Advert: we were sent a prototype of this expansion for the purposes of review. Components are subject to change (e.g. the final game has some 3D pieces instead of tokens). All opinions are still our own.

Something a little different on the blog today: our first expansion review! And it’s an expansion for Perch, one of my favourite games (you can read all about why I love Perch in our original review!). So let’s see if I feel the same about the Perch: Birds of Play expansion, shall we?

What does Perch:Birds of Play add?

Perch: Birds of Play includes 3 new mix-and-match mini-expansions: Seeds the day, Points in the sky and Pondemonium. You can add one, add two, add them all – it’s really up to you! The box also includes 20 new hidden objective cards that are mostly specific to the new expansions.

Let’s wade in and look at each expansion in a little more depth…

Seeds the day

It’s said that the early bird scoffs the seeds (or something like that…), and that’s exactly what Seeds the day is all about. During game set-up, each location gets a bird feeder token. Whoever owns the first bird that is placed at a location (regardless of who puts it there) claims the Bird Feeder and 3 delicious points. In 2-player games, the ‘bird brained’ dummy player can still claim Bird Feeders, but not the points.

This expansion is the simplest addition to the base game, but it encourages you to rethink where you perch those birds – yours and your opponents’ –  in the first couple of rounds. Usually, I would prioritise building up personal bird stacks on the most appealing locations from round 1. But if you want those Bird Feeders bonuses you have to spread out, at least to begin with (especially if you have a seed-related secret objective).

Points in the sky

What goes around comes around in this point-moving expansion. Sun and Moon tokens are placed on opposite locations during set-up, covering the score values on said locations with their own special scoring: the Sun gives the most points to the biggest flock, whereas the Moon gives the most points to the 3rd biggest flock. But that’s not all! At the end of each round, the Sun and Moon tokens move one location clockwise, switching up the points and keeping you on your toes.

This expansion was Matt’s favourite, and I really enjoyed it too. Despite its simplicity, you have to think ahead and exact perfectly-timed perching if you want to exploit the Sun and Moon’s movements – and 7 points up for grabs every round is no joke!

Pondemonium

Grab your waders! This is the expansion that adds the most new ‘stuff’ into the box and introduces a whole new type of location: Ponds.

Ponds are placed at an intersection between 3 normal locations (1 pond in 2-3 player game, 2 for 3+ players). And just like normal locations, ponds have points up for grabs based on flock sizes. But flock majority is determined by your total birds on the pond AND any of your birds at the 3 adjacent locations (only players who have birds on the pond are counted). This expansion also comes with Bread tokens that players can discard to attract birds to the pond from the adjacent locations.

There are 4 ponds to choose from, and 2 of them come with new critters – control the pond, control the critter! The frog can bump a bird from the pond-adjacent locations to 1 space away (including off to the fountain), while the perch can send a pond-based bird to any other location in play.

I think this expansion is my favourite because it adds new locations with a flock-scoring twist. And of course adds the 2 new sassy pond creatures. The Bread is a clever addition that can be used to manipulate control of the pond (or in combo with the perch to attract birds then send them far away!). I think the ponds have the potential to be more interesting at 4-5 players, particularly because the pond critters can travel between them which makes them even more useful.

Verdict

As Perch’s #1 fan*, I can happily say each Birds of Play expansion adds something different that builds upon the original gameplay and integrates nicely into the theme. If you fancy just a little bit of spice, Seeds the day is perfect for that and simple enough that we would always include it going forward, even with new players. On the other hand, Points in the sky sounds fairly basic, but the forward planning adds an extra layer of thinkiness and challenge. And I can see Pondemonium ponds being popular with many Perch players, with the new sassy critters and evolution in location gameplay. 

I like that they are mini-modular expansions that you can pick and choose from to cater to different groups. And they even combine well into one game – there’s a lot more going on so I wouldn’t do this with newer players, but as proficient perchers we didn’t feel overwhelmed with the added gameplay.

Do I think you need these expansions to enjoy Perch? No, because the base game is fabulous on its own. But do I think it’s a good addition if you’re looking to mix it up? Absolutely. If you’ve played the base game a lot, play with different groups, or just love switching up your games, the added variability that each Birds of Play expansion brings is great.

Perch: Birds of Play is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter (along with a re-print of the Perch base game). I stand by this being one of my favourite all-time games, so make sure to check it out!

*yes, this is a self-given title and yes, it’s 100% facts.