You can farm, trade, and conquer galaxies on your game table. Now you can stitch a tapestry too. Threaded: A Game of Needles and Points, designed by Ellie Dix and published by Osprey Games, puts 2-5 players in charge of competing needlecraft studios producing bargello tapestries. It releases on 21 April and is already generating buzz for its unusual theme and sharp gameplay.
Looking for board gamers near you? Browse local communities and find your next game night.
Find events near youEach round, players send assistants to the specialist thread shops and equipment stores in a tight worker-placement system, gathering coloured cubes and artisan tools. Those threads go onto canvas cards in specific patterns to complete commissions. The trick is that threads, once placed on a canvas, can only be removed when you finish the tapestry. That creates a real tension between hoarding materials and committing to a piece before someone else snaps up the commission you need.
Dix is no newcomer to the hobby. As founder of The Dark Imp, winner of Cardboard Edison's Blog of the Year, and the first recipient of Hasbro's Women Innovators of Play award, she has long championed accessible design. Threaded brings that philosophy to a theme rarely seen on game shelves. Illustrator Maria Surducan's bright artwork ties the whole package together.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeWargamer gave the game an 8 out of 10, praising the tactile wooden thread cubes while noting the game becomes "surprisingly tense" once the needles start sewing. The box contains 150 thread cubes, 86 cards, 20 assistant blocks, and a thread tower. At 30-45 minutes, it sits in that sweet spot for a weeknight session with friends. The game retails for around $50 / £40.
Sources: Wargamer | Osprey Games | Tabletop Games Blog
