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Wingspan

Wingspan

Game Information

Game Name
Year Published
Stonemaier Games

With my trusty Nikon Monarch ATB 8x42 Binoculars in hand, my search for the elusive Wingspan ludum begins. It's still too early in the year for a sighting but learning the terrain could only help when the time is right. Especially if the rumors are true; ornithologists have been unable to explain why the vast majority of the Wingspan ludum population remained in the tropical river basin instead of making their usual migration to localities spread across the country.

Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game for 1-5 players from Stonemaier Games. It plays in 40-70 minutes.

You are bird enthusiasts-researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors-seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. Each bird extends a chain of powerful combinations in one of your habitats (actions). These habitats focus on several key aspects of growth:

Gain food tokens via custom dice in a birdfeeder dice tower
Lay eggs using egg miniatures in a variety of colors
Draw from hundreds of unique bird cards and play them
The winner is the player with the most points after 4 rounds.


Editor reviews

3 reviews

Rating 
 
3.3
Rating 
 
4.0
Virtually every element of the game is just gorgeous. The gameplay is fantastic, satisfying on every level
Rating 
 
3.5
Wingspan is, by no means, a bad game. It is a decent one. I do not foresee Wingspan getting purged from my shelves any time soon. Everyone I have played it with has easily grasped it, enjoyed it, and would play it again. It doesn't bother me, per se, that I don't get “better” with each game. Anyone with a firm grasp on the gameplay, a realization that eggs are key to winning, and just the right amount of luck can win. Maybe that is one of the keys to why it is so popular.
Rating 
 
2.5
My partner and I found very little in this game besides an extremely pleasant theme and a basic, kind of boring, engine builder. Very happy this game is out in the mainstream for people to enjoy though, I think it's a nice light experience for people looking for something to do after dinner or something.

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Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #300143 28 Jul 2019 09:53
My partner just up and out of the blue bought this game. She ordered it a few days ago and was like "I heard about this game on a podcast, it'll be a surprise. My partner generally has good taste and I'll play anything she brings in front of us but I was super pleasantly surprised to see a game I had heard about and heard was well designed!!!
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #300152 28 Jul 2019 13:34
It was fine! I get why it's so popular and it's pitch perfect themed and produced. Could play it with anyone, I'd play it with dinner party types.

I'll play it again, but I think Splendor is a much leaner, meaner game in this space on initial experience.
Vysetron's Avatar
Vysetron replied the topic: #300155 28 Jul 2019 15:03
Wingspan, and the fact that it won the Kenner, is the very image of modern board games to me. Mechanically solid if a bit thin on variety, ultra well produced, uniquely themed, and leaves me completely cold. It's mediocrity dressed up to the nines. Shame because I'd love to love a game that has this many great birds.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #300157 28 Jul 2019 15:31
I completely get that. It didn't ignite my fire or anything but it was a decent use of time with my spouse. Which is ok in and of itself but it isn't the tight, strenous grind that a tight game of Splendor is.

To say nothing of playing a bigger, more interesting game instead.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #300292 30 Jul 2019 22:20
Played another game. I neither thought about it before or after but enjoyed it while I played it. This is not a medium weight game AT ALL despite having a billion well illustrated cards. It's one of the slighter games I've played and it doesn't outstay its welcome. It would be most at home on a target shelf tbh.
Pugnax555's Avatar
Pugnax555 replied the topic: #300310 31 Jul 2019 14:43
That's what I keep hearing about this game -- it's mechanically sound, gorgeously produced, and totally sterile. If you're not familiar with what modern games can do, it's an eye-opener. If you're already familiar with Stonemaier's thing, it's more of the same (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).