How to Learn to Play Wingspan

Have you heard of Wingspan? It's a super popular board game that's won tons of awards for being beautiful, fun, and relaxing. You try to attract birds to your wildlife reserve by collecting cards, laying eggs, and completing goals. If you're new to Wingspan, this guide is for you!

Understanding the Basics

What is Wingspan?

Wingspan is an engine-building game. You and your friends compete to see who can attract the most birds to their reserves. To do this, you collect bird cards, each one representing a different species. Every bird has unique powers that help you score points, get resources, or activate special moves.

What's in the Box?

• Bird Cards: These are the heart of the game, representing different types of birds. Each bird has different abilities, costs, and points.
• Player Boards: Each player has a board that looks like their wildlife reserve. It has spots for bird cards, eggs, and bonus tokens.
• Resource Tokens: These tokens represent food like seeds, worms, and fish that you use to attract birds.
• Eggs: These represent eggs laid by birds. They help you score points!
• Goal Cards: These cards give you bonus points if you complete certain things related to birds or actions.
• End-Game Bonus Tokens: These are given out at the end of the game based on different things you've done.
• Dice: You use these to determine how many birds are available each round.
• Turn Order Markers: These help you keep track of whose turn it is.

How to Play Wingspan

Setting Up the Game

1. Choose a Difficulty: Wingspan has different difficulty levels. You can change how many cards are available and how hard the goals are.
2. Shuffle and Deal: Shuffle the bird card decks and give each player a certain number of cards, face down. The number of cards depends on the difficulty you chose.
3. Set Up the Bird Display: Place the bird card display area. This is where players will pick new birds each round.
4. Place Resource Tokens: Put the resource tokens in the right places. Usually, they go in designated areas or on the player boards.
5. Pick a Starting Player: Decide who goes first. You can do this randomly, like rolling a die.

Playing the Game

Wingspan is played in rounds. The number of turns in each round depends on the difficulty level you chose. Here's how a typical round works:

1. Turn Order: Players take turns going in a circle, one after the other.
2. Actions: Each player can do a few things during their turn:
   • Place a Bird: Pick a bird card from the display area and put it in a habitat on your board. It can be a meadow, forest, or wetland. You need the right resource tokens to place a bird.
   • Lay Eggs: You can lay eggs in your nests based on how many matching birds you have on your board.
   • Get Resources: You can collect resources like seeds, worms, or fish. You can do this by using your bird's abilities or taking resources from the central supply.
   • Use a Bird's Ability: Once you place a bird, you can use its special power. This can help you get points, collect resources, or lay more eggs.
   • Activate Bonuses: You can use bonus tokens on your board to get extra advantages.
3. End of Turn: Once you've finished your actions, your turn is over and the next player goes.
4. End of Round: When everyone has had a turn, the round is over. New bird cards are added to the display area, and players can get more resources.

End Game

The game ends after a certain number of rounds, depending on the difficulty level. When the last round is over, players add up their points based on:

• Bird Points: You get points for each bird on your board, based on the point value of the card.
• Egg Points: You get points for the eggs in your nests.
• Goal Points: You get points for completing the conditions on the goal cards. These conditions can be about specific bird types, resource combinations, or other things you've done.
• End-Game Bonus Tokens: These are awarded based on different things you've done, like the number of birds in each habitat or the number of eggs you laid.

The player with the highest score wins!

Wingspan Strategies

Wingspan has lots of different ways to play. Here are some key strategies:

Engine Building

The main idea of Wingspan is engine building. You need to build a chain of bird abilities that work together. This helps you get resources, score points, and lay eggs efficiently. For example:

• Birds That Help Each Other: Choose birds that work well together. Maybe a bird that makes seeds and a bird that needs seeds to use its power.
• Getting Resources: Focus on getting birds that can get you lots of resources. This allows you to place more birds and use their powers.
• Scoring Points Efficiently: Choose birds that score points regularly, either by themselves or through the eggs they lay.

Goal Card Selection

Goal cards are important for getting points, so you have to pick them carefully. Think about:

• How Easy They Are to Complete: Choose goals that fit the strategy you're using. For example, if you're focusing on meadow birds, choose goals that reward meadow birds or actions related to them.
• Point Value: Pick goals that give you a lot of points, especially for the conditions you can complete.
• Special Abilities: Look for goals that reward unique abilities or combinations of resources. This can give you an advantage over other players.

Bird Card Selection

Bird cards are what build your engine. When choosing them, consider:

• Cost: Make sure you can afford the bird. Think about the resources you have or can get.
• Abilities: Look at what the bird can do and how it will help your strategy. Look for birds that work well with other birds on your board.
• Scoring Potential: Pick birds that can score points directly or indirectly, through their abilities or the eggs they lay.

Be Adaptable

Be flexible and change your strategy based on the bird cards available in each round. You might need to change your plan if you get a chance to get a valuable bird that fits your strategy.

Tips for New Players

• Start Simple: Begin with the easier difficulty levels. This helps you learn the game's rules and how the bird cards work.
• Focus on One Habitat: At first, focus on building an engine in one habitat, like the meadow, forest, or wetland. This helps you get a strong base.
• Learn the Bird Abilities: Take time to understand the special powers of each bird. This helps you pick the right birds for your engine.
• Pay Attention to Goal Cards: Goal cards are really important for scoring points. Plan your strategy around them to make sure you can complete their conditions.
• Don't Forget About Eggs: Eggs give you a lot of points, especially later in the game. Try to lay them whenever you can.
• Try Different Things: As you get better, try different strategies and see what works for you. Wingspan has a lot of different ways to play!

Conclusion

Wingspan is a wonderful board game that's relaxing and fun to play. It has beautiful art, unique rules, and a lot of strategy. It's a great game for both casual and experienced gamers. This guide covered the basics of Wingspan, how to play, and some strategies. Now you're ready to attract birds to your reserve and win the game! Remember, practice makes perfect. So don't be afraid to play and learn. Enjoy building your engine and discovering the wonderful world of birds in Wingspan!