Wingspan Developer Explains Her New Game, Sanibel

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Wingspan is one of the most popular board games available. Since its release in 2019, this engine-building game about birds has grown into a larger franchise with video games and expansions. Players appreciate how it combines real facts about nature with fun gameplay, which has earned it numerous awards. The creator of Wingspan, Hargrave, is now working on a new game called Sanibel, which promises to deliver a similar experience.

Sanibel is essentially a game where you collect seashells, but it’s surprisingly deep and requires quick thinking. I recently played it and spoke with the creator, Elizabeth Hargrave, who explained the game’s inspiration and how she crafted a relaxing yet challenging board game experience.

Sanibel Blends Cozy Beach Vibes With Surprisingly In-Depth Collection Mechanics

A seashell collecting game might seem straightforward, but Sanibel cleverly applies the satisfying engine-building mechanics that Wingspan players enjoy to a fresh theme. Designer Hargrave aimed to create a game that was easy for newcomers to pick up while still offering enough depth to challenge experienced board gamers.

When I was designing the game, I really wanted to make it accessible – like, my dad isn’t a gamer at all, so I wanted him to be able to pick it up and enjoy it. But I also wanted to include enough depth and challenge so that players who want to really dig in and master things could do that too. It was all about finding that sweet spot between easy to learn and hard to master.

I’m really excited about Sanibel! It’s got these beautiful beach scenes and a ton of shells, which are so relaxing. But don’t let that fool you – it’s not just pretty! The game uses a cool turn system and the scoring is surprisingly tricky, like a puzzle you have to solve. It’s easy to learn how to play, but actually winning? That’s going to take some serious thought and careful planning with every move you make.

According to designer Hargrave, engaging games often present players with difficult choices that don’t have obvious solutions. She aimed to create this experience in her game, Sanibel, by including multiple key decisions each turn. Players must choose both where to land on the board and which shells to collect, and then decide how to place those shells, creating a layered and thoughtful gameplay experience.

Sanibel is surprisingly relaxing thanks to its inviting theme and simple choices. You can play it casually, or really get into the strategy of collecting shells and arranging them for the best score. It’s perfect for game nights with friends, but also engaging enough that you’ll want to play it again and again to master the details.

Elizabeth Hargrave Pulled from Real Life to Build Her Latest Game, And It Shows

We chatted about the game, Sanibel, and what motivated its creation. Hargrave drew on her personal experiences and understanding of nature to design it, much like she did with Wingspan, which was inspired by her passion for birdwatching. However, Sanibel explores a different topic altogether.

The idea for Sanibel came from a comment her father made. “Our family loves taking long walks and collecting shells,” Hargrave explained. “One day, while we were at the beach, my dad wondered why there wasn’t a game about collecting seashells. I was surprised it didn’t already exist!”

Hargrave then developed the idea, aiming to create a relaxing and enjoyable experience for players, similar to a day at the beach. She wanted to capture the excitement of finding and collecting things, just like when collecting seashells. To achieve this, she focused on finding game mechanics that fit the theme and carefully selected the shells themselves.

I absolutely love how much detail the rulebook for Sanibel goes into about each shell you find! It reminds me so much of Wingspan, where learning about the birds was a huge part of the fun. The designer, Hargrave, really did her research – she used her own shell-collecting experience from Sanibel Island, plus a fantastic online resource called iNaturalist, where people share their nature sightings, to make sure all the shell info was just right.

This approach allowed Hargrave to find a wide variety of shells common to the Sanibel area. About half of the shells there are a particular type, but shell collectors especially prize the rare Junonia. Hargrave accounted for this by including multiple copies of common shells, while making others incredibly rare – with only one of each special shell hidden in the collection.

Okay, so I gotta admit, the designer, Hargrave, definitely had some shells she just loved and wanted to include! She specifically mentioned the Shark’s Eye – you know, that really round, spiral one? It’s cool because it adds a little bit of her personal touch to the game while still keeping things scientifically accurate to the shells you’d actually find in that area. That’s what makes her games so special, honestly. Playing Sanibel really feels like you’re out there beachcombing, but with a lot more strategy and fun layered on top – it’s a super engaging board game!

Sanibel is a new board game created by Elizabeth Hargrave and will be released by Avalon Hill on January 16, 2026.

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2025-11-25 21:41