Figured I'd add my two cents to the well deserved 5-star ranks!
INTRO: Patchwork is a light-medium, 2-player abstract resource management game, quite unlike any other I've ever played. When I first saw this displaying on people's wishlists on BGG last year, I kept wondering, "what are people thinking? this looks so incredibly boring." And at first, honestly, it does! BUT, it is really so much more than just a quilt making game. Uwe Rosenberg has a gem on his hands here that I"m sure will only gain in popularity with time, and that people will definitely still be playing in 10 years - it's that good.
SETUP: Pretty simple setup, easily under 3 minutes. To start, give each player a quilt board (9x9 grid). Put out the timer track in between boards, and place both player markers at the beginning of the track. Fill the single square tile spaces on the timer track with the single tile squares. Then set up ALL the 'quilt pieces' in a large circle/oval surrounding the timer track, in between the player boards. Find the starting 1x2 piece and place the Start token next to it. Finally, give each player 5 'buttons' (your currency) and place the rest in a pile off to the side. Place the special 7x7 tile next to these. Good to go.
GAMEPLAY: The beauty of the game is magnified by its simplicity here. On your turn, you really only have two options: either 1) move your player marker one timer space beyond your opponent, and collect buttons = number of spaces traveled, or 2) purchase a piece of 'cloth,' paying the appropriate number of buttons indicated, and then also moving your player marker the indicated number of timer spaces. (For example, one of the many Tetris-y style pieces might have written on it 3B, where B is actually a picture of a button, followed by 2T where T is actually a picture of an hourglass). And seriously, that's it. The depth and strategy come in deciding when and what to buy, and maximizing your button potential for purchases, as well as endgame scoring.
There are a few other idiosyncracies that come along as well. The pieces you can buy are limited to the 3 clockwise from the Starting token position, which continually moves around the board after a purchase. So the pieces available for purchase continue to change on any turn after one in which a piece was bought (remember, you can choose option 1 above and not buy anything to gain more buttons; in fact, sometime you have to do this, not being able to afford any of the 3 pieces available). Recognizing what you need to fill in on your board vs. what you think your opponent is looking for is key.
Also of note is when you are the first to pass a single tile piece on the timer track, you get to take that piece and place it on your 'quilt,' which is helpful when you need to fill in the small gaps. Likewise, when you pass the button symbol on the timer track, you then count up all your buttons shown on your previously purchased quilt pieces, and acquire that many from the 'bank.'
Lastly, there is a special 7x7 piece that the first person to form a completed 7x7 quilt on their board acquires. At the end of the game, this piece, not surprisingly, is worth 7 points :) All buttons you have at the end of the game are added up, 1 point per button, minus 2 points per any open square still left on your player board ('quilt'). Whoever has the higher score wins. In case of a tie, whoever reached the end of the timer track first wins.
ART & COMPONENT QUALITY: For what it is, the artwork is nice and works for this game. Each piece kinda has a slightly used look on it, as you are supposed to be sewing pieces of cloth together, making a Patchwork (hence the name). But the component quality - YES! So good; they nailed it. Nice punchboard thickness to it, feels great in your hands. The box is perfectly sized for the components, too. No extra room not needed. Relatively small; not a lot of shelf space. Box art is better in person, too, than the picture here. Overall, absolutely wonderful. Should last for years and years.
CONCLUSION: I was stunned by how easily my wife and I picked this up and played right out of the box, and yet how much depth and replayability there is to the game. (Again, the rulebook couldn't have been simpler and easier to follow). The setup of the pieces will change every game, so no two games will be alike - or the odds I'm sure are ridiculously small, anyway!
Overall, I'm really glad I kept hearing and reading more about this game, as I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been put off initially by the theme. It's a great way to spend a half hour with a friend or loved one, and is easy enough to teach (the rulebook is PERFECT to understand and beautifully designed...way to go guys). Great for non/light gamers, and yet definitely enough strategy there for the more hardcore gamers. Which is perfect for my wife (non-gamer) and I (gamer).
One final thought: this game honestly will probably replace Lost Cities for us (one of the few games she'll actually play with me). If given the choice, I'm sure both of us would rather play this one.
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This item: Patchwork | Strategy / Puzzle Game | Family Board Game | Two Player Game for Kids and Adults | Ages 8 and up |Average Playtime 30 Minutes | Made by Lookout Games , Brown
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| Patchwork | Patchwork Doodle | Patchwork Express | Patchwork Americana | Patchwork Christmas Edition | Patchwork Halloween Edition | |
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| Type of Game | Board Game | Board Game | Board Game | Board Game | Board Game | Board Game |
| Number of Players | 2 Players | 1-6 Players | 2 Players | 2 Players | 2 Players | 2 Players |
| Average Playtime | 30 Minutes | 20 Minutes | 20 Minutes | 30 Minutes | 30 Minutes | 30 Minutes |
| Recommended Player Age | 8+ | 8+ | 6+ | 8+ | 8+ | 8+ |
| Game Objectives | Work to create a beautiful patchwork quilt out of the available patches. | Centered around a new mechanic where cards display puzzle pieces, players put their drawing skills to the test. | In this simplified version of the classic game, players create quilts using smaller boards, fewer tiles and faster gameplay. | All the fun of the original Patchwork board game is back with new art and components inspired by the United States quilting community and its crafting traditions. | Create a beautiful Christmas themed quilt. Jingle bells, presents and maybe even Santa Clause can be found on the patches of this special edition. | All the fun of the original Patchwork board game is back with new art and components inspired by the festive and spooky Halloween season! |
| Theme | Classic | Drawing | Express | Americana | Christmas | Halloween |
| Board Size | 9" x 9" | 9" x 9" | 6" x 5" | 9" x 9" | 9" x 9" | 9" x 9" |
| Number of Patches | 38 | 38 | 23 | 38 | 38 | 38 |
| Strategy Game | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Puzzle Game | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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My honest review of Patchwork Puzzle game
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Reviews with images
Competitive Quilting for Two
A game about quilting. That kinda threw me for a bit but everyone and their sister were raving about it so I had to find out for myself. Turns out, everyone and their sisters were right.Patchwork is a game for exactly 2 players, ages 8+ and plays in about 30-45 minutes.How to playThankfully this game involves no actual sewing because the last time I tried that I ended up in the ER with a sheepish grin on my face. You’ll find Patchwork to be a bit different than your average game in both set up and play. To begin with, each player will take a Quilt Board representing their as of yet not started sewing project. The Quilt Board is divided up into a number of 1×1 squares. They’ll then take 5 Buttons (the currency in the game) and a Time Token.There’s a third board in the game which is the central Time Board. Players will each place their Time Token on the starting space of the Time Board. Now, the most fun setup can really begin. There are a whole bunch of Patches – shaped, Tetris-like tokens – that you’re going to arrange randomly in a (fairly large) circle around the Time Board. Locate the smallest Patch (a 1×2 square Patch) and place the wooden Neutral token between that and the next patch, going clockwise. Each of these Patch tokens will have a little tag image on it that will show a number next to a button to indicate how many Buttons they cost, and a number next to a timer icon, to indicated how many spaces on the Time Board you’ll move your Time Token if you choose that Patch.Lastly, you’ll lay out the special 7×7 bonus token and place the five special 1×1 patches on the Time Board.The first thing you should know is that Patchwork doesn’t necessarily alternate turns. The player who’s Time Token is furthest back on the Time Board will get the next turn, which could (and will) mean players take multiple turns in a row.On your turn, you can do one of two things. Advance your Time Token to the space just after the other player’s Time Token on the Time Board and get yourself some buttons or take and place a Patch on your Patch board.In the first option you’ll receive as many buttons as spaces you’ve moved to get past the other player’s Time Token – advance three spaces, get three buttons. And that’s it, since the other player’s Time Token is now behind yours, it’s their turn. Remember, Buttons are currency in this game.If you choose to take a Patch, you’ve got to follow these five steps. First, the patch must be within three patches in front of the Neutral Token you placed amidst all those patches in the game setup. Second, you’ll move the Neutral Token to be next to the Patch you’ve chosen. Third, you pay the number of Buttons indicated on the patch (some patches are free). Fourth, you will place the Patch you just bought on your Quilt board. Last, you move your Time Token on the Time Board the number of spaces indicated on the Patch token you just placed on your Quilt Board.Some of the spaces on the Time Board have some special powers on them. There are five Special Patches, which are 1×1, leather looking Patches. These can only be gotten off the Time Board, and you only receive them if you are the first to move your Time Token onto or past them. The second special power are the Button icons. If you move past a Button icon, you then receive Button tokens! Look at your Quilt Board – many (but not all) Patches will have graphics of buttons sewn into them – count each individual button and take that many Button tokens.When you’re placing that patch on your Quilt Board, you have to follow a few simple rules too. You can flip or turn the Patch any way you like as long as it fits entirely on the board and doesn’t overlap any other Patches. That’s where the Tetris aspect of the game comes in.Finally, there’s a special 7×7 token – the first player to fill in a 7×7 grid completely on their Quilt board receives this token and scores an extra 7 points at the end of the game. Speaking of which….End of the game and scoring. The game ends when both player’s Time Tokens reach the last space on the Time Board and players determine their scores. Add up the number of Button tokens you have left, and subtract 2 points for each empty 1×1 spaces on your Quilt board. That’s your score. If you had for example 11 buttons left and had managed to snag the 7×7 token, you’d start off with 18 points. If you had six empty spaces (6*2=12) you’d subtract 12 from 18 and end the game with 6 points.Why you should playAnswer this question truly and honestly. How many games in your collection have a sewing or quilting theme? Now how many games in your collection with this theme are really engaging, allow for some interesting and thinky strategy, have just a bit of a puzzle aspect to them, allow you to build something of substance during the game, and are extremely well balanced?Patchwork checks all of these boxes and does so in a really compelling way. You’re looking ahead in the Patches portion of the table to see where the Neutral Token will next fall, while trying to calculate how many spaces forward you want to move to get more Buttons and maybe grab that 1×1 patch you need to fill in your 7×7 grid so you can finally get that extra points token. You’re opponent is doing that very same thing too, and perhaps plotting a way to take two turns before you’ll get your next so that the Neutral Token will skip over that one Patch you really need.It’s a lot of fun and sometimes a little frustrating in that good “oh, I can’t believe you just did that to me!” kind of way. I’ve enjoyed quite a few games while waiting for another friend to show up or between my wife and I or Luca and I. Patchwork hits that sweet spot of a 2 player filler game that doesn’t overstay it’s welcome and still offers a complete gaming experience. It’s what I’d expect from Uwe Rosengberg who’s designed (among many, many wonderful games) another tight, small game I love, Bohnanza.Be warned however, for such a small box the game ends up taking up quite a bit of space! It’s those Patches you’ve got to spread about. There’s a whole bunch of them! Other than that extremely minor thing I don’t have much in the way of criticism – rather I’m still pleasantly surprised that a game with a quirky theme is so much fun.
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