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About Finspan
Finspan is the third game in the Wingspan family from Stonemaier Games, designed by David Gordon and Michael O'Connell with Elizabeth Hargrave developing. You play fish cards into three dive sites across the sunlight, twilight and midnight zones, then dive to activate them for cards, eggs and young. It keeps the engine-building feel of Wingspan with fewer choices per turn, which makes it the easier of the two to teach.
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Is Finspan Right for You?
Best for
Finspan is for families and newer players who like the look of Wingspan but want something quicker to teach. A choice of two actions per turn keeps things simple, and the three dive sites still let you build an engine that feels satisfying to fire. Two or three players is ideal, and there is a solo mode for playing alone.
Maybe skip it if…
Players who already own Wingspan and want more depth may find it a lighter version of the same idea. It is also mostly parallel play, with little direct interaction between players beyond taking a card someone else wanted from the display.
How to Play Finspan
Setup
Each player takes a player mat, a starting hand of fish cards and the round goals are set out. Shuffle the fish deck and fill the face-up display.
On Your Turn
- Either play a fish card into a dive site at a depth it can live in, paying its cost.
- Or dive one of your three dive sites, gaining its benefit and activating the fish in that column.
- Dive sites focus on different benefits: drawing cards, laying eggs, or turning eggs into young.
How to Win
After four rounds, score fish cards, eggs, young, schools, round goals and bonus cards. Highest total wins.
💡 Strategy Tips
Build one dive site into a real engine before spreading out. A column that fires four fish is worth more than three columns that fire one each.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Playing fish wherever they fit. Each fish lives at particular depths, and placing it where it will activate often matters more than its points.
- Diving before you have anything to activate. An empty dive site gives only its base benefit.
- Hoarding eggs without a plan to hatch them. Young and schools are where the larger points are.
- Ignoring the round goals. They are a large share of the final score and are easy to lose track of while you are busy building an engine.
Advanced Strategy
- Pick one dive site to be your main engine early. Diving the same column repeatedly is how points compound.
- Fish that trigger when you dive are worth more early than late. Play them in the first round.
- Balance eggs and young. The egg dive site and the hatching dive site need each other.
- Check the bonus cards in hand before choosing where to build. They can make an odd-looking column the right choice.
Variants & House Rules
Solo mode
Included in the box for playing alone, and a good way to learn the card interactions.
Finspan: Sharks & Reefs
An expansion announced by Stonemaier Games. Hold off until you have played the base game enough to want more variety.
Video Guides
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Our Verdict
Finspan is a well-judged lighter entry in the Wingspan family. It keeps the pleasure of building a card engine and cuts the turn down to two clear choices, which makes it easier to teach than the original. The ocean setting and card art are as handsome as the rest of the series. For households that found Wingspan slightly too much, we think this is the one to buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Wingspan to play?
No. Finspan is a standalone game and does not mix with Wingspan or Wyrmspan.
Is it easier than Wingspan?
Yes. There are fewer actions to choose from each turn, and the rules are shorter.
Who designed it?
David Gordon and Michael O'Connell, with Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave as developer. It is published by Stonemaier Games.