At Spellenspektakel Utrecht 2025, I had the pleasure of meeting Kees Siepelinga, co-founder of Tureluurs Games. They proudly presented their game Tureluurs there

Intro

Step into the shoes of a birdwatcher who, in 1899, is tasked with compiling a bird guide featuring all the birds found in the Dutch countryside.

Rating

Overall	9,5
Story	10
Game system	9
Design & art	10
Resplayability	9

Tureluurs is an accessible cooperative card game for 1 to 4 players aged 8 and up. It has a manageable playing time of approximately 20 minutes

The story

In the year 1899, a professor decides it is time to compile a Dutch bird guide. To do this, he recruits birdwatchers: you and your fellow players. But beware, along the way you will encounter annoying but amusing problems. So it is important to work well together and make good use of your binoculars.

The goal is to complete the bird guide before the end of the birding season. Together, you will try to get at least one bird from each of the four families into the bird guide.

Game rules

Some general information about the dynamics of the game

There are four different types of cards:

• Birds: You must collect these birds and record them in the bird guide by using your binoculars. You can recognise the cards by the feather on the back.

• Birdwatching hours: These are cards with a landscape and a number. You use these to collect birds or to influence the game.

• Events: These cards represent a specific event that influences the game, either negatively or positively.

• Bird skills: You can obtain these cards by paying the cost in birdwatching hours shown on the bird skill card. You can use these cards to avert negative events. You can recognise them by the binoculars symbol on the back.

When it is your turn, you choose to draw and play a card or to give away a card.

Drawing and playing a card

How you play the card depends on the card you drew from the draw stack.

1. Bird card: Place the card in front of you. Note: each player only has room for two birds in their personal playing area. If you draw a third bird during your turn, you decide as a group which bird goes to the discard pile.
2. Event card: You carry out the action shown on the card. This can be helpful, but it can also have a negative effect. These cards are clearly explained in the rule book under Card Overview (tip: keep this close at hand during the first few rounds).
3. Watching hours: You immediately place these on a card of your choice for which you want to spend the hours. Please note: you may not place your watching hours on other players’ bird cards.  

Giving away a card

You may give one card to a fellow player per turn; this constitutes your entire turn

1. Giving away a bird: You may give away your bird, but any birdwatching hours that may be on it are immediately forfeited and go to the discard pile. Please note: you may not pass a bird two turns in a row.
2. Giving away an event card: You may pass on the following event cards: Bird Book, Half-Spotted and Bird Whistle.

A bird is spotted and can be added to the bird guide when the number of birdwatching hours indicated on the bird card has been placed on the bird. It is immediately added to the bird guide. Once a bird has been added to the bird guide, this cannot be changed, except when the cuckoo comes along.

Birds that end up on the discard pile do not return to the game, unless you are lucky enough to be able to use a Bird Whistle.

When enough hours have been spent on bird skills, the card that is released can be used once to protect the group from an unpleasant event.

End of the game

When your group has included one bird from each bird family in the bird guide before the draw stack is empty.

If the draw stack is empty before the goal is reached, the game also ends and you can choose to try again.

The scoring is clearly and well explained in the rule book. The hours spent birdwatching from the remaining draw stack also count towards the score.

Content and design

The illustrations are by Monique Snijders and are very beautiful and detailed. In this game, Tureluurs has an eye for the quality of the game materials and an eye for detail.

The rulebook is very clear and all event cards and bird skill cards are explained clearly one by one, so you can leave them open on the table next to you if you have any doubts.

A QR code is included to tell the full story, immediately immersing you in the atmosphere of the game. There is also a QR code where you can view the rules of the game in a video, for those who prefer this.  

Two game variations are also included in the rulebook for players who are already a little more experienced in birdwatching. In addition, there is also a solo play mode in the rulebook.

Box content

• 1x rulebook
• 1x solo mode rulebook
• 1x bird guide board
• 16x bird cards (4 per bird family)
• 18x  event cards (9 types)
• 6x bird skills

Conclusion

Tureluurs is a very enjoyable card game. It is a game that is easy to play and can be enjoyed by the whole family. It does not matter if your guests have no experience with board or card games, as the rules are not complicated and are explained very well.

It’s a good idea that the rule book also includes two game variations for when you want to make it a little more difficult. There is also a Tureluurs Solitaire manual for when you want to play the game alone, which I always find an added bonus.

The story is beautifully presented in a video that you can watch via a QR code, which is a great way to transport everyone back to the year 1899. The manual also includes a QR code with game instructions, which I also find to be an added bonus.

It is a wonderful game for people who are crazy about birds, as the illustrations are beautifully rendered. The illustrations on the bird cards are based on drawings from De Nederlandsche Vogelen by Nozeman & Sepp. The quality of the cards is therefore really very good. Because you don’t need any gaming experience, this is a great introduction for newcomers and ideal as a gift. And don’t forget: with every purchase, you are even supporting a good cause.

I always consider the eco-friendly and plastic-free aspect to be a great added value.

A little more about Tureluurs Games

Tureluurs Games is a young Dutch game designer and publisher, founded in 2023. They are committed to bringing highly interactive games to the market. These take the form of semi-cooperative and cooperative games, as an alternative to hours of scrolling on digital platforms. So nothing digital, and above all: together. A goal to achieve together. Humour and laughter are also part of their mission when people play their games.

The contribution they want to make to society is that each game supports a good cause. At Tureluurs, that cause is Vogelbescherming Nederland (Bird Protection Netherlands).

Their games are completely plastic-free; the sleeve they use for the box is 100% compostable. This should actually be mandatory, if you ask me.

At Tureluurs Games, the production of the games revolves around producing as ecologically as possible. All their games are produced in Europe and the components are eco-friendly.
Tureluurs Games considers it important to include a narrative element in their games. In this game, too, you can see that the drawings are based on illustrations from De Nederlandsche Vogelen, an old bird guide.

I was very charmed by the passion and dedication of these young people in the publishing house. Kees, Monique and Marloes form a young, dynamic and committed team. Hopefully, I will be able to interview one of them someday, but there wasn’t enough time for that at the fair.

Their vision for game development in 2026 is a mission and vision that I also find very important and would therefore like to highlight.

More info: https://tureluurs.com/over-ons/

Text & photography: Esmeralda Wolf