Patchwork

TL;DR

What is it? A cute little game for couples, each competing to make the tidiest quilt

How many people? 2 player

How long does it take? 30 minutes

Who is it for? People that want something peaceful and with minimal confrontation

Buy it: Get Patchwork

here on Amazon⁠

The Gist

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Why we recommend it

Most board games involve conflict and are, in some cases, excellent argument generators. Patchwork isn’t one of these games. Unusually for a head-to-head game, this quilt-making showdown evokes a feeling of peace, rather than competition.

The game starts out with a big pile of oddly-shaped fabric pieces placed in a large circle. You then take it in turns of selecting a chunk and adding it to your own board. The trick is that because each bit is awkwardly shaped, tessellating them neatly is quite difficult. It’s reminiscent of Tetris, but with a totally different atmosphere.

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There’s no time pressure in Patchwork, and mostly you’re both just quietly getting on with the intricate task of completing your quilt without missing out any holes. The main interaction – and cause for contention – between players is when your opponent takes that perfectly-shaped piece you were holding out for, or when they soar ahead on the points board to capture the highly desirable bonus squares.

These face-offs rarely mount to more than a mutter however, and the game plays out at a peaceful pace, without ever straying into placid or sedentary territory. Sadly the nature of the cardboard buttons and pieces of fabric means that the physical aspect of the game lets down the otherwise excellent art style, but plenty of people have used real buttons and custom Patchwork pieces to enhance the experience.

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Sessions take no more than half an hour, making Patchwork ideal for times when you’re in the mood for something simple and speedy. It’s actually an ideal game to play outdoors in the sunshine, or in winter would make for a charming bedtime pastime – for bonus points to be played on top of an real quilt.

And there’s not much more to it than that. Patchwork is a splendidly intimate game that belongs on the shelves of any board game-loving couple.

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