Calico Review: Quilts, Buttons, and Cats, Oh My!
Intent: Inspire you to try playing Calico.
Tranquility. Quilting is something that often takes time, precision but is a calming activity in which you can find pride and joy in the product. Don’t have those sewing skills or an excess of time? Don’t worry, you’re in luck! Calico designed by Kevin Russ, art done by the talented Beth Sobel, and a first publication by Flatout Games is a tile placement game for 1-4 players in which you can experience the cozy nature of quilts and cats.
Overview
Each player begins the game with two tiles in hand, a board of 22 empty spaces, and an aspiration to be a Master Quilter. Each turn players will place tiles aiming to match colors to sew buttons, patterns (there are six patterns and colors) to attract cats and achieve the three tile placement goals present on the board. After placing a tile, players will choose one of three tiles from the centre to add to their hand and wait for their next turn. The game is played until the full quilt is sewn. The player with the most points from cats, buttons and goal tiles wins! Sounds easy right?
Calico was one of the Kickstarter Projects I backed last year. The excitement of Kickstarter fulfillment is often filled with thrill and joy. Starting from the pledge I’ve received many updates on the changes made, production updates and just general excitement and communication, which in hand made me super thrilled about this game. It’s generally fascinating to see the game in development and the changes designers and developers make based on community feedback.
First Game Impression
Our first game was honestly a pleasure, it was everything we wanted. I saw my goals, laid out the tiles and tokens and began the quilting process. The amount of cat tokens in the game surprised me, there were just so many! My confidence was high though, this quilt was going to be a masterpiece. As the game progressed and there were little tiles left and I realized I had to make a decision of sacrificing either my goals, my cats or my prestige rainbow button (which you get after placing all six colored buttons). After our first playthrough (and a loss for me unfortunately) I learned that it' is not easy to do it all. Moving forward, I will be okay with giving up certain goals in order to make room for others.
Thoughts After Seven Games
This has quickly become a hit for both me and Tylor. We have found ourselves introducing this game to various individuals, our core group and even Tylor’s mom. Everyone found joy in this game and we were intrigued by the puzzle and each game felt very different. What I love about this game is how incredibly easy it is to teach it. Beyond that, the visual appeal and the vibrant colors make the game an extraordinary experience.
I really enjoy games anyone can dive in and be on a fairly equal playing field. You can’t quite master this game because of the luck element involved, which is nice as no one has a real advantage. You definitely can work on your poker face though as you witness the perfect tile being drawn and you hold your breath hoping other players don’t take it from you.
The scenarios and achievement list the game provided is the icing on top, it transforms the game significantly in my opinion adding that pressure element. You really have to optimize the board in order to achieve the goals provided and play your odds to get the desired color, pattern or both. It’s difficult, challenging and exactly what we were looking for following a few play throughs.
Initially we sorted all the colors and cats into separate piles but with so many present we decided to make a cat and button pile in order to save us some time. I’m usually one for extremely organized components but I struggle with that element in this game as it doesn’t really make sense to bag everything individually.
MERIT Report Card
Overall Letter Grade: A-
Strengths: This game is incredibly easy to learn and teach, extremely accessible, and different each time you play it. You can play it trying to achieve the best score or use the scenarios to add that extra pressure. Love the scenarios and achievement sheet to further elevate the gameplay.
Areas of Improvement: The luck element although important, is a bit defeating sometimes. When playing a two player game we’ve had games where only three purple tiles are drawn throughout the full game, makes the scenarios extremely tough. I wish there was a token you could use or a rule where you could reset the three tiles maybe once or twice a game, it would improve the experience significantly.
Memorability: B-
How often do I think about the game? Honestly not as often as some other games. It is a fantastic experience and I love the background of all the cats and how I feel during the game but I don’t often find myself actively thinking about it.
The game does provide a great metaphor of any quilt can be beautiful and masterful, it doesn’t always have to follow the exact set of rules. No quilt goes unnoticed in the world of Calico (except if you ignore the patterns, cats just love quilt patterns.)
How often is the game brought up by the individuals I play with? Ty and I often play board games in the evening, it’s fairly rare to get a game out and enjoy it with a morning coffee or a lunch break. Calico was one of the first games we enjoyed first thing in the morning. It felt just right with coffee, a cheese scone and a bag filled with tiles hoping to get lucky and draw that perfect tile to complete your tile goal. Our friends and family really enjoy this game as well and have brought it up and wanted to play again following the introduction.
How many memories can be built from this game? I’ve made many memories with Millie, Coconut and Tibbit and often hear Ty sing “ A milli, a milli, a milli” when someone completes the three pattern placement to get the beloved Millie. I enjoyed learning about each of the cats in the game, and it certainly made the entire experience more special for me.
I love the feeling of suspense I get when I see the tile I want but I don’t get to choose a tile for a couple of turns, it’s frightening and often defeating. It feels pretty great though when no one realizes I need that specific pattern and tile and leave it for me. The game doesn’t have many big moments but the feeling you get playing it is as warm as the cozy quilt you’re making.
Education : B
In Calico, each of the ten cats featured has a story, which you learn from the rulebook. I’ve also learned what a “Calico” cat is and surprisingly it is not the one on the box due to a marketing decision as patterns on patterns might have not been the most appealing to the eye. Overall there isn’t a ton of information to take away from the game.
However, optimizing, odds of draw, and planning ahead are the skills your mind will exercise as you play this game. Knowing when you have to make a decision to give up on a goal and how to make the best of that situation is an important skill you can apply to life from this game. I’m sure you’ve had a time in your life when there was so much on your plate, you simply could not do it all and were forced with the ultimate decision of how can you make the best of this situation, well this game emulates that pretty well and allows you to be comfortable with that feeling.
There’s a slight bit of negotiation at play as well knowing when to ask your neighbor to please let you have the desired tile or keep your mouth shut and hope for the best. The player interaction while limited is important.
Replayability: A-
The game has six different tile goals, which provides plenty of replayability because each time you are trying to optimize the board in different ways. You can also choose to all do the same goals or have individual tile placements as well. Each game played is different, especially if you are playing the scenarios too, which have specific goals in relations to cats, buttons and design goal tiles.
The cats are also different, you have a choice of ten pattern goals to get the cats (twelve, if you got the Kickstarter version), six colors, six patterns, there’s a lot of combinations and the likelihood of having the same quilt each time, or even similar is slim to none.
Overall the replayability is incredible! It feels like a different game each time but eventually it is the same motions and decisions and you will run into situations you’ve been in before.
Imagination: A-
I adore the idea of getting together, quilting together and based on the attraction of our quilt we can draw cats to it to increase the value. The theme is not only pleasant but a story in itself. Which cats will visit my quilt today? What will my quilting journey look like? The player interaction is limited but wonderful you can certainly pay attention and steal that desired tile your neighbor is looking for or you can be generous and allow their quilt to thrive as well.
I definitely began imagining an avid quilting club that most of the time is cordial and kind to each other. Every now and then though, a member decides to steal all of the red buttons, causing a rift in this long standing club. I always wonder if the club meeting will be kind to each other or slightly passive aggressive.
This game also made me think of my grandma, she cared so deeply about all of those around her and sewing was a way for her to show affection. Although I am terrible with a sewing machine, it definitely felt great to pretend to partake in the quilting and sewing hobby creating a masterpiece of my own.
Target: A
Categorized as a “puzzle tile-laying” game it really exceeds it’s marks. Kevin Russ has put a tremendous amount of thought in this game and made it an extraordinary experience. The theme is wonderful and the buttons and cats are a joy to interact with.
This game exceeded our expectations. We initially saw this game as nice starter to play before diving into a heavier game but instead it has become a game that can be the centre of the evening. Wonderful experience that is enjoyed by all (when your tiles don’t get stolen.)
It certainly hit it’s marks and the Kickstarter Campaign as well as promotional efforts from Alderac Entertainment Group have been accurate and true to the game experience.
Tylor’s Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½
Calico is a lot of fun, a little stressful if you are a perfectionist… but in a good way; it doesn’t take away from the drive to accomplish as many goals as you can! I am personally not a fan of playing board games with just two players but there’s something about this game that I look forward to. It feels like you can wake up, make a latte and play a quick game of Calico to get the mind pumping in the morning! Overall, great game and I am looking forward to trying to slowly get through the scenarios they have set up… even though I’ve failed a couple times already!
Final Thoughts: As soon as you finish a game you will immediately want to play another. This game has been a new favorite for us and I am thrilled to challenge and beat all the scenarios included. If you love puzzles, odds and artwork that soothes the soul this game is a must-have for you. I hope you give it a shot and love it as much as we do.
MERIT Report Card Letter Grade: A-
What will your quilt look like?