♫♪ When you're laying an egg for a good friend, you gotta lay the best egg that you can ♫♪

@WritesMe

4 жыл бұрын

That got me to subscribe.

The feeling I have when I see your reviews is that they are made by people that love playing board games, but are not tied to a contract that makes them "love" all reviewed games. In a resume: Everytime I think about buying a game that everybody says they love, first I try to see if there is a review from you, because it says not only the good things but also the bad things about a game. I hope you continue making these so excelent videos :-)

One thing I love about this game is the components. The booklets have a lovely texture, the cards look amazing, the eggs are cute, and the birdhouse dice tower is just icing on the top and fun to use. It even has a little drawing on the box to help organise the box for storage. Lovely pollish on that front.

if anyone is watching years later, the expansions solve the lack of variety very well

@user-sl4sx6dp4c

2 жыл бұрын

which ones specifically?

@notsaved

2 жыл бұрын

@@user-sl4sx6dp4c both of them, if you just want cards, European has good stuff, but Oceania really rounds it up with cool goals and nectar

@user-sl4sx6dp4c

2 жыл бұрын

@@notsaved thanks. and which expansion do you prefer?

@notsaved

2 жыл бұрын

@@user-sl4sx6dp4c Oceania, it makes the game more complex and tight

I'm marathoning through the Shut Up & Sit Down podcast and heard you were mentioned, so I paused it and had to watch this ASAP.

Another great review! I really appreciate that you always highlight positive AND negative aspects, without driving into hype or bashing. For me there are too much "reviews" that are mostly rule explanations. You give a great overview about gameplay but without getting stucked in rules. Keep up the great work! I plan on supporting your KS so you can make (.. and I can watch) more of these informative reviews!!! 😁

At 1:43, I laughed incredibly hard because you can HEAR Efka dropping the menu.

@bradwinters6275

10 ай бұрын

Same 😂

Thank you! A more balanced review (and I’ve watched them all) of Wingspan than most. I enjoy your channel.

Amazing review! KZread just randomly recommended you and I am very happy to have found a wonderful channel!

Thanks for the bird sound website tip, very nice!

Are we expecting too much from a single game that only costs $40 (USD)/$48 (CAD)? Maybe Wingspan is being held up to a higher standard because of the hype, but it is a 40-70 minute game with a complexity rating on BGG of 2.36. Terraforming Mars is a 120 minute game with a complexity of 3.23. Even Race is rated at 2.98. Wingspan is not a heavy game. However, I am a newer gamer who is now playing Forbidden Desert and Quest for El Dorado. Wingspan appears to be a step up, and if an expansion brings in more complexity, then I should be ready for it by then. Viticulture was also more simple before the Tuscany expansion, but experienced gamers got enough meat (or maybe cheese, in keeping with the theme) once that came out. I'd rather have a game roll out like that and be more accessible to a wider audience at first.

"Oeufs de resistance" - give them a million thumbs for that alone.

@Vadjong

5 жыл бұрын

and the channel is called 'No Pun Included'. O, drat.

This game really shines for me. Not because I particularly love it, but because it's such a good ambassador for the hobby that doesn't make me want to puke when it comes out. I think this is probably my new "bridge" game replacing Lords of Waterdeep, or Century Spice and similar ilk.

@kalinka04

4 жыл бұрын

Which games make you want to puke? Just curious

I think meanwhile it's safe to say that you are filling a niche in the world of Boardgame-reviews on YT: Delivering critical reviews of otherwisem hyped games. And i like it because it shows other sides that no one else is mentioning.

@Blakestefer

5 жыл бұрын

@@chuckm1961 it's mechanically a very average game. The publisher name and the terrific theme/components are definitely gaining it far higher ratings than its gameplay deserves.

Thank you for an honest review - not just hype! Loved it

Quinns!! Great review, I’ll still grab it; I’m a fan of the solo Automa variants

Great review. Honest and balanced, yet entertaining as ever. 👍🏻 Will be backing the next Kickstarter campaign.

Delightful review! I personally enjoy Wingspan much more than Roll for the Galaxy, whose iconography proved a major limitation for enjoyment and comprehension. It's a grand two-player game, but I have enjoyed several four-players plays, as well. I don't disagree with anything Efka and Elaine say here, though I don't consider them as much a problem as they do.

@mahna_mahna

5 жыл бұрын

Same here in regards to four and five players. After the first game when everyone was learning it, subsequent games have gone really fast. To the degree of "oh crap, my turn again!"

@c.w.2000

5 жыл бұрын

Just want to second your Roll for the Galaxy issues. After seeing it so high on many reviewers lists, I thought it was something I had to have as a new gamer. Then I watched a video of a play through, and I actually said out loud, "No, no, no." I have some visual perception issues, and that iconography hurts my brain. It's good there are so many games to enable one to find the right fit for their personal preferences. Wingspan isn't for everyone, but clearly it appeals to a lot of people.

@HalfLife205

5 жыл бұрын

@@c.w.2000 A tad late, but Race for the Galaxy is much better than Roll.

Is it me or are your videos looking even sharper these days? Another cracking review! So how many Mini Eggs did you eat while making this video? I'm looking forward to the Kickstarter, it will be my first time! I'm very excited to hear what you've got planned, could it be the album of board game songs from Elaine that I've been asking for? Love you guys!

Great review as per usual!

I think this will fill the "non-gamer thematic gateway game" category for me. My wife does not often play games with me but I think this one she might.

@Blakestefer

5 жыл бұрын

My gf plays a lot of lighter games with me and she found wingspan pretty underwhelming.

Excellent competent and fair review. I subscribed immediately

Great review, your timing and editing was really spot on, keep up the good work!

Owning this game, and playing it 15-20 times by now with 2-5 players i can happily recommend this review as the one to watch if you are thinking about buying this game. Efka is right on the money on everything. After many plays I've come to appriciate this best as a 2 player game. It helps to remedy the fact that its sometimes feel like solitaire x3-5 ppl. In heads up situations, your desicions directly impact your opponent atleast. It's my best looking game by far, and it intrigues all my friends by just being on the shelf. It's engine building is interesting and, like Efka said, static. I don't by any means regret this purchase. It's already given me/us enough fun to merit it's cost. But untill an expansion comes out, I don't see myself prioritizing this game anytime soon. An expansion for this has the potential to make this good game truly great. Can't wait to see what these inspiring women come up with for an , fingers crossed, upcoming expantion.

A review that didn't invoke my turkey vulture reflex!

@Skippan

5 жыл бұрын

As an ecologist, I understood that reference 👏

@waiyisit

5 жыл бұрын

As a non-ecologist, I also understood that reference. :)

Although I disagree with the game's review and critique, your videos are awesome. Keep it up !

I love your shirt Efka!!!!

I really wanted to like this game, and at first I did. But I did not manage to play it my target five times, because I got bored after three games and could not get myself to play twice more. Yes, there is a lot that can theoretically happen and there are a lot of different theoretical interactions. But in reality, not much of that actually happens or pans out, and you can't even accomplish that much in a single game. In comparison, I played Bruges so many times. That's also a game where you can't plan ahead that far, and where the luck of the draw heavily influences your chances of winning. But every card really does something different, and you can come across cool new combos every time you play.

Love your videos

Funny thing. I can't tolerate TM and really liked Wingspan. At 5 players, too. It's not trying to colonize a planet, it's just doing some bird watching. Scale down those expectations!

@Blakestefer

5 жыл бұрын

It's an engine building game that doesn't usually let you build interesting engines. His critique is fair. Scale up your expectations.

Dare I say, Egg-cellent review! Gizmo gives it two Squawks up! :)

When you lay an egg for your best friend, you lay the best egg that you can.

@maxxmittelstadt4798

4 жыл бұрын

I understand your reference.

It looks so pretty! But I have to say I now want mini eggs...

Looks like one of those games with few players interactions which I don't really enjoy. Thank you for this great review.

I was looking for an excuse to not buy this game. You gave it with a smile. Love you both and trust your reviews.

@andrewv3515

5 жыл бұрын

If you have enough engine builders (I have TM, 51st State, Roll for the Galaxy, Gizmos) there's no real point unless you're an orthodontist.

@chriswinston1223

5 жыл бұрын

51st State is an absolute masterpiece, so your point is fair. @@andrewv3515

@Blakestefer

5 жыл бұрын

@@stevefratus1546 Did you play it before buying it?

@wareagle8635

4 жыл бұрын

@@stevefratus1546 reviewers often have ulterior motives

Eggcellent review

You are great :) and excellent!

Hello to Brighton! :)

getting some Peter O'Hanraha-hanrahan vibes from Quinns

Did you feel that the game's expansions addressed any of your concerns?

That's a lot of birds!

Jamey's got some fun Jamey's got some fun Saw Wingspan on No Pun Looking like a lot of fun

This game inspires me to want to do a game about building an arcade.

Of the classic engine builders which one is closest? RFTG?

For Aerois! - fun to see the reference to another channel I enjoy. Although I seem to be behind, as the next queued KZread is this week's episode.

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

I'm well behind, still on Episode 17.

1:14 nice, I did not need to sleep tonight anyway

Thanks for the nuanced review (finally!). As good as it looks, this made me think that this is probably not for me in the long run. Hope I get to try it sometime, though.

Those Rocky Horror Picture mouths xD

Great review. I can only hope now that the SUSD boys give up on the idea of getting a new intern to replace Paul and just formally hook up with you guys. ;)

What is this, a crossover episode?!

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

It's what you want it to be.

If I learned anything from SU&SD, it's that the word is "orthogonally".

I have yet to see a crow do a board game review. Just sayin' Quinns :3

1:05 One Orange Egg fell over!

Wingspan is a brilliant game! Stonmaier knocked out of the park on this one 🐦 Thanks Efka for the review. I always enjoy your videos. Cheers!

Kentucky Meat Rain: never forget

Have you guys tried Innovation? It's got over 100 unique cards and is about as wild and interactive an engine builder as you could ever play. Maybe too wild until you play it double digits but would recommend.

ORANGE EGG DOWN!! I REPEAT, ORANGE EGG DOWN!!!

I've played this and had a great time!

God Bless Tiny Tim is NPI's "reference pear" 🍐

Anyone else look up “combinatorial” to check if it was a real word?

I lost count of the bird puns. Anyone else keep track?

Quinns sent me.

Still feel like it is gizmos with birds and some dice.

@slurmsmackenzie2024

5 жыл бұрын

It feels very little like Gizmos.

@dandurkin9735

5 жыл бұрын

Gizmos is a better game, where winning depends on being clever.

I can't say I understand what your critique is exactly. You say that all those little static elements like type of nest, number of eggs and points don't have a cohesive way to be incorporated into a strategy. But that's what makes wingspan more about tactics. You can play a bird for it's great ability or for it's loads of points or because you want to put a lot of eggs onto it. You can't have a bird do everything. Choosing between different benefits is what wingspan is all about and what makes it so great because you can only play so many birds but you have so many goals you want to accomplish and are inevitably not going to manage all of them.

Does Wingspan’s box really come with that little birdhouse for your dice?? I would buy any game for that prop alone!

@danopticon

4 жыл бұрын

I’ll add, having watched the full review… I’ll be buying this game! And that seems like the mark of a good review: while you didn’t love the game, you explained very specifically what it was you didn’t care for, and why that aspect didn’t appeal to you, but you also detailed what folks might like, and you explained all the crucial aspects of the game overall… giving me such a clear picture that while I understood what parts underwhelmed you, I also formed a pretty solid judgment that this game would delight me! And I’ll be following your tip to play birdcalls from my phone as we play. 👍🏼 So… thanks!! 🙂❤️🕊

@NoPunIncluded

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, it does come with the bird house :)

@danopticon

4 жыл бұрын

YAY!! Frosting on top! And thank you for your reply!

Any comment on player interaction? Is it just blocking food and birds?

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

There's some cards that trigger when other players do things and end of round bonuses can potentially be "majority scoring." But that's about it.

@slurmsmackenzie2024

5 жыл бұрын

Competing for bird cards, food dice, and end of round bonuses are the main ways along with positive interactions like cards that give one player something and everyone else something else.

After playing this once I can say that I agree with all your observations and critiques. Next time I play I'll have to use that app, too.

I didn't like Wingspan. It felt like a step up from Ticket to ride in that ticket to ride revolves around 3 action with the main one being select cards. Wingspan takes the ticket to ride card selection system (don't know original game with system I'm sure it wasn't TtR though), but makes the other actions more unique important and you can customize them. However at that stage you are so dependent on luck you feel like though unlike ticket to ride the 3 actions are now equally useful it depends on the draw. The game gives you the choice of 3 visible cards so most of the time your digging the large carpool for some synergy that will bring you to the front. At a certain point i just felt like I was playing a complicated game of Milles Bourne. Every choice I made felt predetermined and I just hated it.

Game reviewers crossover!! Game reviewer multiverse?

So you are saying, "now boarding" has more options.

@justicebolt5293

5 жыл бұрын

Lol

@bethanyrimington-warner7757

5 жыл бұрын

lol

I understand the criticisms but I think viewed as a more lightweight/familyweight game I can forgive things like the lack of effect variety in return for fewer questionable rules interactions. I love Wingspan for its chilled and simple vibe. Player count is best at 3, I think, the comment about it slowing down at 4-5 is very on the money but it depends on how lazy your Sunday is as to whether that’s a good or bad thing!

Quinns sounds like The Skeksis from The Dark Crystal. HMMMMMMMM!

@TheShapingSickness

4 жыл бұрын

cuz they're crows

YOU LOOKED AFTER JACK +1B JACK POINTS

Eggsellent?

I love you

Tiny Tim!!!

Both this view and the Dice tower review seem more excited by the production than the actual gameplay. Definitely a pass for me.

@lokihve6591

5 жыл бұрын

Dice tower liked it and didnt dismiss it, this one however. Well No Pun is similarly to Shut up and Sit down known to be harsh on new hype train games, Wingspan reviews in general are quite stellar and it is clear that it is a Ticket to ridish type of game with maybe a level added to it but probably on a road to be considered one of those games you can always throw out. As for hard gamers, looking for an excelent thought out game, yeah no, they should have this in collection for when they want to play something lighter or have friends visiting who want just that!

@mahna_mahna

5 жыл бұрын

​@@lokihve6591 Yes, if you've got gamers that have a very specific type of games they like to play over and over, then they might not like a game that isn't that type of game. On the other hand, my group likes to play games like Terraforming Mars, Concordia, Altiplano, Coimbra, Great Western Trail, Auztralia along with games like Quacks of Quedlinburg, Istanbul Dice Game, Dice Forge and Azul. And Wingspan has been a huge hit. We've played it four times out of the last eight we've gotten together.

@omnitheus5442

5 жыл бұрын

Welcome to Stonemaier Games Jason! This game adds absolutely nothing to the industry. You feel like it is just something with a different skin. It's all been done before.

@towerguardgames

5 жыл бұрын

The Dice Tower is known to give the exact same games better scores when a higher production model comes out, or the designer has further proven themselves down the line. I would take their reviews with a grain of salt.

@davidkok2489

5 жыл бұрын

@@omnitheus5442 ...so true..

Absolutely brilliant review, Efka! Thanks for exposing the truth. The egg you laid was quite small my friend - more roughage. 😉

NPI CON!!!

People say this game is so gorgeous, but from what I've seen in videos & pics, everything but the box cover looks plain & boring. What am I missing? Are the card drawings really that much better in person?

@maxmustermann9036

4 жыл бұрын

you're not missing anything, the pictures on the cards look that way. I adore them since they are very well made and so consistent in the way they handle pose, color, framing. E.g.: look at 11:46. These are 10% of the cards. While some birds feature more vivid colors than others, the drawings don't wrestle for your attention. Now look at 10:40: just three cards are seen here. One has a picture on it, the other two don't. No real consistency whatsoever. It looks so busy, ugly even So it's nothing spectacular that you are looking for. Just consistency and a very well done visual design. It's not flashy and it's not your everyday rough concept art. Some people get excited by this.

@ModernPlague

4 жыл бұрын

@@maxmustermann9036 - Hmm, good points. I guess I'm just a little underwhelmed because I have a bird encyclopedia with every page containing drawings like that, so when I finally saw the cards & the player mats, etc., it all felt a bit plain compared to that vivid, colorful box-cover. But what you say about the simplicity & under-stated elegance does make sense. Do you find the actual gameplay rich & engaging? Overall, I can't help but feel like I'd rather flip through a bird book or watch a David Attenborough bird documentary than play this game---unless the gameplay is particularly fun.

@maxmustermann9036

4 жыл бұрын

@@ModernPlague It's a odd game for me personally. At first I didn't like it as much as other engine buildings games. For example: I did prefer Teraforming Mars since it's the heavier game. However, I got to play Wingspan a lot even with people who don't care much for board games. I enjoyed every game of it and it really grew on me. I am going to buy the expansion since it seem to address some things that I wish they had done better. You can't underestimate this statement since I own like 4-5 expansions in total (excluding LCGs). But it's not a game for everyone. It doesn't has enough depth to be considered a heavy euro. You don't have much interaction and some people just can't stand that.

Oreo.

Dare I say... the best review channel

@Monkeyshaman

5 жыл бұрын

I can see you truly are a boardgame review channel connoisseur, may I perchance introduce you to a little video by BardicBroadcasts called 'why heroquest is so great'.

@shutupandsitdown

5 жыл бұрын

How dare you.

@drbasseri

5 жыл бұрын

@@shutupandsitdown I mean, lol. Yikes. More prolific? (Shots not fired. Shots. Not. Fired!)

Elaine & Efka! 🐦🐤🦢🦜

@titwarbler

5 жыл бұрын

Oreo! 🍪

Wash, rinse, repeat... got a little redundant and was looking wrap the game up by mid-point of game.

I think you are missing the point on what audience this game is aimed at. It wouldn't make sense that a game with this theme and appeal would be a heavy Euro

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

I take that very much on board but I think there's something to be said about a game being engaging regardless of what audience it's for. I love a good gateway game or a gateway plus game and I don't think that that's where my issues come from.

Anyone who doesn’t love wingspan is wrong.

random game

I really think you miss the mark with that "wingspan lacks narrative" comment. Wingspan's redundant powers and similar powers are a masterful representation of evolutionarily conserved traits and convergent evolution. If organisms are redundant in some biological sense, they don't compete for a niche and this game's theme would make less sense: you are selecting an ecologically productive community of birds. Terraforming mars, which I also really enjoy, feels much more like the effects of individual cards are just tacked on. Compare algae vs farming vs any other plant related card in the game. The cards are mechanically different, but there isn't much of a rhyme or reason why one effect gets assigned to one card versus another other than for the sake of hierarchy and balance. A lot of games feel like the designer tried to fit real life mechanics onto their game mechanics. Wingspan is uniquely engineered the other way: attempting to take biological/ecological mechanisms and translate them into a board game.

the game looks like a half decent base for a game.. take the engines make the birds have more exciting abilities and variations, change birds to spaceships ( transport, mining/utility, warfare) and add a space map on which you have to achieve certain quests.. or if you need more educational value for your kids, keep the birds and ad fish, insects and different other animals to the mix and try to achieve some dominion in the forest.. with a balanced ecosystem as a favorable bonus. would not be half bad to get some expansions with different types of animals out that each have some new features and when you get all the expansions you can then get an addon expansion to merge them into a completely new game.

hi efka

"...but, really, sadly, not one I love" is No Pun Included for "99% of the rest of you will love it."

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

We could be like many others where we recommend every marginally fine game if you like? Actually, scratch that. No we can't.

@chriswinston1223

5 жыл бұрын

You went into defense mode for no reason. Generally, I have found that games you find a bit shallow are actually full of depth for a lighter gamer like me. Yay! So it sounds like a good candidate to add to my tableau-building collection. @@NoPunIncluded

@chriswinston1223

5 жыл бұрын

I didn't mean anything rude by "lighter" gamer.

@chriswinston1223

5 жыл бұрын

By the way, you do recommend the game above, with caveats, sure, but it is a recommendation from what I can tell. Other reviewers don't consider this a "marginal" release though. You do. That's fine. It's a good opinion. I don't think it will apply to me given my tastes. very subjective stuff this board gaming.

@NoPunIncluded

5 жыл бұрын

Oh for sure. Not really being defensive, perhaps poorly constructed humour. If you can find value out of our videos and tune them to your personal taste - that's *chef kiss*.

Is it all in Metric or can us American's play in feet and inches?

When you need something to light up the fire. Bad game.

I don't want to hear a cute video, I want a good one. This game is mediocre.

Most overrated overhyped game ever I will give you credit for not falling for the hype Theme is dry and not not connected ...my groups were interested due to awesome graphics but too complex for newbies and too meh for gamers

Disappointing seeing the SUSD Socialist on here )-;

I love your reviews, but I have a desperate plea to make of you - Please, please PLEASE don’t go down the path of SUSD and add lots more useless goofy content to your reviews. Some well-delivered humor is (of course) welcome, but I cannot watch SUSD reviews because they are TOO STUPIDLY LONG. Please, for the love of all that’s holy - keep it tight. Your fan, - h

I will have to disagree about the play time with 4 or 5 players. Our group of 5 averages just over an hour with Wingspan. Not sure what you guys are doing wrong, but it sounds like your group has some AP issues. It's 1 action per turn dude! How long does Terraforming Mars take you guys, like 4-5 hours? Also, I am a bit surprised that you find that Terraforming Mars is a more interesting theme for you. I really struggle with that game's horrendous art. It really is terrible. Sorry, this is a poor review. 2 thumbs down. 👎👎

@Blakestefer

5 жыл бұрын

You think this is a bad review because you like the game and he sees some negatives with it? Grow up.

@ofriction

5 жыл бұрын

He’s entitled to his opinion on the review as well.

this game is so ugly and boring. Sorry, i dont understand the hype 🤷‍♂️