
- BGG rating
- 10.0
Tail Feathers: Four Captains Scenario
- 2–4 players
- 60–90 min
- 2015

2015
Rules assistance for Tail Feathers
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Tail Feathers is a board game released in 2015 for 2–4 players, 60–90 minutes per game, and ages 9 and up. It was designed by Jerry Hawthorne and its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Action Queue.
Description from the publisher: Villainous rats have allied with vicious hunting birds to pillage the humble mouse settlement across Meanderfield. But look! Brave mice, mounted on starlings and blue jays, swoop in to wage war against this evil alliance! The Downwood Militia soars into action against the Vermin Raiders! Plaid Hat Games proudly presents Tail Feathers, the exciting new miniature skirmish game by our very own Jerry Hawthorne set in the beloved world of Mice and Mystics. Soar across the table, send your troops on dangerous missions, lock beaks with opposing birds, and defend your nest! Featuring the beautiful hand-sculpted miniatures by Chad Hoverter Mice and Mystics fans have come to love, Tail Feathers raises the stakes with 13 dutiful ground troops, 5 headstrong birds that tilt for launching and turning, plus 5 daring pilots. Players will recreate the famous battles for aerial supremacy that shaped the Mice and Mystics world. Outwit and outfly your opponent in stand-alone scenarios, or play a full campaign and see your units gain skill from one battle to the next. Tail Feathers is a stand-alone game, not a Mice and Mystics expansion, but you can use your Mice and Mystics: Sorrow and Remembrance miniatures in Tail Feathers right out of the box. Tail Feathers offers cinematic gameplay and a fresh, whimsical setting for tabletop skirmish gaming. Players must balance the use of both flying and ground units to achieve victory. Here are some highlights: Compatibility! If you already own Mice and Mystics, you're in luck! Tail Feathers includes cards which allow you to use your Mice and Mystics figures in Tail Feathers! Bam! Story driven campaign! Tail Feathers includes a scenario book with story rich scenarios all designed to be played either as both stand-alone experiences or linked together as a campaign. Unique and challenging flight system! Tail Feathers includes 5 beautiful bird miniatures that are mounted on a special flight stand that allows the birds to 'tilt'. This tilting is a mechanism used to determine your flight direction, but the skill of effectively maneuvering your birds is up to you! Everything you need! No empty box here. Tail Feathers comes with enough content for two players to field fully-realized, battle-ready forces, as well as cards that allow you to utilize your Mice and Mystics: Sorrow and Remembrance figures as Tail Feathers ground troops right away. Tail Feathers expands the Mice and Mystics universe, introducing fans new and old to the battles on birds that secured peace and safety for the Downwood Forest. Tail Feathers' innovative game system will provide hours of fun and excitement in the world of Mice and Mystics.
Tail Feathers supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Tail Feathers is 60–90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Tail Feathers for ages 9 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Tail Feathers has a complexity rating of 3.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-weight game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Tail Feathers belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Animals, and Wargame. Its main mechanics are Dice Rolling and Action Queue. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Tail Feathers are: Jerry Hawthorne. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Tail Feathers as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.