Beacon Patrol BGG ↗

My BGG Comment

The premise didn't quite hit with me: more tile laying. I have so many tile laying games. And the art didn't quite speak to me. But it came with a recommendation and I am so very glad I got this. I have only played solo but it is quite addictive a puzzle. It is it's very own thing of finding the next spot to place the tiles you have so that you can sail there with your boat. Because while you build up a nice "map" just like Carcassonne, you cannot just place tiles anywhere they fit, you have to place them where your boat is. And it moves with the tiles you place. I hear it also plays well as multiplayer. This is the type of "filler" game I can get behind. There is enough meat and thinky moments here that I can play multiple times in a row. Rating 8 2026 After 27 plays. This is a fun quick tile laying game that produces satisfying North Sea landscapes and interesting decisions consistently. This works fine at all player counts and even at playercounts higher than the game actually allows. It gets a bit chaotic then but who cares. It is a game though not an activity. I wouldn't want to play without the expansion boats anymore. Their unique abilities changes up the game play to make each game a little bit different. But the game is already very good without the expansion and it is definitely not a "needed" one. Rating 7

• 20 Best Cozy Games
• 2026: Yashima's Game Diary
  This is a fun quick tile laying game that produces satisfying North Sea landscapes and interesting decisions consistently. This works fine at all player counts and even at playercounts higher than the game actually allows. It gets a bit chaotic then but who cares. It is a game though not an activity. I wouldn't want to play without the expansion boats anymore. Their unique abilities changes up the game play to make each game a little bit different. But the game is already very good without the expansion and it is definitely not a "needed" one. * Player Count: 1 * My current rating: * Total Lifetime Plays: 24 * Rules Retention: Very good. Small ruleset. I have to look up each particular boat from the expansion * Keeper: Unique take on solo tile laying makes this a keeper. * Recommended: If you like Carcassonne but either wanted a solomode or something cooperative instead * Competition: Cascadia (tiles), Carcassonne (square tiles, area building)
• 50 Best Games played 5+ times
• Best Games to play with my partner
  This is cooperative and that is one of the major factors in getting to the table for the two of us.
• BGG 20 Coziest Tea Time Games (2024 Edition)
  This is like Dorfromantik only on the sea. No wait, this is like reverse cooperative Carcasonne. No wait, this is like a … super nice cooperative tile laying puzzle with enough flexibility in the puzzle to make it challenging and give you fun decisions but not overwhelming you with an endless decision space. Why it is cozy? * Tile laying is cozy by definition. Whose? Mine. * Cooperative games with low stakes are cozy * It plays quickly and has almost no tear down or setup * You build a nice landscape together * The art is kind of cute in its own way.
• My 50 favorite cooperative Games
• My Solo Games
• Yashima's 2025 Top 20 Solo Games
  This dropped with the number of plays but I still like the tile laying and pace of the solo a lot. Solo Plays 2025: 3 Ranking last year: 10
• Yashima's 2026 Top 20 Solo Games
• Yashima‘s 2024 Top 20 Solo Games
  A recent recommendation I ordered as an afterthought and here it almost made the Top 10. Incredible little tile placement game with a very elegant mechanism. The day I got it I played it 4 times in a row and I couldn‘t quite believe it. This is really a whole lot of fun in very few components and a very compact box. Can‘t wait for the expansion. Solo Plays 2024: 13 Ranking last year: - (new entry)

Owned Expansions

• Beacon Patrol: Discovery Tiles
• Beacon Patrol: Ships & Shores