Birds on a Wire

... just before the crazy years...

This past week I finally got around to writing a couple of reviews to put up on the website just before the Origins Game Fair, held in Columbus, Ohio on June 23rd-27th.  This will be my first Origins, but it will be my umpteenth convention, and this is one that I have been looking forward to for a while.  One of the companies that are going to be there, Gryphon Games, has been one of my favorite companies in gaming, and booth number 801 is going to be among my first stops, as I will hopefully be able to secure a copy of the Railways of the World card game, that happens to be making its debut at Origins.  The Railways games are very high on my list of favorites but there is a special group of games that I like even better, the 'bookshelf" games.

Not as sexy as Mel, but just as shocking.

In Carey Grayson's Birds on a Wire, each player has their own set of power lines.  On these power lines they will place tiles with different colored and shaped birds on them.  The goal is to score the most points by getting matching sets, different colors and different sizes.  The one trick is that another player can zap your birds, disrupting sets and changing the results of what you are trying to get done.  

Truthfully the game is easy to learn and play and is a great game to play with children.  I believe though that is where Id draw the line on this one.  The game very simple and lacks depth for anyone over the game of say 13.  When we played it, we instantly tried the more complex variant only to find we actually didn't think it was an improvement on the game.  I don't think that anyone is going to be picking up Birds on a Wire looking to play something with as much depth as say Agricola, so you know what you are getting, a really light, well made, quick and easy to learn game.  I do however think that some of the other "bookshelf" game provide MUCH more depth, like Roll Through the Ages and For Sale.  

The components are as usual, very well made.  The art is colorful and fairly amusing.  There is a baggy, and Im a fan of these when they come with tile laying games.  One of the downfalls of many games that involve tiles is the lack of a bag to put the pieces in.   For 25 bucks retail, you are not going to get a better made game.

My final thoughts on this game is this.  If you have kids that are interested in games, and what kid isn't, this is a great example of what a hobby gaming company has to offer.  Birds on a Wire is going to be an easy to learn easy to teach game that is going to be enjoyed by any family that picks it up.  But if you crave something a little more deep and strategic, and in the same price range, go for Roll Through the Ages.

 6/10