Calico in about 3 minutes

Calico in about 3 minutes
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Designer,Kevin Russ,
Artist,Beth Sobel,
Publisher,Flatout Games
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2...
3 minute board games theme Music by Vic Granell
"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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"Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act
1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
Sound effects from www.zapsplat.com
3 minute board games are J Carmichael and S Rodgers

[@3MBG]

I love me a good thematic game, but if you are going to make an abstract i like them like this. A cute veneer over mean gameplay. Things like Calico, noctiluca and azul that really hurt the brain. Calico was an instant hit with me and moved straight into the permanent collection after 2 games. It's also been a game i've played multiple times after finishing up this review, so you know its good :) Simple, tight, brain hurty, not much more to say about it. Oh, asides from i still have to play cascasdia and i know people compare the two a lot.

[@melski9205]

@@tigriscallidus4477 Yes, they are. I am worried that the Casciada expansion is going to make it too similar to this game too. Be interesting to see.

[@kirstenlunde]

I'm the opposite in that I've played Cascadia but not Calico. I suspect Calico would be too triggering for my AP and therefore stressful. I really look forward to hearing what you think about Cascadia. My guess you'll find it a very different vibe, much more forgiving and relaxing. But it's great to be able to pick the one that fits your mood. Flatout has done an awesome job. Ooh and I love Isle of Cats, which is another great shout. As usual, an excellent 3MBG. 😊

[@dinahfromkabalor]

Cascadia is the 'beer & pretzels but still intellectually satisfying' sister to Verdant's middle ground and Calico's brain bend. Definitely try Cascadia; it is pleasing and fills a good spot in a collection.

[@blueseqperl]

I love Calico. I find that you just have to come to terms that you will never completely optimize your score, but will have a sweet quilt with kitties and buttons.

[@3MBG]

Every time i try to get all 3 objectives, and every time i fail. SO MEAN.

[@ormhaxan]

@@3MBG I've once completed three objectives with the gold score. Blissful moment. I guess that game had no hate drafting.

[@amieridley1150]

So so mean for a completionist! But also very satisfying if you can complete any of those objective tiles with both colour and pattern

[@dinahfromkabalor]

Yes, indeed, that's Calico in a nutshell! Great soothing theme for a game that slowly turns up the heat on your brain until it's melting by the end. Excellent fun!

[@Tapio_Tachyon]

Love Calico. There's something about the simplicity of the rules combined with the tightness of the puzzle that really works. I still think its the best one of the Calico-Cascadia-Verdant -triplet

[@tbahr123]

Calico is great! I did have one bad two player game where my wife and I basically only picked from a single pile and I was consistently denied tiles I wanted, but with three and four players there’s usually enough rotation of the tiles available that that doesn’t happen

[@amieridley1150]

We found 2 players got a bit tricky with tiles too. So we house rule it with 2 players that the tiles are in an order and after each player has a turn then the first tile gets discarded - it helps to run through more tiles as well.

[@sarahreed-eurogamergirl]

Perfect encapsulation, as always! Calico is a game that I enjoy, but can't play often due to how much it hurts my head and frustrates me. 😅 Of the trilogy (Cascadia, Calico and Verdant), Verdant is my favorite. It's the sweet spot for me between the other two. More complex, but less sprawling than Cascadia. Good choices, but less brain burning than Calico.

[@3MBG]

Verdant is the one i don't have, lol

[@sarahreed-eurogamergirl]

@@3MBG Ah, hope you get to try it sometime.

[@bobstars1000]

Thanks!

[@3MBG]

Thank you very much!

[@Lunartic128]

Insert the usual "play Cascadia" comment here. Jokes aside, I heard about Calico and Cascadia around the same time, but decided to fill the hexagonal tile shaped niche in my collection with the latter. I love a good migraine in a box, but I would be hard pressed to get my friends to play Calico more than once. Cascadia has a really good complexity slider built-in. I can use simpler objectives with my friends, and complicated ones when I play solo. I do have one thing to say about Cascadia that seems to apply to Calico as well: you can't hate draft, at least not easily or effectively. This is not an issue for me when I play Cascadia, and it's actually a pro for my group. If the tile you wanted gets taken, it probably wasn't intentional. You have to put so much focus on your own board that only the most hardcore players can look at what the others are doing, and there's a good chance a tile you want will be drawn later anyway. This is not a con for me because I already have a tile-laying game with a serious case of hate drafting, Azul. I've spent way too long poring over those factory discs muttering "I take this, they take that, or I take this..."

[@melski9205]

I've been surprised how many people have mentioned Azul when looking at this game. I've never put the two next to each other, your comments are an excellent summary of why. Nice comment.

[@maximilliansantiago5208]

This is purrely** for humor) I personally think that it is a much more complex game. When you want Coconut on the band of stripped tiles that are all in a unique shape but instead, if you lay down one yellow in the same spot then you'll get the last button you need to get the rainbow button but if instead the pattern of the tile is changed fern leafs then you will get the full bonus for the pattern tile then you wont even need Coconut's love and you can simply enjoy the tapestry of your sweat and tears but then it all comes to a hault when the single tile youve been needing the entire game gets casually drafted by the newest player at the table because they like the color purple...

[@3MBG]

Ha, you arent wrong though. The thinking patterns can get pretty complex, while the rules are still simple

[@brucebush5744]

I bounced off this one pretty hard. Brain burn, followed by brain burn, followed by complete luck of the draw to determine whether or not that brain burn was worthwhile. Also far too solitary. Much prefer Azul/Azul SP or Akropolis for this sort of thing. But it’s still a cute and clever design, and it’d be boring if we all liked the same thing.

[@3MBG]

I guess i dotn need much human interaction on this one as it moves quickly and the puzzle has my brain focused. But yeah, asides from hate drafting, there isnt any real interaction.

[@cat86581]

Calico! It's one of my favourites when it comes to solo mode. I know I'm going to be in the minority, but I prefer calico over cascadia.

[@m-sousa]

"And it's a pretty simple game" yeah right... xD I got this game explained in a convention and the explainer had to explain me 3 times the scoring tiles for me to get it. Half way through I was confused again and couldn't understand how the heck the tiles score with the AAA-BBB thing. And it is not like I don't play rules convoluted games; this one was just hard to visualise it. I think I only understood it now when I saw your video example. At the same time I think I will forget it the next time I give the game a try xD I felt Calico to be much more restrict than Azul, making you sweat more for the proper pieces to pick. I like it, but I still need to play it more to make my head around it

[@FMCookies]

Cool! A fellow Kiwi

[@3MBG]

Extremely so. (Born and grew up in the TRON)

[@melski9205]

I am one of those who find it too frustrating. Give me Cascadia anytime over this, doesn't help that I hate cats too. Strangely despite the similar ideas (minus the claustrophobic board) I find Cascadia actually relaxing, fun to play and pretty. Surprised you didn't mention it in the alternatives these two are often pitted against each other.

[@3MBG]

See pinned comment. Cascadia is still on the "too play" shelf

[@ormhaxan]

It's the opposite to me. I feel nothing when playing Cascadia. It just lacks the delightful agony of Calico.

[@aidansayles2543]

Love this game! What was the other cat game?

[@3MBG]

Isle of cats

[@timoseppa9124]

Frustrating = zero interest

[@3MBG]

I thought you might like a challenge.