Finally got the Wingspan Nesting Box. It fits all the current expansions and has room for the future. I swear it must clock in at like 20lbs.
Still a little annoyed that all the Wingspan stuff that holds sleeved cards won’t fit the mote or less widely available and “standard” sleeves (Wingspan cards are not the same size as many other games) but thats not really anything a little 3D printing can’t fix.
I‘ve never played the game and am curious: what is it that you like about Wingspan?
That’s a pretty good question and I’ve never sat down and wrote a list of things I like about it. First time for everything though…
[After writing out this list, I actually think doing something similar for favorite games would be a good way to get more content here]
- In general, I’m drawn toward “engine building” games
- there’s something comforting about the game having a defined end after four rounds (rather than when some victory condition is met)… note that this doesn’t necessarily mean the game plays quickly!
- the end of round goals (one of the way you can score points) are randomized. This keeps things fresh
- the “bonus goals” (which are another way to score points) are also randomized on a per-player basis, which creates an interesting asymmetry… all players are working to score points, but each player’s path to that end is different
- (i think this has a lot to do with the randomized nature of the end of round goals and bonus goals) plays great with just 2 people but also fun with 5-7 (6 and 7 player variants require the Asia expansion)
- it may not seem like it at first but there actually can be quite a bit of player interaction
- the artwork is really gorgeous… will have to take a pic next time we play for an example
- the components are fairly high quality for the price point
- despite the relative complexity/weight, setup and breakdown are really easy
Overall, I very much recommend it. That said, there are things i dont like as much about it
- people are generally intimidated by the complexity the first time they play. I have found though that about 3/4 through the first game things start to click.
- because it has a lot of randomization via card draw and dice roll, there is a fair bit of luck involved. Sometimes you just don’t get the cards.
- although there is some player interaction, I wish there was more. I think this is addressed in one of the expansions (but admittedly I haven’t played all of the expansions)
The only game I like more is Terraforming Mars. I play it less, though, as it’s a but longer and the folks I play with don’t like it as much.
I would add that the theme is very well executed. I enjoy nature games for the artwork (e.g. Cascadia, Meadow) but few games have such breadth of artwork and detail.
Wingspan nailed the feel of its theme in the same way Rosenberg does for agriculture - it’s something about the mechanics and thematic logic.
Absolutely agree. I think it’s cool how the cards themselves and the mechanics all sort of make sense in context of the theme. (Example, birds that-in real life-don’t make their own nests will lay eggs in other nests in the game)
Love wingspan. But I still haven’t bought Oceania, I don’t like how important nectar seems to be and how it devalue the normal resources. Planning to get it once I find a houserule that seem good enough.
I just got the steam version but am a bit overwhelmed by the tutorial. Going to try again soon. :)
I enjoy playing it, but even completely new players can see that ravens are overpowered and there is very little interaction.
With my family and friends we all preferred Dominion and Viticulture as engine builders. Wingspan is ridiculously pretty though and it’s worth trying.
I got my nesting box yesterday. Love it!
