Meeple Moments – Game of the Month: Patchwork

Occasionally we feature a post from our friends at The Malted Meeple. Their Game of the Month series highlights one of the many games in their libraries at Ravenwood Castle and The Malted Meeple. They briefly describe the game, how to play it, and why they like it.

Game: Patchwork

A common question we are asked here at The Malted Meeple is “What game is best for two players?” While there is of course no wrong answer, the game that I prefer to recommend and to teach is Patchwork.

This unassuming game about creating beautiful patchwork quilts was designed by Uwe Rosenberg, the name behind titles such as Bohnanza, Glass Road, and Agricola. While many of his games are known for their complexity, Patchwork is incredibly simple and very approachable. I describe it as a bit like Tetris with patchwork pieces!

In the real world, patchwork is a form of needlework that involves sewing together pieces of fabric into a larger design. Historically, it was a way to make use of leftover pieces of cloth to create clothing and quilts and to avoid waste. In today’s world, patchwork has evolved into an art form. Designers like to use uneven pieces of fabrics to create especially beautiful textiles. Part of the challenge of creating a beautiful quilt is finding the best way to make the available patches fit together. It’s this challenge that drives Patchwork the game as well.

To set up a game of Patchwork, each player takes a quilt board and corresponding time token and places the time token on the time board in the middle of the table. Next, players will place the regular patches in a circle around the time board, and the small leather patches on the time board. Finally, place the Neutral token next to the smallest patch on the playing surface.

When playing a game of Patchwork, players will not necessarily alternate between turns. Whichever player’s turn marker is furthest behind takes their turn. It is possible that a player can take multiple turns in a row before their opponent can take one.

Read more about the gameplay of Patchwork on the Meeple Moments blog.

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