The Purrfect Combination: Calico and Calico Critters
Enjoy the pleasant challenge of quilting with cats in Calico, featuring a surprise visit from plenty of Calico Critters.
I practically fell in love with Calico when I first played it the other day! The calm theme and adorable, high-quality components were everything I needed. Only something was missing… Namely, the Calico Critters! Settle in for another detailed session report, along with some silly photos from a tabletop visit. Cuteness overload warning!
Happy Anniversary to Gameward Bound
To digress momentarily, I just want to announce that today is the 6-month anniversary since the blog started! I’ve had a wonderful time reading comments and interacting with such an amazing online community. There are a few changes in the works to make the site even easier to enjoy. Here’s to more solo board games in the future! Thanks for reading!
Game Overview
Game Name: Calico
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Kevin Russ
Artist: Beth Sobel
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A beautiful game doesn’t always make for a good game experience. But here, the artwork sets up the expectations. There’s nothing particularly complicated about creating a quilt. However, I recommend giving lighter games a chance from time to time. Can you imagine if a game about quilts and cats was too heavy? Yikes! No thank you.
First Play
August 20, 2020
Complexity
2
Latest Play
December 9, 2023
Expansions
1
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
26
Play Time
15 Minutes
High Score
72
Game Area
18" x 18"
Low Score
37
Unique Player Boards
Most of the time, player boards differ when they make a difference. For instance, asymmetric player powers might be represented by individual characters or other artwork.
In this case, the border of each player board features a unique placement of quilt tiles. So why does it matter?
Truth be told, the different borders create small changes in how to approach tile placement. None is any better than another, yet this little detail is a nice touch for variety.
More importantly, these recessed player boards hold the tiles amazingly well! Get ready to see more later on…
Sewing the Buttons
When a group of 3+ tiles of the same color is created, a matching button is added. The 6 different colors are also designated by symbols, which can be extra helpful.
Every button is worth 3 points, yet there’s another goal. If a quilt contains every type of button, a special rainbow button may be sewn on immediately! Quite nice.
Take all of the scoring options into account, and it’s easy to see why gameplay can be very challenging.
But I say that in a positive way: Never have I been unable to decide. Although maybe my choices aren’t the best!
Optimizing Quilt Tiles
At the start of this play, I felt like I had everything open to me. But the importance of planning ahead can’t be ignored. With just 2 tiles in hand each turn, I had to think.
Not everything can be scored, though. Sometimes, the button strategy doesn’t pan out. Or cats aren’t impressed with the quilt. They’re fickle, and that’s understandable!
The individual scoring tiles often result in the most points. And here, I managed to earn 11 points rather easily.
I completed the set goal with both patterns and colors. To see this easily can be tricky… Especially with napping cats!
The Rainbow Button
My next play nearly resulted in a lucrative bonus from a high-scoring cat, but alas… He was unimpressed with my quilting skills. Not enough stripes in a row!
However, when I abandoned that prospect, I still had the chance to find other ways to score. Namely, buttons.
I probably should have taken a photo from further away, yet I managed to collect all of the button colors! On went a rainbow button right near the center. And a cat.
Another interesting element is the overlap of certain tiles between the scoring tiles. What to place where? Tricky.
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-6
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Required Play Space: 14″ x 16″
Setup Time: Almost None
Play Time: 15 Minutes per Play
Outcome: 58, 45, 59, and 47 (4 Losses)
I just fell short of my victory threshold a few times! But this is a game where the losses don’t feel frustrating. It’s all about making a quilt and watching some cats cozy up for their naps. Nothing stressful here! I’m definitely loving how relaxing this game is. So beautiful, too!
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
8
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
3
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
8
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
6
+ Pros (Positives)
- The bright colors are cheerful in a way that makes them all stand out individually while blending as a whole.
- Decisions are generally lightweight without feeling overly simplified because there are many scoring options.
- Although a victory threshold is present, the experience of creating a quilt overshadows the concept of a loss.
- Every component is crafted beautifully, particularly the recessed player boards with unique border designs.
- The quilt tiles feature symbols that ensure they’re easy to classify in another way besides pure color.
- A selection of 10 scenarios in the rulebook offers individual challenges, although a random setup is possible.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A few of the same cat tokens are noticeably different in color due to a difference in the punchboard colors.
- The unique patterns can take a little time to get used to, although this is a quick process over the first few plays.
- Bags offer the only included storage solution without an insert, which adds time to setup and cleanup.
- Some of the point values are misprinted in the corresponding rulebook section, which can be confusing.
Time for Quilting Fun
Oh, did you think I forgot about the Calico Critters? Nope! Before I could even start to clean up and prepare for a photoshoot, there they were! Classic kitten behavior.
My last quilt may not have resulted in a win, but its patterns were intriguing! Someone even cuddled up…
Much to the consternation of another fellow who had been eyeing the same spot. Those light blue stripes are in this year! I guess cats have a special fashion sense of their own.
Also note my favorite kitten hiding in the background with a cat token. And my little fuzzy guy with the long hair. Ha!
Unofficial Disguises
When they all learned about how the in-game cats were based on real cats, they had a pretty ingenious idea.
Before long, I was presented with the best-matched Calico Critters for all of the scoring cats! It was a pretty accurate depiction, and simply adorable. Cats are cute. That is all.
Well, not really. If I didn’t continue typing the way I do, we would know something was definitely wrong. Ha ha!
Apparently, there’s pressure on me to use the Calico Critters in place of these lovely cat tokens in the future. I think the scale is off, but I suppose we’ll see what I do!
Surprises in the Tile Bag
As a lull of activity made me wonder if everyone was napping, I decided to do a little cleanup of my play area.
Good thing I was gentle with the tile draw bag! Mixed in there were all of the little kittens. Now I know the secret to what happens when I draw… They’ve got it all planned.
No worries about anyone getting left behind, though! I did reference this photo quickly to be sure because a lost Calico Critter would be devastating. All accounted for!
So now I know who to blame for giving me the wrong quilt tiles next time. Ha! It’s never my bad strategy. Not at all!
The Closing Ceremony
Despite my somewhat low scores, I was honored to be awarded the master quilter ribbon by this committee!
Also, note that this isn’t an optical illusion: The recessed player boards can hold their final designs when propped up at an angle. Be careful, though! It’s all about balance.
With no unexpected toppling, everyone made it home safely. I really enjoyed these photos and all of the colors!
There’s a good chance my Calico Critters will become mandatory visitors when I play in the future. Let’s just hope the dogs don’t try to crash the party. Ha ha!
Victory Conditions
Meet the Scenario Requirements
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Complete scenario 1.
Complete scenario 2.
Complete scenario 3.
Complete scenario 4.
Score at least 40 points.
Score at least 50 points.
Score at least 60 points.
Score at least 70 points.
Continue the Conversation
Do you like Calico? Is it time for dog-themed games to start taking over the board game world? Ha ha! With the time needed to play in the 15-20 minute range, I might turn this into a game I play on a fairly regular basis. But there are the scenarios to try out, and I’m not quite ready to move onto something else just yet. The Calico Critters agree. Ha!
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