Birdwatcher (2022) Board Game

Birdwatcher is a card game designed by Zakir Jafry and published by Oni Games. It was released in 2022 and is suitable for 1-5 players, with a recommended age of 10 and up. The game falls under the categories of Animals, Card Game, Educational, and Environmental, making it a unique and engaging experience for players interested in nature and wildlife.

Game Components of Birdwatcher

Boards: Clearing board and Jungle/Academy board

Bird Cards: 10 different varieties, each with VP value and number of similar cards in the deck

Publication Cards: Found in the Academy, providing various scoring opportunities

Player Boards: Tree boards for each player, including a Journal area

Tokens: Insect tokens and bird tokens

Action Cards: For actions like Bird Call, Zoom Lens, and Publish

How To Setup Birdwatcher

To set up the game, each player receives a tree board with four face-up bird cards dealt above it. The Jungle area starts with three face-up bird cards, and the Academy section begins with three face-up publication cards. The Clearing board is initially empty but will be filled with bird cards as the game progresses. Each player’s Journal area, located below their tree, is where they will place bird cards and publication cards.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Bird Call: Call a specific bird species to your tree, adding all visible cards of that species (1 point).

Zoom Lens: Take a photo of a bird from another player’s tree, replacing it with a bird from your tree and one from the deck (2 points).

Publish: Place a publication card from the Academy into your photo journal (2 points).

Run to the Jungle: Move three cards from the Jungle to the Clearing.

Objective: Build the best photo journal by collecting and arranging bird cards in a linear set to maximize points.

Player Experience

Players are constantly engaged in monitoring the birds available in the Jungle, Clearing, and other players’ trees. The game demands strategic thinking about when to collect specific birds, how to disrupt opponents’ plans, and how to optimize the use of publication cards. With only 12 cards allowed in the photo journal, every decision is crucial. The game takes about 30-40 minutes to play, keeping players involved throughout.

Pros

Engaging Gameplay: Fast-paced and competitive, with multiple strategies to win.

Visual Appeal: Great art on the cards and functional player boards.

Clear Rules: Easy to learn with all necessary information on the player board.

Strategic Depth: Linear set collection adds a unique twist to traditional set collection games.

Variety of Scoring Options: Points from sets, rare birds, insects, and publication cards keep the game dynamic.

Cons

Randomness: The deck’s randomness can sometimes disrupt well-laid plans.

Limited Actions: Only three actions per turn can make some strategies challenging to execute.

Stealing Birds: The Zoom Lens action can be frustrating if used against you frequently.

Personal Thoughts on Birdwatcher

Birdwatcher is ideal for fans of set collection games who are looking for a fresh twist. It is suitable for families and casual gamers due to its easy-to-understand rules and engaging gameplay. However, it also offers enough depth for experienced gamers to enjoy the strategic challenges. The linear set collection mechanism and the dynamic nature of the game ensure that each playthrough is unique and demanding. If you enjoy competitive games with a blend of strategy and luck, Birdwatcher is definitely worth trying out.

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