Wingspan Review: An Enchanting Birdwatcher’s Paradise

Bird lovers rejoice and explore the unique world of Wingspan board game, a game that artfully blends the strategic depth of gaming with the serene beauty of birdwatching. Whether you’re an experienced gamer or a nature lover, discover what sets this game apart and why it’s a beloved favorite in the board gaming community. Boardgamesland’s in-depth review delves into every aspect of the game, from its top-notch components to its engaging gameplay mechanics.

Overview of Wingspan

Wingspan board game is an absolute must-try if you’re a fan of strategic board games with a touch of nature. Designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games in 2019, this award-winning game invites players to step into the shoes of bird enthusiasts, aiming to build the most impressive wildlife preserve filled with stunning avian species. With its beautiful artwork, engaging mechanics, and high replayability, Wingspan has quickly become a favorite among board game enthusiasts.

Theme

The Wingspan game board beautifully captures the essence of three distinct habitats: lush forests, open grasslands, and serene wetlands. Each section is richly illustrated with vibrant colors and detailed artwork, showcasing birds in their natural environments. The forest canopy is filled with towering trees and dappled sunlight; the grasslands are dotted with wildflowers and swaying grasses, and the wetlands feature still waters and reeds.

Wingspan Player Board Setup and Components

Setting up Wingspan board game is straightforward and quick:

1. Lay out the player boards, food tokens, eggs, bird cards, bonus cards, dice towers, and goal cards with tiles.
2. Shuffle the bird deck and deal five cards to each player.
3. Give each player two bonus cards; they keep one.
4. Distribute five food tokens to each player; they return one token for each bird card they choose to keep from their initial hand.
5. Roll the dice in the birdhouse dice tower to determine available food.

Player Boards: The player boards in Wingspan are a testament to quality game production. Each board is thick and sturdy, ensuring durability through multiple play sessions. The boards feature three distinct habitats: forest, grassland, and wetlands, each beautifully illustrated to represent their unique ecosystems. What’s particularly impressive is the iconography’s thoughtful design, clear, intuitive, and color-blind friendly, making the game accessible to a broader audience. The boards also include spaces for action cubes, visually representing your turn progression.

Each player in Wingspan board game begins with an identical player board representing their bird sanctuary. To set up your board:

1. Place your player board in front of you, oriented with the forest habitat (green) at the top, grassland (yellow) in the middle, and wetlands (blue) at the bottom.
2. Place 8 action cubes in your chosen color near your board.
   • Collect your starting resources, food tokens, or any combination.
   • Two bonus cards (choose 1 to keep, discard the other)
   • Five bird cards
3. Choose bird cards to keep, discarding one food token for each card you decide to keep.
4. Place any eggs and food tokens you have in the designated storage areas on your player board.
5. Keep your chosen bonus card face down near your player board.

Your player board is now ready for play, serving as the foundation for your expanding bird sanctuary throughout the game. The empty spaces in each habitat row await the birds you’ll attract, while the action spaces on the left side of each row stand ready for your strategic decisions in the rounds to come.

Bird Cards: The heart of Wingspan board game lies in its 170 unique bird cards, each a miniature work of art stored and displayed in the thoughtfully designed plastic card tray. This tray serves dual purposes: during gameplay, it neatly organizes the blue-backed bird cards, making them easily accessible for players to draw from and replenish the display, while also protecting and organizing the cards when the game is packed away. Each card is a treasure trove of information, featuring a stunning, scientifically accurate illustration alongside details such as:

• The bird’s common and scientific names enhance the educational aspect of the game
• Preferred habitat, which guides placement on your player board
• Food cost, indicating what you need to “feed” the bird to play it
• Point value, contributing to your end-game score
• Nest type, which interacts with specific game mechanics and bonus cards
• Egg capacity, showing how many eggs the bird can hold
• Wingspan measurement, adding a touch of realism
• Special abilities, which provide unique actions or bonuses
• Geographic range, offering insight into the bird’s natural habitat
• A fun fact: adding an extra layer of engagement and education

The diversity of birds is impressive, from familiar backyard visitors to rare and exotic species, providing a rich and varied gameplay experience.

Bonus Cards: These cards add an element of secret objectives to the game. Each player starts with one bonus card and can acquire more during play. They provide additional scoring opportunities at the end of the game based on specific criteria, such as birds in certain habitats or with particular characteristics. This adds depth to the strategy, encouraging players to diversify their bird collections uniquely.

Birdhouse Dice Tower and Dice: The birdhouse dice tower is both functional and thematic. It’s designed to look like a charming little birdhouse, adding to the game’s aesthetic appeal. The tower ensures fair and random dice rolls while keeping with the game’s bird theme. The five custom wooden dice are engraved with symbols representing different food sources: fish, invertebrates, seeds, rodents, and berries. These high-quality dice are pleasant to handle and roll, enhancing the tactile experience of the game. This is the only luck based element in the game.

Food Tokens and Miniature Eggs: The resource management in Wingspan boardgame is elegantly represented through food tokens and miniature eggs. The food tokens are small, colorful wooden pieces representing five different food types: berries (pink), invertebrates (orange), fish (blue), rodents (brown), and seeds (yellow). Their distinct colors make them easy to identify and manage during gameplay. When playing them to your habitats, these tokens are cruciwith al foin”feeding” birds. The miniature eggs are tiny, pastel-colored plastic pieces shaped like eggs, coming in various colors to add visual variety to your player board. They serve a dual purpose: as a form of payment when playing birds in specific habitat rows and as end-game scoring elements. Their small size allows for easy placement on bird cards without obscuring important information, enhancing the game’s strategic and aesthetic aspects.

First Player Token: The first player token is a beautifully designed piece that clearly indicates who starts each round. It typically features a bird-related design, keeping with the game’s theme.

Goal Card and Goal Tiles: The goal card is a central feature of the game board, tracking the four rounds of play. The accompanying goal tiles provide varied objectives for each round, such as having the most birds in a specific habitat or eggs in a particular nest type. These components add a layer of strategy to the game, encouraging players to adapt their plans each round to compete for additional points.

Player Cubes: Each player receives a set of action cubes in their chosen color. These cubes are used to mark actions taken during each round and placed on the player board to indicate which actions have been used. They’re typically made of wood, adding to the game’s overall high-quality feel.

Wingspan Gameplay

Wingspan board game is played over four rounds, with each round consisting of a decreasing number of turns (8 turns in round 1 down to 5 turns in round 4). On a turn, players can take one of four actions:

1. Play a Bird Card: Place a bird card from your hand into one of your habitats by paying its food cost and any required eggs.
2. Gain Food: Roll dice from the birdhouse to collect food tokens from the supply.
3. Lay Eggs: Place eggs on birds you have already played with in your habitats.
4. Draw Bird Cards: Replenish your hand by drawing new bird cards from the deck or face-up display.

Action Breakdown

1. Play a Bird: Choose your feathered friend and its new home (forest, grassland, or wetland). After that, you should feed the bird i.e. pay the food cost shown on the card. Moving in isn’t free – pay eggs if placed in the 2nd row or below. Nestle that bird into the leftmost open spot in its habitat. New neighbor bonus: It immediately happens if it has a “when played” power!
2. Gain Food: Head to the forest – nature’s pantry. Count your forest birds, add one, and roll that many dice. Dice tumble through the birdfeeder – and, what’s on the menu? Pick your treats based on what’s showing, or double on one type if it’s missing. Forest friends might share – activate any relevant bird powers.
3. Lay Eggs: Visit the grassland – perfect for family planning. Your grassland bird count (plus one) determines your egg allowance. Distribute those eggs among your birds, respecting their nest size. Some birds love this – trigger any relevant grassland bird powers.
4. Draw Cards: Swoop into the wetlands for bird-watching. Draw cards equal to your wetland birds plus one. Choose from the face-up buffet or go mystery pick from the deck. Refill the display if you took a face-up card. Wetland residents might get chatty – activate their powers if applicable.

Card Activation

Now, let’s talk about when cards are activated:

• Brown Powers (When Activated): These are the social butterflies of bird powers. When you perform the habitat’s main action, you can activate these powers from right to left. Place a cube on each bird as you use its power. This creates a chain reaction of bird abilities!
• Pink Powers (Once Between Turns): These are the opportunistic birds. Their powers can be used once between your turns, triggered by other players’ actions. No cube is needed – remember you’ve used it this round.
• White Powers (When Played): These are the welcome wagons. Their abilities trigger immediately when you play them to your habitat. No cube is required – it’s a one-time welcome party!

Each habitat on your player board specializes in one of these actions (forest for gaining food, grassland for laying eggs, wetlands for drawing bird cards). As you add birds to a habitat, you enhance that habitat’s action efficiency.

Strategy and Engine Building in Wingspan Board Game

At its core, Wingspan is an engine-building game where players create potent combinations of bird abilities to maximize their points. Each bird offers unique benefits that can help generate more resources or provide additional scoring opportunities. Strategic planning is crucial as you decide which birds to play and when to activate their abilities.

Scoring

Points are earned from various sources:

• Birds played in habitats
• Eggs laid on birds
• Bonus cards fulfilled
• End-of-round goals achieved
• Cached food on certain birds
• Tucked birds under other birds

The player with the highest total score at the end of four rounds wins.

Our Experience Playing Wingspan

Playing Wingspan board game has been an absolute delight. One memorable game night stands out when we introduced it to a group of friends, who were initially skeptical about a game centered around birds. By mid-game, everyone was fully focused in creating their unique wildlife preserves. We focused on building a solid egg-laying engine with high egg capacities, while one of the players went for high-point value birds with powerful abilities. The peaceful competition was exhilarating as we strategically vied for coveted food tokens and specific bird cards. Ultimately, the egg-laying strategy paid off, as I narrowly won by just a few points. The game’s elegant design and beautiful components made it an unforgettable experience.

Expansions

For those looking to expand their Wingspan board game experience:

• European Expansion: Introduces 81 new birds with unique abilities, bonus cards, and goal tiles.
• Oceania Expansion: Adds 95 new birds, introduces nectar as a new resource type, and additional goal tiles and bonus cards.
• Asia Expansion: Offers 90 new birds and introduces “Flock Mode” for up to 7 players and “Duet Mode” for two players.

Each expansion adds new layers of strategy and variety without overwhelming new players.

Wingspan Conclusion

Wingspan is not just a game; it’s an experience that blends strategic depth with serene beauty. Whether you’re an avid gamer or new to board games, Wingspan board game offers something special for everyone. Its easy-to-learn mechanics and challenging gameplay ensure that it remains fresh and engaging through countless plays.

So spread your wings and dive into the world of Wingspan. Create your avian sanctuary filled with beautiful birds and enjoy hours of peaceful yet competitive fun!

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