The nights are drawing in and the weather has been feeling rather chilly and miserable lately, meaning only one thing; it’s the season for cosy games and blankets!
Reduced daylight hours can be quite depressing, but this year I’m going to attempt to see Autumn as an opportunity to rediscover activities that I haven’t had time for throughout Summer – playing games being one of them (and writing about them of course).
So here are my top 5 cosy games for Autumn that I think you should try!
Quacks of Quedlinburg
In Quacks, you play as quack surgeons, creating magical potions to cure all types of ailments, such as homesickness, love problems, hiccups or even smelly feet. The city of Quedlinburg holds a 9 day bazaar within its city walls and welcomes all doctors and potion masters and challenges them to create the most powerful remedies around.
During the game, players draw from their ingredient bags different coloured chips and add them to their cauldrons, in an attempt to create the best potion.The better the potion, the more coins you’ll get to buy superior ingredients, but be careful, a few too many added could make your potion bubble over and explode!
Quacks of Quedlinburg is the perfect push your luck game and it brings high entertainment value when you witness another player’s potions explode; especially when they thought they had it down. The artwork is beautiful and gameplay is simple and laid back, while also having good replayability value. Pop some “tavern background music” on while you play, grab a cuppa, and you’ll feel like you’re in a whole new cosy world.
Canvas
In Canvas, you play as a painter competing in a prestigious art festival. Over the course of the game, you collect transparent Art Cards and layer them on top of each other to create eye-catching paintings.
Depending on the cards you choose and the order that you place them, you will reveal or cover icons that trigger various scoring conditions, based on a painting’s emphasis, composition, variety and more. Each card combination creates a fun, unique illustration and title for your painting and it’s always interesting to see what your fellow painting players have come up with.
Canvas has a very relaxed gameplay style, and it’s a game that can be out on the table during the day that you can dip in and out of. Ideal if you’re cooking dinner in between turns, or making another hot chocolate.
Azul
In Azul, you play as a tile laying artist, ordered to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora, with beautifully designed ceramic tiles.
On your turn, select tiles from a factory in the centre of the table, and place them on your player board. Each player board is set out with the same design options, but it is for each player to decide what patterns to portray, by filling each row with tile colours of your choice. You score points by laying the tiles in horizontal and vertical lines and gain bonus points if you lay five tiles of the same colour in your completed designs.
Azul is the definition of board game beauty. The tiles in this game are absolutely stunning, and make a very satisfying sound when they’re drawn from the bag. The game gives you the chance to play your own chilled story, or allows you to mess with other players’ tile placements in a more menacing approach. Either way, this is definitely a cosy game recommendation of mine (the coloured tiles definitely offset the grey weather too!).
Tsuro
In Tsuro, you play using dragon stones, building paths that begin at the edge of the board and travel around the interior. The aim is simple, to keep your dragon stone marker on the board for as long as possible and avoid getting caught up in other player’s pathways which could potentially knock you off.
Tsuro is a super simple game to understand and a great intro for children or non gamers to the board game world. Players have three route tiles in their hands, all depicting different lined routes, and once laid onto the board, players will move their dragon stones along that route.
This game does take some forward planning if you want to outlast your opponents, be certain on your direction before laying the tiles, as some could take you on an unwanted path straight off the board and out of the game. Even the rulebook for this game is beautiful, definitely worth checking out.
Love Letter
In the game, you play as a suitor, trying to get your love letter to Princess Annette. Unfortunately, she’s locked herself away in the palace after the arrest of Queen Marianna for high treason, so you must rely on intermediaries to carry your message.
During the game, you hold one secret card in your hand; this is who currently carries your message of love for the Princess. A word of warning, the people of the city of Tempest are sneaky and sometimes deceitful. You’re playing against all other players at the table; intercept the other suitors to ensure your letter gets to the Princess first.
Love Letter is a game of risk, deduction, and sometimes plain luck. Who will get to the princess first? Will it be the handmaid, the baron, or perhaps the priest? This game has excellent replayability and what may have started as a simple warm up game, has actually become the main event that you’ll want to return to at every opportunity.
Love Letter is also a perfect size (no bigger than a deck of standard cards), meaning it can be taken out on Autumn adventures, perhaps down to the pub or carvery.
Conclusion
Autumn is the time of year where you can wind down after the craziness of Summer, and start looking forward to the recuperation and relaxation the colder months can bring. There’s nothing better than setting up a cosy and welcoming game that everyone can enjoy, complete with good chats and hot beverages. Happy Autumn all!
