Patchwork

In Patchwork, two players embark on the delightful task of creating the most aesthetically pleasing and highest-scoring patchwork quilt on their individual 9x9 game boards. To begin, patches are laid out randomly in a circle, and a marker is placed clockwise from the 2-1 patch. Each player receives five buttons, which serve as both currency and victory points, and a starting player is chosen. During a turn, the player has two options: purchase one of the three available patches clockwise from the spool, or pass. To purchase a patch, the player pays the button cost indicated on the patch, moves the spool to the acquired patch's position in the circle, adds the patch to their personal board, and advances their time token on the time track by the number of spaces indicated on the patch. There's complete freedom to place the patch anywhere on the board, as long as it doesn't overlap others, but the goal is to fit everything as tightly as possible to optimize space. If your time token is behind or on top of the opponent's time token, you take another turn; otherwise, play passes to the opponent. Choosing to pass means moving your time token to the space immediately in front of the opponent's token and collecting one button from the bank for each space advanced. In addition to button and time costs, each patch can have 0 to 3 buttons printed on it. When you pass a button icon on the time track, you receive 'button income': sum all visible buttons on the patches on your personal board and take that amount from the bank. The time track also features five spaces for 1x1 patches, which are filled at the start of the game. The first player to pass one of these patches on the time track claims it and immediately places it on their board. The first player to completely fill a 7x7 square on their board earns a bonus tile worth 7 points at the end of the game (though this doesn't always happen!). When a player moves their time token to the central space of the time track, they receive one final button income. The game ends when both players reach the center of the time track. Final scoring is calculated by summing remaining buttons and subtracting two points for each empty space on the board. Yes, negative scores are possible! The player with the most points wins.