Favorite Games: The Art of Chill

I spend a lot of time on my blog talking about and providing content for Dungeons and Dragons. I do actually play other games though. So I thought it was time to post about a few of the ones I play the most often and maybe get others to give them a try! I’m going to start with my favorite. 

The Art of Chill

Bob Ross - The Art of Chill

Bob Ross was a painter and host of an art-instruction program called The Joy of Painting (1983 to 1994) that originally aired on PBS. In each half-hour episode, Bob completed a painting all the while providing instructions, tips, and life advice in a soft, friendly voice. Watching an episode is like slipping into a meditative state where a “charming cabin” lazes about with “happy little trees” beneath “fluffy clouds.” A state where, “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.”

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Since his death, Bob, his work, and his quotes have experienced a resurgence of pop culture popularity. Twitch kicked off its Creative channel with a Bob Ross marathon (and there’s an official Bob Ross channel there). There’s also the official YouTube channel. Streaming services such as Netflix have added episodes to their library. References and call-backs to Bob are all over social media; Wil Wheaton’s Instagram has many a Bob-Ross inspired painting on it and YouTuber Jenna Marbles tried her hand at the Bob Ross technique. Even the good (?) people at 20th Century Fox summoned an irreverent likeness to push the second Deadpool movie that is a work of art all its own. The official website continues to offer courses and painting supplies. And there's the merchandise--so much merch--that can be found at just about any store. I myself own a t-shirt, a Pop!, and a Chia-pet.

Bob Ross Chia...

Given all of this, it should be no surprise that there is a Bob Ross board game call The Art of Chill.

Summary

Chilling with Bob and Making a Painting

This four-player game is by far one of my favorites. It’s fairly simple, goes pretty quickly, and is, not surprisingly, super chill. I like to break out this game after playing a more complex or intense game, when game night is winding down, or when the game is a side activity for conversation, snacking, or a little drinking. The players must complete a painting to earn Chill Points on a Chill Meter. Each painting is composed of three or four features, such as fluffy clouds or wondrous water. The first player to fill their Chill meter wins the game. 

The Paintings

No actual painting takes place. (And you never have to "beat the devil" out of a brush.) Instead, you complete a feature by collecting supply cards with the correct colors, “applying” those colors to your pallet, and then “painting” the feature with the correct tool, such as a two-inch brush or fan brush. 

Paint, Paint, Paint

Of course, Bob is painting with you. If you complete a feature before Bob does, you get extra Chill Points. But if he completes the feature first, the extra points are no longer awarded. He's a stinker that way.

Bob's About to Finish the Wondrous Water

When someone, including Bob, completes all the features of a painting, that painting is done. You remove the painting from the easel and slide in the next one. A typical game goes through three or four paintings and takes about 30 minutes once you get the hang of it.

Mechanics

This is a turn-based game. Each player starts with three supply cards. Bob’s progress is tracked on the easel with a Bob-Ross token. 

The Bob Token on the Painting Track

At the start of their turn, a player rolls the Chill Die and plays out the result, such as drawing an extra supply card or placing a color on their pallet.

The Chill Die

One of the faces on the die has a stylized Bob-Ross head on it. When this comes up, the player draws a Chill card. These cards have events that take place immediately or last until the next Chill card is drawn. Unless the card says otherwise, every time a Chill card is drawn the Bob-Ross token advances one space on the painting track.

Nothing to Do Here, Bob's Just Chilling

Once the Chill card is resolved, players take up to three actions, such as drawing a supply card, clearing their pallet, applying a color to their pallet, or painting a feature. After the player completes these actions, it’s the next player’s turn.

The general mechanics for painting a feature is pretty straight forward. You must first collect the colors needed for that feature (as indicated on the painting) by drawing supply cards. You must also acquire the correct tool to paint the feature (also indicated on the painting). You then apply and mix those colors to your pallet (kind of like real life painting) by placing the color cards on the pallet. When you’re ready, you announce that you’re painting a feature by removing the color cards from your pallet, and discarding them and the tool card. You then collect your Chill Points and advance your marker on the Chill Meter.

The game offers several ways to earn bonus Chill Points, which help immensely in keeping the game fun and unpredictable. The first and second players to complete a feature earn bonus points. Finishing a feature before Bob earns bonus points. Players can also use their supply cards to purchase technique cards for a specific color or tool; when you complete a feature using that color or tool you also get bonus bonus points.

Pros

• The game offers enough ways to earn Chill Points to keep things fresh.
• It’s quick to learn and quick to play without being boring or dull.
• It’s a good “relaxation” game as even though you are competing against each other you are not actively “attacking” other players. You’re simply trying to paint a picture.
• The artwork is fun to look at and the Chill Cards are entertaining.
• There’s a nostalgia factor.
• It’s Bob Ross.

Cons

• There are only 30 paintings in total. “Repeats” do come up once in a while (we shuffle them before putting one on the easel). And though it doesn’t really matter, it would be nice if they published more of the paintings as an expansion pack.
• Nothing else. No seriously. In my mind, that is the only bad thing about this game and even that is not really that bad.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. My first tabletop game review that has nothing to do with Dungeons and Dragons. If there is interest in more of these, I’ll certainly write them up. I am planning on doing a write of Evolution and Catan - Star Trek Edition if all goes well and my life doesn’t get turned upside down by some unforeseen negative reality inversion. Knock on wood.

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