One, Two, Five… The City in the Swamp of Tapestry
Set out through history, both realistic and fantastical, to build a civilization’s story in the sea of possibilities from Tapestry.
I set a challenge before myself in Tapestry… Not only did I increase the difficulty level of the solo opponent, but I mixed in all of the expansion content. All of it! That made for a lot of new concepts, although I was excited to see the new cards and landmarks! Right away, I found a hilarious movie tie-in, and the battle was on to keep a castle standing up in the swamp…
Game Overview
Game Name: Tapestry
Publication Year: 2019
Designer: Jamey Stegmaier
Artists: Andrew Bosley & Rom Brown
Publisher: Stonemaier Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Iconic landmarks build up a capital city, yet advancing in different areas makes each civilization different. All sorts of opportunities exist in the fantastic variety, which is only expanded further with more content. Every play promises something new with the tapestry cards and so much more!
First Play
November 4, 2019
Complexity
3
Latest Play
September 7, 2025
Expansions
3
Setup Time
15 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
22
Play Time
1 Hour
High Score
301
Game Area
38" x 30"
Low Score
108
Preserving Table Space
Hurray for a new track to advance along! The new content didn’t spread out in a huge way, but I still found ways to save space by stacking some cards around the map. Helpful!
Many features in the expansion tie into the base game with more cards, along with elements that aren’t too terribly different. So adding everything in at once wasn’t bad.
I jumped on the chance to be the Urban Planners in the swamp, though. A city, or castle, built in the marshes?
Send in the horses and coconut shells! This made me laugh as I considered it to be an extension of a well-loved movie.
More Landmarks
I had the chance to play with more landmarks, and the little miniatures are simply so great. Just a lovely table presence!
The solo opponent moved up to the second difficulty level… Which is standard, but not necessarily the easiest to beat.
Out of the random civilizations, I was up against the Erratics. Talk about breaking the rules! This changed the solo mode quite a bit, and took some careful planning.
It was a busy area in some ways, yet I never felt like I was lost or confused about what I was doing. Just a few quick rules references here and there… I was definitely winning!
It’s Definitely a Trap!
Uh-oh. I had a little too much fun with the new tapestry cards and the way they told a unique story. Maybe I should have picked up some more early on for better options…
In the fourth income phase, which is one of the most important ones, my best option was to waste a trap card for victory points. Pretty sure I trapped myself. Ha ha!
A lot of the fun comes from the sheer randomness and figuring out how to make the most from what’s available.
I could tell this was a pretty poor initial outing, and that was OK! Blame the artifacts… Or spending time in mind space!
That One Sunk…
Whoops! As expected, the first city in the swamp sunk. Was there any doubt as to its fate? Ha! I still had a lot of fun adding the landmarks and income buildings. So cool!
A lot of this first play was about learning, though, and I picked up on some useful strategies. This solo opponent was very tricky, and I had to manage my resources well.
Was the swamp a terrible place for a capital city? No, I’m not daft! There was an overall plan that would materialize.
Even with a lot of components, resetting wasn’t all that much work, especially since I was excited to keep playing.
The Chance to Lean Into a Non-Existent Story
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a movie that’s been watched so many times by my family over the years. I have the whole thing almost entirely memorized, and this experience was a nice reminder of how those happy memories can pop up at any time! There was no reason for me to focus on a sinking city in the swamp. I could have just reset with a new mat.
But that’s one of the reasons why board games can be so connected to other experiences. I probably got a lot more enjoyment out of this repetitive sort of setup than anyone else might have, which is perfect for me. That fun factor that games offer is hard to define, yet when it happens, you know it right away! There was no doubt I had a great time playing.
At the same time, this is also why I always say my ratings and opinions are totally flawed. They’re entirely subjective, and I don’t think there’s a single game I would say is a must-have for every single person. A lot of that joy is in playing different games, sifting through those that aren’t compelling, and discovering those that create positive emotions… And are fun!
Have At You!
With the new tapestry cards, I found some very neat trap and reaction cards in the mix. When the solo opponent came waltzing into the swamp, I was beyond prepared!
The Kraken emerged from the murky waters… Possibly part of a farcical aquatic ceremony? Ha ha! It was a pretty fun moment to thwart the efforts of a conqueror.
I found it neat to position my civilization for some of these moves… Yet it wasn’t all that easy. Lots of lost territories!
But it was more about the journey through history, and I had to keep working on the swamp. Always the swamp!
That One Also Sunk…
Try as I might, even focusing on landmarks and living cities could do nothing for the Urban Planners! This little capital city might have looked neat… Yet it sunk into the swamp.
It was hard to play against the Erratics, as I had to weigh my own progress on the tracks. Was it worth it to stop and give up victory points? Or advance to move the upper limit?
Covering up the lily pads in the swamp also proved to be a challenge with my goal of connecting lots of landmarks.
Did potions help? Not at all. This civilization didn’t even invent racing or sports. Goodness! Just so boring. Ha ha!
Burned and Fell Over…
Now, I realized I had made a critical error in playing through this thematic play. What is one of the major landmarks in this game? A castle. A CASTLE. How did I not use it?!
If you’re going to make a joke about a castle sinking in the swamp, you really need to actually pick the castle landmark.
Well, let me loudly announce that the castle was not the key to victory during this third attempt. Pretty sure the whole thing burned down, fell over, and then sunk.
Ah, but this gave me hope, for in the movie, the fourth one stayed up! So it was pretty clear I was due for a victory…
The Fourth One…
It didn’t stay up. Not even close. The Age of Enlightenment arrived with a whole lot of fancy costumes and excitement, only for everyone to get covered in swamp mud. It sank.
Ha! This might sound like an awfully frustrating time, yet I constantly laughed at the misfortune of the Urban Planners.
Strategically speaking, I was getting the hang of the various tracks and using that knowledge to my advantage.
The solo opponent went from beating me by around 40 victory points to closer to 10-20 victory points. Progress was being made in this exceptionally treacherous swamp!
All Quiet on the Map
After struggling with a solo opponent who constantly advanced on the military track, I was surprised at this rather quiet situation on the main map. Barely any toppling!
It was unfortunate that I didn’t have a trap or reaction card after the middle island was claimed, but it was fine. This was a civilization much happier in the distant swamps.
As limited as this area might appear, the map differed throughout my plays in very interesting ways.
I found more success in arts, science, and technology, although each track offered valuable options to try out.
An Artistic Age
My grasp of the arts track was limited, owing to it being introduced with the expansions I added for the first time. I hesitated about focusing on it, until it all finally clicked!
This was a pretty excellent historical tale. Inspiration struck a few times, as seen by the upgraded income tracks. And a few masterpieces also arose from the murky swamp depths!
Things finally started to pan out with the income buildings, and I chained together a lot of actions for more resources.
Was it the turning point for this swampy refuge? I could just see a few sunken landmarks, ready to support a new city…
The Fifth One Stayed Up!
Finally! With a castle to anchor the capital city, this was the time that finally counted. I present you with the most solid city on a swamp that ever existed! Go, Urban Planners!
It took me long enough, yet that determination made it so fun to reset and try over and over again. Even with so many elements that remained the same, every play felt special.
Little stories emerged, laughter rang out even in the midst of tragic sinking cities, and the swamp will be remembered.
Tons of little choices culminated in a victory, but figuring out how to tell this civilization’s story was a fun challenge!
Just Once More
My hard-fought victory felt like a natural stopping point… But I wanted to play again with a more random setup. Hence, the Craftsmen were up next with a new goal!
This play was quite different, as expected, although I was more concerned about how comfortable I was with this solo opponent. Time to increase the difficulty level? Or too soon?
Victory arrived again, only with a very narrow margin! Seems like the next level solo opponent is up next time.
So much fun! I had a wonderful time, and love all of the new options with the expansions. Fifth time’s the charm. Ha ha!
Session Overview
Play Number: 17-22
Expansion 1: Tapestry: Arts & Architecture
Expansion 2: Tapestry: Fantasies & Futures
Expansion 3: Tapestry: Plans & Ploys
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Play Details: Level 2 Difficulty Level
Outcome: 2 Wins & 4 Losses
Another great capital city, only spread out in the dangerous quagmire! Any relation to that treacherous swamp of sunken cities? Ha! Absolutely loved the game, and I’m thrilled I finally returned to playing it again after so long.
%
20 Plays
Affordability
Price & Value
10
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
7
Quality
Components & Rules
9
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
10
+ Pros (Positives)
- Each play offers all sorts of possibilities with the high degree of variety in all of the components, like the card decks.
- Adjusting the solo opponent’s difficulty level is easy to do during setup, and the management is very smooth.
- The challenge of finding the optimal moves and chaining together actions or bonuses is always different.
- Although the base game is wonderful on its own, the expansions add additional content to expand the choices.
- Every component is excellent in quality, particularly the landmarks and income buildings that create a capital city.
- Many ways to play exist, with civilizations sometimes offering an overall goal, but with many paths to advance along.
– Cons (Negatives)
- A significant amount of table space is required, and it can feel necessary to get creative to keep everything in reach.
- Landmarks don’t perfectly fill the grid spaces, so having a reference for their actual footprint is important to use.
- Special elements that are saved until the fifth income phase can feel a little more complicated than intended.
- Some luck is involved in collecting useful tapestry cards, which can make some plays feel rather underwhelming.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game against the level 1 solo opponent.
Win at least 1 game against the level 2 solo opponent.
Win at least 1 game against the level 3 solo opponent.
Win at least 1 game against the level 4 solo opponent.
Continue the Conversation
What is your favorite aspect of Tapestry? Have you ever stubbornly played until you won as a certain civilization? I had so many laughs, and my stubbornness paid off in this case. Ha ha! The expansions are excellent and I look forward to crafting more of these sweeping tales in the future. For now, I’m content to leave a city and castle standing in the swamp… Finally!
Thank you for the session reports!
You’re very welcome, and thanks for stopping by!