Just the two of us!

This week we are going to play PATCHWORK.

Though Patchwork is only a 2 player game, I feel like it is a truly wonderful game to have in your collection.  It’s a perfect couple game or even a great game for any crafter.  It feels very thematic and simple to play/teach.  The two of you are trying to make a quilt the best you can.  To do this you need to collect patches and buttons.  The buttons are your currency and the patches are what you will be using as your building tools.  The game takes roughly 30 minutes to play, but I don’t fill it is a filler game.  You really have to plan, think, and choose your moves wisely; otherwise the other crafter may out quilt you.

Let’s take a gander at these swatches/ Patches.

  As you can see the patches all have a button price and a time price.  This tells you how much the swatch will cost you in buttons and how far you will have to move on the board.  Some pieces have buttons on them.  These add up and when you pass a button on the game board you get buttons to equal the amount of buttons you have on your player board.

Player Boards

There are two player boards in the box…green and yellow.  Each player picks a color and gets the corresponding token to place on the Board.

The player board has spaces you will move on, buttons you will jump over, and lastly single patches that you can retrieve to fill in those pesky places that we all get.  If you get bored with this side don’t worry…there is another side!  Smart planning.

 

 

 

 

I find to learn to play start with the spiral…it’s a tad less complicated and easier on the eyes to start.

Buttons…Buttons, who has the buttons!

 The buttons, like I mentioned earlier, are your currency so be a little scrooge about these. They disappear quickly.  The richest person wins.

There is very little to this game…I would say it’s the perfect amount, which means easy set up and clean up!

To set up you give each player 5 buttons and their player board.  You set up the game board by placing the solo patches and placing player tokens.  Now, around the game board you are going to place the patches.  This will make a rather awkward circle, but we are all awkward so it’s okay.  Place the large wood piece next to the smallest patch clockwise. This is where you are going to start.

Once that is done the person who has touched a needle last gets to start the game!  Now, I don’t know about you, but I think a shot could count…It’s a needle. ( Personally, I am a hooker not a sewer…as in a crocheter!  Dirty Minds.  =P )

Now to play the game is easy.  Players have two options: they can buy any patch up to three clockwise away from the wooden token they can afford with buttons or they can jump the player ahead.  Now, this game doesn’t go in a round robin.  The person last on the board is who takes the turn.  So, if you plan well enough you can get multiple turns in a row…this can get expensive, but it’s always a blast to do.

To purchase you pick the piece you wish to buy, pay the buttons, then go ahead and place it on your board.  Then move your token on the game board.

Sometimes it’s best to jump.

Jumping moves you one space in front of the player ahead of you and gives you buttons equal to spaces you moved.  Here the green player will move three places and get three buttons.  This allows for a lot of things…additional currency, possibly forcing the yellow player to choose one of three pieces you don’t want or preventing them from getting a piece they need.

You are going to keep doing this until you reach the center of the board.  Now, on this path there is a chance you will fill your board 7×7.  The first time this happens the player receives a special token.

Once you have reached the center you count how many empty places you have in your board then subtract two buttons per space.  The person who got the 7×7 bonus gets 7 additional buttons.  The person with the most buttons left is the winner!

This weekend I had a long discussion with a family member regarding 2 player games.  Now, I am sure all of you have an opinion on this, I have one too.  Please share yours with me in the comments.

 So let’s discuss it.  The arguments against were fairly valid.

Against… Why spend money on a game that has such limited playability?  Why not buy a game that can play 2 and up?  Good enough for 2 but also usable if you have more players.

Now, I can see, understand, and relate to that point…But let’s be honest; if you are a board game player like me, you will want them all: be it 2 or 10 players. Now ,I usually won’t buy a two player game if it is over an hour game play or if the price point is over $35.00. ( I do have all of Rivet Wars…but that’s more of a war game, so…we’re not counting it ) The thing I love about 2 player games is they are easy to talk friends into playing.  I actually couldn’t think of a two player game that everyone should have, but recently I stumbled upon PATCHWORK.  So, I now have to say that I believe it is a game that almost all board game couples should purchase.

Thank you all for reading and as always, suggestions and comments are always welcome. Have a game you want me to show? Let me know.

-WarBird signing off.