When the world outside feels a little scary, there’s nothing better than curling up with something comforting. Patchwork, a two-player tabletop title about making a quilt, is the absolute definition of a comfort board game. Its theme is seeped in an old-timey Americana or Scandinavian feel, so much so that you can almost smell the dust bunnies and fresh baking whenever you open its box.
That theme isn’t the only aspect that makes it comforting – the gentle pace and light competitiveness of its gameplay allows it to be a kinder experience. Players might be trying to score more points than their opponent, but Patchwork rarely involves the kind of brutal interactions one might expect from other head-to-head board games.
How to play Patchwork Watch on YouTube
Patchwork’s presentation is a huge part of its appeal. It’s rare that a theme so potentially mundane as sewing can become such an attractive feature, but Patchwork manages it. From the charming ‘fabric’ pieces to the little blue buttons and wooden spool, playing Patchwork evokes images of warm afternoons in a lounge chair with no disturbances besides the crackling of a fire and the purring of a cat.