Wingspan

2019

Engage in strategic gameplay with Wingspan, a card-driven, engine-building board game. Perfect for bird lovers, researchers, and collectors, this game offers an immersive experience in wildlife preservation while challenging your strategic planning skills.

70
minutes

1 - 5
player(s)

10+

Medium

About the game

Wingspan is an award-winning, beautifully designed, and captivating board game that takes you into a world of avian wonders. The game is set within the vivid and dynamic ecosystems where various bird species thrive. It is an engaging, card-driven, engine-building board game that is as educational as it is entertaining.

The game’s core mechanics involve drawing bird cards and playing them in one of your habitats, which are represented as forest, grassland, and wetland. Each bird card features an array of characteristics, including the bird’s habitat preference, egg limit, food requirements, and unique abilities. The objective is to attract the most varied and strategically beneficial birds to your network of wildlife preserves.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

In the board game ‘Wingspan’, there are several essential components that players must use to play the game. Each component serves a specific function and interacts with the game in different ways.

1. Bird Cards: 170 unique bird cards are included in the game. Each card represents a bird and has information about its habitat, food requirements, and special abilities. These cards are the main ways players gain points and abilities throughout the game. The bird cards are used to populate the player’s wildlife preserves.

2. Goal Board and Goal Tiles: The goal board and 8 double-sided goal tiles provide objectives for players to achieve each round. The goals may involve having certain birds in your preserve, collecting specific types of food, or other objectives. Players score points at the end of each round based on how well they achieved these goals.

3. Food Tokens: There are 75 egg miniatures in five different colors and 103 food tokens representing berries, fish, rodents, invertebrates, and seeds. These tokens are used to attract and breed birds in your preserve. Players collect these tokens throughout the game, and spend them to play bird cards and activate bird abilities.

4. Player Mats: Each player receives a player mat representing their own wildlife preserve. This mat has three different habitats (forest, grassland, and wetland) where players can place their bird cards. The mat also tracks the player’s available actions and the resources they have in each habitat.

5. Dice and Dice Tower: The 5 action dice and the birdhouse dice tower are used to determine available food resources in the birdfeeder. Players roll the dice at the beginning of each round and throughout the game to replenish the birdfeeder.

6. Action Cubes: Each player has 8 action cubes in their color. These cubes are used to track the actions each player takes during their turn, such as gaining food, laying eggs, or drawing bird cards.

7. Egg Tokens: Players use egg tokens to breed birds on their preserves. Eggs are a vital resource in the game, as they are required to play bird cards and can also score points at the end of the game.

8. Bonus Cards: There are 26 bonus cards that provide additional objectives for players to achieve. These cards can give players extra points at the end of the game if they meet the conditions on the card.

9. First Player Token: The first player token is used to track who starts each round of the game. This token passes to the next player at the end of each round.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

Wingspan is a competitive bird-collection, engine-building game in which players are bird enthusiasts trying to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves. Here is a step-by-step guide to setting up the game:

Step 1: Assign Player Roles

Each player takes on the role of a bird enthusiast, which could be a bird watcher, ornithologist, collector, or bird house builder. There are no specific roles assigned to players, everyone has the same capabilities and opportunities to attract birds.

Step 2: Set Up the Game Board

Each player takes a player mat to track their actions and resources.
Place the bird tray in the center of the table with the bird cards face down.
Draw 3 bird cards from the deck and place them face up in the bird tray.
Place the birdfeeder dice tower on the table and drop all 5 dice into the birdfeeder.
Place the goal mat next to the bird tray and randomly select 4 goal tiles to place on the goal mat, one in each round’s space.
Sort the eggs by color and place them within reach of all players.

Step 3: Distribute Initial Resources

Each player receives 5 bird cards and 5 food tokens (one of each type).
Players then select which bird cards to keep, but for each card they keep they must discard one of their food tokens.
Each player also starts with 1 of each of the 5 action cubes in their color.
The first player is chosen randomly and receives the first player token.

Step 4: Introduce Random Elements

The randomness in Wingspan comes from the bird cards that are available in the bird tray, the food available in the birdfeeder, and the end-of-round goals. These elements are randomized at the beginning of the game and replenished or rotated throughout the game.

Game flow Round and round we go

Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game. Players are bird enthusiasts seeking to discover and attract the best birds to their network of wildlife preserves. The game is played over four rounds and each round consists of a number of turns.

Start of the Game:

Each player starts with a player board, two random bonus cards, five bird cards, and five food tokens drawn randomly from the birdfeeder dice tower.
Players choose one bonus card to keep and discard the other. They also keep one bird card per food token they wish to discard.

Gameplay Structure:

The game is divided into four rounds. Each round has a number of turns, decreasing by one each round (starting with 8 turns in the first round, then 7, 6, and 5 in the subsequent rounds).

On their turn, players perform one of four actions:

Play a Bird: Players play a bird card from their hand onto their board. Birds are played in specific habitats and require specific food tokens.
Gain Food: Players activate their forest bird’s abilities to gain food tokens from the birdfeeder.
Lay Eggs: Players activate their grassland bird’s abilities to lay eggs on their birds.
Draw Bird Cards: Players activate their wetland bird’s abilities to draw more bird cards.

End of a Round:

At the end of each round, players compare their boards with the round’s objective (displayed on the goal mat). Players place one of their action cubes on the goal mat in the column that corresponds to the number of times they achieved the round’s goal. The action cube stays on the goal mat, reducing the number of actions a player can take in the following rounds.

End of the Game:

After four rounds, the game ends. Players add up their points from birds, bonus cards, end-of-round goals, eggs, cached food, and tucked birds. The player with the most points wins the game.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

Wingspan is a complex and strategic board game that revolves around birdwatching. Each player’s turn consists of one out of four possible actions. These actions include playing a bird card, gaining food, laying eggs, or drawing bird cards. Here’s a detailed breakdown of each action:

1. Playing a Bird Card:

On their turn, a player may choose to play a bird card from their hand. To do this, they must pay the bird’s food cost and place the bird card in the corresponding habitat (forest, grassland, or wetland). The strategic choice here involves deciding which bird to play based on its unique abilities, food cost, and the benefits of its habitat.

2. Gaining Food:

If a player chooses to gain food, they move their action cube to the leftmost exposed slot in the forest habitat. They then gain food tokens from the birdfeeder dice tray. The strategic aspect of this action involves choosing which food types to take, as these will determine which birds the player can play in the future.

3. Laying Eggs:

As a turn action, a player may choose to lay eggs. They move their action cube to the leftmost exposed slot in the grassland habitat and lay the indicated number of eggs on birds in their play area. Eggs are essential for playing birds and scoring points. The strategy here lies in deciding where to place the eggs, as some bird abilities are activated by the number of eggs on them.

4. Drawing Bird Cards:

A player may decide to draw bird cards as their action. They move their action cube to the leftmost exposed slot in the wetland habitat and draw the indicated number of bird cards. These could be from the deck or from among the face-up cards. If drawn from the face-up cards, they are immediately replaced. Drawing bird cards strategically means considering the bird’s abilities, habitats, and points value.

Players alternate taking turns until they have used all their action cubes. The game ends after 4 rounds, and the player with the most points, accumulated from birds, bonus cards, end-of-round goals, eggs, cached food, and tucked birds, wins the game.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The game of ‘Wingspan’ ends after the completion of the fourth round. Each round is signified by a unique bird icon on the round end goals mat. When all the bird icons have been filled on every player’s individual mat, it indicates that the game has come to its end.

Victory Conditions:

The player with the highest total points is declared the winner. The points can be accumulated through various methods:

Bird Cards: Each bird card a player has played is worth the number of points indicated on the card.
Bonus Cards: Each player may have one or two bonus cards (awarded at the start of the game and through certain bird powers) which provide points based on certain conditions.
End-of-Round Goals: The goals mat displays different objectives for each round. Players earn points based on their ranking for each goal.
Eggs: Each egg on a bird card is worth one point.
Food on Cards: Some bird cards allow players to tuck food tokens under them. Each tucked token counts as one point.
Tucked Cards: Some bird powers allow players to tuck other bird cards under them. Each tucked card is worth one point.

Actions before Final Scoring:

Before the final scoring, players must ensure to complete their final actions for the fourth round. This may include laying eggs, gaining food, drawing bird cards or playing a bird, depending on their strategy and the available resources. After all players have exhausted their action cubes for the fourth round, the round end goals are scored.

Once the fourth round is complete, players need to count up all their points using the scorepad. This includes points from bird cards, bonus cards, end-of-round goals, eggs, food on cards, and tucked cards. The player with the most points is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player with the most unused food tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the victory is shared.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

In the board game ‘Wingspan’, players accumulate points through various avenues during the game. These include points from birds, bonus cards, completed rounds, and food on player mats. The player with the highest total score at the end of the game emerges victorious.

1. Points from Birds:

Each bird card in a player’s aviary has a points value. At the end of the game, all these points are added together.

2. Bonus Cards:

Players receive points from bonus cards, which are drawn at the beginning of the game. Each card has a specific objective that awards points if fulfilled by the end of the game.

3. Completed Rounds:

At the end of each round, there are end-of-round goals. Points are awarded based on the order of fulfillment of these goals, with the player fulfilling the goal first receiving the most points.

4. Food on Player Mats:

Any food tokens left on a player’s mat at the end of the game are also counted as points.

5. Tucked Cards:

Some bird abilities allow players to tuck cards behind other birds. Each tucked card is worth one point.

6. Eggs:

Eggs on bird cards are worth one point each at the end of the game.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most unused food tokens wins. If there is still a tie, the player with the most cards in their hand wins. If a tie persists, all tied players share the victory.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

Wingspan is a complex and strategic board game that is based on avian biodiversity. There are several special rules, exceptions, and important rule clarifications that players should be aware of. These can significantly affect gameplay and strategies.

1. End-of-Round Goals:

In Wingspan, the end-of-round goals are shared by all players. However, if there’s a tie for the most points, all tied players get the full point value, and any runners-up get the next lowest score. If players are tied for the runner-up position, they also share the points evenly.

2. Food Shortage:

If the bird feeder dice tower runs out of food dice, players are required to reroll all dice not in the bird feeder. This rule prevents the game from stalling due to food shortage.

3. Bird Cards:

Some bird cards have powers that allow them to tuck other cards under them. These tucked cards are considered out of the game, but they count towards the total score at the end of the game.

4. Brown Powers:

Brown powers on bird cards can only be activated when the player takes the corresponding habitat action and not through other card effects. Moreover, the player can choose the order of activating these powers if they have multiple birds with brown powers in the same habitat.

5. Predatory Birds:

Certain birds have predatory powers that allow them to hunt other birds. If a predatory bird’s power requires a die roll, only dice that are currently in the birdfeeder may be used for that roll.

6. Bonus Cards:

Players may have bonus cards that provide additional points at the end of the game for meeting certain conditions. It’s important to note that these bonuses are not mandatory, and players can still win the game without fulfilling their bonus conditions.

7. Once Between Turns:

Some bird powers are activated ‘once between turns’. This means that the power is activated once per round between a player’s turn and their next turn. These powers are generally triggered by other players’ actions.

8. No Retroactive Effects:

Actions in Wingspan are not retroactive. This means that if a player forgets to activate a bird power on their turn, they cannot do it later.

Understanding these rules and exceptions is crucial for playing Wingspan and can drastically affect the outcome of the game.

Tips and tricks Play smarter, not harder!

Advanced Strategies

To maximize your points, focus on developing a long-term strategy that is flexible. This could be centered around the birds you draw, your food resources, or even the end-of-round goals.
Consider targeting birds that have powers activated in other players’ turns. These can give you additional resources without using any actions.
Utilize the bird feeder wisely. You can re-roll the dice if all of them show the same face, so plan your actions accordingly to exploit this rule when needed.

Beginner Tips

At the start of the game, prioritize playing birds in the grassland habitat as it allows you to lay more eggs, providing more options for future bird placements.
Keep an eye on the end-of-round goals and try to meet them. These goals can give you a significant point boost.
Don’t forget to maintain a balance between all three habitats. Focusing too much on one can limit your options.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

A common mistake is to disregard the importance of food variety. Having a diverse food supply can help in attracting a wider range of birds.
Some players overlook the power of bird cards that give benefits when activated. While these birds may require more resources to play, their powers can provide significant advantages.
Don’t ignore the end-of-round bonuses. They may seem small, but they add up and can make a big difference in the final score.

Ways to Optimize Gameplay

Try to create a synergy between your birds’ powers. This not only optimizes your actions but also helps you accumulate more points.
Plan your moves ahead. This will help you manage your resources more efficiently and allow you to react better to the actions of other players.
Keep your options open. While it’s good to have a strategy, being too rigid can be a disadvantage. Be ready to adapt based on the birds you draw and the actions of your opponents.