Tabletop games
Patchwork
FunforgeUwe Rosenberg2014
- players
- 2
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 8+
In the box
1 time board · 2 quilt boards · 33 patches · 5 1×1 leather patches · 1 7×7 bonus tile · Buttons · 3 pawns (2 players, 1 neutral)
Official rules (PDF, publisher's site)
Box details
- Designer
- Uwe Rosenberg
- Artwork
- Carrie Cantwell, Klemens Franz, Maya Hanisch, Rex Lee
- Publisher
- Funforge
- Mechanics
- Grid CoverageIncomeOpen DraftingRondelSquare Grid
Where to buy it
Near you and online
In a shop
Within 50 km.
Online
Affiliate link: Marquoir may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
The basics
Two players each sew patches onto their quilt, spending buttons and time. The player whose time token is furthest behind always plays: either buy one of the three patches following the neutral token, pay for it in buttons, sew it on and move forward by the time shown, or move just in front of the opponent and receive 1 button per space moved. Each button space you pass pays out the buttons sewn on your quilt, and the first to fill a 7 × 7 square takes the special tile. When both tokens reach the end, count your buttons, plus 7 for the tile, minus 2 per empty space: the highest score wins.
Checked against the official rules · October 2026
The rules, step by step
Setup
2 players, 9 × 9 quilt, 5 buttons each
- Two players. Each takes an empty 9 × 9 quilt board, a time token and 5 buttons; the other buttons form the supply.
- The time board goes in the middle, both tokens on the starting space; the 5 leather patches go on the marked spaces of the board, and the 7 × 7 special tile next to it.
- The 33 patches are laid out in a circle around the time board; the neutral token goes between the smallest patch (1 × 2) and the next one clockwise.
- The last player to have used a needle starts.
How to play
Furthest behind plays, Buy 1 of 3 patches, Or advance for buttons
- The player whose time token is furthest behind always plays: so you may take several turns in a row. If both tokens are on the same space, the one on top plays.
- On your turn, choose: advance and receive buttons, or buy and sew a patch.
- Advance: place your time token on the space just in front of your opponent’s, and receive 1 button per space moved.
- Buy: take one of the three patches following the neutral token clockwise, move the neutral token to its place, pay its price in buttons, sew it onto your quilt, rotated as you like but without overlapping another patch, then move your time token forward by the number of spaces shown on the patch.
- A token that stops on the other’s space goes on top of it.
- Each time your token passes or stops on a button space of the time board, you receive as many buttons as there are on the patches of your quilt.
- The first to pass or stop on a space marked with a leather patch takes it and sews it at once: it is a single-space patch.
Scoring
Buttons left, Special tile +7, Empty space −2
- At the end of the game, each player counts their buttons and adds 7 points if they have the special tile.
- Subtract 2 points per empty space on your quilt.
- The special tile goes to the first player to completely cover a 7 × 7 square on their quilt.
- Example from the rulebook: 14 buttons, the special tile and 5 empty spaces make 14 + 7 − 10 = 11 points; 18 buttons and 2 empty spaces make 14 points.
- In Marquoir, the sheet has three rows: enter your buttons, the number of empty spaces (2 points off each) and the special tile (7 points); the counter adds it all up.
End of the game
Last space reached, Tie: first to arrive
- The game ends when both time tokens have reached the last space of the time board. A token that would go further stops there, and you are only paid for the spaces actually moved.
- The highest score wins. In a tie, victory goes to whoever reached the final space before the other player.
House rules and pitfalls
An empty space costs two points: nine holes are enough to wipe out eighteen hard-earned buttons.
- An empty space costs two points: nine holes are enough to wipe out eighteen hard-earned buttons.
- Time is the real resource: everyone ends up passing every button space, but a slow patch leaves fewer turns for sewing.
Going further
Frequently asked questions · Rules on video · In the same family
Frequently asked questions
How do you move along the time track?
When you buy a patch, you move your token forward by the number of spaces shown on its label; when you choose to advance, you move just in front of your opponent. Whoever is furthest behind plays next: so you can take several turns in a row.
How do you pay for patches?
In buttons, the game’s currency. You can only buy one of the three patches just after the neutral token, and that token takes the place of the patch you bought.
How do you earn buttons?
By passing or stopping on the button spaces of the time board: you then receive as many buttons as appear on the patches already sewn. Advancing in front of your opponent also earns 1 button per space.
What are the small leather patches for?
The first player to pass or stop on a space marked with a leather patch takes it and sews it straight onto their quilt: it is the only single-space patch, ideal for filling an isolated hole.
How do you score at the end?
Your buttons, plus 7 points for the special tile if you have it, minus 2 points per empty space on your quilt. The highest total wins; in a tie, whoever reached the final space before the other player.
Do you have to buy a patch on your turn?
No: instead you can move your token to just in front of your opponent’s and collect 1 button per space moved. Useful when nothing fits, or when you are short of buttons.
Rules on video
Videos in French, hosted on YouTube.