Wingspan vs Finspan: Which one should you buy first?
Stonemaier Games has a habit of creating brilliant board games that look beautiful and play exceptionally well. Wingspan set the tone by selling exceptionally well and creating an avid following. Its younger sister, Finspan, is sleeker, quicker and just as pretty. So if you're new to board games, or you're interested in buying one of these games for the first time, where do you start?
Our guide is here to help!
Wingspan: The OG
Wingspan was the first of the Wingspaniverse family. If you want to find out everything about the game, you can check out our review here: Wingspan: The Review, but in short, it's an engine builder game that has a great set of core rules, is competitive and beautiful.
Why would you choose Wingspan?
Wingspan could be your first choice if:
You love the bird theme: There are hundreds of birds in the core box, the artwork is fantastic across all of them, and most of all, the bird facts are brilliant. Reading them out to your companions as you play each card is a highlight of the game.
You like more intricate gaming mechanics: Wingspan isn't complicated, but it does have more rules and game actions than its younger sibling, Finspan. If you're happy with a thicker rule book, more moving parts and something a little meatier to get into, then Wingspan has it over Finspan.
You like it when lots of actions happen one after another: The engine you build in Wingspan provides more actions, more bonuses and more things to do with each turn. Gaining food when you've maxed out your row is almost a turn in itself and provides an enjoyable combo as you gain more caterpillars, tuck birds and draw cards. This is much deeper compared to Finspan, where the combos are lighter, the bonuses are less powerful, but the gameplay is quicker.
Why would you steer clear of Wingspan?
Wingspan isn't perfect; it has a few flaws that could annoy people or put them off
You're very new to board gaming, and the rules seem a lot: Some new players may be put off by the engine building and bonus taking. Wingspan works really well as a gateway game when you have an experienced board gamer with you to help navigate the rules. But if you're on your first board game outside of Monopoly or Cluedo and you haven't encountered an engine builder before, then you may find this overwhelming. Our advice is to stick with it, as the game is very rewarding.
You don't want to wait too long between turns: Wingspan suffers from a criticism that can be laid at a few Stonemaier Games (and a lot of roll-and-write games); there isn't enough player interactivity during turns. In Wingspan, there can be times when you can happily play away and not chat to the other players for quite some time. You're competing against them, but sometimes it feels like you're only building your own world.
You want something quick, without rules you might forget: Wingspan has a series of end-of-turn, end-of-round and end-of-game objectives and bonuses that are really easy to forget. You may want a game that has reduced all of these so you can enjoy the gameplay, in which case, Finspan is your choice of the two.
Read our full review of Wingspan here - and find places to buy it!
Finspan - The Young Pretender
Finspan takes us into the mirky deep blue sea to find fish for our marine biology conservation projects. As with Wingspan you place fish down onto your board to create actions each time you dive. You can read all about Finspan in complete detail here.
Why will you love Finspan vs Wingspan?
You want something fast but with good production detail: Finspan is a quicker and leaner game than Wingspan, it has fewer moving parts at any one time, which means turns are shorter and interactions are more regular. That doesn't mean it's any less detailed in its production, however. The fish cards are just as delightful as the bird cards in Wingspan, and if anything, the weird nature of the sea makes for better reading.
You want a game that's super easy to learn and teach: Finspan is so easy to teach to new players, and its simple replayability means it will be a binge game for new players very quickly. Wingspan isn't hard, Finspan is just better in this aspect.
You think the sea is way weirder and cooler than birds! Finspan has some weird fish, really really weird! And that adds serious flavour to the theme and the enjoyment of the game. Birds are cool, and there is a myriad out there - but the fish that glow in the dark, or the fish that absorb their mates? That's our board game right there!
Why might you not choose Finspan?
You want something deeper (not sea deep though!): Finspan is a light hearted, bingeable game. It isn't as deep as Wingspan, and for some that might mean it's too shallow a gaming experience in comparison.
You may not love the fishy theme: Fish are weird - I think we've covered that!
You might want a game with lots of expansions to dive into: Finspan has expansions on the Stonemaier Games roadmap. Wingspan already has those expansions already, however, adding birds from Asia, Australia and Europe to the core box set. If you want a comprehensive game then Wingspan is more mature at this stage.
You can read our full review of Finspan here.
In summary, Wingspan vs Finspan:
Is there a winner here? Well we are, for a start, the last ten years have seen a boom in well-produced, well-designed board games, and we are completely spoiled for choice.
We have played both Wingspan and Finspan countless times over, and if we had a choice, we would buy both! That is a complete cop-out, but the truth is, both games are absolutely brilliant.
Our advice would be: if you're brand new to board gaming, and you're playing with others who are brand new to board gaming, then buy Finspan. It's easy to learn and teach, and therefore quicker to get into. If, however, you're not intimidated by something a little more intricate, you liked lots of things firing off at once every turn, or you're playing with a more experienced board gaming group - go for Wingspan. It's clever, beautiful and very rewarding.
Where to buy Wingspan or Finspan:
You can find either game from one of our affiliate partners. If you click on a link below and purchase a game then we receive a small commission, which goes towards helping to run this website.
Zatu:
You can buy Wingspan or Finspan from Zatu - here
Waterstones:
You can buy Wingspan or Finspan from Waterstones - here
Amazon:
You can buy Wingspan or Finspan from Amazon - here
