Wingspan

You are bird enthusiasts, keen to attract birds to your aviary, and with 170 to chose from in the base game, there is a ton of replayability. You will be managing three different habitats and five food types to entice birds and hatch new ones to get stronger actions. On your turn, you will choose from one of four actions: play a bird; gather food; lay eggs; or draw more bird cards from either the deck or the face up display. You will be playing your birds depending on personal hidden scoring objectives and some public goals, which change every game, giving you yet more variety.

As you gather birds, your actions will get stronger, letting you gain more food, lay more eggs, or draw more cards. You can enhance them further with the special abilities of your birds to give you some brilliant combinations. Some birds give you instant benefits, some will trigger when you take an action, and some will activate in reaction to your opponents. Build the engine that best suits your playstyle! There is virtually no deliberate aggressive move you can take to affect someone else’s strategy, which is very fitting with the calmness of this game. There’s even a splendid solo mode for you to take on if the mood strikes you.

When Wingspan was released, it cleaned up on the awards of 2019, and it continues to amaze players with the simplicity of play but the complexity of the strategy. With expansions introducing even more birds and new mechanisms, it continues to be a favourite at the table. If you are looking for something with some depth and a unique theme, Wingspan is something I can highly recommend.