Version: Deluxe, without dice trays

In Nestlings, players take on the role of various birds competing to gain priority in four very different biomes – Savanna, Alpine, Freshwater, and Desert.

Each round, players roll their biome dice and then place the dice one at a time into the biomes, alternating clockwise. Once players have placed all of their dice, or have chosen to skip for the round, each biome is resolved.

The player who is the first to place dice in a given biome is given priority and reaps the rewards - being the first to select a desired resource and discarding a resource to thwart their opponents' plans.

However, if another player places more of their biome dice in the same biome, that player will be given priority. Once the priority order for the biome has been determined, players each claim resources to feed their Nestlings and add the corresponding segment to their Resource Ring on their player board.

After all biomes have been resolved – including the wild grassland biome in the center of the board – players score points based on how many Nestlings they were able to feed and how many segments are in their Resource Ring, regardless of which round they were awarded in.

As the game progresses, the tension mounts as players are forced to make key decisions along the way; decisions that could secure victory or spell defeat.

Do they feed their Nestlings for more direct points, or do they take another resource to complete a section of their Resource Ring, earning a bonus and triggering a powerful chain reaction? Do they use in-game currency to activate another Nest Goal at the end of the game, or do they save it for victory points? Do they roll a second die to gain priority, or do they take the risk and head to another biome to grab other much-needed scraps?

At the end of round four, the game ends and players reveal their endgame Nest Goals and tally their final victory points.