Stonemaier Games | Wingspan European Expansion | Board Game | Ages 14+ | 1-5 Players | 40-70 Minute Playing time

As sure as eggs is eggs this is a game that everyone (14+ years seems high) will enjoy - if they can make keeping birds work towards the variable targets. There are points for lots of different things at the end of a round and at the end of a game. Games can be quick (30mins-hour) or leisurely fun with conversation.This is a great game. It looks nice and friendly and is at that. The mechanic of the game is well crafted to reward careful planning and responding to options that arise. The turn (8 down to 4) cubes keep each round (of four) well policed and allow everyone to keep track of what those around them are up to. Some bonuses depend on what turn options are covered by cubes and how many cubes. Playing some bird cards gains an extra bonus target. Most birds have some ability and when you find a synchronicity between them you make out like a bandit.The cards are standard size for those that like to sleave. I would have liked to see less plastic from such an environment educational game (should be zero rated for customs/VAT for that) The resource storage trays could have been cardboard. I understand the card trays are now egg box card (apt). The eggs could have been wood. Otherwise this is a perfect one (yes solo with automa opposition) to five player game. Grown-up social gaming.

Rules aren’t particularly clear even though there is a lot of information. My top tip is to actually watch the game in play on you tube and then it all makes a lot of sense. I bought this for my bird loving husband and it is a great game, I love all the different elements to it and the strategy that’s involved to get the most points. Excellent quality and so therefore great value for money.

We played this first with family at Christmas. Learning the rules was a bit headachey during first round. Had a moment where I thought I’d give up in frustration. Then it all came together and in fact seemed easy and straightforward after that. We all enjoyed it and loved the quality and appearance of the game. Looking forward to playing again.

This game was recommended to us, it’s excellent thought provoking game! Starter game is a excellent help to get you started. Got a voucher inside for a digital version, with 30 per cent off, was an excellent present for our daughter.

Hours of fun so far despite competitive family members!!! Player cards are pretty and informative.

Note: There is a very well made software version of this game available on PC, iOS and Android for a much lower price than the physical edition if you’re just looking to try it out, or maybe get a tutorial. Well worth a peep.Wingspan is a fairly straightforward engine building game in which you play birds into a choice of habitats (woodlands, grasslands, and wetlands) for points which are all counted up at the end of the game to decide the victor. Each bird has its own special effect, which over the course of the game combine with the effects of other adjacent birds to create large combos to more efficiently gather food, eggs and more bird cards to play. The first few turns don’t feel particularly rewarding, but as your arrangement fills up, it creates a satisfying system of synergies - “I will do this, which gets me this, and this too, and because of that, I can do this and that and get these as well.”While this is undeniably fun, it’s not particularly competitive. Some may relish the chilled layback nature of just playing their own little game on their own board which is almost entirely self contained (with just a few small exceptions) and just comparing at the end who did the best, whereas others will lament that lack of direct interactivity with other players. This isn’t a game for those that relish sabotaging other players around them as much as possible.The games components are really quite lovely. Little food tokens that have their own little lidded tubs to keep them in, dinky colourful eggs that look like they should contain chocolate (but don’t!), and a nice container to keep all the cards in, but the real pièce de résistance has to be the little dice rolling tower in the shape of a little wooden bird house. It’s a really nice touch that makes the whole game feel very classy. Neat as a pin all around!In terms of strategy and balance. I have very little negative to say. Because high scores can be achieved in a number of different ways, players are very rarely in a position where they were doomed from the start, destined to fail. It CAN absolutely still happen, but the elegant design allows you to circumnavigate those obstacles most of the time. In the approx 30 games I’ve played so far, I’ve only had a fully fledged starting fail 2 or 3 times max. If you pivot your original strategy soon enough, you can nearly always come out with a respectable score at the very least.So yes, all in all I heartily recommend Wingspan. It’s really quite straightforward once you’ve played a game or two, and works quite well in a more social gaming session, allowing people to just chat and have fun without having to spend the entire time obsessing over what everyone else is doing. It’s lovely to look at, easy to set up and pack away and is very replayable. Good stuff!

I bought this game as a gift following recommendation from friends that it is a great game for birdersThey were right

The game is really fun to play between friends and family. Quick to learn and strategies are easy to pick-up. The box and the quality of the pieces are well built. Speedy delivery.