Game Like a Mother

Quick Take: The game loosely feels like combining Tetris and the Game of Life. I love finding true two player games that work well and this is one of the best I've found. The mechanics of the game are great and provide some excellent opportunities to employ some higher strategy in a short game format which is often difficult to find. Please note, there are variations to make this faster and fit the 20 min rule of this site but you are probably better served just going out and purchasing Patchwork Express if you want something that's quicker to play.

How to Play: The player with the highest score wins. You get points from filling the quilt board, getting buttons, and the special tile if anyone has earned it. You lose two points for each empty space on the quilt board. You and your opponent take turns leapfrogging over each other on the game board and along the way you choose the best patches for your quilt board. Some patches are free, most must be purchased with buttons. Once you have selected a patch you place it wherever you like on your quilt board. There is a special tile bonus for the first to fill in a 7x7 area fully with no open spaces. There's a time token, a neutral token, special patches, and buttons. It all seems complicated but I swear once you get a couple turns in it all makes sense and you get the hang of things. But you certainly have to read through the rules carefully before your first time playing. 

​

Variations: The game board has different appearances on either side but is the same in terms of its configuration so it really doesn't matter which side you play on, which is too bad in my opinion. You could make up rules about additional shapes in your quilt that would earn you extra buttons but the game is very well balanced as it is and if you're looking for a more simple way and faster way to play you should just get Patchwork Express.

​

Similar Games To Check Out: Santorini, Kingdomino, Latice, Blokus, Dragonwood, Patchwork Express