Birds in the Hand - a Wingspan Review

Carv Halberd - Welcome back boardgame fans, and thank you for tuning into our STILL unnamed show. The arena is abuzz, the crowd cheers the raucous screams of the insane fanatic. Boy do we have a game for you today, folks. With me, as always, is the smashingest ogre you all know and love, Urnal Angr.

Urnal Angr: BOARD GAMES! [sounds of a warhammer smashing a desk]

Carv: And one less place to play them now.

Urnal: Me get excited.

Carv: And rightly so. We have a new one for the crowd today.

Drunken Dwarf: New for you, losers.

[Sounds of a dwarf being forcibly thrown across the arena... via warhammer... to the face]

Carv: I've seen a horse fly. I've seen a dragon fly. I've seen a house fly. But I ain't never seen a dwarf fly.

Urnal: I love Dum...

Carv: (interrupting) Of course you do. Let's get into it, shall we?

Urnal: BOARD GAAAAAMES!!!

Carv: Today's contestant is Wingspan, the newest release from Stonemaier Games.

Urnal: SM makes good games. Me like ALL THE GAMES.

Carv: But the question is, does this continue the trend? Can SM continue to put out exceptional product after exceptional product? Let's take a look.

Urnal: Me make usual first comment about good bits and bobs.

Carv: They certainly are lovely. Production is over-the-top good; what with the cardboard bird feeder / dice tower, little plastic eggs, big chunky dice, player boards that look like field manuals, unique bird art and little bits of information on each card. Everything in this game is well designed and screams of a labor of love.

Urnal: Me favorite is the Dickcissel.

Carv: ...

Urnal: Because it says

Carv: (interrupting) Moving on! Mechanically, this is an engine-building game. Line your birds up to best use their powers to feed other bird powers, to feed other bird powers, for those sweet, sweet victory points.

Urnal: Me like scoring more than you.

Carv: Doesn't everyone? The game is so simple, only giving you 4 actions to choose from each turn, but every decision needs to be thoughtful or you can easily find yourself struggling to get anything going. Do I draw more cards - birds in the hand, and whatnot - or do I get some more eggs, which will chain my grassland birds, which will get me more food, which I can use to get more birds? It's a clever little game with a lower barrier to entry, but still thinky.

Urnal: Urnal smashes barriers.

Carv: Yes, you've made that clear.

Urnal: With your face.

[Sounds of a chair scooting away. Of an ogre laughing.]

Carv: There are many ways to score points too... birds, eggs, flock sizes, cached food, end-game bonuses, end-round bonuses. For a simple game, it definitely has some meat to it.

Urnal: Like a steak?

Carv: Like a fine hangar steak, medium well, glazed with maple syrup.

Urnal: Me want to play now.

Carv: And lucky for you there's an automa! Yes, another design by Automa Factory. This solo mode is super simple and really does well to simulate play with another player. Sure they don't do the same things as a normal player, but it works. My one solo outing had me win on Normal mode by 2 points. A close game. Play against my demoness friend ended with her win by 1 point in a similar point range. The automa works. Or I stink.

Urnal: Like poop.

Carv: Thanks, buddy. What do you think about this one?

Urnal: Me like simple engine-building with good bits and bobs. Chunky dice good for fat ogre hands. Eggs not tasty.

Carv: They're... plastic.

Urnal: That make sense. Me like this game despite non-tasty eggs.

Carv: Me too. Does this get the prized, yet-to-be-named station award for funness?

Urnal: Me say... YES. WINNING BOARD GAME!