The cutest game I’ve ever wanted to flip the table playing

I saw the Calico box, and I had to have the game. 

I didn’t look at reviews, I didn’t think too much about how it would play — I just bought it for the adorable curled-up kitty on the front. 

I mean, how bad could it be? It was about quilting and cats. I love cats. I love quilts (even though that is one craft project I don’t do; I leave the quilts to my sister.)

There were cute tokens and a fun theme. The art was bright and cheery.

I didn’t understand the rage that such adorableness would inspire in me. Blind, crawling, and potentially violent rage. 

Felicia, surely not, you say.

How could such a fluffy and teeth-achingly-sweet-looking game inspire you to want to flip your very heavy gaming table? 

Simple. My husband takes every piece I need before I can get to it. 

For those unfamiliar with the game, Calico is a tile-laying board game designed by Kevin Russ and published by Flatout Games. It’s a strategic game where players aim to create the coziest and most aesthetically pleasing quilt by placing colorful hexagonal fabric tiles on their own boards. 

The main objective of Calico is to score the most points by creating specific patterns and attracting cats to your quilt. To maximize points, you must plan and carefully place tiles.

And when you play it with two players, it is as viscous and cutthroat as any game I’ve brought to my table. 

And I still love it. I imagine it is a little like golf; I know I’m going to be frustrated, but I still play. 

Anyone with a cat in their home knows they are capricious and occasionally cruel. They like to play with their victims, and they have no mercy. So it seems like the 2-player version of this game is pretty on cat-brand. 

(I will note that playing with more players is slightly less vicious. You still don’t always get that perfect tile that came out of the bag, but it feels less like a personal affront from the other player.)

Since I love it, I had to make it even prettier. The base game is already great—do not get me wrong. 

But I found even more gorgeousness on Etsy. 

I replaced my cardboard hexagons with laser-etched acrylic tiles and tokens. You can find the set I purchased here, at LaserLand’s Etsy store. 

The upgraded tiles are pretty, and the translucent acrylic makes your quilts look like pretty stained-glass projects. (This reminds me of one of my other favorite games, Sagrada.)

The gorgeous quilts you can make will soothe your rage and frustration, at least a little bit. 

For the record, I have never flipped the table during a game, nor was my husband harmed in the research for this post. Threatened lovingly a few times but not harmed.