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Well the weather outside is turning frightful, and whilst the fire may not yet be delightful it's certainly turning towards Cosy season - so I asked some of my fellow bloggers what their favourite Cosy Comfort Game or games were.
Creature Comforts: Steve Gibney
If you’re looking for a cosy game, what better than one that has you competing to build the most comfortable home in preparation for winter? Enter Creature Comforts, a classic in the anthropomorphic animal genre of games. Players take on the role of woodland creatures working to gather resources through worker placement. Each turn a player must place workers throughout valley locations and, after rolling several sets of dice,
collecting resources such as rocks, wool and mushrooms. Then players can construct items to deck out their homes ready for the coming winter. Then, when winter arrives, the player with the most valuable items, and more importantly the cosiest home, wins. The adorable artwork of Creature Comforts is visually charming and the comforts that you build are things that, come winter, I would want in my own home. The game also lacks any form of aggression, and while players are competing against one another, it’s rare that ever leads to much disagreement. The worst thing that can happen is someone takes a comfort card that you wanted, to which my response is usually “I guess I’ll have to build some other equally adorable item of clothing or delicious food”. This combination of theme, aesthetic and gameplay make it a great game to snuggle up with, alongside all a hot drink, snack food and some good company.
A selection of Fireside Games: RogerBW
What makes a cosy game? Long familiarity is a big part of it: it’s that game that carries with it a freight of memories from other plays. But everyone’s experience differs, so I think the trick may be to choose a game that lends itself to repeated plays over a long period, which will then become your cosy game. Straightforwardness is one goal: you should be able to get started quickly and bring in new players with a minimum of fuss. Rules shouldn’t have too many special cases. At the same time there should be enough complexity that the game won’t be all used up after ten or twenty plays.
Attractive components also help: the game might play as well with brown pieces on a beige board, but everyone appreciates the card art and cloth table of Courtisans or the colour-on-black tiles of Ingenious.
Flash Point Fire Rescue was one of the first modern games I bought, but it’s stuck with me because of the variety of maps and player powers (and because I 3d-printed my own fire and smoke markers to add some visual appeal).
Sea Salt & Paper is my newest cosy game: it grabs attention with its origami-based art, and everyone groans when they have to give up a penguin, but it’s also fun to play even for a novice against experienced players.
And Qwirkle is straightforward enough to teach in a couple of minutes, but even in a first game players will start to see tricks to try and traps to avoid. This is probably one to learn with a partner rather than playing across experience levels, but it could be a cosy game for a whole group.
Calico: Favouritefoe
Cats, quilts…this is already sounding epically cosy. Calico is a brilliant and versatile game, and not just for cat lovers. This game is an abstract, tile laying, strategic spatial puzzle which makes me simultaneously happier and crazier than a kitten in a catnip factory. Each turn you draw a tile from the market and place one of the two in your hand into your dual layered quilt board. The three integrated scoring objectives are spatial and based on the patterns and colours of the tiles placed around them. You can also earn bonus point scoring buttons if you co-ordinate your quilt well!
If you’re feeling warm and welcoming, you can play and win Calico by focussing on your own board. Drafting tiles and placing them where they will help the objectives on your own board to score maximally. If, however, you like scrapping like an alley cat, then you can hate draft you opponent back under their own blanket! I love the calm solo puzzle that Calico offers. And the campaign included in the rule book provides a great way to cover a lot of possible combinations of objectives. Whether playing multiplayer or on my own, I love sitting and crafting my own quilt – no bobbins or pins required!
Everdell Sophie Jones
When it’s cold and rainy outside, there’s always one game I reach for: Everdell. This delightful world of woodland critters is the perfect escape, best enjoyed with a cuppa and a plate of biscuits. The charming artwork and tree centrepiece bring the wonders of nature right to your table. Even if I can’t go hiking because of the weather, I can still explore the forest from the comfort of home, in fluffy socks.
Throughout the game, players take it in turn to gather resources, play critters and slowly build up their bustling village. Equipped with well made tokens, I love reaching for resin, wood, stone and the squishy berries! There’s so much to look at and enjoy which makes for an immersive experience.
At its core, Everdell is all about creating your tableau and finding the best synergies. With few opportunities to attack other players, the game maintains a calming atmosphere, free from conflict. You can focus on solving your own puzzle without worrying about interference from opponents. We sometimes use a house rule to remove the Fool card, eliminating the only negative card in the game. With expansions, you can crank up the challenge if youre seeking more complexity. But when I’m after that ultimate cosy feeling, I strip the game back, settle into the woodland, and build my critter empire with a pot of tea by my side.
Flamecraft: Percy Hartshorn
If you’re looking for a game to leave you feeling warm and fuzzy, look no further than Flamecraft. In this game, each player is a Flamekeeper, skilled in conversing with enchanting artisan dragons who assist the townsfolk with their magical flaming breath. The aim of the game is to be the Flamekeeper with the best reputation in town, by helping to entice these artisan dragons to help in the shops and gather fancy dragons with even greater abilities to come to your aid. The art in this game is adorable with over 100 unique dragons and shops to explore! Why not visit Critical Rolls or Draco Bell with Cinnabun and Wingnut and become the best Flamekeeper the town has ever seen? Flamecraft also comes with a solo mode, great for any regulars to town sims like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, looking to branch into shorter, offscreen games. Now that the days are getting shorter and the evenings cooler, Flamecraft is the perfect choice to fire up any cozy night in.
Wingspan: Emzie Hunt
Cozy games are a genre of board game that seems to be on the rise and with it now being autumn, the theme seems ever so more appealing now the weather is cold outside. But, what is a cozy game and how can you class a game as ‘cozy’? For me, a cozy game is a game you feel relaxed when playing. Some people class them as board games with a gentle theme and engaging presentation. Cozy games will vary from player to player dependent on what you enjoy playing.
For me, the game that I love to sit around with friends and play with a brew, all nice and cozy is: WINGSPAN.
Now, some of you may think, hang on a minute Emma, Wingspan requires a fair amount of strategy so, why are you classing it as a cozy game? I mean, it’s classed as an advanced game at my local board gaming café so, can it really be classed as a cozy game?
I guess it’s my cozy game because it is my favourite board game. I have played it so many times online and in real life that it’s become cozy to me because I enjoy playing it so much. It is like my comfort blanket. I know the strategies. I know the goal cards. I know the best combinations of bird cards but that’s because I have played it so many times.
My friends have a lovely set up for Wingspan. I would say it’s the coziest set up I have seen. When I play it around their house, they have the bird noises on and we have nice food and copious amounts of hot drinks. To me, that’s when I feel most cozy.
DC deckbuilding: Sam de Smith
And as for me? My cosy Comfort is our household staple: DC Deckbuilding. There are many, many versions and Expansions, and we have almost all of them. It's the game we'd sit down and play on Sunday mornings when it was quiet, it's a happy lockdown memories game, it can be competitive or cooperative (or both), that rare game where we can break out any incarnation and be guaranteed of a good time no matter what. It's an absolute comfort of familiar deckbuilding mechanics with a different twist each time, and that can all be mixed and matched as we see fit.
Do we want a race against time co-op? Time for a crisis mode. Fancy playing the Bad guys? Forever Evil. Want to assemble the ultimate team? Dark Knights Metal. Feeling extra duplicitous? Watchmen. Just want crazy knockabout fun? Teen titans, maybe with the Birds of Prey thrown in for good measure. It's accessible, challenging and infinity replayable. Roll on Justice League Dark! Sounds about right for spooky season...
Scooby Doo Cluedo: Rachael Duchovny
Red autumn leaves, decorated pumpkins on the porch, darker nights and an ice cool breeze. Halloween season is upon us, and what better way to cosy up in front of a warm log fire than with a bit of murder! Well it’s not quite murder in this child friendly version of the classic whodunnit ‘Cluedo’. Mrs White has a problem at her mansion. People keep getting abducted! She has sought the help of the famous Scooby gang to solve the mystery. Split up and search for clues to discover who was abducted, which room the dastardly deed took place in and the evidence left behind. Weapons used link to one of six famous monsters from the cartoon series. Could Scooby himself need ‘relp’ after being abducted in the Graveyard leaving behind nothing but the Witch Doctor’s Staff or was it Velma playing Mrs. Peacock who lost her glasses when abducted in the Kitchen leaving behind Redbeard’s Sword. Combining two of my favourite loves, the problem solving clue deduction game of Cluedo with my childhood favourite, Scooby Doo, this is a highly recommended reskin of the murder mystery board game. And, from ages 8 and up with up to 6 players competing to find the truth, it’s bound to be a firm family favourite.
