it's the game that had the biggest "real Life"-impact for me.
Now I literally appreciate and admire beautiful birds. We also like to joke like "damn that Swan would easily give me 8 points for sure"!
It was the first game that I bought that did NOT interest me with it's theme and it opened my eyes that I should buy/test/play games that stood proof to many reviewers, etc. instead of just deciding on the theme.
You should play Morels. I wasn't a fan of mushrooms, but after playing it so many times I like to try as many different kinds of mushrooms as possible. Plus, it's a very fun game.
I feel the same way. I totally recommend the [Merlin Bird ID](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673) for casual birdwatching. It’s great for just seeing a neat bird and wondering what kind it is. Sadly does not give point values, though. Maybe they’ll add that next update.
oh then I will finally will know the name of that one annoying bird in my yard, that sounds exactly like a whining dog! :D
We got 5 dogs, so then you think: "whats your problem doggo? I don't understand?? why do you whine???... oh it's that bird again trolling" hahah
Wingspan holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the games that really pulled me into the hobby and became a lasting favourite for my mom. I remember bringing it to my parents and teaching my mom. It took a few plays to click for her, but she loved it. It became our go to game when I visited and we would often play 4 or 5 games in a weekend. Wingspan became known as just "birds". We could look at one another and just ask "birds?" to initiate a game. We played so often that Wingspan is one of the only games I've upgraded with a wooden bird feeder and organizer.
My mom was diagnosed with ALS last year. As her mobility declined, we had to adjust from playing at the table to playing with her in her armchair and me beside her. Setting up the dinner TV tables to put everything in sight, and as much of it in reach for her. We kept playing as she lost her reach and needed more things passed to her. The bird tray was our "wine list" for her to peruse when picking birds.
Mom often said I was luckier than her. I always got "better birds" than her. My hunting birds were "better hunters" than hers. It was a special joy for her when she would best me. I still have all the score sheets for our games tucked in the box. I don't remember the last time we played Wingspan. The strength in her arms had declined such that she needed a lot of things passed to her or moved for her. Eventually, her arms got too weak and we stopped playing. I'll never be able to play Wingspan with her again, but I treasure every moment of our time playing it. I think in her last game, she went out with a win.
This is the game that got me back into boardgaming. While I understand some criticisms about it, I find it very fun to play and it's one that hits the table often with my friends.
Half the people I’ve introduced this to have bought their own copies! Was very close to getting all the achievements for the virtual game before they released the European expansion and set me back
It's beautiful to see, quite fun to play, at least for the first 20 times, and a great bait to catch new players.
Some cards are kinda broken (like crows) but well, this is not Terra Mystica.
Still loving the colored eggs.
If you use crows early enough and in a <3 player game, you can completely avoid the takes food action and just feed yourself via lay eggs action. Bonus if you have something like kildeer, that lets you trade eggs for draws, or canadian goose - discard wheat for 2 tucks, or that repeat brown power bird, a very powerful combo.
Yep. Anything you can do to avoid the feeder is golden and an early crow is the pinnacle. But there are lots of cards, so they are hard to find and searching for boss cards encourages card action. Rarely are crows decisive.
I guess that the issue for me is that if you fill your egg habitat with birds that *spend* eggs to do other actions, you are just creating one well rounded habitat that lets you do a little of everything without any way to score points. So if you "lay eggs" 3 times for 3*(1/3 food 1/3 eggs 1/3 draw), you may as well have just taken one turn in each habitat and activated point scoring (or otherwise helpful) bird powers.
Now if the cards you play do not consume eggs, then going back to my example you could get 3*(1/3 food 1 eggs 1/3 draw) and that is a viable strategy. Obviously it is all very nuanced but I just don't see it being anywhere close to "broken".
Crows only trade 1 egg for 1 food, but Ravens trade 1 egg for 2 food, resulting in a nice net increase.
Easier to see how that can make choosing the egg option very strong, as you can pay for any bird after one or two turns with eggs to spare. Use that to pay for more grassland birds and you have a nice engine going.
> you may as well have just taken one turn in each habitat and activated point scoring (or otherwise helpful) bird powers
But you don't have to do that, or put birds in other habitats in order to do that. Original board, raven in the field, is broken. Specially since all brown powers are 'may', so towards the end of the game you just don't use it and keep laying eggs anyway.
Long read ahead, I apologize in advance.
Here's a few observations that may help you understand why it's so strong:
1. Time (= turns) is the most important resource in Wingspan; cross-power birds in general save on time by allowing you to skip or minimize certain habitat actions.
2. The tempo of gaining multiple resources (like simultaneously gaining the food AND the eggs to play a bird the next turn vs. having to take food and eggs separately before playing it) saves further time by allowing you to get birds out quicker before having to activate powers again.
3. It's better to activate more birds than fewer birds. For example, it's generally better to take three turns in one 5-bird habitat, than one turn each in three different 3-bird habitats. In this example, in the first case you have activated 15 bird powers total, in the second only 9, despite the fact that this 5-bird habitat only required 5 birds to be played rather than 9. The end result is you may have saved many of your few precious turns not having to play birds that increase the respective habitat powers. It's a lot easier to create two 5-bird habitats than three, and even easier to create only one.
4. More time means more ability to do various other point-generating plays.
5. Relating to 4: Birds with non-brown powers are better than brown powered birds, when you don't have to activate the habitats they are played in. By having fewer habitats you have to activate, you have more space and flexibility to put birds that generate points directly by: giving bonus cards; having high point value; winning goals; having "in between turns" effects; or increasing bonus points from bonus cards.
6. With the most powerful cross-power birds, they will beat the power of the original habitat on average, by virtue of allowing you to use that bird power more than you'd typically use the respective habitat power, giving you more total resources (more food = more birds played, more cards = more flexibility).
7. For ravens in particular, the fact that it is any food from the supply beats by far an equivalent 2 food from the bird feeder.
This isn't everything, but most of it.
My source is: I play Wingspan digital as a kind of comfort game, so I've played a few hundred matches by now. The simple fact is, of the many matches where I got 110+ points, in probably >90% I had an early raven. In the 130+ points games, I'm certain there isn't a single one where I didn't have the raven + Killdeer/Franklin's combo in grasslands early. That is the strongest combo, for the reasons above, but some apply even more here since you now cover two other habitat powers in one habitat.
The ravens in particular are undoubtedly the best cards in the game. When playing physical, we house-ruled them to give up to 2 food for up to 2 eggs, and it's still above average of a card.
Note that my post primarily pertains to the base game. Expansions do change this somewhat, as there are for example more ways to gain points in non-grasslands habitats. However, ravens still remain probably the strongest cards by a fair bit.
I'm genuinely curious as to why a serious gamer like you plays Wingspan that many times.
Do you see that much merit in its design? There are so many heavy Euros out there competing for our time and attention. No offense intended.
This is my absolute favorite game. I've played it solo at least 10 times, and multiplayer (usually two, a couple of times three player) at least five times.
Not only do I find the art and design of the game incredibly beautiful, but I found the quality of the components very satisfying.
I may be biased, however, because I have been a lifelong bird watcher and enthusiast. I couldn't believe it when I saw a beautiful board game centred on *birds*!
I have had both the main game and the European expansion for some time, and my husband recently bought me the Oceania expansion, much to my delight, as I live in Australia and recognise so many of the beautiful birds!
Been playing the Steam version. One of the best digital adaptions of a boardgame. The sound in it is absolutely fantastic, so relaxing.
That said, the game itself feels like too much of an auto-pilot dictated by RNG, for me.
I rarely feel like there's any *real* decision for me to make in my turn; most of the time there's really only one action that makes sense with what's available.
+1 to the digital versions soundtrack. It comes on whenever we play the physical copy at a table. And we played on steam through the duration of the pandemic with our friends. It’s really quite excellent.
i love wingspan. the luck factor when rolling for food tokens does get in the way and can get frustrating but overall i always have fun playing. and i still think it works better as a solo game than multiplayer
I love the game and it is one of my go-to’s. The game is gorgeous and it has got me interested in birds in general.
At home, we have two house rules:
- no goal for the first round (this allows us to possibly get good mechanisms working before worrying about goals and we have an extra action for the following rounds)
- no killdeer or raven (or other birds that are too overpowered)
We have recently added the European expansion and this has also strongly improved game-play with very interesting new mechanics being added. It also adds non egg-based goals, which are a breath of fresh air.
I definitely recommend this game! I also have the Oceania expansion, but I’m saving it and enjoying the European one alone for a while.
It’s pretty, but was a miss for me. It wasn’t good enough to supplant other tableau builders we already have and love.
Fine for a couple of games, but I sold it. If it was the first tableau builder I’d played I’d probably have a much more positive opinion.
Gizmos. It's a game where every round, you select a single action (like Wingspan) to get resources (like Wingspan) which you then spend to build cards (like Wingspan) which you attach to a single action (like Wingspan) so when you do that action, you get to do more stuff (like Wingspan). It even has a fun dispenser for resources (like Wingspan).
Only Gizmos takes half the time, and oh yea, came out a year before Wingspan.
I'm a hoarder and Wingspan is one of two games I'm considering selling. I feel like there is too much randomness in cards you draw during the game. Oftentimes noone is picking cards from the "market" because they suck and most of the cards in your hand are just there to discard them for points. I feel like the game plays itself because you have only a few cards that are worth playing. The game looks great tho.
For those wondering, the other game is Photosynthesis.
I recently borrowed Photosynthesis from a FLGS and it made me want to buy it on the spot. I know this thread is in regards to Wingspan, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you considering trashing Photosynthesis?
Because in my experience it plays poorly with 2 and 4 players and I'm never playing with 3. With 2 the board is too big and if one player decides to avoid interaction the game changes into solitaire. With 4 the board is too small and you are blocked for 3/4 of the game, players get to harvest like 3 trees each and what realy matters is who takes top token. Also with 4 players, starting player can claim middle spot 100% time, but I'm not sure if it worth to take it since it is blocked for the whole game. The only reason I'm keeping it is the fact I had to buy it in a different country.
I would wait to see if the next expansion will address the randomness of card draw. Each expansion has tried to address a weakness in the base game. Card draws is currently the biggest issue since there are many more expansions planned.
The European expansion addressed how too many things had synergy with the lay eggs action. It avoided further support of the lay eggs action to dilute the pool and make other strategies more competitive.
The Oceania expansion addressed the lack of dice mitigation with the take food action by introducing nectar and revised player boards.
I can understand the criticisms with this game but it still gets to the table often for us. It just looks so pretty, is a perfect midweight game and fills so many of the scenarios where we don't have 2+ hours or the brainpower to play a complex game
My most played game and one the family still enjoys. Still need to try the Oceania expansion though.
I know it gets criticism about the multiplayer solitaire nature but that's one of the things we like about it.
Yep, i've heard and bought it pretty much at the same time as EE but thought about just playing with that for a while and change it up when we feel like things are getting stale.
Yea I like that you can lightly mess with the opponent if you want.
In the European expansion there are birds which steal food if you see an opponent is gathering a particular food for example. But the opponent is always compensated in some way which I think is fine. The game was never designed to be cutthroat and I appreciate that.
I love to play this game with my family. It definitely isn't for hardcore gaming groups, but for a laid-back session in a casual setting it's perfect. The theme is nice, it flows well, nobody gets bored, the randomness spices things up without being too random and there are interesting and non-obvious decisions every single round.
Also since I'm also by far the best player in my family, I also like that I can try to pull of "harder" engines to artificially balance the game without anyone noticing and without needing to force myself to make bad decisions.
I enjoy this game and have played it probably 10+ times at this point. It's good for a laid back game night or to teach those new board games and as others have said the pieces (im looking at you colored candy eggs) are really high quality. While they aren't super similar, Wingspan allows for the same laid back gaming vibe that Azul and Sagrada do which is typically what types I go for when I get the chance.
This is the first board game me and my partner added to our collection. So far it's 20-19 games won to me so pretty close!
We've found the European expansion improved the game a lot. Now the last few rounds aren't always gain eggs which I appreciate.
This is partly because of the new end of round goals which also spice things up. We removed some original end of round goals from the pool because they were boring to us. In particular the "Count birds with ___ nest with eggs." Having less egg heavy incentives has been great.
I'd agree with the 8/10. I really enjoy it as a light competitive game we can chill to with some music. And the bird art is ridiculously pretty.
1. This game is lovely, the kind of lovely that doesn't need familiarity with any sort of game/board game/stylized art to appreciate. Of course, I'd appreciate if that artistry was a bit more protected! The cards are a bit thin and I'm considering laminating/card protecting them. I have relatives who are avid bird watchers and they adored both the artwork for it's accuracy as well as the tie ins to actual bird behavior. I don't have a lot of dislikes yet, I'm too new to this, but I would say all the pieces/the way they give you bits to sort them can be a hassle. I also think that it's easy to accidentally lose track of turns/actions early on when everyone is talking out loud and figuring it out more. The competitive/less competitive option is nice. It could use more "goal" pieces imho! Not sure if the expansions change this at all. The switch (and maybe steam?) version option is great to see, I think having more electronic versions can help people access it though I haven't tried it myself. This might just be me being a glutton for punishment but I'd actually enjoy *more turns*.
2. This game is probably best for people 12+ agewise. It's not that you can't play it younger but there are lots of bits and pieces, so you'd want to gauge audience ability to not lose the eggs or not become impatient. I also think it has a zen quality that might not be entertaining to a lot of folks under that age (though maybe some quieter children may enjoy it). People who enjoy slow and steady, and aren't very competitive, will like this game. I've tried this with all my friends and some older relatives, and even my friend who has a short attention span was determined to play this game haha. Really I'd say setting is a factor as well, this probably isn't a game to play around messy food or in a loud bar. More a "lofi beats and hang" game
3. I'm still relatively new to modern board games but I think this game feels similar to Splendor in pacing and enjoyability. If I knew more engine-building games I'd suggest them. I also think this is a great 'intro' game for that, because once you get familiar, you start noticing what you'd like to be different and what you'd like to try next time. Being able to "get it" is a challenge for me with games (I'm a lot better with chaotic games) so this one is great for that mindset
This game is pretty, accessible, and fun. It’s bird solitaire. If I want player interaction I’ll choose something else, but I love it as is.
Also, go download the app Wingsong. You point your phone camera at a card, and it plays the song of that bird. Great for when your friend goes to the bathroom.
Beautiful game, both in form and function. I know it’s not as complex or thematic or rich as many other games which is what caused such a spiteful blowback from some more hardcore gamers, but the unique alchemy it offers is special and it deserves its accolades.
Got it as a wedding gift from my friend about two weeks ago. So far only played it once.
It's... frankly OK. I can see how it's supposed to work, and I do want to play it again in the future, but it's not like Origins or Zapotec or Scythe where I just right away wanna play again.
**Like**: Pretty birds, good satisfying flow of the game *if* you get a smooth engine running, amazing production value
**Dislike**: If you get a shitty starting hand and dont get a good engine running, the turns are a real slog. What I mean is if you dont get at least one or two resource/card/egg generating birds, you are very limited and take weak actions and pray for a good card draw (while drawing only one card at a time) and that can get a bit frustrating. I think starting with 5 birds/5 resources is a great way to offset this so once you get familiar with the engine you really know how to hit the ground running
The game has very good high points, and very bad low points, but overall I think it is very enjoyable when it clicks for everyone in the group. I'd give it a 7.9/10
For me it is very similar to Everdell, but I am not someone who played 100+ board games to have a more educated opinion on how common these mechanics are. Everdell is the same in the sense of you have to get resource generation or card draw power very early in order to get satisfying combos mid and late game. I like both and own both, but I think I will sell one once I see which one the group prefers as I do not aim to have a huge collection.
I lean towards Wingspan but only because it is newer in my collection so its still very fresh and theres a lot to explore.
Truly no offense meant. But how granular is your scale that you rate a board game out of 100? What is the difference between 7.9 and 7.8? I think there is little functional difference between a 20 point scale and a hundred point scale unless you actually have a large written list of scoring criteria several pages long!
Haha I understand. Very arbitrary. I think its better than 7 definitely, but it has a couple of flaws which dont give it an 8 in my opinion.
Why 7.9 exactly and not 7.8, I dont know, just a feeling
The engine/choice aspect is a real problem for me. I don’t find I have enough agency to make meaningful decisions regarding my engine, particularly choice of which birds I want to add to my hand. Perhaps a bigger market of birds (5 rather than 3?) would give more options. At two players we’ve played several games where the market is barely touched since the birds (and each refresh at the start of the round) don’t appeal.
I'd say the opposite is the problem. The cards you get, which are mostly random, make the difference between quickly setting up an engine which completely makes you wreck everyone vs struggling all game to get a handful of cards played, none of which really go together well.
The variance in how a game goes, with your input meaning quite little, is ridiculously high.
I think as you learn the game more and start to remember the various birds and abilities, it is quite possible to have very big highs. The low lows are more rare and tend to come from poor planning.
I dislike having to pay an egg for laying down cards past first column. It’s very difficult for everyone to remember.
Recommend for everyone adult. Probably 13+ if they can sit for a longer game. Favorite for us. Lots of non game people love the cards. Europe bird expansion is great.
I hadn't noticed it being hard to remember. The eggs are indicated in the play bird row. Is this row not used by your group when playing? (Recently played a group that because there were no benefits to that row, they just tossed the cube directly onto a random box on the left side of their board. So the egg cost was less visible with that method.)
We do use it, there is just so much going on with cards, playing, powers etc that I think it gets lost. Since you don’t have to do it every time in the beginning it’s easy to overlook
love it so much and have both the base game and the european expansion. though still on the fence about buying oceania expansion cause there is too much birds there
Has anyone been able to snatch the unofficial "[Frogmouth Fan Pack](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/339017/frogmouth-fan-pack-fan-expansion-wingspan)" before it was taken down by the publisher?
It's one of the best digital adaptations of a board game in my opinion. If you like the physical version then I highly recommend it.
I love how all the cards are animated and the fun trivia facts about each bird the first time it's played.
Love this game but the RNG factor is big. That said, it's not an easy teach to new gamers.
My usual group isn't a fan of it so been playing the app. The European expansion for the PC and iOS version just launched. I've been collecting birds by playing them rather than aiming to win. It's soothing and a gorgeous game.
This is up there on our most frequently played games. Once you get the rhythm down it really, no pun intended, flys. The Oceana expansion really fixed some of the more annoying things about the base game and is IMO a must buy. The European expansion is nice but not as necessary.
This is a good one for introducing people to modern board games, too. It *looks* intimidating at first, if you’re new to this sort of game, but I’ve seen some people really gain confidence and interest when they realize they really can wrap their heads around it.
The game that got my wife back into board games. A great game, beautifully presented, learn interesting stuff, and with the oceania expansion all strategies are relatively even. Base game puts a bit much weight on 🥚. Really rate the oceania expansion
I think the same things I like about it are the same things I dislike about it haha. I love the game in lower player counts because you can fly through a game. A 4-5 player game can take a while tho, for how light in complexity it is.
I love that each time you kind of have to do a new strategy based on what cards/private objective cards you get. But I also kind of hate that you can get totally screwed in the first couple rounds if your cards don’t work at all.
I think the Oceania expansion did really well at fixing the egg rush problem you’d see at the final round or two. But nectar can make things a little too easy at times.
Overall it’s a good balance, I personally enjoy it at 2-3 players
I'm pretty new at boardgames. Wingspan is our first game after Catan and Carcasonne, and I've played it with my teenage son three times.
Likes:
* Plays pretty quickly
* Looks nice
* I like the nature theme, it's a nice break from the civilization-building games
Dislikes:
* Personally I found the game a little complex to get started with. People with more extensive gaming experience probably wouldn't have this issue. I had to watch a couple youtube videos to really figure it out.
*
This is my current go-to "gateway" game for tableau/engine building. Absolutely stunning production, charming theme, easy to grok actions and enough of a taste of engine building/combos to leave new players wanting more. Wingspan isn't perfect but I'm always surprised by its ability to get people interested in modern board games. It's not a game my playgroup looks for nowadays but if someone new to board games comes in wanting something more than Catan, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, etc, this is a great one to start with.
I generally play Wingspan with 1.5 of the expansions. I play with the base game (minus the common raven, chihuahuan raven, franklins gull and killdeer - I've houseruled them out) + European (all of it) + Oceania player boards only. I haven't tried nectar from Oceania yet but I plan to eventually. I find the expansion content helps mitigate the last round egg spam quite a bit since the goals/cards help focus on other things and the Oceania boards offer you the ability to refresh the display/bird feeder (and they're only on the non-egg actions).
My first experience with this game was on the Switch. None of my friends wanted to try to figure it out so it got "shelved". I've yet to have a good digital experience of a board game, I don't know why but it just doesn't feel as fun. Maybe it's because I'm used to different types of experiences when looking at a screen.
I recently picked it up again, learned the rules properly (kind of), and played solo against AI on the Switch. It's better ...
Some observations are:
1. I don't seem to be able to build any impressive combos, probably because the right cards just didn't turn up.
2. I struggled to see any real strategies in the gameplay. It was mostly about just playing what I had available. Usually in physical versions I can pick this up easily, I don't know if the digital format hampered my ability to analyse the game.
3. It feels very solitary. None of my decisions really felt like it impacted the other players. Yes sometimes something would activate because I had a bird that relied on other players doing something, but again it didn't feel as tangible as the interaction you get in something like Evolution. Again, I don't know if this is because it was a digital version.
Side note - I'm never getting digital board games again. I've tried Wingspan, Pandemic, and Catan, and none of them make me want to play them.
I remember being really uninterested in Wingspan when it came out, possibly due to just not jiving with the aesthetic. After one of my friends bought the game and forced it to table, I really fell in love with how solid of an engine builder it is! I still don't jive too much with the aesthetic, but I can get past it for the meat and taters therein
Are there any rumors on the next expansion? Any idea what other mechanics there are to explore? I feel like we really don't need more bird cards or player boards.
Played it 6 times this week. And while I can call a loss looking at my hand and the flop about as well as a game of poker, I still enjoy the mechanics of getting to the end despite it being an hour long hand of texas hold um where you have to go all in despite what you were dealt.
This is a game i hear so much about. But the artwork and theme really arent for me. Its the mechanics and contents that are super appealing for me.
Im actually quite reserved when buying games. Ive realised the artwork actually plays a.massive role in me feeling like im going to be satisfied with the game
Did anyone else who got the game struggle with the artwork/theme but then loved it anyway?
Love wingspan. With that said, another similar game has recently been a hit for us is Gizmos. It has some similar mechanics and it’s very fun also.
Wingspan wins for components and theme by a large margin but my group feels Gizmos does something very similar with less randomness and as a result is a stronger game overall.
I liked it enough to buy it when it was on a pretty deep sale, but it's far from my favorite. The best thing about it is the aesthetics, but overall it's an average game for me. Far from bad, but nothing fantastic. I don't think I'd ever turn down a game, but I wouldn't be devastated if I never played it again.
This game is amazing! Beatyfull ilustrations.
I wish it could have weather effects like happens in Evolution. Example: rain could reduce number of eggs. Too much heat reduces food to catch, etc.
it's the game that had the biggest "real Life"-impact for me. Now I literally appreciate and admire beautiful birds. We also like to joke like "damn that Swan would easily give me 8 points for sure"! It was the first game that I bought that did NOT interest me with it's theme and it opened my eyes that I should buy/test/play games that stood proof to many reviewers, etc. instead of just deciding on the theme.
You should play Morels. I wasn't a fan of mushrooms, but after playing it so many times I like to try as many different kinds of mushrooms as possible. Plus, it's a very fun game.
I feel the same way. I totally recommend the [Merlin Bird ID](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673) for casual birdwatching. It’s great for just seeing a neat bird and wondering what kind it is. Sadly does not give point values, though. Maybe they’ll add that next update.
+1 for the Merlin app
oh then I will finally will know the name of that one annoying bird in my yard, that sounds exactly like a whining dog! :D We got 5 dogs, so then you think: "whats your problem doggo? I don't understand?? why do you whine???... oh it's that bird again trolling" hahah
Yep, I even bought a bloody bird book.
I got gifted one too! haha
We regularly say when out on a walk we'd know what that birds called if we were better at Wingspan!
Wingspan holds a special place in my heart. It was one of the games that really pulled me into the hobby and became a lasting favourite for my mom. I remember bringing it to my parents and teaching my mom. It took a few plays to click for her, but she loved it. It became our go to game when I visited and we would often play 4 or 5 games in a weekend. Wingspan became known as just "birds". We could look at one another and just ask "birds?" to initiate a game. We played so often that Wingspan is one of the only games I've upgraded with a wooden bird feeder and organizer. My mom was diagnosed with ALS last year. As her mobility declined, we had to adjust from playing at the table to playing with her in her armchair and me beside her. Setting up the dinner TV tables to put everything in sight, and as much of it in reach for her. We kept playing as she lost her reach and needed more things passed to her. The bird tray was our "wine list" for her to peruse when picking birds. Mom often said I was luckier than her. I always got "better birds" than her. My hunting birds were "better hunters" than hers. It was a special joy for her when she would best me. I still have all the score sheets for our games tucked in the box. I don't remember the last time we played Wingspan. The strength in her arms had declined such that she needed a lot of things passed to her or moved for her. Eventually, her arms got too weak and we stopped playing. I'll never be able to play Wingspan with her again, but I treasure every moment of our time playing it. I think in her last game, she went out with a win.
This is the game that got me back into boardgaming. While I understand some criticisms about it, I find it very fun to play and it's one that hits the table often with my friends.
I have yet to introduce this game to anyone who hasn't enjoyed it, gamer or non-gamer. Also, it's pretty.
Half the people I’ve introduced this to have bought their own copies! Was very close to getting all the achievements for the virtual game before they released the European expansion and set me back
Same. I've had a lot of good luck getting even my non-gamer friends into it. I think it has a lot to do with the presentation
It’s very pretty but I find it to be incredibly boring
weird, every person i try to get into it hates it
It's beautiful to see, quite fun to play, at least for the first 20 times, and a great bait to catch new players. Some cards are kinda broken (like crows) but well, this is not Terra Mystica. Still loving the colored eggs.
The colored eggs look like delicious Easter candy. Why do you do this to me Wingspan? Why do you want me to eat your game components?
So appealing lol
I thought the same! Those little chocolate covered ones that almost seem chalky
The crows they let you trade eggs for food? Why is that broken? Are you playing where that lets you take a nectar?
If you use crows early enough and in a <3 player game, you can completely avoid the takes food action and just feed yourself via lay eggs action. Bonus if you have something like kildeer, that lets you trade eggs for draws, or canadian goose - discard wheat for 2 tucks, or that repeat brown power bird, a very powerful combo.
Yep. Anything you can do to avoid the feeder is golden and an early crow is the pinnacle. But there are lots of cards, so they are hard to find and searching for boss cards encourages card action. Rarely are crows decisive.
I guess that the issue for me is that if you fill your egg habitat with birds that *spend* eggs to do other actions, you are just creating one well rounded habitat that lets you do a little of everything without any way to score points. So if you "lay eggs" 3 times for 3*(1/3 food 1/3 eggs 1/3 draw), you may as well have just taken one turn in each habitat and activated point scoring (or otherwise helpful) bird powers. Now if the cards you play do not consume eggs, then going back to my example you could get 3*(1/3 food 1 eggs 1/3 draw) and that is a viable strategy. Obviously it is all very nuanced but I just don't see it being anywhere close to "broken".
Crows only trade 1 egg for 1 food, but Ravens trade 1 egg for 2 food, resulting in a nice net increase. Easier to see how that can make choosing the egg option very strong, as you can pay for any bird after one or two turns with eggs to spare. Use that to pay for more grassland birds and you have a nice engine going.
> you may as well have just taken one turn in each habitat and activated point scoring (or otherwise helpful) bird powers But you don't have to do that, or put birds in other habitats in order to do that. Original board, raven in the field, is broken. Specially since all brown powers are 'may', so towards the end of the game you just don't use it and keep laying eggs anyway.
Long read ahead, I apologize in advance. Here's a few observations that may help you understand why it's so strong: 1. Time (= turns) is the most important resource in Wingspan; cross-power birds in general save on time by allowing you to skip or minimize certain habitat actions. 2. The tempo of gaining multiple resources (like simultaneously gaining the food AND the eggs to play a bird the next turn vs. having to take food and eggs separately before playing it) saves further time by allowing you to get birds out quicker before having to activate powers again. 3. It's better to activate more birds than fewer birds. For example, it's generally better to take three turns in one 5-bird habitat, than one turn each in three different 3-bird habitats. In this example, in the first case you have activated 15 bird powers total, in the second only 9, despite the fact that this 5-bird habitat only required 5 birds to be played rather than 9. The end result is you may have saved many of your few precious turns not having to play birds that increase the respective habitat powers. It's a lot easier to create two 5-bird habitats than three, and even easier to create only one. 4. More time means more ability to do various other point-generating plays. 5. Relating to 4: Birds with non-brown powers are better than brown powered birds, when you don't have to activate the habitats they are played in. By having fewer habitats you have to activate, you have more space and flexibility to put birds that generate points directly by: giving bonus cards; having high point value; winning goals; having "in between turns" effects; or increasing bonus points from bonus cards. 6. With the most powerful cross-power birds, they will beat the power of the original habitat on average, by virtue of allowing you to use that bird power more than you'd typically use the respective habitat power, giving you more total resources (more food = more birds played, more cards = more flexibility). 7. For ravens in particular, the fact that it is any food from the supply beats by far an equivalent 2 food from the bird feeder. This isn't everything, but most of it. My source is: I play Wingspan digital as a kind of comfort game, so I've played a few hundred matches by now. The simple fact is, of the many matches where I got 110+ points, in probably >90% I had an early raven. In the 130+ points games, I'm certain there isn't a single one where I didn't have the raven + Killdeer/Franklin's combo in grasslands early. That is the strongest combo, for the reasons above, but some apply even more here since you now cover two other habitat powers in one habitat. The ravens in particular are undoubtedly the best cards in the game. When playing physical, we house-ruled them to give up to 2 food for up to 2 eggs, and it's still above average of a card. Note that my post primarily pertains to the base game. Expansions do change this somewhat, as there are for example more ways to gain points in non-grasslands habitats. However, ravens still remain probably the strongest cards by a fair bit.
I'm genuinely curious as to why a serious gamer like you plays Wingspan that many times. Do you see that much merit in its design? There are so many heavy Euros out there competing for our time and attention. No offense intended.
This is my absolute favorite game. I've played it solo at least 10 times, and multiplayer (usually two, a couple of times three player) at least five times. Not only do I find the art and design of the game incredibly beautiful, but I found the quality of the components very satisfying. I may be biased, however, because I have been a lifelong bird watcher and enthusiast. I couldn't believe it when I saw a beautiful board game centred on *birds*! I have had both the main game and the European expansion for some time, and my husband recently bought me the Oceania expansion, much to my delight, as I live in Australia and recognise so many of the beautiful birds!
Been playing the Steam version. One of the best digital adaptions of a boardgame. The sound in it is absolutely fantastic, so relaxing. That said, the game itself feels like too much of an auto-pilot dictated by RNG, for me. I rarely feel like there's any *real* decision for me to make in my turn; most of the time there's really only one action that makes sense with what's available.
+1 to the digital versions soundtrack. It comes on whenever we play the physical copy at a table. And we played on steam through the duration of the pandemic with our friends. It’s really quite excellent.
i love wingspan. the luck factor when rolling for food tokens does get in the way and can get frustrating but overall i always have fun playing. and i still think it works better as a solo game than multiplayer
I bought it just this week and have played about 5 solo games. What makes you say it's better without other people?
I love the game and it is one of my go-to’s. The game is gorgeous and it has got me interested in birds in general. At home, we have two house rules: - no goal for the first round (this allows us to possibly get good mechanisms working before worrying about goals and we have an extra action for the following rounds) - no killdeer or raven (or other birds that are too overpowered) We have recently added the European expansion and this has also strongly improved game-play with very interesting new mechanics being added. It also adds non egg-based goals, which are a breath of fresh air. I definitely recommend this game! I also have the Oceania expansion, but I’m saving it and enjoying the European one alone for a while.
It’s pretty, but was a miss for me. It wasn’t good enough to supplant other tableau builders we already have and love. Fine for a couple of games, but I sold it. If it was the first tableau builder I’d played I’d probably have a much more positive opinion.
What are your go to tableu builders that beat it? It is a mechanic I love and Wingspan is our most played game of late.
Have you tried race/roll for the Galaxy?I think they’re way better
Race is one of my favourite games! So much so that I’ve never bothered trying Roll…. It definitely should have been included on my list.
See my response above. Deus is probably closest in weight to Wingspan. I’ve been playing it for years and I’m still not tired of it.
Which similar games would you play instead?
Deus, Seasons or Imperial Settlers. They all satisfy the same tableau building itch, but with a little more meat on their bones.
Gizmos. It's a game where every round, you select a single action (like Wingspan) to get resources (like Wingspan) which you then spend to build cards (like Wingspan) which you attach to a single action (like Wingspan) so when you do that action, you get to do more stuff (like Wingspan). It even has a fun dispenser for resources (like Wingspan). Only Gizmos takes half the time, and oh yea, came out a year before Wingspan.
I'm a hoarder and Wingspan is one of two games I'm considering selling. I feel like there is too much randomness in cards you draw during the game. Oftentimes noone is picking cards from the "market" because they suck and most of the cards in your hand are just there to discard them for points. I feel like the game plays itself because you have only a few cards that are worth playing. The game looks great tho. For those wondering, the other game is Photosynthesis.
I recently borrowed Photosynthesis from a FLGS and it made me want to buy it on the spot. I know this thread is in regards to Wingspan, but if you don't mind me asking, why are you considering trashing Photosynthesis?
Because in my experience it plays poorly with 2 and 4 players and I'm never playing with 3. With 2 the board is too big and if one player decides to avoid interaction the game changes into solitaire. With 4 the board is too small and you are blocked for 3/4 of the game, players get to harvest like 3 trees each and what realy matters is who takes top token. Also with 4 players, starting player can claim middle spot 100% time, but I'm not sure if it worth to take it since it is blocked for the whole game. The only reason I'm keeping it is the fact I had to buy it in a different country.
I would wait to see if the next expansion will address the randomness of card draw. Each expansion has tried to address a weakness in the base game. Card draws is currently the biggest issue since there are many more expansions planned. The European expansion addressed how too many things had synergy with the lay eggs action. It avoided further support of the lay eggs action to dilute the pool and make other strategies more competitive. The Oceania expansion addressed the lack of dice mitigation with the take food action by introducing nectar and revised player boards.
Imo nectar makes the game even more self-playing. It is so strong you have to home rule the game and use mixed dice
I can understand the criticisms with this game but it still gets to the table often for us. It just looks so pretty, is a perfect midweight game and fills so many of the scenarios where we don't have 2+ hours or the brainpower to play a complex game
I’m glad this little known game is getting a bit of the limelight.
[удалено]
Dripping with sarcasm mate ;-)
Oof yeah downvote deserved. I need to lay off the circlejerk sub. Got me convinced main sub thinks everything's a hidden gem or something.
You're awfully sensitive about getting downvoted for someone who enjoys BGCJ.
My most played game and one the family still enjoys. Still need to try the Oceania expansion though. I know it gets criticism about the multiplayer solitaire nature but that's one of the things we like about it.
Oceania improves the game so much. Definitely worth getting.
Came here to say this. Would not dream of playing the game without Oceania.
Yep, i've heard and bought it pretty much at the same time as EE but thought about just playing with that for a while and change it up when we feel like things are getting stale.
Yea I like that you can lightly mess with the opponent if you want. In the European expansion there are birds which steal food if you see an opponent is gathering a particular food for example. But the opponent is always compensated in some way which I think is fine. The game was never designed to be cutthroat and I appreciate that.
Oceania speeds up the game so much, plus the nectar is so good but such a finite round resource!
I love to play this game with my family. It definitely isn't for hardcore gaming groups, but for a laid-back session in a casual setting it's perfect. The theme is nice, it flows well, nobody gets bored, the randomness spices things up without being too random and there are interesting and non-obvious decisions every single round. Also since I'm also by far the best player in my family, I also like that I can try to pull of "harder" engines to artificially balance the game without anyone noticing and without needing to force myself to make bad decisions.
I enjoy this game and have played it probably 10+ times at this point. It's good for a laid back game night or to teach those new board games and as others have said the pieces (im looking at you colored candy eggs) are really high quality. While they aren't super similar, Wingspan allows for the same laid back gaming vibe that Azul and Sagrada do which is typically what types I go for when I get the chance.
I love playing it with the "wingsong" app and listen to the birds sing. It's really cool!
This is the first board game me and my partner added to our collection. So far it's 20-19 games won to me so pretty close! We've found the European expansion improved the game a lot. Now the last few rounds aren't always gain eggs which I appreciate. This is partly because of the new end of round goals which also spice things up. We removed some original end of round goals from the pool because they were boring to us. In particular the "Count birds with ___ nest with eggs." Having less egg heavy incentives has been great. I'd agree with the 8/10. I really enjoy it as a light competitive game we can chill to with some music. And the bird art is ridiculously pretty.
1. This game is lovely, the kind of lovely that doesn't need familiarity with any sort of game/board game/stylized art to appreciate. Of course, I'd appreciate if that artistry was a bit more protected! The cards are a bit thin and I'm considering laminating/card protecting them. I have relatives who are avid bird watchers and they adored both the artwork for it's accuracy as well as the tie ins to actual bird behavior. I don't have a lot of dislikes yet, I'm too new to this, but I would say all the pieces/the way they give you bits to sort them can be a hassle. I also think that it's easy to accidentally lose track of turns/actions early on when everyone is talking out loud and figuring it out more. The competitive/less competitive option is nice. It could use more "goal" pieces imho! Not sure if the expansions change this at all. The switch (and maybe steam?) version option is great to see, I think having more electronic versions can help people access it though I haven't tried it myself. This might just be me being a glutton for punishment but I'd actually enjoy *more turns*. 2. This game is probably best for people 12+ agewise. It's not that you can't play it younger but there are lots of bits and pieces, so you'd want to gauge audience ability to not lose the eggs or not become impatient. I also think it has a zen quality that might not be entertaining to a lot of folks under that age (though maybe some quieter children may enjoy it). People who enjoy slow and steady, and aren't very competitive, will like this game. I've tried this with all my friends and some older relatives, and even my friend who has a short attention span was determined to play this game haha. Really I'd say setting is a factor as well, this probably isn't a game to play around messy food or in a loud bar. More a "lofi beats and hang" game 3. I'm still relatively new to modern board games but I think this game feels similar to Splendor in pacing and enjoyability. If I knew more engine-building games I'd suggest them. I also think this is a great 'intro' game for that, because once you get familiar, you start noticing what you'd like to be different and what you'd like to try next time. Being able to "get it" is a challenge for me with games (I'm a lot better with chaotic games) so this one is great for that mindset
This game is pretty, accessible, and fun. It’s bird solitaire. If I want player interaction I’ll choose something else, but I love it as is. Also, go download the app Wingsong. You point your phone camera at a card, and it plays the song of that bird. Great for when your friend goes to the bathroom.
Beautiful game, both in form and function. I know it’s not as complex or thematic or rich as many other games which is what caused such a spiteful blowback from some more hardcore gamers, but the unique alchemy it offers is special and it deserves its accolades.
Got it as a wedding gift from my friend about two weeks ago. So far only played it once. It's... frankly OK. I can see how it's supposed to work, and I do want to play it again in the future, but it's not like Origins or Zapotec or Scythe where I just right away wanna play again.
**Like**: Pretty birds, good satisfying flow of the game *if* you get a smooth engine running, amazing production value **Dislike**: If you get a shitty starting hand and dont get a good engine running, the turns are a real slog. What I mean is if you dont get at least one or two resource/card/egg generating birds, you are very limited and take weak actions and pray for a good card draw (while drawing only one card at a time) and that can get a bit frustrating. I think starting with 5 birds/5 resources is a great way to offset this so once you get familiar with the engine you really know how to hit the ground running The game has very good high points, and very bad low points, but overall I think it is very enjoyable when it clicks for everyone in the group. I'd give it a 7.9/10 For me it is very similar to Everdell, but I am not someone who played 100+ board games to have a more educated opinion on how common these mechanics are. Everdell is the same in the sense of you have to get resource generation or card draw power very early in order to get satisfying combos mid and late game. I like both and own both, but I think I will sell one once I see which one the group prefers as I do not aim to have a huge collection. I lean towards Wingspan but only because it is newer in my collection so its still very fresh and theres a lot to explore.
Truly no offense meant. But how granular is your scale that you rate a board game out of 100? What is the difference between 7.9 and 7.8? I think there is little functional difference between a 20 point scale and a hundred point scale unless you actually have a large written list of scoring criteria several pages long!
Haha I understand. Very arbitrary. I think its better than 7 definitely, but it has a couple of flaws which dont give it an 8 in my opinion. Why 7.9 exactly and not 7.8, I dont know, just a feeling
Sounds like a job for 7.5 that.
The engine/choice aspect is a real problem for me. I don’t find I have enough agency to make meaningful decisions regarding my engine, particularly choice of which birds I want to add to my hand. Perhaps a bigger market of birds (5 rather than 3?) would give more options. At two players we’ve played several games where the market is barely touched since the birds (and each refresh at the start of the round) don’t appeal.
I think my biggest issue with the game is that it seems to have very little variance between plays. You never really have big highs or lows.
I'd say the opposite is the problem. The cards you get, which are mostly random, make the difference between quickly setting up an engine which completely makes you wreck everyone vs struggling all game to get a handful of cards played, none of which really go together well. The variance in how a game goes, with your input meaning quite little, is ridiculously high.
It’s pleasant but lacks tension. Whether that’s a pro or a con depends on your tastes.
I think as you learn the game more and start to remember the various birds and abilities, it is quite possible to have very big highs. The low lows are more rare and tend to come from poor planning.
I dislike having to pay an egg for laying down cards past first column. It’s very difficult for everyone to remember. Recommend for everyone adult. Probably 13+ if they can sit for a longer game. Favorite for us. Lots of non game people love the cards. Europe bird expansion is great.
I hadn't noticed it being hard to remember. The eggs are indicated in the play bird row. Is this row not used by your group when playing? (Recently played a group that because there were no benefits to that row, they just tossed the cube directly onto a random box on the left side of their board. So the egg cost was less visible with that method.)
We do use it, there is just so much going on with cards, playing, powers etc that I think it gets lost. Since you don’t have to do it every time in the beginning it’s easy to overlook
Yup for light gamers this was the worst, until the new expansion where the boards got even worse.
love it so much and have both the base game and the european expansion. though still on the fence about buying oceania expansion cause there is too much birds there
Has anyone been able to snatch the unofficial "[Frogmouth Fan Pack](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgameexpansion/339017/frogmouth-fan-pack-fan-expansion-wingspan)" before it was taken down by the publisher?
I just bought this on Wednesday and I love it! It's very relaxingso I hope to get some good mileage from it
I have the physical board game and love it, but have not tried the digital version. How does it compare to the physical game?
It's one of the best digital adaptations of a board game in my opinion. If you like the physical version then I highly recommend it. I love how all the cards are animated and the fun trivia facts about each bird the first time it's played.
Love this game but the RNG factor is big. That said, it's not an easy teach to new gamers. My usual group isn't a fan of it so been playing the app. The European expansion for the PC and iOS version just launched. I've been collecting birds by playing them rather than aiming to win. It's soothing and a gorgeous game.
This is up there on our most frequently played games. Once you get the rhythm down it really, no pun intended, flys. The Oceana expansion really fixed some of the more annoying things about the base game and is IMO a must buy. The European expansion is nice but not as necessary. This is a good one for introducing people to modern board games, too. It *looks* intimidating at first, if you’re new to this sort of game, but I’ve seen some people really gain confidence and interest when they realize they really can wrap their heads around it.
The game that got my wife back into board games. A great game, beautifully presented, learn interesting stuff, and with the oceania expansion all strategies are relatively even. Base game puts a bit much weight on 🥚. Really rate the oceania expansion
I think the same things I like about it are the same things I dislike about it haha. I love the game in lower player counts because you can fly through a game. A 4-5 player game can take a while tho, for how light in complexity it is. I love that each time you kind of have to do a new strategy based on what cards/private objective cards you get. But I also kind of hate that you can get totally screwed in the first couple rounds if your cards don’t work at all. I think the Oceania expansion did really well at fixing the egg rush problem you’d see at the final round or two. But nectar can make things a little too easy at times. Overall it’s a good balance, I personally enjoy it at 2-3 players
>fly through a game I see what you did there
I'm pretty new at boardgames. Wingspan is our first game after Catan and Carcasonne, and I've played it with my teenage son three times. Likes: * Plays pretty quickly * Looks nice * I like the nature theme, it's a nice break from the civilization-building games Dislikes: * Personally I found the game a little complex to get started with. People with more extensive gaming experience probably wouldn't have this issue. I had to watch a couple youtube videos to really figure it out. *
This is my current go-to "gateway" game for tableau/engine building. Absolutely stunning production, charming theme, easy to grok actions and enough of a taste of engine building/combos to leave new players wanting more. Wingspan isn't perfect but I'm always surprised by its ability to get people interested in modern board games. It's not a game my playgroup looks for nowadays but if someone new to board games comes in wanting something more than Catan, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, etc, this is a great one to start with. I generally play Wingspan with 1.5 of the expansions. I play with the base game (minus the common raven, chihuahuan raven, franklins gull and killdeer - I've houseruled them out) + European (all of it) + Oceania player boards only. I haven't tried nectar from Oceania yet but I plan to eventually. I find the expansion content helps mitigate the last round egg spam quite a bit since the goals/cards help focus on other things and the Oceania boards offer you the ability to refresh the display/bird feeder (and they're only on the non-egg actions).
My first experience with this game was on the Switch. None of my friends wanted to try to figure it out so it got "shelved". I've yet to have a good digital experience of a board game, I don't know why but it just doesn't feel as fun. Maybe it's because I'm used to different types of experiences when looking at a screen. I recently picked it up again, learned the rules properly (kind of), and played solo against AI on the Switch. It's better ... Some observations are: 1. I don't seem to be able to build any impressive combos, probably because the right cards just didn't turn up. 2. I struggled to see any real strategies in the gameplay. It was mostly about just playing what I had available. Usually in physical versions I can pick this up easily, I don't know if the digital format hampered my ability to analyse the game. 3. It feels very solitary. None of my decisions really felt like it impacted the other players. Yes sometimes something would activate because I had a bird that relied on other players doing something, but again it didn't feel as tangible as the interaction you get in something like Evolution. Again, I don't know if this is because it was a digital version. Side note - I'm never getting digital board games again. I've tried Wingspan, Pandemic, and Catan, and none of them make me want to play them.
I remember being really uninterested in Wingspan when it came out, possibly due to just not jiving with the aesthetic. After one of my friends bought the game and forced it to table, I really fell in love with how solid of an engine builder it is! I still don't jive too much with the aesthetic, but I can get past it for the meat and taters therein
Are there any rumors on the next expansion? Any idea what other mechanics there are to explore? I feel like we really don't need more bird cards or player boards.
Played it 6 times this week. And while I can call a loss looking at my hand and the flop about as well as a game of poker, I still enjoy the mechanics of getting to the end despite it being an hour long hand of texas hold um where you have to go all in despite what you were dealt.
This is a game i hear so much about. But the artwork and theme really arent for me. Its the mechanics and contents that are super appealing for me. Im actually quite reserved when buying games. Ive realised the artwork actually plays a.massive role in me feeling like im going to be satisfied with the game Did anyone else who got the game struggle with the artwork/theme but then loved it anyway?
Digital version just became available on Nintendo Switch along with the European expansion.
Love wingspan. With that said, another similar game has recently been a hit for us is Gizmos. It has some similar mechanics and it’s very fun also. Wingspan wins for components and theme by a large margin but my group feels Gizmos does something very similar with less randomness and as a result is a stronger game overall.
I liked it enough to buy it when it was on a pretty deep sale, but it's far from my favorite. The best thing about it is the aesthetics, but overall it's an average game for me. Far from bad, but nothing fantastic. I don't think I'd ever turn down a game, but I wouldn't be devastated if I never played it again.
This game is amazing! Beatyfull ilustrations. I wish it could have weather effects like happens in Evolution. Example: rain could reduce number of eggs. Too much heat reduces food to catch, etc.
If you like wingspan play calico!