dice.
• [Redacted] is a classic, hidden gem Knizia card game with an evolved ruleset — removing past flaws while enhancing exciting strategies.

I hope you’re ready to see these games soon, because we’re already working on the preview copies with our factory. Be sure to subscribe to the Bitewing Games Newsletter so you don’t miss their grand reveal and Kickstarter launch.

What are your most anticipated board games of 2024? Share in the comments below!

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the critically acclaimed titles Trailblazers by Ryan Courtney and Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share classy board games with a bite.

Disclaimer: When Bitewing Games finds a designer or artist or publisher that we like, we sometimes try to collaborate with these creators on our own publishing projects. We work with these folks because we like their work, and it is natural and predictable that we will continue to praise and enjoy their work. Any opinions shared are subject to biases including business relationships, personal acquaintances, gaming preferences, and more. That said, our intent is to help grow the hobby, share our gaming experiences, and find folks with similar tastes. Please take any and all of our opinions with a hearty grain of salt as you partake in this tabletop hobby feast.

The post Most Anticipated Board Games of 2024 appeared first on Bitewing Games.

When tabletop hobbyists hear the term “Deduction Game,” they tend to assume one of two major categories: A Social Deduction game or a Logic Deduction game. The most prominent examples of Social Deduction are games like The Resistance, Werewolves, or Blood on the Clocktower. These tend to feature secret roles, bluffing, misdirection, accusations, and elimination where the most socially crafty players have the best chance of winning. On the flip side, logic deduction games tend to emphasize information over conversation, reveals over reactions, and races to uncover the ultimate secret over hidden roles. 

There are of course exceptions and hybrids where the line between social deduction and logic deduction blurs, but today I wanted to focus on my ten favorite games that feature logic deduction. The reason for the occasion is in celebration of our own upcoming deduction game. So buckle in an enjoy the ride of my Top 10 Logic Deduction Games, and be sure to stick around for the grand reveal of Bitewing Games’ next big project!

Here’s my list in no particular order…

Cryptid

Since its 2018 release, Cryptid has stood the test of time (yes, I consider 5 board game years a long time) as a solid option for pure logic deduction. It was even nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres last year after it finally released in Germany.

Here, players are racing to find the hidden cryptid on a hex-based map by deducing each other’s clues and weaving together this knowledge to pinpoint the cryptid’s space. You’ll take turns asking another player if the cryptid could be in a particular space (according to their clue) and they’ll either put out a yes disc or a no cube. The juicy twist here is that if you make somebody else put out a no cube, then you must also put out a no cube about your own clue. The challenge is to not reveal too much about your clue while racing to find the cryptid first. And the ending usually lands in a thrilling fashion when one player makes an official guess and, one by one, every other player is forced to place a yes disc on that space (assuming they correctly solved the puzzle).

MicroMacro: Crime City

For players who prefer things to be much less abstract than the hexes and triangles and cylinders of Cryptid, MicroMacro could be a great option. On top of that, this one is a killer cooperative or solo game.

In this Where’s Waldo detective challenge, players work through many cases that all start out the same: a crime has been committed and it’s up to you to solve the case. While the drawings across this massive, detailed map appear cute on the surface, the characters in this city are anything but. You’ll witness murder, kidnappings, thievery, corruption, and more as you piece together the evidence and uncover dark secrets.

The clever twist to this map is that it is not a snapshot of a single time period, rather it shows a map of both time and space where you can follow suspects across town or retrace their steps. Subtle clues are also planted into these settings and scenarios. The map is so well designed that it even gives you the opportunity to deduce information based on physical characteristics, facial expressions, background details, and more.

Treasure Island

Treasure Island is one of the more unique deduction games on my list thanks to the refreshing use of dry erase markers on a shared board. Long John Silver’s crew have committed mutiny and locked him up on Treasure Island! Day after day, they question him as to the whereabouts of his buried treasure, hoping to be the first to find the booty. But by sowing in a bit of misdirection with his truths, Long John hopes to buy himself enough time to escape captivity and reach his treasure before it is uncovered.

The deduction challenge here can be both infuriatingly frustrating and delightfully thematic. Players can spend their turns searching areas hoping to stumble across the treasure first, or they can wring more information out of Long John to narrow down their search area. They can even cooperate and share information with each other to increase their chances of beating Long John at his own game, but it’s ever hard to trust a greedy pirate when only one person will walk away with the treasure.

Outfoxed

Now before anyone gets too excited, let me start this one by clarifying that Outfoxed is 100% a children’s game. But the reason Outfoxed landed a spot on this list is because it’s probably one of the best children’s games out there (for 4-10 years old), and its core mechanism is deduction.

Unlike the most popular family-weight deduction game of all (Clue), Outfoxed is a cooperative game that allows parents to guide their kids through the puzzle by playing on the same team. It features a bit of Yahtzee-style dice rolling drama (where a failed roll will advance the fox toward your defeat), yet gives the players plenty of time to solve the case of which fox stole Mrs. Plumpert’s pie?

This one comes with a neat little plastic device where you’ll insert the thief card and test out clue tokens with a slider to determine whether the guilty fox was wearing things like a hat or necklace or glasses. It’s simple enough that my 4-year-old daughter caught on quickly, and she’s had a blast playing it multiple times a week with us since it arrived.

Deception: Murder in Hong Kong

For those who insist on maximum social interaction in their logic deduction game, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Deception: Murder in Hong Kong. The reason I’ve include this party-style game (while excluding other social deduction games) is because Deception keeps things more grounded with evidence cards and scene tiles.

There are indeed hidden roles here, most notably a murderer who secretly selects a key evidence card and a means of murder card in front of them which the other players must identify in order to win. The problem is that each player has roughly 8 cards sitting in front of them, and nobody knows who the murderer is or what specific evidence will convict them… except for the forensic scientist. 

The forensic scientist acts as a game master who slowly rolls out more information as players accuse each other of murder. The catch is that each player only has 1 official accusation token they can spend during the game, and the murderer will win unless the others can pinpoint their exact two cards.

For those who don’t enjoy the baseless accusations of more loose social deduction games like Werewolves, Deception is a clear winner that provides players with a more solid deduction footing based on evidence and cards.

Codenames & Decrypto

Why did I group these two games together? Well… because it’s my list and I feel like it. But also because these games scratch a similar itch (yet both do it so well that I couldn’t choose one over the other). Like Deception, Codenames and Decrypto have a bit of a party-style vibe to them, but here you are dividing the group into two equal teams. 

In both games, a player from each team gives a clue to their teammates who then try to utilize this new information (plus previous clues and opponent clues) to make some guesses. In Codenames you are trying to spot your agents in the field (correctly select your team’s word cards), while in Decrypto you are trying to decipher your team’s code and the opposing team’s code based on the word clues provided. Codenames is undoubtedly the more approachable title of the two, but Decrypto is probably the more rewarding challenge. I’ll happily play either!

Mysterium

If you want that Codenames or Decrypto style of clue giving and team-discussing deduction, but in a less wordy and more visual format, then Mysterium is the way to go. In this cooperative game, one player doles out illustrations called “vision cards” to try to help each player select the correct suspect then location then murder weapon. The game then ends in a thrilling vote based on one final combination of clues. 

Players are involved throughout by helping each other decipher their visions and by placing bets — clairvoyancy tokens — on each other’s guesses (where correct bets will help the team’s chance of success in the final vote). It takes a bit to set up, so this one is best set up before the group arrives, but Mysterium has always been a hit with our gaming groups.

The Search for Planet X

We’ve strayed into murder mysteries, treasure hunts, and social parties, but for those who wish to get back to the quiet, competitive brain burning of pure logic deduction, The Search for Planet X is your jam. Where some logic deduction games are so dry or abstract that they stray away from gaming and into homework territory, Planet X manages to keep things smooth and interesting with its astronomy theme and slick app.

Players are deducing what exactly lies in each sector of the solar system as they race to find Planet X. But this design has a few strengths over its competitors:

• The deduction is non-fragile, meaning a player cannot accidentally give out false information and ruin the game for everyone, because all of the information comes from the app
• Players are not simply competing to find a single entity first, although that does grant a nice point bonus. You can actually still win the game by making other great deductions throughout the session. So turn order or a single slip-up won’t necessarily ruin your shot at winning.
• There’s a nice bit of competitive pressure to push-your-luck by publishing theories, even if you’re not entirely sure about those theories

These are some of the main reasons why The Search For Planet X is one of the highest ranked logic deductions games on Board Game Geek and a winner at my table.

Durian

These last two titles are great options for those who want a shot of deduction within a filler-length game. Durian is all about avoiding and deflecting the wrath of your imposing gorilla boss. Players take turns accepting orders in this busy fruit shop until one player believes that their collective orders have exceeded their collective inventory. The problem is that you don’t know the exact fruit inventory in your shop because you cannot see your own inventory card (but you can see everyone else’s cards).

This wrinkle allows for players to bluff, scheme, or push their luck by accepting big or small orders for fruit and hoping that when somebody rings the tattletale bell, anybody but them gets in trouble. It’s a hilarious romp that comes in a beautifully small box.

Love Letter

Love Letter is a classic filler game of holding one card in your hand and hoping you survive the gauntlet of each round. On your turn, you’ll draw a second card into your hand and choose one of them to play. The objective is to be the last person standing or to have the highest card when the round ends, as that person will get to deliver their love letter to the princess. 

Love Letter works so well because there are a mere 16 cards in the entire deck, and only half that many card types. Newcomers quickly learn what their opponents may be holding in their hand, and the game of cat and mouse ensues. As more cards are played and revealed, the options narrow and the round reaches a crescendo. By deducing what card may be in your surviving opponents’ hands, you’ll take calculated risks to come out on top.

Introducing a new deduction game from Bitewing Games

If you’ve made it this far, then you are obviously a fellow fan of deduction games and you hopefully agree with some of my favorite picks. While it’s certainly easier for me to simply play and enjoy the great titans of this genre, I felt compelled to make a contribution of my own when I came across Ryan Courtney’s promising design. So please allow me the honor of introducing to you our next publication, Spectral…

Legend tells of the abandoned Spectral Manor coming to life at the stroke of midnight on a Crimson Moon — an event that rarely takes place more than once per century. On that night and that night alone, vast treasures appear in certain rooms granting unspeakable wealth to those brave enough to find and claim them. But those who enter this mansion do so at their peril, as some rooms awaken ghosts and curses which claim any who are foolish enough to enter. Rumors speak of glyphs and sigils found within the manor only on Crimson Moon night; these markings offer hints and clues — indicating both where treasures can be found and where paranormal traps lie in wait.

In Spectral, players control competing bands of treasure hunters. These bands enter the Spectral Manor on the night of the Crimson Moon and race to uncover and stake out the locations of the treasures before midnight. As they discover and decipher the glyphs, they’ll carefully avoid rooms where demons secretly slumber and selfishly keep such information from their rivals. Meanwhile, locations of the manor that promise to conjure the most treasure will see multiple clans clashing over the territory. Through deduction, bidding, betting, and bluffing, players will uncover and harness the secrets within. The game ends after any player has placed out all of their treasure hunters or if all players consecutively pass. The band who claims the most treasure while avoiding cursed rooms will come away victorious.

Featuring:

• Strong player interaction on a shared board with push-your-luck risk taking in this haunted manor treasure hunt
• A refreshing combination of mechanisms including inter-card worker placement, auction-style betting, and clever deduction
• Non-fragile logic deduction (nobody can accidentally give out bad info and break the game)
• A satisfyingly tailored experience with multiple challenge levels (beginner mode, standard mode, and advanced modules)
• Immersive artwork and graphics by Kwanchai Moriya and Brigette Indelicato (the art team behind Zoo Vadis)

I’m excited to share more about Spectral, including a full publisher diary, leading up to its Summer 2023 Kickstarter launch. So be sure to follow along by subscribing to the Bitewing Games newsletter!

Thanks for your support, and happy deducing!

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the upcoming Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share classy board games with a bite.

The post Top 10 Logic Deduction Games + A Bitewing Games Publication Reveal! appeared first on Bitewing Games.

What is CasinoAU10?

CasinoAU10 is an online casino designed specifically for Australian players, offering a wide range of games, bonuses, and a user-friendly interface. It caters to both experienced gamblers and beginners, making it an attractive option for anyone looking to experience the thrill of online gaming in a regulated environment.

CasinoAU10 features a combination of classic table games, modern slots, and live dealer options, all provided by top-tier software developers. With a focus on security, customer service, and responsible gambling, CasinoAU10 aims to offer a high-quality experience for players in Australia.

Key Features of CasinoAU10

1. Game Selection

CasinoAU10 boasts an extensive library of games to suit a variety of player preferences. Some of the key categories include:

• Pokies (Slots): From classic 3-reel games to the latest video slots with bonus features and progressive jackpots, CasinoAU10 offers a broad selection of pokies for every type of player.
• Table Games: Whether you enjoy blackjack, roulette, baccarat, or poker, CasinoAU10 has a wide range of traditional casino games to enjoy with low and high stakes.
• Live Casino: For a more immersive experience, CasinoAU10 features live dealer games where players can interact with real dealers in real-time. Games such as live blackjack, live roulette, and live baccarat offer the thrill of a brick-and-mortar casino from the comfort of your own home.
• Video Poker: For poker enthusiasts, the casino offers various video poker machines, including popular versions like Jacks or Better and Deuces Wild.

2. Bonuses and Promotions

CasinoAU10 offers several attractive promotions to encourage new players and reward loyal ones. Some of the bonuses you can expect include:

• Welcome Bonus: New players often receive a welcome bonus upon signing up and making their first deposit. This bonus can include match bonuses and free spins on selected slots.
• Free Spins: Many games, especially pokies, come with free spins as part of promotions. Players can use these spins to try their luck without risking their own money.
• Loyalty Programs: For regular players, CasinoAU10 may offer a loyalty or VIP program that rewards frequent players with exclusive bonuses, cashback offers, and faster withdrawals.
• Special Promotions: CasinoAU10 regularly runs promotions such as reload bonuses, weekend bonuses, and holiday-themed offers. Players should check the promotions page to stay updated on the latest deals.

3. Payment Methods

CasinoAU10 offers a variety of convenient and secure payment methods, making it easy for Australian players to deposit and withdraw funds. Some of the most popular methods include:

• Credit and Debit Cards: Visa and Mastercard are commonly accepted for both deposits and withdrawals.
• E-Wallets: For fast and secure transactions, CasinoAU10 supports e-wallets like PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller.
• Bank Transfers: Players can also use direct bank transfers for both deposits and withdrawals.
• Cryptocurrency: For those interested in using digital currencies, CasinoAU10 accepts popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, offering fast and secure transactions.

4. Security and Licensing

One of the most important factors when choosing an online casino is security. CasinoAU10 ensures that its players’ personal information and financial transactions are protected using SSL encryption technology. This technology ensures that all data exchanged between players and the casino is secure and private.

CasinoAU10 operates with a valid gaming license, which ensures that the casino complies with the rules and regulations set forth by the governing authorities. This includes fair gaming practices, player protection, and responsible gambling measures.

5. Customer Support

CasinoAU10 offers 24/7 customer support through multiple channels, including live chat, email, and phone. Whether you need help with a technical issue, payment question, or simply need assistance with gameplay, the support team is available to provide quick and helpful solutions.

The live chat option is often the fastest way to get in touch with a support agent, and responses are typically fast, ensuring minimal disruption to your gaming experience.

Pros and Cons of CasinoAU10

Pros:

• Wide game variety including pokies, table games, live casino, and video poker.
• Attractive bonuses and promotions, especially for new players.
• Secure payment methods including credit/debit cards, e-wallets, and cryptocurrency.
• 24/7 customer support available via live chat, email, and phone.
• SSL encryption to ensure player security and privacy.
• Responsible gambling tools such as deposit limits and self-exclusion.

Cons:

• Limited payment options for some international players.
• Wagering requirements on bonuses that may be difficult to clear for some players.
• Withdrawal processing times for bank transfers can be slower than e-wallets or cryptocurrencies.

Expert Opinion: Is CasinoAU10 Worth Your Time?

We spoke with Alex Wilson, a gaming industry expert, who shared his thoughts on the Australian online casino market:

“CasinoAU10 is a solid option for Australian players looking for a trustworthy, secure online casino. It offers a great selection of games, competitive bonuses, and a seamless mobile experience. However, like many online casinos, players should be mindful of the wagering requirements tied to bonuses. Overall, it’s a casino that balances fun and security very well.”

How to Get Started at CasinoAU10

If you’re ready to try your luck at CasinoAU10, getting started is simple. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you set up an account and make your first deposit:

1. Sign Up: Go to the CasinoAU10 website and click the “Sign Up” button. Fill in the required information, including your name, email address, and date of birth.
2. Verify Your Account: Depending on the casino’s requirements, you may need to provide proof of identity and address.
3. Make a Deposit: Choose your preferred payment method (credit card, e-wallet, or cryptocurrency) and make your first deposit. Don’t forget to claim any welcome bonuses or free spins if available.
4. Start Playing: Choose your favourite game and start playing! Remember to play responsibly and set limits to keep your gambling experience fun and safe.

Final Thoughts: Is CasinoAU10 the Right Casino for You?

CasinoAU10 offers a great combination of exciting games, attractive bonuses, and secure payment options, making it a strong choice for Australian players. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced gambler, this casino provides something for everyone. However, as with any online casino, it’s important to read the terms and conditions, especially regarding bonuses, wagering requirements, and withdrawals.

If you’re looking for a reliable, licensed online casino to play your favourite games, CasinoAU10 is definitely worth considering. Remember to always gamble responsibly, and enjoy your gaming experience!

The post Exploring CasinoAU10: A Comprehensive Review for Australian Players appeared first on Bitewing Games.

The legal landscape in plain English

Under South African law, online sports betting is legal when offered by operators licensed by a provincial board (e.g., Western Cape or Gauteng). Full-scale online casinos (slots, roulette, blackjack) aren’t domestically licensed, which is why many brands that accept South Africans are based offshore. Practically, players do use those offshore sites—but you won’t have local regulator support if a dispute arises. That makes due diligence essential: look for transparent T&Cs, solid cashier options, and a track record of paying withdrawals.

How South Africans really bank their play

The typical SA player values quick deposits, clear ZAR pricing, and short withdrawal queues. You’ll most often see:

• Instant EFT (Ozow, SiD, PayFast): bank-to-bank speed without card hiccups.
• Cards (Visa/Mastercard): widely accepted for deposits; withdrawals may route elsewhere.
• E-wallets (Skrill, Neteller, AstroPay): useful for frequent deposits and faster cashouts.
• Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDT): popular for privacy and timing, but mind exchange-rate swings.

Practical tip: Favour platforms that publish exact min/max deposit/withdrawal limits in ZAR, show processing times (e.g., “24–48 hours after KYC”), and don’t bury FX fees. Hidden conversions are where many South Africans lose value.

Quick stats that mirror the SA market

• Mobile-first usage: The majority of local bets happen on smartphones; websites that stay responsive during evening peaks (18:00–23:00) keep loyal users.
• First deposits: New players commonly start around R200–R500, testing the cashier before scaling up.
• Why players stay: Surveys and affiliate data point to fast withdrawals and responsive live chat outranking the size of the welcome bonus over time.

(These are directional insights based on operator disclosures, payment provider trends, and affiliate reporting—South African brands rarely publish hard numbers.)

Expert opinion: the strongest “strategy” is boring—by design

Compliance consultant’s view:

“In South Africa, the game that wins most often isn’t roulette or blackjack—it’s the cashier. Verify your account before you win big, keep early deposits small, and make your first withdrawal a test run. If a site fumbles those basics, no promotion is worth the hassle.”

Turn that into action:

1. KYC early: Upload FICA documents before you chase milestones or tournaments.
2. Probe the pipes: Deposit R200, wager a bit, then withdraw R100 to test processing time.
3. Log your play: Track stakes, RTPs, and results; this limits tilt during load-shedding hiccups.

Reading bonuses like a contract (because they are)

Bonuses are everywhere—welcome packs, free spins, reloads, cashbacks. The value depends on terms:

• Wagering: 30–40× is common; >45× is tough in practice.
• Game weighting: Slots ≈ 100%; tables often 10–20% or excluded.
• Max bet while wagering: Frequently capped (e.g., R50–R100 per spin/hand).
• Expiry: Usually 7–14 days—don’t accept a bonus you can’t realistically clear.
• Max cashout (no-deposit/free spins): Expect a ceiling; use these as low-risk testers.

If you’re new, look for cashback and low-wager free spins—they’re simpler and kinder to bankrolls.

A shortlist for South African suitability

Whether you stick to locally licensed sportsbooks (with limited “bet games”) or try offshore casinos, apply this filter:

• ZAR wallet supported with Instant EFT and transparent limits.
• Withdrawal SLAs posted in writing (e.g., “processed within 24–48h after verification”).
• Live chat at SA peak hours (test it around 20:00).
• Mobile performance that’s data-efficient on 3G/4G.
• Reputation longer than a marketing launch—older domains and consistent payouts matter.

Popular games (and what to know before you play)

• Slots: Ideal for short mobile sessions; check RTP (aim for ~96%+) and volatility. Medium-volatility titles offer steadier pacing for modest budgets.
• Live dealer tables: Social and transparent, but contribute little to wagering. Keep bets in line with table etiquette and bonus rules.
• Crash/bet games: Quick outcomes, easy on mobile—set hard limits; they spike excitement and losses alike.
• Video poker/blackjack: Lower house edge if rules are friendly (dealer stands on soft 17, double after split allowed).

Responsible gambling—tailored to SA realities

Load shedding and patchy connectivity can trigger rushed decisions. Use built-in tools most decent platforms provide:

• Deposit caps (daily/weekly/monthly).
• Reality checks (time and spend reminders).
• Time-outs & self-exclusion for cooling-off periods.

For help, the National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) offers confidential support—keep that number handy if your sessions stop feeling like entertainment.

Case study mindset: two players, two outcomes

• Player A accepts a big bonus without reading T&Cs, exceeds the max bet cap while wagering, and sees the win voided.
• Player B declines the bonus, verifies KYC on day one, tests a R100 withdrawal, and scales up only after funds arrive.
  Guess who enjoys the hobby six months later?

A practical, South Africa-focused checklist

Use this before you commit funds:

1. Is the site locally licensed (sports) or offshore (casino)? Adjust your risk tolerance accordingly.
2. Does the cashier show fees and FX? Avoid hidden conversions from ZAR to USD/EUR.
3. What’s the average payout time reported by users? Forums and long-standing review sites are useful.
4. Can you decline the bonus at the cashier? The ability to say “no thanks” is a green flag.
5. Are there realistic daily/weekly withdrawal limits? Punishingly low caps are a sign to move on.

Building your own top 10 (not someone else’s)

“Top lists” are useful for discovery; they’re not a substitute for your needs. When comparing any shortlist you find, rank sites by cashier reliability, ZAR usability, and support quality, not just headline promos. Two brands can offer identical welcome packages but feel completely different at payout time.

Final word: play smart, withdraw early

South Africa’s online casino space is vibrant and very mobile-first, but payment rails and legal frameworks still evolve. If you approach it with a tester’s mindset—KYC first, small deposits, early withdrawals—you’ll avoid most of the headaches players complain about. Keep sessions short, pick games with transparent RTPs, and remember: the best win is a smooth cashout back into your own South African bank account.

The post Your 2025 Guide to Online Casinos in South Africa — Bonuses, Payments, and Smart Play appeared first on Bitewing Games.

Somehow another year has passed, which means it’s already time for another Holiday Board Game Gift Guide!  At Bitewing Games, we have a tradition of suggesting the best and hottest board games during the holiday season that are fit for any occasion—whether you are a hardcore board gamer, a casual game dabbler, or somewhere in-between.

As always, our selection criteria for this guide include the following:

• The games have been tried, tested, and approved by us and/or trusted critics
• The games are generally available to purchase (links will be provided below to sites where you can purchase them—click the $)
• We won’t recommend anything from our past Holiday Gift Guides, but we still fully endorse those previous guides, so if you need even more recommendations then check out our 2020 and 2021 Guides.

For your information, we receive no financial compensation, sponsorship, or advertisement money for this guide or these recommendations except for 3 of the 20 games which Bitewing Games directly publishes—noted below. At the end of the day, these are simply 20 games we genuinely believe are great Holiday gifts. If you find value in our content, then we’d love to have you join our Bitewing Games newsletter! We use our newsletter to send regular updates regarding our latest content (like this gift guide) and publications (such as our Criminal Capers Collection of card games featured below).

This guide is divided into five sections for your convenience (scroll at your leisure or click to jump straight to the section that interests you most):

• Gifts for the Casual Board Gamer
• Gifts for your Significant Other
• Stocking Stuffer Games (small & cheap!)
• Perfect Games for you Holiday Party
• Gifts for the Hobbyist Board Gamer

Gifts for the Casual Board Gamer

Many people enjoy a good board or card game, but they don’t have the time or energy to invest in long/complicated games. The following games all play in roughly an hour or less and feature easy rules with stellar gameplay—perfect for any friends or family!

Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition | 2-5 Players | $30

One of the hottest new card games this year has been Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition, and for good reason!  This one has quickly become one of my favorite trick taking games thanks to its wonky twist where you choose the suit of each card you play while trying to avoid a paradox!  Read more about why I called this a “standout winner in the crowded field of trick takers and cat-astic games.”

Siege of Runedar | 1-4 Players | $60

Looking for a less competitive game?  No problem!  As far as new cooperative games go, Siege of Runedar is one of our favorites.  Players must defend against an onslaught of orcs and trolls while they race to dig a tunnel and escape with their precious dwarves gold.  This game also features a refreshing approach to cooperative deck building.  It’s not easy to win, but it’s loads of fun to play.

Hot Lead | 2-5 Players | $25 Standard / $30 Deluxe

Looking for a game that can be taught in 1 minute, played in 10 minutes, yet packs a huge punch?  Look no further than Hot Lead.  Players will lead undercover investigations as they try to avoid slipping up and being smelled out as a rat!  We love how this one strikes a perfect balance between clever auctions and tense push-your-luck to make for one of the most addicting filler games ever.  Hot Lead is published by yours truly, Bitewing Games, so you don’t have to take our word for it.  Read why Space-Biff says “Hot Lead is exactly what I want from a small-box Knizia.”

Nightmare Productions | 2-5 Players | $60

This one is perfect for a game night / movie night combo.  Play Nightmare Productions and then watch The Nightmare Before Christmas.  But it really doesn’t matter whether it’s Christmas, Halloween, or the middle of May.  We’d happily play Nightmare Productions any time of the year because it’s so darn fun competing to make the best (and worst) horror films.

Gifts for your Significant Other

Want to give a game that says “I love you?” How about a game that you can enjoy together over and over again? We’ve got you covered with these recommendations:

Undaunted: Stalingrad | 2 Players | $120

We’ll start with the most epic 2-player game of the year, Undaunted: Stalingrad.  The Undaunted series has been a favorite 2 player experience in our household for years now, and Stalingrad promises to be the biggest and best of them all.  Rather than playing isolated scenarios, here players embark on a legacy-like campaign where scenarios can branch in unique directions and battle casualties or troop upgrades have lasting effects.

Pumafiosi | 2-5 Players | $25 Standard / $35 Deluxe

If Undaunted is much too meaty for your significant other, then Pumafiosi is a great option for a breezy card game.  Pumafiosi is all about mafia ambition and gangster glory.  Stick your neck out too far in the mafia and you’ll be caught by the police or nailed by a rival family, which is why the second highest card wins each trick.  We love playing this one at 2-players because it introduces Tony—a simple dummy player that the two rivals must work around.  This is another Bitewing Games publication, so if you want to hear about it from an unbiased third-party then The Dice Tower recently posted their review.

 KLASK – 2 Players – $60

In terms of raw, unbridled joy, KLASK never fails to deliver.  All the fun of air hockey is condensed down (and even improved upon) in this portable tabletop game.  If your significant other is the type who prefers lively athletic competitions over quieter battles of the mind, then KLASK is the perfect option for them.  This one is so good that it ranked #20 on my recent Top 50 Games of All Time list.

Radlands | 2 Players | $25 Standard / $60 Super Deluxe

One of the very best board games of 2021 was Radlands. Where many dueling games like Magic: The Gathering intimidate newcomers with their competitive cultures and customization packs, Radlands distills this experience down into a single small box featuring two decks of cards and a dead simple set of rules.  This thrilling 30-minute game also features gorgeous post-apocalyptic art with vibrant colors that bring the experience to life.

Stocking Stuffer Games (small & cheap!)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that small games would be placed in there. These ones are both conveniently compact and blessedly affordable. And they pack a punch!

Regicide | 1-4 Players | $15 

Regicide is likely the best cooperative card game that has ever been invented from a standard deck of cards. Never has a King, Queen, or Jack been as intimidating to face as they are here in this boss rush game.  Although you could just play this game with a standard deck of cards, the artwork on this Regicide deck is great and would make for a killer stocking stuffer gift.  Plus having the rules inside the box is mighty convenient.

Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Dice | 2-6 Players | $15

Don’t L.L.A.M.A. Dice (also known as LAMA Dice) is a surprisingly delightful push-your-luck game of rolling dice and shedding cards.  It’s great for families and adults because it’s easy to teach and play yet provides for some subtle strategic decisions.  Much like a quality animated film, it’s vibrant and captivating for kids yet surprisingly clever for adults.

Scout | 2-5 Players | $23

Much like Cat in the Box, Scout is another hot new card game that hobbyists just can’t get enough of. This one features some refreshing concepts including a locked hand (you can’t rearrange your cards) which can only be modified by “scouting” from other player’s sets or runs (slotting their cards back into your hand to construct a better set or run for yourself).  It’s addicting and fantastic, don’t pass this one by!

Ghosts of Christmas | 3-4 Players | $19

Here’s a festive one for you…  Ghosts of Christmas is a wonky trick taker with a lot of personality.  You’ll be playing and claiming tricks, just like a classic game of Bridge or Hearts, only here there are three tricks going on simultaneously: in the past, present, and future.  Players are allowed to play a card into the future before they play in the present or past, yet the tricks only get resolved in order after you’ve played into all three tricks.  It’s a weird yet very cool twist on the formula.

Perfect Games for your Holiday Party

While people can never be replaced as the life of the party, a good game can help take that party to the next level. Here are our suggestions to help make your party fun and memorable…

Soda Smugglers | 3-8 Players | $25 Standard / $35 Deluxe

Soda Smugglers has been a major crowd pleaser with the groups I’ve introduced it to. Each round, one player acts as the border guard while everyone else plays a traveler trying to smuggle soda in their luggage. The guard can accept bribes, inspect suitcases, and make arrests while the travelers try to outwit them. There is something endlessly satisfying about reading your opponents’ minds, calling their bluffs, and watching each other triumph deviously or fail miserably.

As the publisher of this lively 20-minute game, the one thing we hear from players more than anything is summed up well by this SHUX 2022 attendee: “I played it with pretty much anyone and we all raved about how it was a Sheriff of Nottingham killer.”

So Clover | 2-6 Players | $25

So Clover might just be one of the most likable games on this entire list.  There is no downtime and loads of quality time packed into this 30 minute cooperative word association game.  Each player gets their own clover board which has cards slotted onto it with pairs of words lined up along each of the 4 sides.  With your own board, you must write a word that links each of the pairs together.  Then the fun begins as each player mixes up their own cards and watches in agony as the rest of the group tries to piece their board back together using the written words as clues.  This one will be staying in my collection indefinitely.

Bear Raid | 3-6 Players | $39

Last year I recommend Sidereal Confluence as a thinky gamer’s party game, and this year Bear Raid fills that role.  You’ll still need to bring your brain to this activity as you crunch numbers and puzzle out which company stocks are best to buy or short.  Yet you’ll experience plenty of groans, cheers, and drama when dice emerge from the bag and are rolled to determine the fate of each company.  

Ready Set Bet | 2-9 Players | $40

Horse racing and betting is brought to life in this brand new real-time riot: Ready Set Bet.  Players are throwing down bets as the horses inch closer to the finish line with each roll of the dice.  Between each of the 4 races, you’ll resolve your hastily made bets by gaining or losing money.

Gifts for the Hobbyist Board Gamer

Finally, we arrive at the meatiest section of all. No holiday board game gift guide is complete without solid recommendations for hobbyist gamers. If your gift receiver knows their Langs from their Knizias, their worker placements from their tableau builders, or if one of their favorite things to read is rulebooks, then these are the games for them…

Kemet: Blood & Sand – 2-5 Players – $90

Kemet is a widely-loved war game of epic Egyptian powers that has been around for a decade now.  Last year saw the release of version 2.0 — Kemet: Blood and Sand — which has been a blast to dig into at our table.  It’s always a joy to get in each other’s faces with some strategic conflict, and few games do it as well as Kemet.

Brian Boru: High King of Ireland | 3-5 Players | $60

And with that, the master plan is complete: a trick-taking game in every category 😆 (expect party games).  Don’t worry, Brian Boru is very different from your standard trick taker.  Here you’ll find an entire board game the features area majorities and utilizes trick taking as the cogs of its system.  With it’s gorgeous presentation and novel experience, Brian Boru is a solid choice for a gaming group.

Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest | 1-6 Players | $55

I’ve played a lot of 2022 releases, and Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest remains one of the strongest of the bunch.  As a fleet of sky pirates, you’ll be competing against rival crews for the best loot found across multiple islands.  You’ll have a hand of cards featuring a colorful cast of characters with unique strengths that you’ll be using to outwit your opponents.  Similar to Kemet: Blood & Sand, Libertalia: Winds of Galecrest is an updated version of a classic game—and I found all of the gameplay changes to be brilliant improvements to the experience.

Carnegie | 1-4 Players | $70

I’ll go ahead and say it right here: Carnegie is the best Euro game of 2022.  And this is coming from the guy who plays way too many games in this genre and relentlessly complains about them 😆.  Carnegie expertly avoids my common complaints by offering a unique, tight, and interactive experience that rewards careful planning and tactical pivoting.

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the upcoming Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share classy board games with a bite.

The post 2022 Holiday Board Game Gift Guide appeared first on Bitewing Games.

Wow.  It’s wild to think about how far Bitewing Games has come in the past couple years.

In January 2020, we started out as two dentists with a passion for tabletop gaming and a drive to create and share board games with a bite.  But what started out as a blog, hobby, and some creative dabbling has now become a full-blown publishing company, website, podcast, and Youtube channel.  What started as the desire to share a couple homemade designs with the world has evolved into a collaboration with the some of the world’s best designers, artists, and creators in the board game industry for more than a dozen planned projects.  How did we get here, and where are we even going?

As most of you know, our first major project became Reiner Knizia’s Criminal Capers Collection.  Three simple card games with clever mechanisms that share a vibrant theme.  We wanted to start with these smaller productions because they were lower risk and lower complexity.  It was a way for us to test the waters of publishing and crowdfunding as well as establish a fanbase for Bitewing Games.  We’re very proud of the end result and think this collection turned out gorgeous, engaging, interactive, and approachable.  Even after many plays, the Criminal Capers Collection remains a go-to filler and enjoyably casual gaming experience at our table.

Of course, where we put out three of these 20-minute games that heavily target the casual gaming audience, many folks have understandably assumed that this is the type of publisher Bitewing Games would become.  Something similar to Amigo who mainly publishes ultra-light card games that feature clever twists.  And while we love those types of games and often get them to the table, we found ourselves hungry to take on even more ambitious projects.

For Kyle and I, the games that we most often get to the table are typically big box games that play in roughly an hour or less, are easy to teach to anyone, but present even more decisions and depth than most card games.  This is one of our favorite ways to game, so naturally we are drawn to publishing such titles as well.

I suppose if we really wanted to be a well-oiled and maximally profitable company, we would have a more focused brand or consistent product.  I’ve been impressed by publishers such as Facade Games with their Dark Cities line who have amassed a huge audience thanks to their consistent and disciplined social deduction games that come in gorgeous faux-book boxes—you know exactly what you’re getting from them.

But where Kyle and I already have full jobs as dentists, I suppose we’re more interested in chasing projects that really excite us personally, first and foremost.  And variety keeps the publishing work fresh.  The same is true for playing board games.  If I get stuck playing efficiency Euros from one game night to the next, I start to become rather grumpy with the genre 😆.  I’m much more in the mood to play a game like Concordia or Agricola if I get to enjoy other genres in-between those plays.

What I’m getting at is that our ambitious publishing plans are kind of all over the place.  We started with three light, 20-minute card games of bluffing, bribing, auctions, and push-your-luck.  Next we took on Trailblazers—and while that is likewise a fast and approachable card game at its core, it also a spatial puzzler that features two expansions, three solo modes, and a staggeringly high skill-ceiling.  Trailblazers is a Ryan Courtney game after all, and thinky is his design style.  

While we felt Trailblazers had massive potential, we couldn’t be sure of its success until the Kickstarter campaign arrived.  Yet that uncertainty didn’t stop us from committing to additional thrilling projects such as Zoo Vadis for further down the road.  And now that Trailblazers has performed even better than we were hoping, future plans and aspirations are really starting to come together.

Today I’m excited to formally reveal our publication plans for the future and shed some more light on these projects.  Bitewing Games is in the process of launching several lines of games:

Reiner Knizia’s Criminal Capers Collection is here and complete!

These three 20-minute card games within the shared Criminal Capers universe are now available on our webstore.  We have limited copies of the standard and deluxe edition games available to order.  The standard editions will also be available through retailers starting in November.  We consider this collection complete and have no plans to add more games to it later.  We hope gamers and non-gamers alike will enjoy these casual small-box experiences.  They make for a great appetizer to our meatier projects.

Ryan Courtney x Bitewing Games = Deep Clean Series

I’m excited to reveal our new Deep Clean Series which will be kicked off by Ryan Courtney’s Trailblazers.  Where Ryan Courtney fans are accustomed to heavy games from his previous work, Trailblazers focuses on retaining deep and engaging gameplay but with clean and simple rules.  The two included expansions—Animals and Adventurers—add even more depth for gamers to enjoy.  We look forward to releasing even more Trailblazers expansions that Ryan is currently working on.  And Trailblazers is only the beginning…  

Bitewing Games is thrilled to announce our formal partnership with designer Ryan Courtney in publishing yearly releases in the Deep Clean Series!  Our follow-up project to Trailblazers is already in the works, with the game design complete and the artwork now in early stages.  While this game obviously holds true to the Deep Clean focus, it is otherwise a very different style of game from Trailblazers.  For now this one is called Project Deep—a tense logic game from Ryan Courtney featuring interactive competition and non-fragile deduction.  Like Trailblazers, the rules are approachable and the playtime is quick, yet the skill ceiling is high and the gameplay variety is huge.  

Ryan Courtney won’t be the only talented designer contributing to the Deep Clean Series.  We’re also collaborating with Reiner Knizia on a big box game!  We’re honored to be publishing the next big tile-placement strategy game from Reiner Knizia which we’re calling Project Cascade.  This one follows in the footsteps of Babylonia, Tigris & Euphrates, Blue Lagoon, etc.  It terms of strategic depth, zero luck, layered nuances, and tactical interaction, this is Reiner’s heaviest game in years, yet it plays smooth as butter.  We can’t wait to unveil this one as well!

2023 will be a huge year for the Deep Clean Series with Trailblazers releasing and both Project Deep and Project Cascade launching via crowdfunding.

With the launch of Zoo Vadis comes the birth of the Crown Jewel Selection

As a hobbyist gamer, it’s always thrilling to discover new hits—promising projects and refreshing ideas are endlessly flooding the market.  Yet I’ve found just as much joy in uncovering classic games from past decades including revered legends, hidden gems, and overlooked firecrackers.  Many excellent designs have simply fallen victim to poor production decisions, limited marketing, or insatiable cult-of-the-new appetites.  That’s why Bitewing Games has taken it upon ourselves to do justice to some of these classic gems beginning with Zoo Vadis.

I firmly believe that Reiner Knizia’s Quo Vadis (now Zoo Vadis) is one of the greatest negotiation games ever designed.  Adopting and evolving this design into the Crown Jewel Selection is our way of helping it reach its full potential.  We look forward to the crowdfunding launch of Zoo Vadis in January and hope you do as well!  In the meantime, be sure to follow our Zoo Vadis weekly reveals on Board Game Geek which recently began with the unveiling of the new game board and Peacock figures.

With the amount of attention that Zoo Vadis has already received since it was first announced, I’m confident that Bitewing Games will soon have more thrilling projects to launch in the Crown Jewel Selection for 2024 and beyond.

Coming full circle with Bitewing Games Originals. 

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Bitewing Games started with two dentists eager to share a couple of their own game designs.  While we ended up taking a fantastic detour through Reiner Knizia and Ryan Courtney projects, we’re finally getting back around to our own first publication in Gussy Gorillas.  Those who have been following us for a long time will recall that this game was originally meant to launch alongside the Criminal Capers Collection.  The design itself didn’t encounter any setbacks, rather we realized that the smart marketing decision was to launch it alongside Zoo Vadis instead, as they are both negotiation games.

Gussy Gorillas will come in the same magnetic square box as our Criminal Capers games; it is very similar in style in that it is a simple, clever 20-minute card game.  Where we already have strong working relationships with Reiner Knizia and Ryan Courtney (who continually provide us with an endless stream of designs to consider), any of our own designs that we publish come with a significant opportunity cost.  I’m pleasantly surprised to see that Gussy Gorillas (and a future party game) remain a publishing priority thanks to the uniquely charming experience it provides.

You can look forward to seeing more of Gussy Gorillas in the January crowdfunding campaign!

2024 brings a 2-player line starting with Project Dyo. 

If the Criminal Capers Collection, Deep Clean Series, Crown Jewel Selection, and Bitewing Games Originals aren’t enough for you, then you can start counting down the days to our 2-player line launching in 2024 😆.  The genesis of this line came from a Reiner Knizia interview from several years ago… Reiner mentioned that he is sitting on some excellent 2-player designs that publishers apparently don’t want because they believe 2-player games don’t sell well.  Perhaps that’s true as a general principle because exclusively 2-player games are inherently targeting a smaller audience.  But this is the designer of Lost Cities, Battle Line, Royal Visit, and Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation we’re talking about!  If anyone can provide an exceptional 2-player game with huge potential, it’s Reiner Knizia.

As a massive fan of Knizia games myself, I consider it an injustice for his excellent 2-player designs to go unpublished (or for Reiner to shy away from designing more 2-player masterpieces in general), so Bitewing Games is now working to launch a 2-player line that will make a big splash in the industry and keep the door open for Knizia and other designers to create more focused 2-player experiences.

This line will kick off with a crowdfunding launch in early 2024 featuring two Knizia 2-player games called Project Dyo.  To give folks a sense of these games, I would say that they’re both strategically heavier than Lost Cities yet comparable in box size and rules complexity.  It’s an agonizingly long wait, even for those of us who are already enjoying the designs, but I’m confident that the wait will be worth it.

The Future is Bright

Of course, the only reason we are able to maintain such an aggressive publishing schedule is thanks to the support we’ve already received for the Criminal Capers Collection and Trailblazers from backers.  And while we plan to release multiple titles per year, we also plan to continue supporting earlier titles and giving them the long-term love they deserve.

As for our online content, we’re still planning to keep that up!  Kyle has been doing more reviews, previews, and How to Play videos while I’ll be keeping the blog and podcast going on a regular basis.  Our goals for this content remain the same: grow the hobby, share and spotlight great games, encourage industry improvement, and keep our publishing minds sharp.

A huge thanks goes to everyone who has supported and believed in Bitewing Games.  We’re excited about the future and hope you are too. 🙌

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the upcoming Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share experiences that, much like a bitewing x-ray, provide a unique perspective and refreshing interaction.

The post What’s Next for Bitewing Games? 2022 and Beyond… appeared first on Bitewing Games.

Between publishing and dentistry, I’ve been super busy lately.  So it’s been an entire month since my last post.  Fortunately, I’ve still had enough time to play plenty of new-to-me games that I’m eager to share.  And what better way to end my posting drought than with an all Knizia post?!?

No Mercy

2 Plays (4 Players)

Korean publisher, Mandoo Games, caught wind that I was a Knizia fan and generously sent me their three recent Knizia publications to explore and share my thoughts on.  We’ll start with No Mercy, which is another push-your-luck game by the good Doctor.  

Interestingly, 2022’s No Mercy has a lengthy history as it is a retitled edition of 2021’s Hit! by French Publisher Pixie Games, which is a slightly modified design based on 2021’s Family Inc by Austrian publisher Piatnik, which is itself a reimplementation of 2007’s Cheeky Monkey which has seen many editions over the years.

It’s unclear whether No Mercy or Hit! will become easily available for folks in North America, as it does not have English rules in the box (although you can find a fan translation on Board Game Geek).  That’s a bit of a shame, because I find myself preferring No Mercy over Family Inc. (although who knows… it’s possible that Cheeky Monkey is the best of the bunch).  

I already shared my full thoughts on Family Inc., and while I enjoyed trying the game, No Mercy has now rendered it obsolete.  Most notably, No Mercy does not come packaged in a disgustingly massive and airy box—rather it comes in an appropriately small card box for a fittingly fun filler.

I won’t go into the full gameplay here because it’s so similar to how I explained Family Inc.  But the gameplay differences are notable, as I find myself preferring them as well.

With Family Inc., you only steal from other players’ queued stashes when you conclude your turn without busting.  With No Mercy, you must decide to steal mid-turn, the moment you reveal a matching card, and sometimes it’s better to not steal from others if you wish to draw a second or third card without the chance of busting.

There is also no race to 100 points or awarding of swingy 50-point diamonds.  Rather, you’ll simply play through the entire deck and add up your collected cards at the end.  

At any rate, if you have the opportunity to track down a copy of No Mercy or Hit without much trouble, it’s certainly a quick and lively crowd-pleaser.  Players will enjoy the freedom of expressing themselves by playing it safe and collecting a few cards per turn or pushing their luck deeper into the draw pile to hopefully nab lucrative stacks from vulnerable opponents.  But at the end of the day, it’s mostly just a luck fest.  The important thing is that it knows its limits and stays well within those boundaries. 

Prognosis: Fair

Where to Acquire: I’m told that BGG will be selling this after Essen Spiel.

Gang of Dice

2 Plays (4 Players)

Unlike No Mercy or the next Mandoo Games title (Treasures of Nakbe), Gang of Dice is a Knizia design with no history that I’m aware of.  It’s also admittedly the Mandoo game I was most looking forward to trying precisely because it is the most unique of the bunch.  

If I had to give this design a nickname, it would be Ego Yahtzee.  And I love a push-your-luck game that puts players’ egos front and center.

The challenge takes place over 12 rounds of players selecting any number of dice from their hidden supply to roll and attempting to roll the highest sum with the winner claiming all of the dice that were invested in rolls that round.  The player with the most dice at the end wins.  The catch is that you must accomplish this without exploding.

Each round, a new card is revealed that displays a dangerous combination or threshold that players must avoid.  There are two types of cards: Immediate Explosions and End-of-Turn Bombs.  If an immediate explosion displays a threshold of 10+, then that means a player explodes the moment they roll a dice total of 10 or higher.  If an End-of-Turn Bomb displays “2 Odds,” then a player explodes if their final result has 2 or more odd numbers among all their dice.  Other possibilities include rolling a 4 or 5, rolling a pair, rolling three different number results, etc.  While the differences are outwardly subtle, they feel surprisingly unique when deciding how many dice to roll and knowing whether there is the risk of an immediate explosion or not.

Every player gets one turn to roll their dice, exploded dice end up in the middle, and the highest roll that did not explode takes all of the dice that were rolled (whether they exploded or not).

You’re always allowed to choose as many dice as you wish to start your roll, then you have 3 Yahtzee style rolls to get the best result (unless you explode immediately).  That decision of how many dice to roll is layered with plenty of nuance on its own—more dice means you’ll have more options to work with, yet you also have a higher risk of exploding and losing those extra dice than if you had chosen less.  Wise players will know when to cut their losses in a round and roll the obligatory 1 die rather than risk it big.  

But the one trademark Knizian wrinkle that really seals the deal for Gang of Dice is the fact that the sixth side of every die displays a Boss rather than a 6.  This Boss face has no value, ever, meaning it will never trigger an explosion, only the other faces (1-5) can do that.  Furthermore, ties are fairly common, and the tiebreaker always goes in favor of whoever rolled more dice.  So a sum of 9 from three dice (a 4, 5, and Boss) always beats out a sum of 9 from two dice.  

Boss’s are great to roll in terms of explosion avoidance and tiebreakers, yet they contribute nothing to your chances of having the highest sum and outright winning the round.  So do you keep a boss result from your first or second roll, or reroll it?!  Arghh!

Turn order plays a key role as well.  The winner of one round starts the next, and they have the pressure of setting the bar and hoping nobody else clears it.  If you’re last to play, then you know exactly what result you need to win—all you have to do is muster the guts to shoot for it and hope it doesn’t blow up in your face.

Although it only supports 2-4 players, Gang of Dice seems poised to be my favorite Knizia dice game since Rapido/Excape and LAMA Dice.  It’s a worthy addition to his noteworthy push-your-luck titles.

Prognosis: Good

Where to Acquire: I’m told that BGG will be selling this after Essen Spiel.

Treasures of Nakbe

1 Play

The final Mandoo x Knizia collaboration is yet another design with a storied past.  This one is a reimplimentation of Ravensburger’s Drachenhort (2015).  Notably, Ravensburger never brought this title to North America despite it being a solid family game.  But I suppose that doesn’t matter any more, because Treasures of Nakbe (1) does include English rules, (2) will hopefully make its way to the US, and (3) features some interesting new twists to the gameplay.

These gameplay additions are not only important for one-upping Drachenhort, but they also serve to differentiate the experience further from the similar shared-incentive Knizia racing game, Winner’s Circle.  Both of these designs take the infamous roll-to-move mechanism and make it engaging and enjoyable by giving players the freedom to decide which figure to move with that die result.  In both games, each figure can only only be moved once per round (usually).  So players aren’t just assigning their high rolls to their favorite horse or explorer, but they’re also bullying the easiest targets with their low rolls to lock them up for the rest of the round.

In Winner’s Circle, this experience is much more strategic and calculating.  Horses are racing around a track and their individual cards display the odds of their movement.  Players make bets based on the horse cards and starting positions, and then they strive to support the horses they bet on while sabotaging the rest.  

Treasures of Nakbe streamlines and simplifies the strategy of Winner’s Circle by simply dealing one secret card to each player that displays the three explorers they are invested in.  The goal is to help those explorers race to stay ahead of the competition as they run from the dreaded guardian who ever closes in on them.  With no bets being made and no probabilities to analyze, this game offers a much more family-friendly experience while still keeping things interesting with the game board interactions along the way.

The movement in Nakbe comes with plenty of opportunities for leap-frogging, bonuses, and traps that players must navigate.  Rolling a 4 might actually allow you to move an explorer more than 4 spaces, because you only count empty spaces (meaning you’ll skip a space occupied by another explorer).  Furthermore, you might decide to move one of the seven explorers that you aren’t invested in, even with a high roll, particularly if they stop on a space that earns you a bonus point token.  Or if you have a beef with a particular explorer and manage to get the right roll, you can send them right into a trap which resets them to the very back of the race (3 spaces in front of the Guardian).  Like Mario Kart, there’s a lot of thrillingly chaotic rubber-banding to be had here.

But regardless of who you move or where they land, the moved explorer always gets placed on the dark side of the space they occupy.  This means they cannot be moved again… unless you roll a 2.  A 2 lets you move any explorer 2 spaces (even one that is currently in darkness), and there are 2 faces of the die can give you this result.  

But where most of the dice results only let you move explorers still in the light, you’ll eventually reach a point where all explorers are in darkness.  This triggers the end of the round where explorers are pushed into the light side of their space and the Guardian plays catch up in an attempt to catch a straggler.  Most rounds do result in a new victim (that Guardian is a quick one), and that explorer comes off the board and will score invested players the lowest number of points still available.  If your explorer survives longer during the race, or if it escapes the dungeon, then it will score more points.  

But the dungeon is only the first half of the game, as another race takes place on the jungle side of the board.  This is where Treasure of Nakbe stands out from its predecessor.  Where Drachenhort’s second map merely rearranged the number and placement of traps, Nakbe brings in three optional modules that add to the wacky theme and experience.  We of course opted to include all three.  One corner of the board has the dreaded river that acts as double darkness, meaning it takes an extra round for explorers who stop there to be even be able to move again (unless a 2 is rolled which will land that explorer in a trap and set them back near the guardian… for better or worse).  Another space has a shortcut that goes both ways, meaning an explorer that stops there has to take this passage which will set them further behind or further ahead and potentially even swap spots with another explorer.  Finally, another corner of the board is a one-time land mine, or more accurately a snake pit, that instantly eliminates that explorer and every other explorer in that column!

Despite how much luck is involved in terms of which explorers everyone is randomly invested in (it’s possible for multiple players to be supporting one explorer while only one or even no players support another), how many points you get from a face-down bonus token (0-3), and what dice result you roll each turn, Reiner crams the game with plenty of clever considerations between who to move with your die result, what type of space they will land on, and which explorers are most important to help or hurt across the two races.  The luck-driven features not only add to the silliness, but they also make the game more competitive and approachable for younger or more casual players.

Treasures of Nakbe presents yet another compelling case for why Reiner Knizia is my most trusted designer.  He understands what makes games enjoyable and consistently injects them with the right blend of dramatic luck and meaningful decisions for the game’s intended audience.  In this case, I now have a Chutes and Ladders style of game that is actually good and perfect for any combination of family, friends, gamers, and non-gamers.

Prognosis: Good

Where to Acquire: I’m told that BGG will be selling this after Essen Spiel.

Great Wall of China

1 Play

You know what’s surprising?  According to Board Game Geek, there is only one game in existence that goes by the title “Great Wall of China.”   You know what’s less surprising?  It’s designed by Reiner Knizia 😆.

Here we have a classic Knizia card game from 2006 that honestly feels like a card game version of Samurai… only Samurai got its own official card game 3 years later which is even more faithful to the source material.  Great Wall also mimics the auctions, hand management, and card ability chaos of Condottiere, but it admittedly does so in a more reserved and balanced manner.

Like Samurai, players have identical supplies that are individually shuffled and enter each hand in a unique order.  The key is to make the most of your current opportunities while you wait for the right cards to come at hopefully the best times.  If you can manage to sort of keep track of what other players have left to play, then that can offer huge advantages as well.

Players are competing to earn point tokens by contributing to various segments of wall.  If you start your turn as the single largest contributor in a particular row, then you get to claim a point token in that row.  But there’s a catch!  That point token goes onto one of your cards in that row and weakens your contributions by the value of the points on the token, meaning it’s much harder to claim the second token if you’ve greedily snatched up a high one.

The weakening of the first player and rewarding of the second player is an important incentive that often convinces folks to give up on the first dibs prize and wait for the remaining one.  The row will be cleared out and refreshed, and both point tokens will finally be earned if the second player can maintain their new position at the top until their next turn.

When one player commits big to a row, all hope is not lost for the others.  A small subset of your card supply will let you play a dragon to swallow up (and replace) an opponent card, another will erase the values of all cards in a row and transform the competition into most cards played, and another will ramp up in value as you play more of that type.  Where your special cards are rare, it’s best to be cautious as you decide where and when to commit them.

Some rows offer a polarizing pair of points, like 8 and 1, which drives players to get entrenched in an epic battle of unyielding wills that quickly drains their hand of cards.  You can always spend one or both actions of your turn drawing a card, but then you might be letting opponents slip away with easy points.  Other rows may offer a very uniform pair of points, like 4 and 4, where a pair of players can more easily and efficiently give way for one to claim the first token so the other can secure the second.

There’s plenty of tactical nuance here that I’m impressed and engaged during play.  I’m just not sure that Great Wall of China does quite enough to stand out from the Samurai & Condottiere crowd.  Most critically, it’s not quite fast enough to justify playing this over more meaty strategic games that also play in under an hour.

Prognosis: Fair

Where to Acquire: Board Game Geek Market

Heckmeck am Karteneck

2 Plays (4 & 5 Players)

Reiner Knizia loves to revisit his strongest brands with designs that put a spin on what makes them shine.  It’s smart from a business perspective, as these brands already have a built-in following, and it’s fun from a fan’s perspective, as you get to see a designer riff on the concept.  Yet as I’ve mentioned with other lines (Azul, Super Skill Pinball, Keyflower), they also run the risk of intimidating newcomers or burning out fans.

Last month I explored the roll & write version of Lost Cities, which was enjoyable even it it didn’t quite live up to the original game’s tension.  I own the original LAMA and newer LAMA Dice (and actually strongly prefer LAMA Dice), as well as Modern Art and Modern Art Card Game (although the Card Game didn’t land for us), as well as Battle Line (Schotten Totten 1) and Schotten Totten 2.  And of course I plan to acquire everything in the My City line including the upcoming roll & write and big box sequel, My Island.  I also own a couple standalone (or combinable) experiences from The Quest for El Dorado line.  Then Reiner has sibling designs like Tigris & Euphrates and Yellow & Yangtze, or Ingenious & Axio, or pseudo-sibling designs like Through the Desert & Blue Lagoon, Samurai & Babylonia, and so on.  And none of this accounts for when publishers retheme or revitalize an older design where Reiner has reworked the rules (such as our upcoming Zoo Vadis, which was originally Quo Vadis).

Existing fans of Knizia already have a lot to keep up with, but new fans find themselves quickly falling down a bottomless rabbit hole of over 600 published games.  No matter how you slice it, that’s a lot to chew on 😆.  As a fan and explorer of Knizia games, I’ve taken it upon myself to play every noteworthy (and acquirable) title in his ludography and I’ve been having a blast doing it.  Hopefully my shared impressions serve to guide newcomers to some reliable classics while uncovering hidden gems for Kniziaphiles.

So where does the 2021 release, Heckmeck am Karteneck, fit into all of this?  Well, it’s a spinoff design of Reiner’s popular dice game Pickomino (aka Heckmeck) that doesn’t have a single die in the box.  But it’s also arguably a hidden gem from among the at least 12 solid games that he put out in 2021 alone.  Part of the reason it’s hidden is that the US market has yet to see Heckmeck am Karteneck localized in our market.  Yet it’s still easy enough to obtain from a European Amazon website (and the rulebook has an English translation).

I’ve enjoyed Pickomino Deluxe well enough and actually think it is one of Reiner’s better Yahtzee style or push-your-luck games, even if it can sometimes overstay it’s welcome and tends to be best at lower player counts (2-4).  The thing that interested me about Heckmeck am Karteneck is that it replaces the push-your-luck dice rolling with hand management card auctions similar to some of my favorite Knizia auctioning games and, unlike its predecessor, it plays best at 4-6 players.  In fact, HaK feels like a blend of Taj Mahal’s game of chicken card auctions (also found in Beowulf and Karate Tomate), Pickomino’s domino claiming and stealing, and For Sale’s auction rounds.

Just like in Pickomino, each decision you make comes down to whether to keep going or call it quits, and if you keep going then you have to select a different number from the numbers you’ve already committed to.  But, in a shift that many hobbyist gamers will probably appreciate, rather than rolling the dice to find out of you succeed or bust, you’re simply deciding which cards to play from your hand.  You still need one or more worms among your played cards in order to qualify for the best prizes of the round, but you’ll always get a tile regardless of whether you raise your bid or pass.

You don’t even have to bid higher than the previous player, and often you don’t even want to, and there’s a few reasons for that.  For one thing, the moment you pass out of a round is the moment you get to draw two cards to replenish your hand, but the last player to pass draws nothing.  For another thing, just like in Pickomino, you can steal the top tile from an opponent if you pass when the sum of your cards equals the value of the domino on top of that opponent’s stack.  

Once everybody passes, the display of new dominos is awarded out where the highest bidder gets the best tile, the second highest bidder gets the second best domino, and so on.  But if you pass during a round and don’t have a worm among your played cards, then you immediately have to take the worst tile in the display and you don’t get to steal from another player (even if your played sum equals their displayed domino).

As always, there are subtle layers here to the strategies, like passing early to immediately take a domino—not because that new domino is good but because it covers up and protects another domino that you can see your opponents are scheming to steal.  Or you can bluff your early card plays with weak numbers to give opponents a false sense of security so they pass early only for you to drop a fat stack of 5s and exceed their bid.

Just like many other Knizia designs, Heckmeck am Karteneck is so sneakily clever and surprisingly solid that I’ve simply given up trying to understand how he does it.  At this point, I’m just along for the enjoyable ride.

Prognosis: Good

Where to Acquire: Board Game Bliss

Aristocracy

2 Plays (4 players)

Aristocracy is an interesting title in Reiner Knizia’s ludography.  It was released in 2019 by publisher Tasty Minstrel Games—one of their last titles to be released before they went bankrupt.  Obviously (and unfortunatly) Aristocracy wasn’t a big enough release to save that sinking ship.  

Although I’m a major Knizia fan, this big box game has been living in the shadows of his other more successful or more interesting releases during that same time period including 2018’s Blue Lagoon and Yellow & Yangtze, 2019’s Babylonia and Tajuto, and 2020’s My City, among others.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t do enough to justify its escape from the shadows of those giants.  On top of that, I’m not a huge fan of the art style for Aristocracy which makes it look like a 15-year-old game rather than a 3-year-old game.

Despite the fact that the publisher is now extinct, the game itself was actually pretty easy to find online.  And while it’s quickly been forgotten by the masses, I was curious to give it a try.  I’ve come to find that even a sub-par Knizia tends to be more engaging and worthwhile than many of the hottest flash in a pan games in our cult-of-the-new industry.

Aristocracy is smooth and simple, as expected… at least after setup.  First, you must painstakingly lay out a bunch of square land tiles facedown on the 111 spaces of the board, put out 59 more fish and point tiles in their designated spaces, separate the 120 player markers into the four colors, and then you are ready to get to the smooth and simple gameplay.

On your turn you’ll merely reveal 3 land tiles and then select any face-up land tile to activate.  There are 3 types of land tiles—resources, buildings, and royalty—and those types are further split into subcategories (making for 8 unique tiles total).  Whatever face-up tile you select will activate all the tiles of that subgroup.  If it’s a resource like wood that you’ve chosen, then you’ll collect all of the face-up wood from the board.  If it’s a building like the castle you’ve selected, then cover all the face-up castles with your player tokens.  If it’s the king or queen that you’ve selected, then remove all of that chosen royalty and then place your markers onto a number of empty spaces equal to the tiles you removed.

In other words, gather up resources to collect sets and score points OR play your markers onto the board to establish connections and race to earn points.  There are enough ways to score points here (building a line that connects cities, placing enough markers in one district, placing a marker in all districts, collecting lots of resources and sets of resources) that you’ll always have a decent strategy to work toward.  Whether that strategy pans out or not is going to heavily depend on how the tiles are revealed and how tempting those tiles are to your opponents.

In our 4-player games, Aristocracy was a roller coaster of delights and frustrations.  Delights when a player revealed the perfect tiles for them to immediately claim on their turn.  Frustrations when opponents relentlessly steal resources and claim royalty and block paths right out from under your nose.  It seems that at 4-players, you rarely end up getting what you want, and anything you pass on in one turn is all but guaranteed to be long gone by the next turn.

It’s often hard to know which tiles to flip up and feel a strong sense of cleverness from this decision.  With there being 8 different tile types on the board, you’ll usually flip 3 entirely different tiles that infrequently reveal the type you were hoping for.  Players will also feel strongly incentivized to claim whatever tile type shows the most currently face up on their turn.  This can easily lead to the impression of inconsequential decisions for gamers who are used to less luck and more control.

But in reality, Aristocracy is a game of strong short-term tactics laced with a pinch of long-term strategies.  Sometimes it’s better to ignore snatching up corn for now and instead claim a building that blocks an opponent from making a connection that scores them 6 or more points.  Thankfully, the scoring also encourages players to circle back to a consistent strategy rather than aimlessly chase the tile trends.  

Yet the location and timing of the revealed tiles can absolutely favor one player over another.  If Aristocracy was much longer than its 45-minute playtime, then that amount of luck would be a major issue.  As it is, this one gets by just fine as an enjoyable and approachable little game.  Its biggest weakness is the fact that it competes in the same sphere as the much cheaper and more strategic and easier to setup Blue Lagoon which likewise features route building, set collection, various scoring strategies, and simple rules.  Even if it’s not a bad game, Aristocracy is fighting a losing battle—heck, this battle was lost before it even started.

Prognosis: Fair

Where to Acquire: Browse Prices Online

Marshmallow Test

2 Plays (4 & 5 players)

The famous Marshmallow Test is a funny theme for a game.  Even funnier is Reiner Knizia’s video about said test. But perhaps the funniest of all is the part that they leave out—the part that they don’t tell you about in the child-focused marshmallow experiment.  I’m referring to the part where the child who waits the longest to eat their marshmallow doesn’t get any at all.  Indeed, this experiment is not just a lesson that good things come to those who wait.  It’s also a warning that those who don’t seize the moment may watch the golden opportunities of life pass them by.  Well, perhaps the experiment doesn’t teach that, but Reiner Knizia’s Marshmallow Test certainly does.

Here you’ll find a bog-standard trick taking game.  5 suits or colors, each with cards the range from 1-12.  One player leads a trick, the others follow suit, the highest takes the trick and leads the next one.  If the others can’t follow suit, they can play a different suit—either a worthless card or a trump suit card.  Like I said, bog-standard.  But it wouldn’t be a Knizia game if it didn’t have a few tiny twists with massive ripple effects.

The object of the game is to earn marshmallows—the first person to 20 wins the game.  You’ll only earn marshmallows in a round if you can manage to win three tricks; at that moment, you’ll earn marshmallows equal to the number of tricks that your opponents have won and you’ll be out for the rest of the round.  So of course, you want to be the last player standing in a round, right?  Of course not.  You see, the round immediately ends when all but one player has gone out, and that player gets nothing.  You lose.  Good day, sir.  As compensation, they do get to choose the trump suit of the next round (after seeing their new hand).  But the real prize of the round is being the last person to earn marshmallows, as you’ll also be the one who earns the most.  A couple of late-round finishes will see you well on your way to the victorious 20.

So this dynamic brings the first magical touch to the experience—one of nail-biting decisions for when to sit back and let a trick pass you by and when to throw down your best cards.  Time your wins wrong and you may find that you’re too early to earn anything good or too late to catch up to your opponents and earn anything at all.  But the second magical touch comes from the game-ending objective—race to 20 marshmallows and win instantly (even mid-round).

Once players are two or three hands into the game, the entire aura changes as the table’s objective transforms from earn the most marshmallows for myself to stop the winning player from reaching 20.  Suddenly, the losing players form an unspoken alliance as they force the lead player to win all three tricks early (gaining them little-to-no marshmallows) or keeping them from winning three tricks at all (gaining them absolutely nothing).  

Where so many modern trick-taking games bend over backwards with wonky rules or entire board games grafted onto them—all in an effort to try and stand out—Marshmallow Test simply tosses a couple simple ingredients into the tried-and-true recipe.  But those key ingredients successfully add a tactical tension to each hand and a refreshing arc to each game.  Marshmallow Test likely won’t become anybody’s all-time favorite card game or even trick-taker… it’s too reserved for that.  But it’s another strong case in a compelling argument which proves that Reiner Knizia is one of the most talented and versatile game designers of all time.  

Prognosis: Fair

Where to Acquire: Amazon

Quest for El Dorado: Dangers & Muisca

2 Plays (2 & 4 players)

Reiner Knizia isn’t really known for designing expansions to his existing games.  On the contrary, he’s known for keeping things pared down and streamlined.  And even though publishers push him to include advanced variants or additional modules to a design, he’ll usually say that he prefers to play the simplest version of the game.  I suppose that rather than pile more complication onto a pure design, his go-to philosophy has been to tweak the core concept itself and turn that into new game.  That’s why we’ve ended up with sibling games like Tigris & Euphrates and Yellow & Yangtze, Schotten Totten and Schotten Totten 2, My City and My Island, Ingenious and Axio, etc.

Despite all of that, The Quest for El Dorado has been an irresistible design that Dr. Knizia just can’t leave alone.  Yet if there is any game in his entire ludography that lends itself best to expansion content, it undoubtedly has to be this one.  This game features all the key ingredients for expansion content:

• Deck Building with “the more, the merrier” card options
• Modular map with an increasing variety of map tiles
• Massive sales, universal acclaim, undying enthusiasm

Although North American publisher, Ravensburger, has sadly decided to stick with the status quo on this game (no updated art, no more expansions, etc.), we English speakers are fortunate that Lautapelit also has an English edition and even more love for the design.  Not only did Lautapelit update the production with larger cards and glorious Vincent Detrait art, but they’re also keeping us well fed with more expansion content.

Dangers & Muisca features two main modules that can be individually or collectively added in to the El Dorado experience.  One of them is a variety of map tiles (Dangers) that can be positioned adjacent to or overlapping the terrain, another is a small deck of 8 cards known as the Muisca tribe.

The Danger tiles include five types that can be implemented into your map in any assortment or combination:  

• Dangerous Spaces are found on many of these tiles and display a skull symbol where players are allowed to pass through these spaces but never end their turn on them.  This element is interesting as it simultaneously prevents blocking on these spaces and forces players to rush through them in a single turn or go around if they are unable.
• Mountains include a narrow pass surrounded by impassable mountain terrain, allowing players to create their own shortcuts or bottlenecks if they wish.  The catch is that this narrow pass also displays a skull (no ending your turn there to outright block others).
• Rivers, Lakes, and a Water Vortex massively ups the water spaces of your map, putting a greater emphasis on paddle cards.  But more than that, the rivers and vortex feature arrows that push your explorer one space further if you complete a card’s movement on them.  So traveling along these spaces feels a lot like the moving walkways at the airport where you are moving faster and further than the steps you are taking.  It’s quite fun to string together a 4 space movement with a couple single paddle cards.
• The crocodile infested Swamps are perhaps the most potent tiles of the bunch.  They are essentially wild spaces, but like a swamp they bog down your forward momentum.  Where rubble spaces (from the base game) require you to discard a certain number of cards, swamp spaces require you to play any card with an exactly matching value.  So to enter a space with one crocodile, you must play a single machete, paddle, or coin card.  To enter a three-crocodile space, you must play a triple machete, paddle, or coin card.  Those crocodiles are very particular about their quantities.  If you plan to traverse the swamps, then it’s important to be prepared with a deck that has a variety of values (trashing all your 1s or ignoring 2s or 3s can be detrimental to your success).
• Finally, Shrines & Artifacts are a bit of a nod to the pickup and deliver expandalone game The Quest for El Dorado: The Golden Temples.  Here, four shrines are placed out along the route to El Dorado, and players must stop at each one and sacrifice (trash) a matching colored card in order to acquire the artifact.  You must collect all four artifacts before you can enter the gate to El Dorado and win the game.  Rather than be a simple race to the finish line, this forces players to stop at four checkpoints along the way and be prepared with the right colored card in hand when they reach each checkpoint.  While our first setup of this was as simple as placing shrines beside or on top of the linear race track, I’m now realizing that this allows for maps that feature branching paths the players much travel down and backtrack from.

And that’s really the crux of the modular Dangers expansion—it gives you loads more tools for adding refreshing challenges, obstacles, and routes to the map.  My only complaint is that this toolbox doesn’t come with any suggested setups.  Players with a basic level of game design sensibilities should be able to figure where these dangers will fit best.  But I could easily see some folks arranging maps the result in painfully slow segments, blatantly obvious strategies, or both.  On the other hand, the absence of suggested maps in this expansion means that I’ve finally discovered that part of the fun of Quest for El Dorado is in the setup itself—embracing your inner game designer and concocting a thrilling journey for everyone to enjoy.

But new space types and increased map customizability aren’t the only killer addition that this expansion offers.  Have you ever had the experience where you draw a super strong card from your deck at the most inopportune moment?  Like when the triple paddle in your hand is useless because you are completely surrounded by jungles and villages?  Me too.  Let me introduce you to Muisca cards.

The Muisca tribe is a deck of 8 cards that gets placed next to the market board.  Two cards are drawn from the top and displayed beside the market, increasing your card purchase options from 6 to 8.  And a purchased Muisca card is immediately replaced with another until they are all gone.  These cards don’t look too different from your standard market options: 1 wild, 2 wild, 3 machetes, 3 paddles, 2 coins, etc.  Yet they cost more money to purchase compared to the matching market cards—what gives?

I’ll tell you what gives: Muisca cards are bankable cards.  When you draw one into your hand, you can either play and discard it like normal or you can set it aside and save it for a future turn (where it doesn’t take up space in your hand).  This allows you to call upon a stored Muisca card at precisely the moment when you need it most, rather than hope to draw it into your hand on the right turn.  Players are allowed to store 2 Muisca cards at a time, and these cards add yet another layer of strategy to the experience.

While the first expansion to El Dorado (Heroes & Hexes) is one that I’ve held out on due to its mixed reception, Dangers & Muisca seems poised to be much more universally praised.  It cleverly blends unique ideas and fresh variety without losing the purity of the deck-building race experience.  In other words, it’s Reiner Knizia doing what he does best—riffing on the brilliant formula while keeping it smooth and streamlined.

Prognosis: Excellent

Where to Acquire: Publisher Lautapelit

Note: This expansion is not compatible with the North American edition of The Quest for El Dorado (from Ravensburger).  

Next year Bitewing Games will be launching two big box Knizia games via crowdfunding.  The first one will be Zoo Vadis, launching in January!  It’s going to be epic—we can’t wait to share more.  Be sure to subscribe to the Bitewing Games newsletter where we’ll keep you up to date on our Knizia projects!

Prognosis: a forecast of how the game will likely fare in my collection, and perhaps yours as well.

Excellent– Among the best in its genre.  This game will never leave my collection.

Good– A very solid game and a keeper on the shelf.

Fair– It’s fine. It’s enjoyable. But I’m not likely to seek it out or keep it around.

Poor– Really doesn’t fit my tastes; not one I want to revisit… but hey, that’s just me.

Hopeless– Never again. Run & hide. Demon be gone.

Article written by Nick Murray. Outside of practicing dentistry part-time, Nick has devoted his remaining work-time to collaborating with the world’s best designers, illustrators, and creators in producing classy board games that bite, including the upcoming Zoo Vadis by Reiner Knizia. He hopes you’ll join Bitewing Games in their quest to create and share experiences that, much like a bitewing x-ray, provide a unique perspective and refreshing interaction.

The post 1st Impressions of 8 Knizia Games – Quest for El Dorado: Dangers & Muisca, Gang of Dice, No Mercy, and more! appeared first on Bitewing Games.

South Africa’s online gaming environment is unique: legal sports betting, offshore casino gaming, Instant EFT payments, mobile-first behaviour, and a strong preference for providers that players already trust. Let’s break it down in a practical, South-African-friendly way.

Is online gambling legal in South Africa? Here’s the real story

South African law draws a strict line:

• Licensed online sports betting is legal when offered by operators regulated by provincial gambling boards (such as the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board).
• Casino-style games — slots, roulette, blackjack — are not licensed domestically.
• That’s why most true “online casinos” available to South Africans operate from offshore jurisdictions.

Important notes for SA players:

• You can play on offshore casino sites, but they are outside local regulatory protection.
• Banks may occasionally block card transactions to foreign operators.
• If a dispute arises with an offshore casino, South African regulators cannot intervene.

In short: sports betting is regulated; casino gaming is a grey area. Understanding this helps you play safer and choose your platforms more wisely.

How South Africans prefer to deposit and withdraw

South Africans want payment methods that are quick, reliable, and compatible with local banks. The most popular options include:

Instant EFT (Ozow, SiD, PayFast)

Fast, user-friendly, and works with all major banks — a favourite for deposits between R50 and R500.

Bank cards (Visa / Mastercard)

Widely accepted for deposits, though withdrawals are often redirected to bank transfers instead.

E-wallets

Skrill, Neteller, and AstroPay are great for players who move funds frequently and want faster withdrawals.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT are becoming mainstream among SA players due to faster payouts and fewer banking interruptions.

💡 Tip: Always check whether the casino supports ZAR deposits and withdrawals. Hidden conversion fees are where many players lose money unintentionally.

What the numbers say about South African players

While exact figures vary, long-term data from affiliates, payment processors, and operator reports highlight several consistent trends:

• Over 80% of all online gambling activity in SA now happens via smartphones.
• The peak activity window is 18:00–00:00, even on weekdays.
• The average first deposit ranges from R200 to R500, typically via Instant EFT.
• “Fast withdrawals” and “responsive support” consistently outrank “big bonuses” in surveys of SA players.

South Africans don’t just chase bonuses — they chase platforms that treat them fairly and pay out quickly.

Expert opinion: the mindset of a successful SA player

Industry compliance expert’s view:

“In South Africa, the smartest players verify early, test small withdrawals first, and never rely on bonuses as a primary way to win. Offshore platforms can be excellent — but only if you understand their terms. Never play large amounts before testing their cashier system.”

From that advice, here are three habits worth adopting:

1. Complete KYC/FICA early.
   Uploading your documents right after registration avoids headaches later.
2. Test withdrawals with a small amount.
   Send R100–R200 to your bank to confirm processing times and reliability.
3. Avoid playing during unstable connectivity periods.
   Load shedding and inconsistent Wi-Fi can lead to rushed decisions and accidental overspending.

How bonuses REALLY work (from a South African player’s point of view)

Bonuses in online casinos look great — 100% match offers, free spins, cashback, tournaments — but each comes with terms you must understand.

Key bonus rules to read carefully:

• Wagering requirements:
  30x–40x is standard; anything above 45x becomes unrealistic.
• Game contribution:
  Slots = 100%, table games = 10–20%, live games often excluded.
• Bet limits while wagering:
  You can’t exceed a certain bet amount (usually R50–R100 per spin/hand).
• Expiry periods:
  Most bonuses expire within 7–14 days.
• Free spin winnings:
  No-deposit wins often have a withdrawal cap (usually R1,000–R2,000).

💡 If you’re new, start with cashback bonuses or low-wager offers — they’re significantly easier to manage.

Choosing a trustworthy platform: a quick SA checklist

Use this as your go-to evaluation method:

1. Clear ZAR banking

Avoid any site that immediately converts your deposit into USD or EUR.

2. Instant EFT support

This indicates a casino understands the South African market.

3. Transparent withdrawal policy

A casino should clearly state withdrawal timeframes — ideally 24–48 hours after verification.

4. Strong mobile performance

Fast loading on 3G/4G during peak hours is a must.

5. Real support

Test live chat around 8 PM — if they respond slowly, imagine how long a payout query will take.

6. Well-known game providers

Habanero, Pragmatic Play, Evolution, and Play’n GO signal a reliable lobby.

Popular choices among South African players

Slots

South Africans overwhelmingly prefer slots — particularly games with clear mechanics and exciting features. Titles from:

• Habanero
• Pragmatic Play
• Microgaming
• Play’n GO
• NetEnt

are especially popular for their mobile performance.

Live dealer games

Live roulette, blackjack, and game shows are favourites due to the social, transparent experience.

Sports betting

Soccer, rugby, cricket, and international leagues dominate the local betting scene.

Fast-play games

Crash games and BetGames-type live draws are trending thanks to quick rounds and simple rules.

Responsible gambling: protect your wallet and your wellbeing

South Africa’s National Responsible Gambling Programme (NRGP) provides 100% confidential support.

Casinos also offer built-in safety tools:

• Deposit limits
• Time checks
• Session reminders
• Self-exclusion

Gaming should always feel like entertainment — not an obligation or a financial plan.

The importance of trust in offshore casinos

Many offshore casinos are reputable and fair — but only if they are transparent and consistent with payouts. Before committing your bankroll:

• Check encryption (padlock icon).
• Read withdrawal terms carefully.
• Look for realistic limits.
• Avoid casinos that delay verification until after you request a payout.
• Read community feedback if available.

A casino with a slow cashier system or evasive support is never worth the risk.

Final thoughts: play smart, play safe

South Africa’s online casino scene is exciting, competitive, and evolving quickly. Whether you enjoy slots, live games, or sports betting, the safest path is simple:

• Choose platforms with strong ZAR support.
• Verify early.
• Test payouts before playing big.
• Read bonus terms like a contract.
• Walk away when it stops being fun.

The real win isn’t just hitting a jackpot — it’s receiving it safely into your South African bank account.

The post Your Guide to Online Casinos in South Africa — Payments, Bonuses, and Smart Player Advice appeared first on Bitewing Games.

In New Zealand, the online casino market has been growing steadily, driven by factors such as the increasing popularity of online gambling, advancements in mobile technology, and a regulatory framework that has evolved to keep pace with the digital era. With a strong love for sports and gaming, New Zealanders have embraced the convenience of playing their favorite casino games from the comfort of their homes or on the go.

The Appeal of Online Casinos in New Zealand

New Zealand is known for its strong tradition of gaming, with local and international players engaging in various forms of gambling. The transition from land-based casinos to online platforms has been a natural progression, providing players with the convenience of playing from their computers or mobile devices.

Why Online Casinos Are Gaining Popularity:

1. Convenience: Players can access their favorite games anytime and anywhere, without the need to travel to a physical casino. Whether on a mobile phone during a commute or at home in the evening, players can place bets whenever they feel like it.
2. Wide Game Selection: Online casinos offer a variety of games, from traditional table games like poker, blackjack, and roulette to modern video slots, live dealer games, and progressive jackpots. This variety is appealing to a wide range of players, from beginners to seasoned gamblers.
3. Bonuses and Promotions: Many online casinos offer generous welcome bonuses, free spins, and loyalty programs, giving new and existing players extra value for their deposits. These promotions are often more lucrative than what is available at land-based casinos.
4. Payment Flexibility: New Zealand players have access to a variety of payment options when using online casinos, including traditional methods like credit cards and bank transfers, as well as modern options like PayPal, Skrill, and cryptocurrencies.

The Growth of Online Gambling in New Zealand

The growth of online gambling in New Zealand can be attributed to several factors. According to a 2023 study by the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, approximately 10% of New Zealand adults engage in online gambling activities each year, spending millions annually across various platforms. This is a clear indication that online casinos have become an integral part of the country’s entertainment landscape.

Key Statistics on the New Zealand Online Gambling Market:

• Market Size: New Zealand’s online gambling market has been estimated to generate around NZ$1 billion in revenue annually, making it one of the most lucrative markets in the Pacific region.
• Player Demographics: The majority of online casino players in New Zealand are between the ages of 25 and 45, with a growing number of younger players (18-25) engaging with mobile casino apps.
• Mobile Gambling: More than 60% of New Zealand’s online casino players access games via their smartphones or tablets, reflecting the global trend toward mobile-first gaming experiences.
• Top Game Categories: The most popular games include video slots, live dealer games, and table games. Progressive jackpot slots, in particular, have gained a lot of attention for their potential for massive payouts.

What to Look for in a New Zealand Online Casino

With so many online casinos to choose from, players need to know how to select the best platform for their needs. Here are the essential factors to consider when choosing an online casino in New Zealand:

1. Licensing and Regulation

The first step is to ensure that the casino is licensed and regulated by a reputable authority. In New Zealand, most online casinos are licensed in other jurisdictions such as Malta, Gibraltar, or Curacao. It’s crucial to check if the casino is licensed, as this ensures that it operates within the legal boundaries and adheres to industry standards.

2. Game Selection

New Zealand players have access to a variety of games, so it’s important to choose a casino that offers a broad selection. Look for casinos that provide a diverse mix of slots, table games, and live dealer options to ensure there is something for everyone.

3. Payment Methods

The best online casinos offer a wide variety of payment methods to make deposits and withdrawals as easy and convenient as possible. Look for platforms that support New Zealand dollars (NZD) and popular payment methods like Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.

4. Customer Support

A good online casino should have responsive customer support available through multiple channels, including live chat, email, and phone. Players should be able to get quick assistance if they encounter any issues or have questions about their account.

5. Security

Security is a top priority for online casinos. Look for platforms that use SSL encryption to protect your personal and financial information. Reputable casinos also have responsible gaming policies in place to prevent underage gambling and gambling addiction.

Expert Opinion on Online Casinos in New Zealand

According to Dr. Sarah Wiggins, an expert in online gambling and addiction at the University of Auckland:

“Online casinos in New Zealand have revolutionized the gambling experience, providing players with unprecedented access to a wide range of games. However, while the market is growing rapidly, it’s crucial for players to gamble responsibly. Casinos need to ensure that they are providing the tools for self-regulation and that they are transparent in their operations.”

Dr. Wiggins also notes that online casinos are generally well-regulated in New Zealand, which contributes to a safe and trustworthy environment for players. However, she emphasizes the importance of setting limits and recognizing signs of gambling addiction.

Popular Online Casino Games in New Zealand

New Zealand players enjoy a wide variety of games at online casinos. Here’s a list of the most popular categories:

1. Pokies (Slots): The most popular type of game in New Zealand online casinos, with hundreds of themes and bonus features. Many players enjoy progressive jackpot slots for the chance to win big.
2. Blackjack: A classic card game that combines strategy and luck. Blackjack remains a staple in online casinos and offers a variety of betting options.
3. Roulette: Another classic casino game, roulette is popular for its simplicity and excitement. Online casinos offer several versions, including European, American, and French roulette.
4. Live Dealer Games: These games bring the authentic casino experience to players’ screens. Live dealers host games like blackjack, baccarat, and roulette in real-time, allowing players to interact with them.
5. Baccarat: A card game that’s popular in both land-based and online casinos. It’s a favorite among high rollers and those seeking a slower-paced game with simple rules.

Responsible Gambling in New Zealand

As online gambling continues to rise, it’s essential for players to engage in responsible gambling. The Gambling Commission of New Zealand offers guidelines and resources for players who need help managing their gambling behavior. Many online casinos also provide tools to help players control their spending, such as:

• Deposit Limits: Set limits on how much money you can deposit into your account.
• Self-Exclusion: Temporarily close your account if you feel you’re losing control of your gambling.
• Reality Checks: Receive notifications about your gambling activity and session time.

If you or someone you know needs help with gambling addiction, **Gamblers Anonymous New Zealand ** offers support and resources.

The Future of Online Casinos in New Zealand

The future of online casinos in New Zealand looks promising. With technological advancements like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, the online gaming experience will continue to evolve. Additionally, the integration of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology may enhance the security and speed of transactions in online casinos.

As the industry grows, it’s expected that the New Zealand government will continue to regulate online gambling to ensure that it remains safe, fair, and transparent.

Conclusion

Online casinos in New Zealand are rapidly gaining popularity, offering players a wide variety of games, promotions, and a secure betting environment. With platforms providing convenient access to a diverse selection of betting options, players can enjoy the excitement of gambling from the comfort of their own homes. By choosing licensed, regulated platforms and practicing responsible gambling, New Zealanders can ensure that their online casino experiences are both fun and safe.

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