My Top 10 Game Recommendations If You Love Wingspan

[@lynnburke2266]

Anyone else think Jamey Stegmeier is just a nice guy ☺.. like Rodney Smith from Watch it Played 🎲

[@thegreatmikejonez]

Tbh I think Jamey is even better. You can tell he does this because he loves it. He takes great pride in his work, but doesn’t try to advertise himself when he doesn’t need to.

[@jackgibson7151]

We got the top 2 for Christmas and love both of them. My non-gamer wife has requested to play Parks every night. It drives my 17 year old nuts because her turns take so long trying to figure out the best combos, but I’ll gladly wait on her because she’s playing games. She even played Honey Buzz with us because we started backyard beekeeping last year (which produced 70 #’s of the best honey this year) and she won that game. Hopefully we’ve created a new gamer because of those two games. Maybe I’ll introduce her to wingspan tonight.

[@ludwigmises]

Love your videos. I got my 11-year-old Azul for Christmas. My wife- who doesn’t play board games- was eager to try it out because of how pretty it looks. We all sat there and played 3 times straight.

[@kimberlyfour]

Piepmatz!!! Bird themed, a great strategy game, and small, so a great travel game!

[@jerrodwarr9706]

I didn’t think of Gizmos, but that’s a great one. Everdell and Res Arcana came to mind for me. Also, that alt art Wingspan box is very cool!

[@pca1987]

I comoletely agree with you. That art is indeed very beautiful.

[@ericfrancis7816]

Wingspan was already a top five game for me, one I greatly enjoy playing. But I got the Oceania expansion for Christmas and I think that truly made it a better game. The nectar mechanism and the new board actions really added flexibility to the playing experience. Well done all around!

[@jameystegmaier]

Thank you, Eric!

[@thekarlwithak]

My Fiancée and I love Wingspan, she got me Fantastic Factories for Christmas and after our first game she said how much it reminded of Wingspan. I totally agree about Honey Buzz also! Beautiful production.

[@meeple_games]

My wife and I love Wingspan and all its expansions. Parks+expansion was actually a Christmas hit for us this year, with scratches the same itch (though with slightly less variability/replayability). We also enjoy Rajas of the Ganges, Res Arcana and Wonderful World quite a bit - albeit all three of them being less thematic. Viticulture is our go-to game for romantic evenings with a glass of red wine (however, we use the 5-6 player spots for two, because a romantic evening doesn‘t allow to take one‘s beloved spots).

[@stephenhanbury]

Mariposas is great as well. I probably still prefer Wingspan, but the more I play Mariposas, the more I love trying out the different strategies! Everdell, Honey Buzz, Summer Pavillion so good as well

[@mathieubazinet6540]

I think winspan is the game I played the most, and I have/already wanted half of the games on this list. I think its pretty spot on! Good job!

[@ben1805]

I just wanted to say thank you for all the wonderful games you had a hand in developing. Of all the games I own, most are from your company including Scythe, Tapestry and Wingspan and have enjoyed them all. In fact if I ever have the itch to buy a new board game I visit your site to see what’s new

[@jameystegmaier]

Thank you, Ben! That means a lot to me, and I'm glad you've enjoyed some games that I've designed and developed/published. :)

[@bbrecailo]

Thanks for this list. I don't own Wingspan but I did like it very much when I played it, and this list is exactly what I've been looking for. I was already considering Everdell and Parks, now I'm definitely gonna take a look at Honey Buzz!

[@alisonjohnson8623]

As soon as I saw the title I was hoping Honey Buzz would be on your list! It reminded me a bit of Wingspan when I first played it. Those two are my go-to games when I want a fun challenge. Now I want to check out some other games on this list!

[@PrincessPoohs]

One that is very different in theme but so similar in the satisfaction of building your engine and tableau is Valeria! You have the different types of resources that pay for different things (fight, gold and magic), you get to choose the type of actions you want to take on your turn based on your strategy and goals, you get the satisfaction of creating a tableau and goals that build on themselves and become progressively more powerful and valuable. It’s also point salad which is another similarity with Wingspan, a characteristic I happen to love.

[@lynnburke2266]

"Feel good components..that you can pick up, touch, move around"

[@StevenStJohn-kj9eb]

This may be a weird answer, but Masters of Orion. It involves some of the same mechanisms, including playing your cards into 5 different columns ("systems", like star systems). Unlike Wingspan, you don't activate every card in the column, but you always have access to the most recent card of a column, so the decision is about which card you cover to play a new card (which system to add it to). There are 3 resources that pay for the cards, which work a bit like food does. I'd also suggest Photosynthesis. Mechanisms are very different than Wingspan, but the integration between the nature theme and the mechanisms is effective in Photosynthesis as well. And it also has stunning table presence going for it.

[@rickadam6051]

Great video Mr. Stegmaier! In my opinion, I didn't like Evolution all that much because it had the opposite feel to me than Wingspan, I love that Wingspan has positive player interaction, where Evolution I felt was full of negative player interaction. Eating each others animals and the whole game was based around building up defenses and attacking, and if you try to pay friendly and just get grass eaters, someone at the table is gonna get meat eaters and hurt you. Isle of Cats is a fantastic recommendation, my two most-played games this year are Wingspan (24 plays) and Isle of Cats (14 plays) To people who like Wingspan, I might also recommend Space Base, Empires of the North, and if you like the bird theme, maybe Ducks in Tow as well.

[@ben1805]

When I was at PAX south last January I saw Honey Buzz and was immediately drawn in by the artwork. That same night I found it on Kickstarter and immediately backed the deluxe version. If you get this game, do yourself a solid and get the deluxe if you can as it comes with acrylic tiles for the pollen and most importantly really high quality tray inserts to keep everything organized. I was so impressed that I backed their upcoming project, Merchants of the Dark road which might also be worth checking out

[@deanmuramoto4796]

I only got Wingspan this year and played it three times solo. I really enjoyed the engine building of this game. I love Shards of Infinity and do enjoy Azul from your list. I think deckbuilders are games you would want to try if you like Wingspan. I have Fantastic Factories in the shrink still but read the rules sounds like a good choice. Looking forward to getting Wingspan on the 29th for my Switch.

[@benanddaniellereviews]

I just ordered Wingspan last night and so excited for it to arrive and to play it for the first time. Love the list and that it covers a wide variety of mechanics and themes, and promotes various publishers and designers.

[@LegendaryTactics]

Splendor is a nice simplified engine builder like Wingspan. I'd love to see a video exactly like this for Tapestry. I was reminded of Epoch: Early Inventors when I played it. As you mention, Terra Mystica is another that Tapestry fans might like.

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks! I think I'll make more of these for our other games, including Tapestry. :)

[@LegendaryTactics]

@@jameystegmaier I look forward to it.

[@PrincessPoohs]

Splendor is MUCH more simple though.

[@ian_forbes]

Really surprised Deus wasn’t on the list. The way cards are reactivated is so similar to how cards are activated in Wingspan. This mechanic and feel were what drew me to Wingspan in the first place and keep bringing it back to my table.

[@jameystegmaier]

Deus is a great suggestion, and I can see how the cards stack to improve actions in Deus, just like in Wingspan.

[@damienbarber]

My wife, me, and my friends LOVE Parks. However, I was underwhelmed by Parks' solo mode. Perhaps it was because my experience with Wingspan and Terraforming Mars' solo modes are just so stellar, but I played Parks once solo and probably won't return. The biggest things I have against it are: 1.) There is no competition against an Automa, which, unlike Terraforming Mars (due to TM having goals that need to be met by Gen 14), feels needed for Parks. And 2.) "Winning" at Parks in solo is very unsatisfying due to it just being making one of the better scales (30+ VP being the top tier). I beat the solo mode (top tier) on the first try and it feels like it wouldn't be difficult to repeat that consistently (whereas Wingspan Automa with it's competitive nature provides more difficulty to win). Everdal is another one that my wife and I love, and the Everdale solo mode is pretty good... although it feels like it might get old once I have beaten Rugwart on the highest difficulty (which feels nearly impossible). Honestly, I believe Wingspan has the best Solo mode of all multiplayer board games out there due to the massive replayability due to every game being so different even in solo.

[@damienbarber]

Also, I played Parks with my 2 youngest kids (7 and 9... well turned 10 today actually) last night for the first time and they picked up on it really well and did fairly well at it and enjoyed it very much. Final scores were 41 for me, and 31 and 30 for them... which considering it was their first time playing and I had played several times already was really good. I was surprised they did well on their personal goals as well (with no added help); they both fell one short of getting the higher goal score. They also love Wingspan, but struggle a little bit with building a good Wingspan strategy, but they had no problem at all with Parks.

[@bookaddict777]

It's a Wonderful World is a great engine building game, although its primary mechanism is card drafting. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys Wingspan.

[@synnarc]

Me to my wife: "That's a different game box!"

[@bernadettemoreno7303]

I would also recommend Manhattan Project Energy Empire. It's a very different theme, but getting to activate your engine when you take a certain action always reminds me of Wingspan.

[@niftyknotter9363]

From the Ambassador list I would definitely agree with Tokaido and Above & Below. Terraforming Mars and Everdell are fantastic games, and although Everdell isn't electronic, you can also play Terraforming with people electronically online as well as Tokaido if you don't live with other game players.

[@vwilliams9365]

Excellent list. I personally have Everdell and Isle of Cats, and I think they are a great choices for this list. I came so close to purchasing Honey Buzz recently, but didn’t do it. I think you have finally pushed me over the edge, and I’m going to have to pick it up. I also am very interested in Parks. However, I hear that it can be rather mean, and I’m not sure if my wife would like that.

[@alexbrittain1323]

Parks is really not very mean, at least in 2 player. It's quite relaxed in our experience. Also the cards are amazingly pretty. Well worth trying out.

[@Panda-qj5xj]

Love the alternative box art on your Wingspan! It would be cool if there was a few different art covers available for the big box for Wingspan. Loving the Oceania expansion! Thanks for the fun video!

[@jameystegmaier]

Indeed, that's something special we did for a charity auction in 2019. We might do it in the future on a different box for a good cause.

[@bgt2701]

Thanks Jamie! Parks, Everdell and Honey Buzz are such great recommendations. I think theme wise, for the deck builder entry, Dale of Merchants could also be a great option.

[@amandaelliott8031]

I love Wingspan! Thank you for the other suggestions! I agree with the other comments about the Oceania expansion.. it’s even better now!

[@Pirrekurr]

I would recommend Fields of Green. A wonderful farming simulator/engine builder.

[@Castorshells]

Ordered Honey Buzz today! I would recommend Imperial Settlers or Empires of the North.

[@pca1987]

Wingspan is a great game. One of my husband's favourites, in fact. I also like it very much.

[@luisbernardomaldonado6456]

I think that master of Orion is a game similar to wingspan, I think they share some similar mechanism and the game (master of Orion) is very nice too.

[@mkitten13]

Fun thing, I introduced Gizmos and Wingspan in the same game night with family. One niece preferred Gizmos, the other preferred Wingspan :)

[@MarloEkberg]

That Wingspan box cover looks really nice. Kinda makes me want to have those those different options when getting a game - maybe it could change between editions/prints? On the other hand that might be confusing for the customers...

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks! I think Abyss tried this, though I’m not sure how it was received by retailers and customers

[@NathanHBoardExplored]

Really great list and I am desperate to play Honey Buzz! Itching to get my hands in it!

[@marccote8544]

Merry christmas to you and your loved one !! My girlfriend and i wander if there ‘s a big box for wingspan in the work ? Or a bigger card tray so the 2 expansion fit? We spent a lot of time during the holliday playing wingspan viticulture ans scythe !

[@jameystegmaier]

Indeed, we're working on a big empty box (with an organizer) for Wingspan.

[@marccote8544]

Awesome!!! Thank you!

[@The_Dutch_Yeti]

I can’t help but point out that Honey Buzz has that terrific linen finish manual… of which i immediately said “oh wow, this is like Wingspan’s manual!’ 😂

[@donaldkehler7029]

Wingspan is so great and these are all really good recommendations!

[@porqpine53]

Fantastic Factories definitely gives me a greater feeling of power than Wingspan as the engine increases, but kind of like Viticulture you have to do the “I could end the game now but I’m not sure I’ll come out on top” feel

[@paulsalomon27]

THANK YOU JAMEY!! :)

[@thediceodyssey4690]

So my wife loves wingspan, it’s one of the few games she’ll play with me because of the theme and the addictive design. So it gets high marks from me for that. She also likes AZUL: Stained glass of sintra. Would you say that Summer Pavilion is an overall better game? Are they different enough to own both?

[@jameystegmaier]

It's a matter of personal opinion, but I like Summer Pavilion the most. It's the most forgiving and the most rewarding, and it's quite different from Stained Glass.

[@thediceodyssey4690]

@@jameystegmaier great, thanks for the quick response.

[@maximedaoust3405]

Where I can buy that t-shirt ?

[@jameystegmaier]

It's the 2020 Stonemaier Champion shirt. We'll make a new shirt for Champions in 2021! :)

[@suckstobeblue]

I thought Wingspan was partly inspired by Race for the Galaxy, so I would have said that or perhaps the reimplementation, New Frontiers, which has a nicer table presence.

[@FrankHerfjord]

do one for Scythe!

[@jameystegmaier]

Good idea! :)

[@mydemon]

Jamey is running for mayor of Board Game City

[@franciscorojas8088]

Man, I really need to try Shards of Infinity...

[@ricochetjan]

I already have 3/10! Though for me, all the problems I see in TM are handled by Wingspan.

[@northlakeghost]

Love this list! Also your shirt looks cool, what's it from?

[@jameystegmaier]

Thanks! It's our 2020 Stonemaier Champion t-shirt. :)

[@brownrhythms]

I actually like Dale of Merchants over something like Shards of Infinity.

[@damienbarber]

I'm wanting to find a good deck builder game for my wife and I. I have played Ascension, but not sure she would enjoy it. We both have enjoyed Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle, but it feels like a game that once we have won every situation in the main game + expansions will lose its replayability for us. I might try Shards of Infinity. Any other good deck builder games out there? Extra points if they are based on a "known world" (like Harry Potter) where we can already feel connected to the cards.

[@jameystegmaier]

Damien: Here's my top 10 list of deckbuilders (Shards of Infinity isn't on it, as I hadn't played it when I made this list): kzbin.info/www/bejne/hauqeYJugJWbo5Y

[@djmurp2]

I am shocked sir, shocked! What do you have against the Scissortail Flycatcher!

[@jameystegmaier]

I love the Scissortail Flycatcher! :)

[@juanroaguilo]

Legend!!!!

[@ben1805]

I played Fantastic Factories a bunch last year and loved it. The asthetic is cute

[@wasbeerOriginal]

Any chance of birds of Southern Africa?

[@jameystegmaier]

Indeed, the plan is to make one expansion for every continent.

[@angelarosano4598]

What about games similar to Jaipur or spender?

[@jameystegmaier]

Those are games from other companies, but I'd be curious to see lists from those companies like the one I made for Wingspan. :)

[@Pikkabuu]

Why is Terraforming Mars 8th?! It is the best game of the bunch.