Game changer
“I don’t know who my friend murdered to get me a copy of Wingspan, but I’ve been so grateful,” Sharon Stiteler, well known for her Birdchick blog, told me over the phone when we discussed the unexpected success of the new board game recently released by St. Louis-based Stonemaier Games.
Not only did Wingspan sell out within a week of its release in March, but in late April it was entering its sixth print run. By then, more than 30,000 copies had been printed in English and 14,000 in foreign-language editions. Plus, expansions — one dedicated to birds on each continent — were already in the works. The success was so swift that Stonemaier had to issue an official apology to fans for underestimating sales. (The game will be back in stock in late July.)
What is all the fuss about? Creator Elizabeth Hargrave, a Silver Spring, Maryland, resident who works as a health-policy consultant, has parlayed her passion for ornithology into one of this year’s most successful board games. is a card-driven competitive game dedicated entirely to birds where the players assume the roles of bird enthusiasts — researchers, birders, ornithologists, and collectors — and try to attract the best birds to their specific wildlife preserves. It’s a strategy game that involves 170 gorgeously illustrated bird cards, each with unique powers; as each bird is added to your
