How to Play Patchwork: Time Track, Buttons & Scoring
Patchwork is a two-player tile-placement game where turn order is controlled by a shared time track. On your turn, either advance to collect buttons or buy one of the next three available patches, place it on your quilt, and move forward by its time cost. The game ends when both players reach the final time-space; score leftover buttons, the 7×7 bonus if earned, and subtract points for empty quilt spaces.
Researched rules guide. Checked September 15, 2026 against Lookout Games’ 2025 Revised Edition rules. The Revised Edition keeps the established Patchwork rules while updating presentation. This page covers the standard two-player game. Automa solo play uses a separate deck and rulebook. No hands-on testing is claimed. Editorial standards.
On this page: Set up the patch ring · Determine who acts next · Advance for buttons · Buy and place a patch · Resolve income and special patches · Earn the 7×7 bonus · Finish and score
Set up the time board, quilt boards and patch ring
Each player takes one quilt board, one time token and 5 buttons. Place both time tokens on the starting space of the time board.
Arrange the 33 regular patches in a circle around the time board. Find the smallest 1×2 patch and place the neutral token between that patch and the next patch clockwise.
Place the five special 1×1 patches on their marked spaces on the time board and set the 7-point special tile nearby.
The player furthest behind takes the next turn
Patchwork does not use strict alternating turns. The player whose time token is furthest behind on the time board acts next.
If both tokens are on the same space, the token on top acts next. Because of this rule, one player can take multiple turns in a row.
On each turn, choose exactly one of two actions: Advance and Receive Buttons or Take and Place a Patch.
Advance to the space immediately ahead of your opponent
If you choose Advance and Receive Buttons, move your time token so it occupies the first space directly ahead of your opponent’s time token.
Gain 1 button for each space actually moved. If the opponent is already at the end of the track, you move only as far as the final space and gain buttons only for the spaces you actually travel.
Passing this way can be useful when the available patches are too expensive or when you want to rebuild your button supply.
You may buy only one of the next three patches
Count clockwise from the neutral token. Only the next three regular patches are available for purchase.
To buy one:
- Choose one of those three patches.
- Move the neutral token to the chosen patch’s former position.
- Pay the patch’s button cost.
- Place the patch on your quilt board without overlap and entirely inside the grid. You may rotate or flip it.
- Advance your time token by the patch’s printed time cost.
You must be able to afford the patch before buying it. Button income gained later from crossing an income marker cannot retroactively pay the purchase cost.
Crossing marked spaces can trigger income or a special patch
Whenever your time token moves onto or past a marked event space, resolve the event.
Button income: gain buttons equal to the total number of button-income symbols printed on patches already in your quilt.
Special patch: if the 1×1 patch on that space is still available, take it and place it on your quilt immediately. These are the only normal pieces that fill exactly one square.
If a move crosses more than one marked space, resolve every event crossed in order.
The first completed 7×7 square earns 7 points
The first player to completely fill at least one 7×7 square area on their quilt receives the special tile worth 7 points.
The square can be any 7×7 region within the 9×9 quilt board. Once one player takes the special tile, the other player cannot earn it later.
Patches do not need to touch one another
A newly placed patch only needs to fit completely inside the quilt board and avoid overlap. It does not need to touch an existing patch.
You may rotate or flip patches before placing them. Once placed, a patch remains in that position for the rest of the game.
The game ends when both time tokens reach the final space
If an action would move your token beyond the last space, stop on the final space instead.
When both players have reached the end, calculate:
- Start with the number of buttons you have left.
- Add 7 points if you own the special 7×7 tile.
- Subtract 2 points for every empty square on your quilt board.
The higher score wins. If tied, the player who reached the final time-space first wins.
Common Patchwork rules mistakes
- Alternating turns automatically: the player furthest behind acts next.
- Buying any patch in the ring: only the next three clockwise from the neutral token are available.
- Using future income to afford a patch: pay before resolving events crossed by the patch’s time movement.
- Requiring patches to touch: adjacency is not required.
- Ignoring empty-space penalties: every uncovered quilt square is worth −2 points at the end.
Continue learning Patchwork
- Patchwork game guide and edition notes
- Patchwork strategy: patch efficiency, income, tempo and layout planning
- Compare other two-player board games
- Kingdomino for another spatial tile puzzle with a shared draft.
Sources and scope
Checked September 15, 2026. This page covers the standard two-player game. Patchwork Automa, Patchwork Express and Patchwork Doodle use separate rules.