Vases smashed, garbage bags ripped open, electrical cords chewed, bowls knocked over...

Cat'astrophes is a game where you play as a mischievous cat acting out on its chaotic instincts.

Components

• 6 individual cat cards
• 6 colored cubes
• 4x 16 playing cards
• 1 mischief scale (board)
• 1 first-player token
• 1 mischief token
• score tracker
• Instructions

Object of the Game

Despite your natural tendency to get into trouble, you'll need to be careful enough not to get caught red-pawed by your humans. Be careful: whoever is the best at getting off scot-free will win the game!

Setup

• Each player picks a cat card and takes the matching colored cube. They then place their cube on space 0 of the score tracker.

• The playing cards are divided into 4 sets of 16 cards each. The back of each set is of a different color. The draw pile must be made up of a number of sets equal to the number of players.
  
  If there are 4 players or more, use all the sets. Any unused sets are put back in the box.

• Shuffle the cards carefully and place the draw pile at the center of the play area, next to the mischief scale.

• Place the mischief token on space 0 of the punishment scale.

• Give the first-player piece to the youngest player (or to the biggest cat lover).

• Each player is dealt 5 cards out of the draw pile.

The Action Card

There are 3 types of cards: mischief, trick and cuddle.

Every card type has a different symbol in the top-left corner. Each card will increase or decrease the mischief score by the number of points in the top-right corner of the card. Cuddle cards are the only cards that can decrease the mischief score..

• 

  Mischiefs

  a cat's basic weapon.

  A mischief card will increase the score on the mischief scale by the number of points on the card. Careful: don't go too far or there'll be trouble!

  Every player who crosses a threshold on the mischief scale gets the corresponding number of punishment points (1,2 or 3) and moves forward on the score tracker.

• 

  Cuddles

  the ultimate way to get forgiveness from a human.

  A cuddle card will decrease the score on the mischief scale by the number of points on the card. Landing back on or falling below a threshold allows you to get rid of the corresponding number of punishment points (1 or 2). Note: Playing a cuddle card when the mischief token is on space 0 of the mischief scale is ineffective.

• 

  Tricks

  use them to strike first and get an innocent cat to take the blame.

  A trick card will increase the score on the mischief scale by the number of points on the card. Its strength lies in the fact that it takes effect before mischief and cuddle cards, effectively disrupting the order of play.

Card Examples

Game Play

Starting with the first player and moving clockwise, every player performs one of the following actions:

• Put a card face down in front of themselves;
• Put a card face down in front of another player;
• Take either one or two cards from the top of the draw pile.

Once every player has performed an action, all cards are turned over simultaneously and resolved clockwise, starting with the first player..

• There can only be one card in front of each player. If another player has already put a card in front of you, you only have two options left: you can either draw cards or put a card in front of another player.

• If you choose to draw cards, you cannot proceed to put a card down.

• If you have no cards left in hand, you must draw cards from the draw pile.

Resolving Cards

• Trick cards are resolved before any other card types, clockwise and always starting with the first player.

  
  
  

• Once every trick card has been resolved, players resolve mischief and cuddle cards, starting with the first player and moving clockwise.

  Each player moves the mischief token up or down the mischief scale according to the card in front of them. This can have three different outcomes:

• No threshold has been reached: you got away this time. Nothing happens.

• Because of a mischief or a trick card, your cat has either landed on or crossed a threshold (spaces 10,15 and 20). You get the matching number of punishment points (+1, +2 or +3). Your token moves forward the amount of points on the score tracker.

• Thanks to a cuddle card, your cat lands back on or goes below a threshold. You get rid of the matching number of punishment points (-1 or -2).

  It is impossible to get rid of 3 punishment points at once by going below the last threshold since the token must be moved back down to space 0 as soon as a player lands on space 20.

N.B.: When the token lands on space 20 (threshold) of the mischief scale, punishment points are handed out and the token is moved back down to space 0 at the bottom of the scale.

Any additional mischief points make the token move up the scale starting from space 0.

At the end of the round, all the cards played are discarded and the first-player token moves to the next player clockwise. Then the round starts again!

End of the Game

There are two ways a game can end:

• Either the draw pile has run out of cards;
• Or one of the cats has been really naughty and accumulated 20 punishment points!

If this happens, the game ends at the end of the current round.

If the draw pile has run out of cards, the action "draw cards" is no longer available: don't shuffle the discarded cards.

At the end of the game, players get punishments points for every mischief and trick card still in their hand. They must move their token forward on the score tracker by the total amount of points from the cards in their hand. Cuddle cards still in your hand do not, however, make you lose punishment points.

After the final count, the player with the lowest punishment score as shown by the score tracker wins.

Variation For Wild Cats

Apply the following rule to spice things up and make the game even sneakier players who cross a threshold not only get the corresponding amount of punishment points; they also get extra punishment points for each space over the threshold.

Example : Felix has a mischief card worth 2 points in front of him. The token on the mischief scale is on space 14. Felix will cross the threshold on square 15, which will earn him 2 punishment points.

However, since he lands 1 space above the threshold, he will get an extra punishment point. For a total of 3. Conversely, Jeremy plays a cuddle card worth 3 points and brings the mischief token back under the 15 threshold. He loses 2 punishment points and an extra 2 points.

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