Pre-Game
Each player begins with a selection of five bird cards, one of each food type (there are five types), and two bonus objective cards--from which they will then select what to keep as follows:
Selecting cards to keep
- First, each player chooses how many bird cards to keep.
- Next, for each bird card kept, the player must then discard one food. (So, the more birds kept, the less food the player has at the start of the game.)
- Finally, each player gets to choose to keep one of two bonus objective cards for the game.
Playing the Game
Turn Actions
On each player's turn, that player may choose to do one of the following:
- Gain Food: Collect additional food from the available options in the tray;
- Lay Eggs: Collect and distribute eggs;
- Draw Bird Cards: Collect a new bird card from the three available options; or
- Place a bird card in its habitat (row) on the board and pay its food cost(s)
- Note you may use 2 of any food in place of 1 other food
Some notes on rerolling the food dice in the bird feeder: The dice can only be rerolled when one of the following conditions occurs: (1) the bird feeder is empty; (2) the remaining dice (or single die) all show the same face. (The food dice face showing the worm and grain (/) counts as a unique face.)
Habitats and Activating Birds
If players choose to place birds on the board, some birds have Activations (brown) that trigger from their habitat (row) being selected for action later. Note that merely placing a bird card in a row does not activate its benefits nor the benefits of any other birds in that row.
Placing birds in the same habitats repeatedly has an increasing cost in 'eggs', which must be removed from birds that have eggs placed on them already.
Actions and Rounds
Wingspan is played over 4 rounds. Each round ends when all players have done all of their actions. Each round has a reduced number of actions (i.e., each successive round is shorter).
Scoring and Objectives
Your goal is to collect the most points.
Round Objectives
Each round of the game has different objectives which offer points for completing certain criteria. (These are noted in the square box) Points are also distributed according to one's rank in each round.
End of Game Scoring
Each player scores points from the following:
- Point values as noted on each bird they have placed on the playing board;
- One point for each card 'tucked' under a bird card;
- Each food token 'cached' on a bird card;
- Each egg placed on a bird card; and
- Completed Bonus Card Objectives
- End Of Round Goals
The player who has the most points wins. In the case of a tie, the player with the most unused food tokens wins. If players are still tied, they share the victory.