Objective of the Game
Wingspan is a board game designed for 1 to 5 players, where you play as bird enthusiasts—researchers, bird watchers, ornithologists, and collectors—seeking to discover and attract the best birds to your network of wildlife preserves. The primary objective is to score the most points by building habitats that can host birds in forests, fields, and water areas.
Game Components
- 1 Player Mat per player: shows the three habitats
- 170 Bird Cards: each card depicts a specific bird, its attributes and abilities
- Dice and Food Dice: determine the actions that can be taken and which food resources are available
- Food Tokens: five different types (invertebrate, seed, fruit, fish, rodent)
- Egg Tokens: in various colors
- Bonus Cards: for additional targets
- Goal Markers and Round Goals
- Bird Feeder Dice Tower: for rolling food dice
Gameplay
The game is played over four rounds. Each round has a different number of turns per player. Each turn generally consists of one of four actions:
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Play a Bird: Spend food and occasionally eggs to add a bird card to a habitat on your player mat.
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Gain Food: From the bird feeder, activating forest column abilities.
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Lay Eggs: On birds and activate grassland column abilities.
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Draw Bird Cards: Draw new cards and activate wetland column abilities.
After four rounds, the game ends and scores are tallied. Points are awarded for: - Played birds (points as indicated on the bird card) - Bonus cards accomplished - Eggs on birds - Stored food in certain bird nests - Attained round goals
Strategic Tips
- Habitat Focus: Each action triggers specific bird powers within that habitat. By planning and activating bird abilities strategically, you can create a cascading series of effects.
- Diversify and Specialize: While certain birds provide benefits when amassed, other birds may offer rare effects worth pursuing.
- Food Management: Effectively collecting and managing food is crucial to play birds at the optimal time.
- Egg Resource Management: Managing eggs strategically can enable actions beyond scoring.
Special Rules
- Solo Mode: Wingspan also offers a solo mode where you can play against an "automated opponent."
Overall, Wingspan combines strategic planning with the delight of bird collecting, offering a rich experience for both casual and strategic players.
