Lookout Patchwork Strategy Puzzle Game, Ages 8+

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 (9×9 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 1×2 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 7×7 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 7×7 piece that the first person to form a completed 7×7 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.

Article reçu en parfait état. Boite 20 x 20 cm peu encombrante. Bonne qualité du matériel (carton épais), pions en bois et joli design général. Même si le “thème couture” pourrait sembler rebutant pour certains, on l’oublie très vite. La règle est très bien faite, simple à comprendre. Ce jeu basé sur le principe du Tétris permet de faire de bonnes stratégies et de bons calculs. C’est très fun, ingénieux et assez addictif. Un excellent jeu pour deux.

Muy buena opción para 2 jugadores resulta muy satisfactorio ir llenando tu tablero

Fun game, very quick to learn, and takes only 20 minutes to play. Each game is different and offers opportunities to try different strategies.