Dino World is a super QUICK and FUN game for 2-4 players (though my 6 year old son will even play it by himself). It easily plays in about 10-15 minutes and is fun for kids and adults.

Dino World Game Playthrough

Each player gets a set of dinosaur cards and takes turns flicking them off the hunting rock (the top of the game box).

If the dinosaur card lands on top of smaller dinosaurs then they are successful and claim them for points. (Each dino has symbols indicating which dinos they can eat)

It's a dexterity game, but easy enough for everyone to flick the cards off the box. It's also small and portable, making it a great choice to pack for a trip.

Playing this game together provided a great opportunity for learning and discussing dinosaurs (though my son was already the household dino expert).

We've even had fun creating rule variations and would love to add more dinosaur cards!

GET DINO WORLD at your local board game store or (we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase) on Amazon.

What is your favorite type of dinosaur? Tell us in the comments! 🦖

Learn what makes the Wingspan board game such a good, satisfying game to play with others or solo.

Thanks to Stonemaier Games for providing a discount in order to purchase the game for review.

For more great family board game options, check out Everyone Loves a Parade, Zombie Kidz Evolution, and this list of over 100 games for family game night.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase.

What is Wingspan the Board Game?

Wingspan is a tabletop board game for 1-5 players designed by Elizabeth Hargrave, an avid bird watcher, and published by Stonemaier Games.

Each player works on attracting different types of birds to the habitats on their boards.

Each bird has powers inspired by it's behavior in nature. Bird cards also include information about the type of nests they build, food they eat (in general terms), their wingspan, which continents they live in, and an interesting fact about them.

It is considered an engine building and tableau building game. The combination of bird powers that can build resources and points more efficiently throughout the game, and this is built upon your own player mat without directly interfering with other players.

There are also goal objectives and bonus objectives to work towards as well, providing a few different strategies for earning points.

The game plays in about 40-70 minutes, depending on the number of players.

How to Play Wingspan

I'm going to give you a general overview on how to play Wingspan to give you a sense of the gameplay. Please refer to the rule book for the complete set of official rules.

The new editions of the game include the Wingspan: Swift-Start Promo Pack, which walks players through the first four turns of the game.

I highly recommend using this the first time you play as it is a great way to learn the game. Once you know the game, it's easy to teach others how to play by diving straight in without the Swift-Start Pack.

Wingspan Game Setup

After setting out all of the game components, give each player 2 bonus cards, 5 bird cards, and 1 of each food type for a total of 5 food.

Next, players will then choose to keep 1 bonus objective card and discard the other. Players will also need to decide which cards to keep and pay 1 food for each.

It helps to keep in mind which food is needed to play the birds in your hand and look for birds that satisfy your bonus card.

The game is then played through multiple turns over four rounds.

Wingspan Game Actions

Players must choose one out of four possible actions to do on each turn:

1. Play a bird
2. Gain food
3. Lay eggs
4. Draw cards

Place a cube on the first open space (going left to right) for the action you have chosen.

Play a Bird

To play a bird, you must have the correct food tokens as shown in the upper left hand corner to attract it to your habitat.

Playing birds in the first column only have a food cost. Later birds will have an egg and food cost.

If the card has a “when played” action, follow the directions immediately after placing the card on your player mat.

Gain Food

To gain food tokens, place a cube in the first available space on that row. Then select the number of dice shown on that space from the bird feeder dice tower. Set that die (or dice) outside of the bird feeder and add that food token to your supply.

Then move your action cube to the next spot on the left. If a bird card there has a brown highlighted power, it is activated. Then keep moving left until you place your cube on the space that says “Gain Food” and your turn is over.

Lay Eggs

You will need eggs in order to play more birds, complete round goals, and earn points at the end of the game.

Take the number of eggs shown on the space where you place your cube. You can place the eggs on any bird card you wish, but each bird card shows the maximum number of eggs it can hold.

Then move your action cube to the next spot on the left. If a bird card there has a brown highlighted power, it is activated. Then keep moving left until you place your cube on the space that says “Lay Eggs” and your turn is over.

Draw Cards

When doing the draw cards action, you may choose from the three face up cards in the bird tray or blind draw from the top of the deck.

Then move your action cube to the next spot on the left. If a bird card there has a brown highlighted power, it is activated. Then keep moving left until you place your cube on the space that says “Draw Cards” and your turn is over.

At the end of each round, one action cube from each player is placed on the round goal scoring track.

This gives players fewer turns in later rounds, but ideally have played birds with powers to activate during their turns.

After the fourth round, it's time for end game scoring.

How to Win Wingspan

To win a game of Wingspan, you will need to play bird cards with high point values while also working towards round goals AND your bonus objective.

Be careful not to focus too much on only one thing or you may miss other opportunities for points.

You'll also want to be strategic with placing eggs, tucking bird cards, and caching food tokens on birds.

There are two different difficulties for round goal scoring.

The blue side is great to begin with because the points are based on how many each player has met. The green side adds a challenge by scoring based on who has the most.

The game includes a score pad to add up bird points, round goals, bonus cards, eggs, cached food, and tucked birds. The player with the most points wins!

Wingspan Review

Upon opening the box, the first thing we took note of was the excellent quality of the game pieces and even the rulebook.

The colorful miniature eggs are a great touch. The food tokens are probably the lowest quality components in the game, but they are still a nice thick cardboard.

Beautiful design is another thing you'll notice immediately. The bird cards look fantastic. Our games take longer than they should simply because we spend so much time looking at the cards.

I know a game about birding may seem boring, but I find some of my favorite strategy games have themes that don't particularly sound exciting.

Plus, I love that Wingspan is a board game created using scientific information. That the bird powers are based on real life behaviors and not just some random game action.

I've played Wingspan with only two players as well as with four, and I've played the solo variation. The game was just as fun and challenging regardless of the player count. After playing the solo version, I told Brian how much my brain enjoyed the challenge.

Wingspan is not difficult to learn how to play, but it provides enough challenge to keep my brain engaged through multiple plays. With all the different bird cards and combination of bonus objectives and round goals, it doesn't feel like the same thing over and over again.

Although we do not consider it a quick game to play, the gameplay doesn't feel long. In fact, you may end up wishing there was more time to build up your player mat!

We enjoy this game so much the kids are already asking about expansions for more bird cards. So, we will probably be grabbing the Wingspan European Expansion soon.

Can You Play Wingspan With Kids?

Yes! You can absolutely play Wingspan with kids and I highly encourage you to do so.

The game states for ages 10+, but we have played it with our kids who are 9 and 7 years old. We helped coach them through their turns a lot at the beginning, but they quickly caught on to how the game works.

I do recommend you play the game with another adult and become familiar with it before teaching the game to your kids.

It's a wonderful opportunity to have them play a game based in science and get them interested in learning more about birds. We've been paying closer attention to the birds we see and hear in our neighborhood.

Where to Buy Wingspan Board Game

Look for Wingspan at your local board game store (FLGS), order directly from Stonemair Games, or find it on Amazon.

Here we'll try to help with some fun games that can still be played virtually using easy-to-find options.

This post contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase.

1 – Jackbox Games

Jackbox Games is always one of our favorites when visiting friends for game night. Their latest release is the Jackbox Party Pack 6. Fortunately, this game was built to play with friends from all over. It's been a Twitch staple for a long time.

A basic game can easily be run through a one-way live streaming service like Facebook Live, YouTube, Twitch, Mixer or another one of your favorites.

This works especially well if you want other people to be able to join the audience, though you can easily hide your room code so no “unsavory” folks get in without your approval.

If you just want your friends to see it, you may need to use a private option like a private Facebook Live.

Just load up the game, stream it, and then have your friends join your room using the room code. Immediate back-and-forth banter may be tougher this way (though people can type), but the game will still be as fun as always. You can even get multiple groups of people to play at the same time!

2 – Welcome To… Your Perfect Home

Welcome To Your Perfect Home by Deep Water Games is a great game for groups of people and due to the way it's built, it can be played with people in different locations.

The only real requirement is you need to have the play sheets at all locations. Either you each need to own a copy or you need to get some sheets to your friends (drop some off or mail them.)

Since all of the card drawing can be done on your end and everyone can just follow along. It works so well that we've even had people play along with our recorded playthrough on YouTube.

To play this one, using conferencing software, like Zoom, would be the best option. Though, honestly, you could technically use a basic messaging app to send photos of the most recent pulled cards to everyone for the simplest set up.

3 – Cards Against Humanity

Cards Against Humanity is always a classic party game when your with your other adult friends, so this one could be tough if your kids are always home now.

(Though, there are some great kid-friendly version available, like Not Parent Approved.)

There is an online version available, though you could also play it using the streaming option using conferencing software if multiple groups have copies, especially if someone has more of the expansions.

4 – Dungeons & Dragons

The all-time leader with staying-in-and-not-leaving groups of people can also easily be played virtually. A basic set up really only needs the players and their player sheets.

Now with digital options like D&D Beyond, this is so much easier. I also think that there is also the ability for the Dungeon Master to view the players sheets making a lot of this go much smoother (though a subscription may be required for that option.)

If you want to be able to chat, feel free to use conferencing software. If your more technically adept, you may even be able to set up the map or other story elements onto a private stream.

Polygon has a great, more in-depth article about how to play RPG games like D&D without leaving the house.

5 – Hero Kids RPG

Hero Kids RPG follows some of the similar virtual options that Dungeons & Dragons followed, though it's aimed a lot more at getting younger kids into pen-and-paper RPGs.

While it does not have a digital option like D&D, it can easily be played over conferencing services. We recently did a video about introducing your kids to RPG using Hero Kids.

6 – Tabletop Simulator & Tabletopia

Tabletop Simulator and Tabletopia are great options for virtual board game playing. These games let you play some of your favorite physical board games virtually.

Instead of creating a digital version of your game, these recreate the feel of actually playing the board game on a table.

You can get tons of your favorite board games within them. Both games support popular games like Wingspan and Scythe.

The only requirement here is that both parties need to own the software, which are available on Steam. Tabletop Simulator is $19.99 and Tabletopia is Free-To-Play, though DLC is extra for both. Tabletop Simulator looks like it also has the ability for you to create your own games, if that's something you'd like to try.

7 – Hive Mind

Hive Mind by Calliope Games is a great option for virtual play as it really only requires the other players for have a piece of paper and something to write with. On your end, you can pull the cards and move the pieces.

The object is to try to come up with the same answer as the other players. There are hundreds of questions to pick from, all family-friendly, that will sometimes get people remembering past memories and have everyone talking and laughing.

You can watch us play it with our kids if you'd like to get an idea of how it plays.

Do you have any other good games to play virtually? Have you been playing any of these virtually with your friends? How did it go?

Also, for games to play at home, check out our massive list of 101 Board Games For Family Game Night!

We aren't able to attend Gen Con this year, but we've been paying attention to the games releasing at this year's gaming convention as well as some exciting games that will be for demo only.

These are our top family board game picks to see, play, and buy!

Here are the games we talk about:

1. Truck Off: The Food Truck Frenzy Roll And Write by Adamâ€s Apple Games
2. Draftosauras by Ankama
3. Trapper Keeper Game by Big G Creative
4. Kingdomino Duel by Blue Orange Games
5. Pigasus by Brain Games
6. Tsuro: Phoenix Rising by Calliope Games
7. Corinth by Days of Wonder
8. Ticket to Ride: London by Days of Wonder
9. Bermuda Pirates by FoxMind
10. Tattoo Stories by Games by Bicycle
11. Dragonrealm by Gamewright
12. Sushi Roll by Gamewright
13. Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game by Genius Games
14. Fluttering Souls by Good Games Publishing
15. Ishtar: Gardens of Babylon by Iello
16. Little Town by Iello
17. Brainwaves series by Thames & Kosmos
18. Roll for Adventure by Thames & Kosmos
19. Patchwork Doodle by Lookout Games
20. Mental Blocks by Pandasaurus Games
21. Passtally by Pandasaurus
22. Quirky Circuits by Plaid Hat Games
23. Imperial Settlers: Roll & Write by Portal Games
24. Disney Villainous: Evil Comes Prepared by Ravensburger
25. Sinister Six by Spin Master Games
26. Wakanda Forever by Spin Master Games
27. Zodiac Clash by Spin Master Games
28. Deadly Doodles by Steve Jackson Games
29. Astro Trash by The OP
30. Dungeon Academy by The OP
31. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle: Defense Against the Dark Arts by The OP
32. Harry Potter: Death Eaters Rising by The OP
33. Toy Story: Obstacles and Adventures by The OP
34. Heist: One Team, One Mission by University Games

Which games are you most excited about?

We first demoed this game while at Origins 2019 and the kids had so much fun playing it. We love how easy it is to teach and it's fun for both kids and adults to play together. Everyone Loves a Parade is an excellent choice for family game night!

We briefly go over how to play Everyone Loves a Parade then playthrough a full game with 4 players.

How to Set Up and Play Everyone Loves a Parade:

For set up, each player selects a color and has the matching meeples and parade float card. Place crowd cards face down – you need the number of players times three (so in our 4 player game we have 12 crowd cards). Next lay out 5 decoration cards face up above the crowd cards.

There are 3 turns each round and a total of 3 rounds. On your turn, you select a decoration from the warehouse (face up cards) or blind draw off the deck. You immediately add that card to your parade float. Each decoration has an action that you may do when drafting your card.

Then you use the Order cards to determine which player selects a crowd card first. Going in order of lowest to highest Order card, players may perform the special ability then place a parade meeple on their chosen crowd card.

Points are then added up for each card matching the decoration type dice (balloons, flags, flowers) and each matching color dice (red, blue, yellow).

Note: You cannot have 2 reds or 2 balloons on one crowd card. Duplicates are removed before scoring. You can have a balloon and a flag on one as well as more than one color.

Discard all decoration cards then flip over the next set of crowd cards equal to the number of players. The start player for the next round is the player with the lowest score.

What is your favorite thing to see in a parade? Tell us in the comments below!

You may also like:

Everyone Loves a Parade Unboxing Video

Hive Mind Family Playthrough

Origins 2019 Recap and Board Game Haul

25 Games We're Excited for at Origins Game Fair

Let's take a look inside at the components for the new Everyone Loves a Parade game. I love that games from Calliope are ready to play right out of the box.

This game is for 2-6 players and plays in about 20-60 mins (depending on the number of players).

Draft cards to decorate your parade float and try to match them to the crowd cards. The more matches you have, the happier it makes the crowd watching the parade!

Now that you've seen what's included in the box, check out our Everyone Loves a Parade playthrough with the kids.

Who will have the best ice cream truck on the block? We play one of the games we bought while at Origins Game Fair 2019 called Rocky Road a la Mode board game by Green Couch Games. This is a game for 2-4 players and takes about 20-40 minutes to play a game.

Everyone has an ice cream truck and can choose one of the following actions on their turn: get supplies, attract customers, or serve customers.

To get supplies, you must move your truck forward the number of spaces equal to the number of cards you want to pick up.

You cannot take more than 5 cards in one turn, but there is no hand limit.

To attract customers, you move the number on the tire in the upper right hand corner of the card you are playing. Then you slide the card under the ice cream truck so you can see the orders of the two people in line.

To serve customers, you play/discard the matching supplies from your hand and move forward 1 space. Slide the card up for the second person in line.

Once that is completed, put the card under the truck sideways with the rewards showing out the back. Rewards provide permanent treat supplies and/or points.

First person to 9 points triggers the end of the game.

The turn order is based on who's ice cream truck is the farthest back in line, so if you play your cards right, you might have two turns in a row.

Throughout the game play, Brian and Darcy offer strategy tips and help coach the kids through some of their turns.

Look for Rocky Road a la Mode on Amazon or at your local board game store.

What is your favorite ice cream treat? Tell us in the comments below!

We were thrilled to join – I mean, you don't have to ask us twice to talk about board games.

It was fun to chat with Stephen of Engaged Family Gaming about how Stay-At-Home Gamers got started as well as pull back the curtain a bit on content creation.

We even shared a few tips on taking your kids to Origins Game Fair, since we've taken ours along with us both years.

RELATED: 5 Things to Do With Kids at Origins Game Fair

After our interview, we talked with Stephen and Anitra of The Family Gamers about attending Origins 2019. Anitra was also there, so we took turns sharing about the games we played.

The board games we discuss in this episode include:

• Draftosaurus
• Deadly Doodles
• Roll for Adventure
• Shobu
• Sorcerer
• Epic Monster Tea Party
• Smash City
• SOS Dino
• Everyone Loves a Parade
• Die Hard: Nakatomi Heist
• Echidna Shuffle

Listen to our podcast episode here.

More Posts You May Enjoy:

• 5 Things to Do With Kids at Origins Game Fair
• 25 Board Games We're Excited for at Origins 2019
• Why I Took My Kids to Origins Game Fair

In this video, we play Clank! A Deck-Building Adventure with 3 players – one of those players being our 8 year old daughter.

Can we make it out alive?

This is the base game of Clank! and we playthrough on the blue side of the board. This is our 8 year old's first time playing the game, so we briefly go over how to play before starting the gameplay.

It's a fun deck building game that also incorporates moving around on a board to collect treasures. You work on building your deck by purchasing cards from the market deck and this is also where you may find monsters to fight.

There are monsters marked along the pathways, but you do not receive items when defeating them like you do with the ones in market deck.

One of the things we liked about Clank! (especially when playing with our kids) is that players are not attacking each other. The only attacks to our health meters come from the game through the dragon and monsters.

There are also expansions available for this game, which we are excited to explore in the future as well!

Tell us if you've played Clank! before!

Get Clank! on Amazon or at your local board game store.

We had a fun time attending Origins 2019 together as a family.

The kids loved fighting with foam swords in the arena and spending time in Critter Care, the onsite daycare service.

RELATED: 5 Things to Do With Kids at Origins Game Fair

We met with game publishers, learned about SO MANY games, played a few game demos, and did some shopping.

You can hear more about some of the games we played at Origins in our interview on Engage!: A Family Gaming Podcast.

Some of the board games we brought home we received for review and others were purchased with our Origins shopping budget.

Here are all of the games we got at Origins 2019:

• Bugs on Rugs
• Rocky Road a la Mode
• Frog Flip
• Slap It! (review)
• Epic the Card Game
• Lanterns Harvest Festival (review)
• Spy Club (review)
• Sorcerer (review)
• Clank! A Deck-building Adventure (review)
• Dino World (review)
• Karuba the Card Game (review)
• Dragon's Breath
• The Best Treehouse Forest of Fun
• Unicorn Glitterluck Cloud Stacking
• Feelinks (review)
• Haunt the House
• Honga
• Welcome To… Winter expansion
• Welcome To… Halloween expansion
• Fidelitas
• Filler
• Wok on Fire
• Zombie Fluxx

We also talk about how exactly we got all of these games on the plane and home with us.

Which games are you the most excited about?