Cat Sudoku Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal
• Components
• Setup
• Game Start
• Turn
• Game End and Scoring

Goal

Complete a Sudoku puzzle by writing numbers (1-6) in the boxes, avoiding number placements that result in point deductions. The player with the highest score (i.e., the lowest number of deducted points) wins.

Components

• Sudoku puzzle book
• Four six-sided dice
• Rulebook

Setup

1. Each player takes a Sudoku puzzle sheet and writes his/her name on it. All players must choose a puzzle with the same difficulty level. Spring (Level 1) is the easiest, Summer and Autumn (Level 2) are more difficult, and Winter (Level 3) is the most difficult.
2. Cut the Wild Counter from the top of one of the puzzle sheets (only one Wild Counter is required per game).
3. All players take a pen or pencil (not included in the game).

Game Start

The player who played Sudoku most recently starts by rolling all four dice. All players write the numbers in any four of the starting spaces (the spaces containing circles), one number per space.

Turn

After the starting player's turn, play resumes with the next player. Players take turns in a clockwise direction.

To start the turn, the active player takes the Wild Counter and rolls all four dice. The player then chooses one number and crosses off one of the corresponding boxes on the Wild Counter. This number is wild for the rest of the turn.

• If the number appears on one die, the player can cross off a box in first row. If the number appears on two or more dice, the player can cross off a box in the first or second row. Example: If the roll is 1, 1, 2, 3, the player can cross off any one of the boxes highlighted in the image on the right.
• There are three blank columns. The player can assign any number to a blank by writing in that number.

Note: If the player can't cross off a box, there is no wild for this turn.

Next, ALL PLAYERS write all four numbers (including any wilds) on their sheets, one number per space.

• For wilds, players can write any number. Example: If the roll was 1, 1, 1, 2, and 1 is wild, players may write any three numbers, such as 1, 2, and 6, instead of three 1s.
• In traditional Sudoku, a number can't repeat in the same row or column. In Cat Sudoku, numbers can repeat in separate row and column segments. The example at the bottom shows two 4s in two segments of the same row. This is allowed in Cat Sudoku.

After players write their numbers, the active player's turn ends. Players cannot change or erase numbers in future turns. At the end of the turn, check the following:

• If a player has more empty spaces than other players, the player receives -3 points for every empty space. The player records this penalty on his/her sheet and immediately rolls that many dice to fill empty spaces.
• If a player has more completed spaces than others, the player receives -3 points for every extra space completed. The player records this penalty on his/her sheet. In the next turn, the player fills in only enough spaces to get back in sync with the other players.

If the game doesn't end (see below), the active player passes the Wild Counter and dice to the next player, and a new turn begins.

Game End and Scoring

The game ends immediately when players have completed their Sudoku puzzles at end of a turn. Players then pass their puzzles to their right for checking and scoring. Each player starts with a score of 100 and has points deducted for these penalties:

• Duplicate numbers. Circle all duplicates in a row or column segment. Every circle is -2 points.
• Repeating diagonal numbers. Circle all repeating numbers in two or more adjacent diagonal spaces. Deductions are -2 for every set of two, -5 for every set of three, and -10 for every set of four.
• Others. Note any penalty from the end of a turn in which a player had more/fewer empty spaces than others did.

The player with highest score after deductions wins. In the event of a tie, players share the victory.