Sometimes it's fun to chain a few filler games together in one evening. Such was the case on our last game night, which saw us table three unique titles that were not only easy to jump into, they really showcased just how diverse and variable the hobby has become.
First up was The Downfall of Pompeii, by Klaus-Jurgen Wrede, the same sprightly gent that gave the world Carcassonne. I've picked and pawed this one in many a retail store, but finally decided to pull the trigger recently because I've always been fascinated by the doomed city. Recent headlines have only served to get it trending back in my fevered brain.
Color me surprised when I discovered that the game is remarkably straightforward, like a light Euro version of Survive: Escape from Atlantis. In the first phase, participants take turns playing color and number-coded Pompeii Cards to place their rotund little meeples in various Buildings spaces on the board.
In the second phase, the placement rule expands considerably. If you drop a dude or dude-ette into a given Building, you can place bonus citizen based on the number of flat-mates they have. For example, if you placed a person in a Building with two friendos, can drop two more bonus "Relatives" in different sections of the same abode, another color-matched structure or a neutral Building.
At this stage, players will also start to pick up and play Omen cards, which are used to huck rival citizens into the Volcano. Typical targets for these sacrifices are meeples close to the exits or owners who have already made an enemy around the table.
Things go absolutely banana-cakes in the final phase of the game. Instead of placing any new citizens, Lava Tiles start dropping on the board. Naturally, these tiles can be used to block potential escape routes and kill whole swathes of fleeing citizens. In an elegant reflection of "mass panic", escaping meeples move a number of spaces equal to the total number of Screaming Mimis in their starting space. For example, if one of my peeps has two others companions in its square, that jobber can move up to three spaces towards the gates.
Notwithstanding the fact that it's kind of a pain in the dodecahedrons to set up the draw deck, this game is a blast (pun vaguely intended). Even though the rules are simple, there's a fair amount of strategy to placement in phase one and movement in phase three. Social engineers will also enjoy goading rivals into an Omen-fueled sacrificial tit-for-tat.
A little bit o' strategy, a nice dollop of luck and the gleefully-anarchic ability to sink enemy meeples from downtown into a plastic Volcano...what's not to love? This one scores four pips outta six with a terrifying tilt up towards the top o' that ominously-smoking mountain.
In this delightfully-beautiful game, players take on the role of Hikers venturing out on the Trail to revel in the Sun, Water, Trees and Mountains. By collecting these elements, players can Visit famous American National Parks for victory points. Along the way, participants can take Photos for additional veeps and vie for control of the Camera, which makes this endeavor more efficient.
Players accomplish these tasks by moving their two explorers inexorably along the Trail, jostling for position and picking up the "ingredients" they need. Normally there's a "one hiker per space" limit, but participants can flip their Campfire Tokens once per round to break this restriction.
Players can also collect Canteen Cards, which let you convert Water into the more rarefied elements needed to visit certain Parks. At the end of the Trail, Hikers can pay the matching elements to Visit a Park, reserve a Park or purchase helpful Gear Cards which give you rules-breaking powers.
End game victory points are tallied from the value of Visited Parks, possessing the First Player Token, the total number of Photos you've taken and from one of two secret objective Year Cards selected at the start of the game. Ergo, the winner is always in doubt right up to the very end.
So, basically, Parks is Tokaido if the paths between the Inns changed and expanded on every leg of the journey.
Thematically, the concept of going on hikes to get the elements needed to be the sole visitor to a famous park is a bit wonky to me. And, since secret objectives are highly dependent on the Park Cards that appear in the limited three-slot "market", your ability to complete these tasks feels like a bit of a crap-shoot.
Nevertheless, as a nature freak, this one is right up my alley. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the game is patently gorgeous. The First Player Token, evocative Park Cards and Hiker / Resource Tokens are all top-notch. And although they didn't need to make all of the wild-resource Wildlife Tokens unique, they did, and this sort of attention to detail really deserves praise.
But Parks isn't just a pretty face. The variable Trail order, Advanced Site Tiles and Season Card resource tweaks alone make for a more varied experience than base-game Tokaido. And, since there's no limit to the number of Canteens and Gear you can collect, you aren't limited to a single character power that virtually dictates what spaces you should visit. Heck, clever players can even forge a pretty decent efficiency engine for themselves! Add in the "photography competition" and you've got an experience that's tons o' fun.
Side note...Dear Keymaster Games: please gimme a Canadian expansion already!
Parks scores five pips out of six!
Finally, we played Seven Bridges, one of only two roll-and-write games that I've actually enjoyed! After both That's Pretty Clever and Imperial Settlers fell completely flat for me, I started to think that maybe "R&W" games just weren't for me.
But, as it turned out, I just needed a designer to marry appropriate, compulsively-playable, mechanics with an appealing theme...I.E. the same criterion I have to any other type of game. Cartographers, with its Tetris-y spacial relations and "throw-a-spanner-in-the-works" player interaction, did this particularly well. And, lo and behold, Seven Bridges appealed to both the gamer and the shut-in tourist in me!
Over the course of five rounds, players draft customized dice that let them fill in a "walking tour" around the beautiful city of Königsberg. As they pass by Landmarks on the map, they unlock special Bonus actions. These are either Immediate, like filling in one or more "free" map spaces, or Reserved, such as unlocking the ability to traverse previously-blocked Footpaths or re-rolling * slash * re-distributing dice.
In the end, players score points for their optimal enclosed route, which is determined by the number of right angles multiplied by the number of Bridges crossed during your stroll. They also get exponential points for all of the Bridges crossed and Landmarks visited, Buildings and Trees they passed by, points next to visited map edges, and the scores associated with unlocked Bonus actions.
The simple act of filling out the matching pattern on a drafted die to expand your footpath around the city is simple, fun, intuitive and elegant. Ron Halliday, the designer ofSeven Bridges, is a professional cartographer ..and it shows. The mini-map is visually appealing and the custom dice are hella-sweet.
I know this probably sounds ridiculous but, in some tiny way, playing Seven Bridges reminds me of something I genuinely miss, and that's strolling through the streets of some beautiful, historic European city to see as many wonders as I can before it's time to go home.
And, for that, I just want to thank designer Ron Halliday. I know it's a small comfort to me, but it's a comfort nonetheless.
Seven Bridges scores five pips out of six with a massive tilt up towards the weather-vane on the top of Königsberg Cathedral!
***
Hey, folks! If you're enjoying these mini-reviews, please consider buying me a Coffee, which, full disclosure, will likely go towards the future purchase of more Seven Bridges map pads!
So, among the many hats I wear to make the filthy luchre required to survive financially in this wacky day and age is to teach board games to people. And, yes, to answer your unspoken question, it's pretty much like that episode of The Simpsons where Homer gets his dream job at the bowling alley:
Yep, identical...
...w-e-e-e-ell, except for the fact that I spend my time making games look purdy on store shelves versus straightening bowling balls on the rails. And, only rarely do I spray my co-workers shoes with Lysol.
You know who you are.
Anyhoo, even though I've memorized the rules for hundreds of board games, there are many, many more that I don't know. It's bound to happen; you can't learn every game! So, the trick is to know "X" number of games in "Y" number of categories to be successful in the "professional game instructor" circuit.
Now, where things get really interesting is when I get an inordinate number of requests to teach a specific game that I don't know. There's a tipping point where I feel obliged to learn it, not because I have a vested interest in it, but because there's a groundswell of public interest in it.
Such was the case with Wingspan. I resisted learning anything about it because I don't really care that much about birbs. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against them. It's not like a flock of crows tried to Hitchcock me Nan; I'm just indifferent.
But after telling a small handful of folks that I didn't know Wingspan, I broke down and watched a "how to play" video. Well, halfway through the vid, I distinctly remember thinking to myself: 'Great...now I gotta go out and buy this stoopid friggin' birb game.'
Unfortunately, it was completely sold out at the time so it took several months for it to arrive. Fortunately, I had the chance to play it on Tabletopia...and I immediately ran out and snagged the European Expansion because...d'uh!
So, if, like the wily Athene cunicularia, you've been nesting in a burrow for the past two years...
(goddammit....I'm actually learning about these friggin' things, , osmosis-style!)
...then here's the official word about these feathered fiends directly from those lovely mad scientists at Stonemaier Games:
"Wingspan is a competitive, medium-weight, card-driven, engine-building board game from designer Elizabeth Hargrave and Stonemaier Games. It is the winner of the prestigious 2019 Kennerspiel des Jahres award.
"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."
Wanna take a peek at the complete field guide? Then click on the following link to get the full Audubon of rules!
***
GAME PLAY-THROUGH
THE PLAYERS
Michael - Red
Shiera - Green
Thom - Blue
ROUND ONE
ACTION ONE
Michael plays a Carolina Wren in
the Forest habitat of his player mat, paying one Fruit back to supply. The
Wren's "When Played" ability then kicks in, which lets Mike draw
two Bird Cards, so he goes for two blind picks off the top of the deck.
Shiera takes the "Gain
Food" action, collecting one Seed from the supply.
Thom also decides to take Seed
from supply.
ACTION TWO
Michael overlays the
Eurasian Hobby on his Carolina Wren, for free no less! This officially "Tucks" the Wren for an end-game point!
Shiera pays an Invertebrate, a Fruit and a Seed to play the Red-Headed Woodpecker in her Grasslands. Um, my apologies in advance for this, and all future inadvertently-suggestive sentences!
Thom then spends one Seed and one
Fruit to lure a Cassin’s Finch into his Forest. It’s “When Played” power activates, so Thom draws two new Bonus Cards, keeps “Cartographer” and chucks out the “Omnivore Expert.”
ACTION THREE
Michael gets a Fish token after removing the matching die from the Feeder. Since he’s advanced one space in his
Forest habitat, he has the option to discard a Bird Card to gain another Food, but
he decides not to.
Via the “Lay Eggs”
action, Shiera places two Eggs on her Woodpecker. Since she’s working from the
second column of her Grassland habitat, she has the option to discard a Food to place another
Egg, but she passes on this option. She then activates the ‘Pecker's power, which
lets her cache a Seed on the same bird.
Thom helps himself to a Seed from
the feeder.
ACTION FOUR
Michael spends an Invertebrate and a Fish to place the Common Goldeneye in
his first Wetlands habitat space.
Shiera needs Food, but
decides to re-roll all of the dice first. She removes an Invertebrate die and
takes the matching token from supply.
Thom takes a Seed from the Feeder.
ACTION FIVE
Michael takes the “Lay Eggs”
action, dropping two of ‘em on the Common Goldeneye.
Shiera takes an Invertebrate from
supply.
Thom also does the “Lay Eggs”
action, placing two on Cassin’s Finch.
ACTION SIX
After taking the “Draw Bird Card”
action, Michael discards an Egg to pick
up a spare, since his first Wetlands slot is occupied.
Shiera invests an Invertebrate to play the Red-Eyed Vireo in the first slot of her Forest habitat. It’s “When Played” action lets her play a second Bird in the same section for its normal cost, so she pays one
Invertebrate and one Egg drop the
Eastern Kingbird down next door!
Tom pays two Seeds and one Egg to
drop the Red Crossbill in the first slot of his Forest.
ACTION SEVEN
Michael decides to “Draw Bird Cards” again, hucking out an Egg to collect both the Mallard and the
Gray Heron from the tray.
Shiera's Red-Eyed Verio and the Eastern
Kingbird both "Lay Eggs". The Red-Headed Woodpecker‘s ability than activates, but, unfortunately,
there’s no Seed dice in the Birdfeeder to snap up!
Thom sets aside a Fish
die to "Collect Food." Since only Rodent symbols remains, he decides to re-roll all of the dice before
picking again. Unfortunately, he doesn’t get the Seed he wants, so he picks another Fish. The Red Crossbill’s activation powah then kicks in, giving
all players one Seed from supply.
ACTION EIGHT
Michael spends his last action “Laying Eggs”, places both on his Common Goldeneye.
Shiera goes for a blind pick on a “Draw Bird
Cards” action!
After converting two of his Fish, Thom spends the resulting Seed, along with one Invertebrate, to lure a Stellar’s
Jay into his Forest. This triggers Shiera’s Eastern Kingbird's ability, so she gains a
free Invertebrate!
END OF ROUND ONE
Normally the Common Goldeneye’s “End
of Round” ability would kick in, but since Michael has no other Birds with that particular nest type, it doesn’t activate.
Victory Points are then recorded for the Round One Goal Tile, which is who has the most Birds worth more than 4 Victory Points.
Thom has the Red Crossbill for
six points and a Stellar’s Jay for five, so he’ll snag 4 Veeps at the end of the game.
Neither Michael nor Shiera played a Bird with a value higher than
four, so, in avian-themed parlance, that's a big ol' goose egg for both of them.
The remaining Bird Cards on the tray are discarded and replaced and the First Player Token
moves to Shiera.
ROUND TWO
ACTION ONE
Shiera “Gains Food” to take a Fruit and then re-rolls the dice, since only three Invertebrates
are left. Sadly, not much changes, so she gets stuck taking an Invertebrate anyway.
Thom takes the same action, collecting an Invertebrate and a Rodent. Thanks to the activated ability of his Steller’s Jay, Thom removes a Seed die from the Feeder to get a token. Then every player gets a Seed thanks to his Red Crossbill!
After paying one Seed and one Egg, the Mallard "quacks" the second slot of Michael's Wetlands habitat! Sorry, I'll show myself out...
ACTION TWO
Shiera picks up a Black-Crowned Night Heron from the tray on a “Draw Birds Card” action.
Thom takes the same action,
selecting the just-flopped Eurasian Collared Dove.
Michael follows suit, collecting the newly-arrived Hooded Merganser from the tray and a blind-picked Little Owl. Then the Mallard’s power lets Michael draw a new random card, which turns out to be a
Eurasian Golden Oriole.
ACTION THREE
Shiera converts two Seeds into a
Fish and then pays one Invertebrate, one Fish and one Rodent to drop the
Black-Crowned Night Heron into her first Wetlands spot.
The “Lay Eggs” action lets Thom place two of 'em on his Steller’s Jay.
Since there’s only one die left in the Feeder, Michael re-rolls before “Taking Food.” After helping himself to an Invertebrate he discards a Bird Card to pick up a bonus Rodent.
ACTION FOUR
Shiera discards a Fruit token to place three Eggs on various Birds. Since there's no Seed in the Birdfeeder, the Red-Headed Woodpecker’s
ability has no fuel.
Thom decides to collect Food,
removing both a Fruit and an Invertebrate. The power of his Steller’s Jay has no Seed to gain from the Birdfeeder but the
Red Crossbill’s activation activity gives him, and his opponents, a free grain!
Michael invest an Invertebrate
and a Rodent to place the Little Owl in the first slot of his Grassland
Habitat.
ACTION FIVE
With only one option left in the
Feeder, Shiera decides to re-roll all of the Food Dice. She then sets both a Fish
and an Invertebrate die aside to take their matching tokens.
Thom spends a Seed, a Fruit
and two Eggs to place the Eurasian Collared Dove in the fourth space of
his Grassland Habitat.
Michael opts to take more Bird Cards, going for three blind picks.
ACTION SIX
Shiera spends an Invertebrate, a
Seed, a Fish and an Egg, to play a Roseate Spoonbill in the Wetlands
section of her player board. The Spoonbill’s “When Played” Ability immediately lets her draw 2 Bonus Cards and keep one. She decides to hold onto “Photographer” and jettison “Platform Builder.”
Thom picks up a Bell’s Verio from the tray.
Michael invests a Seed and an Egg
to place a Brewer’s Blackbird in the second slot of his Grassland Habitat.
ACTION SEVEN
Shiera decides to plop out more
Eggs, laying two on her Red-Headed Woodpecker. This would normally Activate the
‘Pecker’s Ability but, alas, the Feeder is still barren of Seed.
With a single Invertebrate and an
Egg, Thom ensconces a Bell’s Verio in the second slot of his Grassland.
With the “Lay Eggs” option, Michael places 3 Eggs on his Common
Goldeneye. The Brewer’s Blackbird activates, letting him Tuck a Bird
Card and plays an Egg on top of it! Then the Little Owl’s power lets him steal one Rodent token from Thom and cache it there. As a consolation
prize, Thom takes an Invertebrate from the Birdfeeder.
END OF ROUND TWO
End of round Bird powers are resolved! Since he has no spare Bird Cards, the ability of Thom’s Eurasian Collared Dove fizzles while Michael’s Common Goldeneye let him lay one Egg on the Goldeneye for every other Bird with the “Cavity” nest
type. Since the Little Owl is a match, the Goldeneye gets a spare Egg!
Then the Round Two Goal Tile is
scored, which is the most Eggs in a “Cavity” nest. With three Eggs on the
Red-Headed Woodpecker and two on the Red-Eyed Verio, Shiera has five. Michael is second, with four Eggs on the Common Goldeneye, and Thom
has zippo!
All the Bird Cards on the tray
are flushed and three new ones are revealed.
The first player token then moves
to Thom.
ROUND THREE
ACTION ONE
Thom picks up a House Finch with the “Draw Bird Cards" action.
Michael “Takes Food”, but re-rolls the dice first, since the Feeder is infested with Rodents. After selecting Fruit from the new options, he throws out a Bird Card to also collect a Fish.
Shiera “Draws Bird Cards” and picks up two randos. This activates her Black-Crowned Night Heron, so
she throws away an Egg to pick up an Invertebrate.
ACTION TWO
Thom needs Food, so he collects an
Invertebrate before re-rolling for his next pick: a berry! With no Seeds in the
Feeder, the power of his Steller’s Jay is moot, but the Red Crossbill’s ability gives everyone a grain token from the supply.
Michael pays one Fruit
and one Egg to place the American Robin in his second Grassland
slot.
Shiera invests an Invertebrate, a
Seed and an Egg to place Cetti’s Warbler in the third slot of her Wetlands
section.
ACTION THREE
Thom spends a Seed, a Berry and
an Egg to release a House Finch into the third section of his Grasslands.
Michael decides to leggo some Eggos,
dropping three on his Robin and discarding a Seed to place a fourth on the same bird. The American Robin’s power triggers, so he Tucks a Bird Card and then takes a blind pick. He then throws out another card to place a single Egg
on his Brewer’s Blackbird. The momentum ends there, however, since there's no Rodent around the table for the Little Owl to steal.
Shiera needs more options, so she
returns one Egg to draw a total of three random Bird Cards. Her Black-Crowned Night Heron immediately wakes up, letting her throw out a single Egg to get
an Invertebrate.
ACTION FOUR
Thom "Lays Eggs", setting three on
the House Finch. He then chucks a slug to place an additional Egg on the
same card. With no spare Bird Cards in hand, the Finch’s power fails to activate.
Michael gains a single Fish from the
Feeder.
Shiera also takes the “Gain Food”
action, collecting an Invertebrate and a Fruit token from the supply.
ACTION FIVE
Needing more feathered
friends, Thom opts to “Draw Bird Cards”, picking up a Brant
from the tray.
Taking advantage of the Gray Heron's “When Played” ability, Michael invests a Fish and a single Egg cover up two of his Wetland spaces!
With one Invertebrate, one Fruit
and a single Egg, Shiera plays her Ash-Throated Flycatcher in the second space
of her Grassland area. The Catcher’s “When Played” Power triggers, letting her lay an Egg on every Bird she has with a “Cavity” nest. So, the
Flycatcher, the Woodpecker and the Red-Eyed Verio (with it's “Wild” nest!) all get free Eggs!
ACTION SIX
Thom pays 2 Seeds to place the Brant
in the first slot of his Wetland habitat. This immediately sets off it’s “When Played” power, which let him collect all three of the Bird Cards currently in the tray!
Michael draws
4 random birbs from the draw deck, a number buffed by the Mallard’s activation perk.
Shiera places three Eggs on her
Cetti’s Warbler. Unfortunately, once again, the Birdfeeder is bereft of Seed and the Red-Headed Woodpecker's power does bugger-all.
END OF ROUND THREE
“End of Round” Bird power time! Michael’s Common Goldeneye lets him place an Egg on any other
Bird with a Cavity nest, so the Little Owl gets a spare! If applicable, Shiera’s Cetti’s
Warbler will double its value for the purpose of the end-of-round Scoring
Goal. Thom’s Eurasian Collared Dove lets him throw out an Invertebrate
to tuck a random Bird Card underneath it.
The Round Three Goal Tile, I.E. whoever has the most Eggs in a Bowl-type nest, is then scored. Michael has a grand total of
6, 4 on his American Robin and two on his Brewers Blackbird. Shiera has a total
of 3 on her Cetti’s Warbler and two on her Red-Eyed Verio, which has a “wild”
nest. Thom also has a total of five.
NOTE: the appendix specifically states that, if the goal is counting Eggs, the number of Eggs on the Cetti’s Warbler isn’t doubled. Which, IMHO, really calls this l'il dude's value into question!
In the final steps of end-round
clean-up, all of the Bird Cards on the tray are discarded and replaced and the first player token goes back to Michael.
FINAL ROUND
ACTION ONE
Michael “Lays Eggs”, placing
three on various Birds. Via his American Robin, he tucks a Bird
Card from his hand underneath it. The Brewer’s Blackbird then Activates, so he
discards another Bird Card to place a bonus Egg on that same
feathered friend. Unfortunately, since no-one around the table has a Rodent to spare, the Little Owl’s ability does nothing.
Shiera “Gains Food”. She sets an Invertebrate die aside before re-rolling everything and taking another slug.
Thom "Draws a Bird Card", snagging
the Eurasian Nuthatch. He then heaves out a single Egg to draw a random card.
ACTION TWO
Michael “Draws Bird
Cards” and gets four new options, three for having all but one of his Wetlands spaces filled up and +1 for the Mallard. He snatches the Double-Crested
Cormorant up from the tray and then pulls three blind picks from the deck.
Shiera collects one Fruit and one
Seed via the “Gain Food” action.
Thom also opts for snacks and helps himself to a berry. With only one die left in the Feeder, he re-rolls everything before his next pick, which ends up being a Seed. With some tasty leftovers still remaining, he discards a Bird Card to snatch up a grub.
This activates the ability of his Stellar’s Jay, which lets him select a Seed die and
cache the resulting token. Then the Red Crossbill’s power kicks in and everyone gets a grain
from supply!
ACTION THREE
Michael “Gains Food”, but with
nuttin’ but Fruit in the Feeder, he re-rolls first and then
selects a Fish die.
After trading in a pair of Seeds, Shiera pays the resulting Invertebrate, plus a berry and an Egg, to play a Yellow-Billed Cuckoo in her third Forest
space.
Thom invests 2 Seeds, 2 Eggies (from
the House Finch) and 1 el grubbo to
place the California Quail in his fourth and final Grasslands slot.
ACTION FOUR
Michael keeps going HAM on Eggs *snicker*, placing two on his Little Owl
and investing a Seed to play another on his Gray Heron. He then activates the Robin’s
ability and tucks a card. Unfortunately, the Brewers Blackbird is already at
maximum egg-pacity, so no bonus there! The Little Owl’s activation power is
also ignored, since no-one was courteous enough to stockpile a Rodent for him to steal! The “out-of-turn” ability of Shiera’s
Yellow-billed Cuckoo then triggers, so she docks an Egg on the Eastern Kingbird, thanks to its "Bowl"-style nest.
Shiera takes the “Lay Eggs” action,
placing one on the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, one on the Black-Crowned Night Heron
and one on the Roseate Spoonbill. Sadly, there's no grain in the Feeder, so the Red-Headed Woodpecker’s power has no juice!
Thom also goes “full omelet”,
adding two Eggs each on the Eurasian Collared Dove and his Bell’s Verio. He
then activates the California Quail’s ability, which gets its own Egg!
This also triggers the House Finch, so Thom tucks a card and then draws a rando!
ACTION FIVE
For his final action, Michael
decides “Lay Eggs”, placing three on his Mallard. The activation chain reaction then begins! Shiera’s
Yellow-Billed Cuckoo drops a single Egg on her Cetti’s Warbler and the American Robin lets him tuck a card and then draw a random replacement. As for the Brewer’s Blackbird, he opts out, while the Little Owl still has no mouse to thief!
Shiera also keeps ploppin’out
dem Eggs, placing one each on her Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, Black-Crowned Night Heron and Rosita Spoonbill. Since there still isn’t any Seed in the Feeder, the Red-Headed Woodpecker’s activation
ability is ignored.
Thom follows suit, dropping one
Egg each on his Red Crossbill, Brant, the Steller’s Jay and the California Quail. Activation time! The California
Quail gets a free Egg and Thom tucks a card underneath his House Finch and
draws a new one. This would normally trigger Shiera’s Yellow-Billed Cuckoo, but
every bird in her aviary with a “Cup”-style nest is at max "Egg-age."
END OF FINAL ROUND
Round-end Bird powers activate! Since it can’t hold any more Eggs, Michael’s Common Goldeneye sits dormant. Shiera’s Cetit’s
Warbler is similarly burdened. Thom spends one Fruit to tuck a card behind
his Eurasian Collared Dove.
Time to score the “end of round”
goal: I.E. whoever has the most Eggs in a “Platform”-style nest. Michael
has a grand total of four, with two on his Eurasian Hobby and two on his Gray
Heron. Shiera has eight: two each on her Yellow-Bellied Cuckoo, Black-Crowned
Night Heron and Roseate Spoonbill and two on her Red- Eyed Verio, which has a “Wild”
nest. Tom has four, with two on the Eurasian Collared Dove and two on the Bell’s
Verio, which also has a “Wild” nest.
ENDGAME SCORING
BIRDS
Michael - 17 points
Shiera - 37 points
Thom - 33 points
BONUS CARDS
Michael
7 points for having 8 Bird Cards in hand with the “Visionary Leader.”
Shiera
6 points for having six colored Birds for “Photographer” and 3 points for having eight Birds with at least one Egg thanks to “Oologist."
Thom
6 points for 3 different power colors in his Grasslands for “Ethologist” and 3 points for having 2 geography-related birds for “Cartographer."
EGGS + CACHED CARDS / FOOD
Michael 21 + 7 + 1 = 29
(21 Eggs, 7
Cached cards and 1 Cached Food on his Little Owl)
Shiera 15 + 1 +1 = 17
(15 Eggs with
1 Cached Food on her Red-Headed Woodpecker)
Tom 12 + 4 + 1 = 17
(12 Eggs, 4 Cached
cards and one Cached Food on his Steller’s Jay)
END OF ROUND OBJECTIVE POINTS
ROUND ONE
Thom - 4 points
Everyone Else - 0
ROUND TWO
Shiera - 5 points
Michael - 2 points
Thom - 0 points
ROUND THREE
Michael - 6 points
Shiera and Thom - 3 points
ROUND FOUR
Shiera - 7 points
Michael and Thom - 4 points
FINAL SCORES
Michael
17 + 7 + 29 + 12 = 65
Shiera
37 + 9 + 17 + 15 = 78
Thom
33 + 9 + 17 + 11 = 70
WINNER: SHIERA!
***
REVIEW
PROS
I don't have a lot of games like this in my library, so it's a very welcome addition. As engine builders go, it's kinda perfect because you start off with a ton of actions to lay the groundwork. Then, as the game goes on, you get fewer and fewer actions but, by then, your turns are becoming increasingly complex 'cuz your engine starts to power on!
There's a reason why so many light Eurogames follow the "here-are-the-four-things- you-can-do-but-you-can-only-do-one-of-'em-per-turn" model. The action moves quickly and games like this are often compulsively playable.
I challenge you to find a game with more charming components. I'm not talking twee, overtly cutesy crap...there's plenty of that around. I'm talking about well-designed and visually appealing. The player boards, eggs and that impossibly-adorable bird feeder are all top-notch. The art design on the Bird Cards alone is rave-worthy.
Once you wrap your brain around the concept that adding birbs to your player mat is a reward unto itself, the game's core rules are virtually impossible to forget. Pro tip: make sure you're pretty familiar with the rules before you try and teach it to others. If folks in your game group have never played an engine-builder, there's a chance that they may turn into pretentious actors and start muttering "What's my motivation?" over and over again like a mantra.
There's something supremely satisfying about your progress in this game, especially if you fill up an entire habitat. Creating perks for yourself and chaining together a bunch of benefits is a flocking blast. Diversification over specialization is a constant that players will wrestle with!
The sheer variety of birbs is absolute madness. And although their cost / powers / egg capacity and victory point values are all reasonably well-balanced, not all of them are created equal. Learning to recognize the best birbs for a given game, situation and / or environment is a significant part of the strategy.
For folks who avoid aggro-style, head-to-head competition, this one is a must-own. You might curse someone out for snagging a key birb, poaching the last good feeder die or dinging them with an activation-fueled theft, but there's nothing here that will inspire thoughts of table-flippery.
CONS
I would be flat-out lying to you if I said that Wingspan was perfect. Players are blithely sequestered away in their own environment and there's scarcely any player interaction to speak of. That might not be a big negative for folks like me, but others will despise the lack of sparkage around the table. Like Karuba, it's nearly a solitaire game, but instead of coming up with your own puzzle solve, you're cobbling together a bird-themed Rube Goldberg machine and then powering it up in the hope that it'll perform better than the other contraptions arrayed around the table. Like I said, I don't see this as a flaw, but many others will.
Invariably, in round four, everyone's player mat gets treated like the cheapest and richest house on the block during Halloween: they all get Egged back to the Stone Age.
Some folks might balk at the concept of Eggs being used as a cost to play Birds, but e. I've always thought it simulated territorial competition. After all, the more species that move into a habitat, the more competitive it becomes to find suitable nesting space.
***
Even though the European Expansion gave a few more options RE: late-game play as well as player interaction, it certainly wasn't a sea change. By all accounts, the new Oceania Expansion really upsets the egg carton, so hopefully I can give it a whirl soon and report back to you.
As it stands, I really love this dumb birb game. Its neither flawless nor wildly original, but it is one of the games in my library that I always seem to have a genuine craving to play. And, frankly, in my experience, this inexplicable and impossible-to-quantify x-factor is the number one reason why new light Eurogames go from modest hit to inclusion in the hallowed pantheon of modern gateway games, shelved next to such library staples as Catan, Carcasonne and Ticket to Ride.
Wingspan scores five pips out of six with a massive tilt up towards that Bar-Headed Goose, soaring high above that Himalayan peak.
