Are there any recommended house rules or modifications that players often use with Wingspan?

"Wingspan," a popular board game designed by Elizabeth Hargrave and published by Stonemaier Games, offers a well-crafted and balanced gameplay experience out of the box. However, some players enjoy introducing house rules or modifications to tailor the game to their preferences, experiment with new mechanics, or add variety. While it's important to ensure that any house rules maintain the game's balance and enjoyment, here are a few recommended house rules and modifications that players sometimes consider:

1. Custom Goals: Some players create their own end-of-round goals or bonus cards, introducing new objectives that align with their preferred strategies. This can add variety and personalization to each playthrough.
2. Restricted Bird Abilities: To balance powerful bird abilities, players might consider restricting or modifying certain abilities that they find overly dominant. This can help maintain a more even playing field while still allowing diverse strategies.
3. Alternate Starting Resources: Players can experiment with different starting resource setups, providing each player with varying amounts of food, eggs, or cards. This can create unique challenges and encourage adaptive gameplay.
4. Additional Scoring Conditions: Introducing new end-of-round goals or bonus cards with different scoring conditions can enhance replayability. These custom conditions can be based on player preferences or thematic ideas.
5. Variant Solo Rules: While "Wingspan" includes an official solo mode with automa rules, players might create their own variants to tweak the automa's behavior or introduce different levels of difficulty.
6. Alternate Setup: Some players modify the initial setup by shuffling the bonus cards, end-of-round goals, or bird cards differently than the standard rules suggest. This can add unpredictability and freshness to the game.
7. Drafting Bird Cards: Instead of drawing bird cards from a deck, players can experiment with drafting bird cards at the beginning of each round. This adds a layer of strategy and control over the birds you attract.
8. Custom Bird Abilities: Players who enjoy creative design might craft their own bird abilities for custom cards. Balancing these abilities is crucial to maintaining fairness.
9. Variable Play Limits: By altering the number of available actions or turns in a round, players can adjust the game's pacing. This can be useful for shorter or longer game sessions.
10. Specialized Player Mats: Some players create personalized player mats with unique abilities or restrictions, offering a customized experience for each player.
11. Alternate Bird Feeder Mechanic: Players can replace the dice-driven bird feeder with a randomized deck of food tokens. This can add a different level of unpredictability to the game.
12. Time Limits: For players who prefer a faster-paced game, introducing time limits for each player's turn can keep the game moving swiftly.

Before implementing any house rules or modifications, it's important to discuss them with your gaming group to ensure everyone is on the same page. While house rules can enhance enjoyment, the original game mechanics are the result of thoughtful design aimed at creating a balanced and engaging experience. Striking a balance between customization and maintaining the integrity of the game is key to preserving "Wingspan's" unique appeal.