December update: Holiday gift guides and more NPR
In this email:
Press and podcasts (Bird Note today, Science Friday this Friday!)
Holiday gift guide(s)
Bird of the month: Northern Cardinal
Press and Podcasts
Today, Bird Note's 2-minute segment (airing on many NPR stations) is about Wingspan. They may also post a longer version.
Tomorrow, I'm going to be on Science Friday at the end of the show, talking about board games based on science. (~3:40 eastern time.) I get to go in to NPR HQ for this one!
I was on the Clockwork Game Design Podcast on Nov 26.
I gave a talk that I called OMG My Wife Wants to Play Your Game at Tabletop Network.
Holiday Gift Guide(s)
Wingspan is popping up on many holiday gift guides this year, including sources as varied as Audubon, Dice Hate Me, the LA Times, and the New York Times.
But what can you get the person in your life who already has Wingspan?
The Wingspan European Expansion: 81 more birds, new end-of-round goals, and purple eggs.
Prints of Wingspan bird illustrations: the art is even more beautiful when you see it full size. Order by December 8 to get your prints by Christmas.
Tussie Mussie: A much lighter 18-card game that I designed, with art by Beth Sobel (who did the Wingspan player mats). Perfect for a stocking stuffer!
A Wingspan tshirt: These come in a few different colors and showcase the lovely cover bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.
Bling for Wingspan: so many options!
Food:
many more options on Etsy
Action tokens:
First player marker:
Wooden dice towers:
Nests to hold eggs:
I know there's even more out there...the creativity astounds me. Of course, your game is also perfect just as you bought it.
Bird of the Month
In eastern North America, the Northern Cardinal is one of those birds that's so common that sometimes we forget to appreciate how beautiful it is. Though it does get lots of appreciation in other ways: it's the state bird of 7 US states, and the mascot of lots of sports teams.
But it gets extra love at Christmas time, because that red pops against the snow on the front of a Christmas card. Here's Natalia's original drawing for the Wingspan card:
May you play many wonderful games with your loved ones during the long nights of winter!
- Elizabeth