Wingspan is a popular board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games. It is a unique game that revolves around building and managing a bird habitat with the aim of attracting the most diverse and valuable bird species. It has gained massive popularity among board game enthusiasts due to its strategic gameplay, beautiful artwork, and educational value. Wingspan has won several awards, including the prestigious Kennerspiel des Jahres in 2019.
With its stunning artwork and engaging mechanics, Wingspan has quickly become one of the most popular board games of the year. In this blog post, we’ll discuss what Wingspan is all about, how to play it, and some strategies that will help you win at Wingspan. Let’s get started!
How do you play Wingspan?
Before you start playing, you will need to set up the game. Here are the steps:
- Shuffle the bird cards and place them in the deck.
- Place the birdfeeder dice in the center of the table.
- Each player chooses a color and takes the corresponding player mat, food tokens, and egg tokens.
- Randomly determine the starting player and give them the first player token.
Wingspan is a game for one to five players and is recommended for ages ten and up. Each game lasts about 40-70 minutes, depending on the number of players and their experience level. In Wingspan, players take turns performing actions to acquire new bird cards, lay eggs, and collect food to attract more birds to their habitat. The game has four rounds, and each round consists of eight turns.
Setting Up the Game: Components and Initial Setup
Before starting the game, players must set up the game board and components. The game board is divided into three different habitats: Forest, Wetland, and Grassland. Each habitat has various action spaces where players can perform actions. The game also includes 170 bird cards, five player mats, food tokens, egg tokens, and a dice tower. Players start the game by choosing their player mat and placing it in front of them. They also receive a starting hand of five bird cards and food tokens.
To set up the game, players must first place the game board in the center of the table and shuffle the bird cards, egg miniatures, food tokens, and player mats. Each player is then given a player mat, a reference card, and a set of action cubes in their chosen color.
Players then take turns placing their starting birds on their player mat and drawing five bird cards to form their initial hand. They also draw two bonus cards, which provide additional objectives that players can complete for extra points.
Gameplay Mechanics: Understanding the Turn Order and Actions
Wingspan is played over four rounds, with each round consisting of several turns. During each turn, players can perform one of the following actions: play a bird card, gain food, lay eggs, or draw bird cards. Each action requires players to use one of the action spaces on their player mat. Players can also use the bird cards in their hand to activate special abilities or gain additional resources. The turn order is determined by the position of the bird cards in the player’s habitat. Players with birds placed further to the right take their turn first.
High level tips and tricks
Here are some tips to help you improve your gameplay and increase your chances of winning:
- Plan ahead: Think carefully about your moves and consider your long-term strategy.
- Focus on specific habitats: Choose a specific habitat to specialize in and try to attract birds that complement it.
- Pay attention to the end-of-round goals: These goals can give you a significant point boost if you achieve them.
- Keep an eye on your opponents: Observe what they are doing and try to counter their moves.
- Use the bird powers wisely: Each bird has a unique power that can help you gain an advantage, so make sure to use them strategically.
What is the best Strategy for winning Wingspan?
-Focus on collecting food early in the game. This will give you the resources needed to lay eggs and draw cards later on which can help you score more points.
-Keep an eye out for bonus point opportunities such as end-of-round goals or birds that pair well with habitats.
-Pay attention to your opponents’ strategies and adjust your own accordingly. For example, if someone is focusing heavily on one type of bird, consider switching your focus elsewhere so you don’t miss out on any potential points.
-Think ahead and plan out your turns in advance to make sure you’re making the most of each round.
With these strategies in mind, Wingspan can be a fun and competitive game for all ages! So give it a try, and see if Wingspan is right for you. Good luck!
FAQ
A: Wingspan is a board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games. It is a game about birds and players must attract different species of birds to their habitats and collect points based on their actions.
A: To win at Wingspan, players must score the most points by the end of the game. Points can be earned through various actions such as collecting birds, laying eggs, and achieving specific objectives on bird cards.
A: A game of Wingspan can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours depending on the number of players and their experience with the game.
A: Wingspan can be played with 1-5 players.
A: Wingspan has a relatively easy-to-learn rule set, but there are many different bird cards and abilities to consider. It may take a few rounds of play to fully understand all of the mechanics and strategies.
A: Yes, there are currently two expansions for Wingspan: European Expansion and Oceania Expansion.
A: Yes, Wingspan includes a solo mode where players compete against an automated opponent.
A: Wingspan is recommended for ages 10 and up.
A: Yes, there is a digital version of Wingspan available on various platforms such as Steam and the Nintendo Switch.
Looking for other games to try, check out this list of my top 10 board games of 2022 here!
If you are interested in purchasing this game, you can do so from Amazon here
