The publisher of Wingspan has announced its next board game – Finspan.
Swapping out the sky for oceans, it focuses on fish of all kinds and will arrive January 22 (presumably direct from the Stonemaier Games store) followed by a late February retail release. Much like Wingspan, Finspan is an engine-building board game that sees you collecting fish across a variety of environments from coral reefs to the deep-sea midnight zone. It's made for 1 to 5 players, and should take between 45 and 60 minutes from start to finish.
Although Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave wasn't directly involved in Finspan's development (it was designed by David Gordon and Michael O'Connell), she consulted on it at "several key points in the development process." The mechanics will also be recognizable to fans of the best board games, but this time fish can be consumed or discarded to free up space. Diving has also been woven into gameplay.
This is the second Wingspan spin-off we've had so far (Wyrmspan swooped in last year), and as someone that loves both the original and snorkeling, I'm more than game to go beneath the tabletop waves. Particularly because I'm sure there will be some proper weirdo fish found in the darkest depths. Being able to exclaim "urgh, what the hell is that?!" with fellow players is one hell of an icebreaker.
As is par for the course at this stage, Finspan is gorgeous as well. The franchise's artwork has always been one of its strongest assets, and these illustrations – from Ana María Martínez, Catalina Martínez, and Mesa Schumacher – live up to that legacy with the same class and verve we've come to expect from the watercolor paintings. Fish are some of nature's greatest show-offs, so the cards certainly pop.
I love how diving has been worked into the game's mechanics too. You either place a fish or swim down to activate certain effects on your turn, and while this is basically a jazzed-up version of Wingspan's action cube system, it's a much more thematic spin. I always appreciate gameplay blending with theme in this way, as it makes for a more immersive experience overall.
Regarding the game, Hargrave notes that "fish have been a surprisingly common request from Wingspan fans but I didn't feel like I had the bandwidth to do them justice. So I'm absolutely delighted that someone else was available to take this one on. As I did with Wyrmspan, I played the game and weighed in on the design at several key points in the development process. It's been such an interesting puzzle to help make games that feel like they're in a family with Wingspan, while still delivering a different play experience."
It seems as if early January is the time for Wingspan spin-offs to spread their wings; the Wyrmspan reveal happened to take place around this time of year in 2024. With that in mind, will we get another 'span' game to add to our collection in 12 month's time? Probably not, but a man can dream. If you'll excuse me, I'll be manifesting a Wingspan/Pokemon crossover...
For recommendations on what to play next, don't miss these essential board games for adults. As for Finspan's predecessor, Wrymspan feels more complex and isolating than Wingspan, but that's just how spelunking goes.
