Winter Planning with Calico Critters and Creature Comforts
Craft cozy items and build improvements to prepare for winter in the delightful village at the heart of Creature Comforts.
As I started to wind down my cozy solo game marathon, it was impossible not to consider bringing this one to my table! Creature Comforts is all about celebrating coziness with animals and crafts that range from hearty stew to wooly socks. So adorable! The solo gameplay is sometimes a bit too light, yet I was definitely in the mood to explore this village again.
Game Overview
Game Name: Creature Comforts
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Roberta Taylor
Artist: Shawna J.C. Tenney
Publisher: KTBG
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Throughout spring, summer, and autumn, it’s up to a small family to collect resources and work on preparing for winter. No worries here, though! There are always options and all kinds of crafts or improvements to create. Everything is all about coziness in this pleasant space!
First Play
January 14, 2024
Complexity
2
Latest Play
September 21, 2025
Expansions
2
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
6
Play Time
35 Minutes
High Score
90
Game Area
36" x 24"
Low Score
56
Excellent Summary
Since I hadn’t played in a little while, I had to go back through the rulebook to remind me of everything. This isn’t overly complex, but there are a few mechanics to learn.
Fortunately, the back of the rulebook is fantastic! It includes everything needed to play, including scoring reminders.
I had to flip back once or twice to clarify a small point, but otherwise, this served as a wonderful resource that I kept nearby. So easy to focus on playing and scoring well!
Using dice and taking risks work so nicely, and I had a great time exploring what my little rabbit family could craft.
Maximum Coziness
How adorable! I didn’t score as well as I could have, but I enjoyed building up different improvements… Yet the stars of the show were the crafts and finding fun synergies.
The pantry was stocked with preserves, and this family managed to combine soup, bread, and stew. Hungry during winter? Well, there’s only one necessary stop. Ha ha!
For good measure, a piggy bank stored a lot of extra coins. That was 21 victory points right there. Whoa!
I loved visiting with the different travelers, too, who helped make each season stand out. Welcome to town!
Bicycle Plus Umbrella…
Technically, I chose a few improvements purely for the joke of it all, but isn’t having fun what cozy solo games are all about? Ha ha! With a bicycle and umbrella, the rabbits had…
A popcorn tricycle! There was a rather polite drive around the village, which is much different than the extreme racing I do around my empty solo table sometimes. Vroom, vroom!
Maybe I’ve determined the cause of the squeaking wheels… Myself. Ha! Loved making this happen for the laughs.
It was interesting to manage crafts and improvements, too, as I never had enough resources to build everything.
Micro-Expansions
To enjoy everything the game had to offer, I included both of the micro-expansions. Talents worked pretty well solo, although they definitely didn’t feel all that balanced.
Some abilities translate into extra victory points, while others are much smaller bonuses. No matter: More on how I figured out how to use these in a better way in a little bit!
Secret goals didn’t quite make sense for solo, and I only used them as things to aspire to complete before the game ended.
In practice, I switched over to using them as descriptors, as they felt too random and situational to add to gameplay.
Making the Most of Other Components
The micro-expansions were included with my copy, so I didn’t feel upset about them not quite working as intended for me. However, it got me thinking about creative ways to use the cards. Some solo modes remove components, and in a lot of cases, this means I never use them. Not all of my games are enjoyed multiplayer, too, which is no problem! But what to do?
As I mentioned, creativity comes into play. I often try to use these cards in some way, even if it’s just to give a little flavor to each play. They usually don’t do anything, and could easily stay in the box. Yet if I need about 30 seconds to add more flair, I’m taking it! You don’t even want to know how much time I spend arranging Calico Critters sometimes… Ha ha!
It felt nice to incorporate these cards as I leaned into the cozy theme. Maybe I’ll attempt to do more in other solo games, too, as I’ve started to ignore unused components. There might be a little time investment, but ultimately, it’s all for fun.
Is This the Right Size?
A-ha! I didn’t run out of Calico Critter rabbits… Not by a long shot! Rabbits are one of the most common species, and I discovered a very dapper one waltzing down the street.
He kindly lifted a paw to confirm that the dice did indeed depict rabbit prints. These are important scientific things that have to be checked and verified, after all. Ha ha!
These dice come with the deluxe edition, and I love the wooden components, too. Pricey, yet extra cute!
My only slight issue with the solo mode is how it seems vaguely solvable without a lot of pull to call for more plays.
All the Stories
What a fun play! This is a good example of how the micro-expansion can be unbalanced. As the carver, it was easy to collect a lot of additional stories to pair with crafts.
The bookshelf was worth 21 victory points, and the lamp yielded 11 victory points without me doing all that much to put in the work to collect more stories. Fun, but powerful.
I was quite proud of this arrangement, though! The cozy feelings during winter would certainly fill this home.
Again, though, I felt like I had sort of solved a lot of the best choices and wondered how different future plays would be.
Collecting Rocks
Down by the river, more rabbits hung out to collect a whole bunch of rocks to build with! I liked the simplicity of this dice wheel, and how it could range from low to high risk.
Rolling some dice and then placing workers was a neat challenge. I had partial information, but had to think about where I wanted to take calculated risks to collect more.
The river rocks were usually guaranteed, even if it only involved collecting a single rock. Not the worst idea!
There was plenty of fun to enjoy with the choices, and I was happy to see play time speed up as I played a little more.
Re-Purposing Cards
I loved the artwork on the micro-expansions, but they felt like they either made the solo mode easier, or added more to keep track of. A simple solution had to be out there…
A-ha! With a little bit of clever card tucking, I gave my rabbit family a unique focus and a few fun descriptors.
During this play, I found myself drawn to food items a little more and pictured the rabbits having a lot of fun at the inn and river locations. Very cute, and I enjoyed this idea!
Granted, it meant I wasn’t using these cards as intended, but this seemed like the perfect way to incorporate the art.
Session Overview
Play Number: 3-6
Expansion 1: Dreams Come True Micro-Expansion
Expansion 2: Talents Micro-Expansion
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 69, 82, 90, 76 (3 Wins & 1 Loss)
Look at all that stew! This was another delightful play, and I liked how the micro-expansion artwork enhanced my experience without adding anything to think about. In the end, I felt like I saw pretty much everything I could. It’s absolutely wonderful and cozy, though! Just potentially not a long-term choice, but we’ll see if that changes for me.
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
7
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
7
+ Pros (Positives)
- Every illustration is adorable, cozy, and welcoming in a way that ensures the play area is a very happy environment.
- The component quality is excellent in the deluxe edition with wooden components and custom dice.
- Many different crafts can be found, and even creating duplicates often rewards synergies and other bonuses.
- Having all of the rules condensed on the last page of the rulebook is fantastic, offering an overview of everything.
- Gameplay is fun with the partial information about dice values before placing workers, offering just enough risks.
- Each round features something unique with the forest and meadow locations, along with the inn’s visitor.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There isn’t a lot of variety in overall gameplay, making the experience a little repetitive after a short time.
- Although the micro-expansions are adorable, they don’t quite feel suited to solo play and aren’t entirely balanced.
- Unlucky dice rolls are usually easy to adapt to, yet it’s still possible to end up in a bad situation during a round.
- Remembering to apply the special abilities of improvements is sometimes easy to forget when placing workers.
Victory Conditions
Score 70+ Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Build 4 improvements.
Craft at least 10 comforts.
Score at least 60 points.
Score at least 70 points.
Score at least 90 points.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Creature Comforts? Have you managed to achieve a high score or a very memorable play? This one is all about the coziness! Although I question its long-term staying power, the mechanics and artwork are excellent. I’ve had a lot of fun with this one, especially with a visit from the Calico Critters popcorn tricycle. Ha ha!
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