Patchwork rules: how to play and how to score

Patchwork quick rules

The goal

Each player sews a quilt on their quilt board, a 9 by 9 grid, with patches bought with buttons. At the end, every button you have left is worth one point, and every empty space on your board costs you two points. The highest score wins.

Whose turn is it?

Players do not simply alternate: the player whose time token is furthest behind on the time board always takes the turn, sometimes several in a row. If both tokens are on the same space, the token on top goes first.

Advance and receive buttons

First possible action: move your time token to the space directly in front of your opponent’s, and receive one button per space moved. Your opponent is now behind you: it’s their turn.

Take and place a patch

Second action: choose one of the three patches in front of the neutral token, which then moves to its place. Pay its price in buttons, place it on your board without overlapping, turned or flipped, then move your time token by its time cost. If none of them suits you or you can’t afford any, you must advance instead.

The time board spaces

Whatever action you take, your token moves. Whenever it reaches or passes a button space, you get as many buttons as are shown on the patches of your board. The first to reach a leather patch takes it and places it at once: it’s the only way to fill a single isolated space.

The special tile

The first player to completely fill a 7 by 7 square receives the special tile, worth 7 points. There is only one.

End of the game and scoring

A token never moves past the last space, and when advancing you’re only paid for the spaces actually moved. Once both tokens reach the end, count your buttons, add 7 for the special tile and subtract 2 points per empty space. On a tie, the first to reach the final space wins.

Beginner pitfalls

A big, cheap patch can cost a lot of time: always check the hourglass. Buy patches with buttons early, since they pay at every button space. Advancing is often the right move, and keep room for the leather patches.

Solo with Automa

With the Automa expansion, you play alone against an artificial opponent, and you go first. On its turn, an Automa card sets its budget, which it never pays: if it can afford several patches, the card’s filters pick one. It gets the buttons shown on its card at each button space, and scores according to the chosen level. You win if you score more than Automa.

How to score Patchwork

Buttons left

1 point per button you have left at the end of the game.

Special tile 7 × 7

7 points for the first player who completely filled a 7 by 7 square. There is only one.

Empty spaces

The empty spaces of your quilt board: minus 2 points each.

Automa’s patches (expansion)

Automa’s column only, by level. III: 1 point per collected patch with buttons. IV: 1 point per button on its patches. V: both. I and II: nothing. At level I, its collected buttons don’t count.

Ties

The player who reached the final space of the time board first wins.

Worked example

Emma has 14 buttons left, the special tile and 5 empty spaces: 14 + 7 − 10 = 11 points. Jake has 18 buttons and only 2 empty spaces: 18 − 4 = 14 points. Jake wins.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting empty spaces: each one costs 2 points, and it often decides the game.
• Giving the special tile to both players: it only goes to the first to fill a 7 by 7 square.
• Counting the buttons shown on your patches: they give income during the game, not points at the end.
• Getting paid for a move that runs past the end of the time board: only the spaces actually moved count.

How to set up Patchwork

Setup takes about 2 minutes. For solo, add the Automa steps.