The spawnling’s most anticipated game from PAX Aus 2025. Because: Pigeons.

Pigeons are absolutely having their moment right now–alongside axolotls, capybaras, and (in Australia) the majestic ibis. Personally, I don’t get it. I mean, they’re okay, but I’m not looking to build a dovecote for pigeons on my balcony anytime soon, no matter how much EG Zaltu begs me. Clearly, I’m too old for pigeon appreciation; it seems quite popular among the 3- to 23-year-old demographic. But every now and then, you will find a game dev who knows how to tap into this mercurial age group, feed the obsession, and create a fun and outrageous game that brings it all together. Last year, it was the video game The Godfeather (review here). This year, tabletop is the new landscape, and Oh My Pigeons! is master of the domain. For every iridescent feather you may find in your spawnling’s school bag, there is another gold star for this delightful game of chaos and laughter. It’s quick, it’s neat, it’s tactile, and it’s perfect for a small party game. It’s also a lot easier to clean up, so instantly it scores extra points. But before all the pigeons come home to roost, let’s take a closer look at Oh My Pigeons! 

What is Oh My Pigeons!

I picked up this game at PAX Aus 2025, after following the laughter to the Ravensberger/Locarna display. Oh My Pigeons! debuted in 2024 as a family/party game with both cards and dice-rolling. To be fair, the dice-rolling can also include dice-flicking, but I’ll get to that in a moment. The game designer is Shanon Lyon, with Chiara Bellavite as Art Director and Alena Istif for illustration. Designed for 2-5 players, the goal is to collect nine (9) pigeons to your bench through the cards in your hand (10 if playing with two players). The random nature of the cards can often keep you second-guessing how close you are to success, but there is an element of strategy that can move you ahead of the flock. While the box says “ages 8+”, followers of Evil Genius Mum will know we take that as advice-only. Younger kids may need a little help with dexterity, but they will most certainly laugh just as hard at the mayhem. 

What’s in the Box?

• Instructions
• 5x ‘Benches’
  • Purple-border is for 3-5 players
  • 2x teal-border on the flip-side is for the modified 2-player version
• 50x cards with various pigeon images and instructions
• 36x small pigeon meeples
• 1x customised dice with the 2, 3, 4, and 5, as well as two images of bird poop

The star of the game is the pigeon meeple–especially the pigeon with the side-eye. They are small and befitting of the pigeon character, with the slightest iridescent sheen to the finish, just like the real-life counterpart. To be honest, I’m surprised the size of these meeples didn’t warrant a higher age rating for the game in Australia, but I think that would have shooed younger players away. And that would have been a travesty. 

Looking at the durability of the game components, the rest of the box is pretty standard. The benches are made from strong cardboard, with vibrant printing and a few small images that will register with the meme generation. The cards are regular cardstock, a good average size for most hands (including kids), with a nice balance between imagery and written instructions. The cards don’t flex too much, giving them a better-than-average lifespan. While the die provided is customised, you can easily adapt any die to fit the game, with numbers 1 and 6 taking the place of the pigeon poo. Why pigeon poo? Well, that’s in the gameplay…

How to Play Oh My Pigeons!

Quick note: If you lose the instructions at any time, or want to look them over yourself, they are available online here. 

1. Each player starts with a bench; for two players (2), remember to flip your bench to the teal-border. 
2. Each player also starts with three (3) pigeons on their bench.
3. The rest of the pigeons are placed in the middle of the play area, and become The Flock. All benches should be set up around The Flock, within a close boundary. (see the image below.
4. Shuffle the cards and deal three (3) to each player. For two players (2), remove the cards with the ‘2’ or ‘peace-hand’ symbol. The rest become The Deck, face down near The Flock. 
5. Whoever last saw a pigeon plays first, with play continuing to the left. 
6. On your turn: play a card from your hand by placing it face-up in the discard pile (next to the draw pile). Then simply follow the instructions. There are two (2) exceptions to this:
   • If you have two (2) love-heart cards, you can play BOTH on your turn
   • If you have a NON card, you can play it at ANYTIME during the game; even when it’s not your turn. You can stop another player from stealing pigeons, moving benches, or simply rolling the die. It’s a no-questions-asked safety net.
7. If you play the OH MY PIGEONS! card, grab the die and roll for pigeons:
   • 2 – Take a total of two (2) pigeons from other players. You can split among multiple players, steal both from one player, or if no other player has enough pigeons to collect, you can take from The Flock.
   • 3 – Take three (3) pigeons from The Flock.
   • 4 – Take a total of four (4) pigeons from other players. Again, it can be from one player, split across a few players, or taken from The Flock if not available from players. 
   • 5 – Take five (5) pigeons from The Flock
   • 1 or 6 – Flick the poo! Place the die in front of your own bench and flick the die toward another player’s bench. If any of their pigeons are knocked off the bench, they go back into the flock in the middle. 
8. At the end of your turn, draw until you have three (3) cards in your hand again. 
9. The winner is the first player to fill their bench, and the game immediately ends.
   • If you work your way through the entire deck, each player has one more turn to try and collect pigeons. After that, whoever has the most pigeons wins!

A Flock of Fun

We’re all fans of a good party game, particularly one that is easy to set up AND easy to clean up. Oh My Pigeons! is the game your kids will be eager to play over and over again, and more likely to pack up as well! The quick novelty will absolutely come from the pigeon meeples, but the fun gameplay makes it enjoyable for all ages. The random nature of some instructions is a great equaliser across players of all ages, allowing younger players to feel they have a fair chance while still encouraging older players to use a bit of strategy with their cards. 

For gameschooling elements, there is nothing in this game that meets any syllabus requirements across Australian education. However, there are plenty of soft-skill factors that I think make this game advantageous for any family collection. First of all, there is plenty to read and do with the cards and the instructions. As mentioned above, the cards provide a good balance of strategy and RNG (random number generation), which helps build temporal awareness in strategies and planning. 

Oh My Pigeons! is also great for helping with spatial awareness and fine motor skills. Flicking the dice at opposing benches is not as easy as you think! There is a level of dexterity required, tempering the force and managing some control over direction. Obviously, from my fancy language, you have already deduced that I was HORRIBLE at this particular element. That only added to the entertainment! You may have seen my sorry attempt shared on Instagram. Nevertheless, I loved this tactile element, and it made the game feel far more dynamic than compared with other card party games. 

Where to buy Oh My Pigeons!

Please — for the love of small business, check your local game shop. To be honest, I know that many tabletop games can be found on Amazon and other mass websites, often for a few bucks cheaper. And I totally get the need to save as many dollars as you can (yep, I’m living the same lifestyle as many of you). However, many small businesses often stock games you wouldn’t find elsewhere, particularly from indie developers. To do so, they need to make sales on the more popular and mainstream games — like Oh My Pigeons! with its big-name publisher, Ravensberger. In Australia, the price is around AUD$35 (approx USD$20), but you may need to shop around for availability. 

Score: 4.5 out of 5 shiny pigeon feathers. 

Evil Genius Mum received a review copy for this review. No payments or further incentives were received. All views are my own, with input from the EG Family. For more information, check out the official website here.  

Categories: Curriculum of Evil Gameschooling

Tagged as: Australia boardgames children games kids parenting PAX Aus pigeons Ravensberger review spawnlings tabletop

Evil Genius Mum

Evil Genius Mum
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