Cat years
Cat years Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
1 Board, 8 Cat pieces, 4 Owner chips, 26 Heart chips, 1 Dice, 13 Item cards / Memory cards (EN), 1 Guidebook (EN).
Setup
1. Choose Your Cat and Owner
- The winner of Rock-Paper-Scissors picks first.
- Each player selects a Cat piece and an Owner piece and places them on the Start space.
Assign a Keeper
- Place the Heart chips and Item cards next to the Keeper.
- The Keeper acts as the "bank" for the game, handling all distribution and collection of hearts and items throughout play.
2. Let's play!
- Roll the dice and move your Cat piece forward by the number you roll. When you land on a square, read what happens there and follow the instructions.
- STOP squares are mandatory. You have to land on them, no skipping them.
Collect Lots of Hearts
- Hearts represent your happiness as a cat. Grab as many as you can.
- Item cards have hearts on them too.
- The hearts on cards cannot decrease or be lost.
Owner Piece Rules
- The Owner piece only advances when your Cat piece lands on a square with an event. Skip any story or event on the owner's square.
- The Owner piece can't move ahead of your Cat piece. It stops on the same square if it catches up.
Item Card Rules
- Each Item card exists only once. You can't collect a card if another player already has it.
- When an event on your square flips an Item card, it transforms into a Memory card.
End of the Game
- Once everyone reaches the goal, count up all your hearts from chips and cards.
- The cat with the most hearts takes it. But there's no real winning or losing in a cat's life. Everyone walks away with their own happiness.
Q&A
I lost the dice. What do I do?
Use the Cat Years Original Dice App, or substitute with a dice you have at home. Scan the QR code on page 2 of the guidebook to access the dice app.
Do the hearts on item cards and memory cards count toward the final score?
Yes. Count all the hearts showing on your cards.
In Kitten Season, when the cat piece and owner chips land on the same square, you get a heart chip as a gift. Do you get one in Senior Season too?
Only in Kitten Season.
What happens if another player has already collected an Item Card?
You cannot collect an Item Card that has already been taken by another player.
It makes me sad when my cat crosses the rainbow bridge.
The rainbow bridge isn't the end of the story. It's a "see you later," not goodbye.
Is this more about enjoying the story or playing the board game?
You can enjoy both. Play casually and focus on the game, or take your time with the story. It's a win-win!
Optional: Dice Rules for Enjoying the Story
For those who want to enjoy the story, the movement is set by the face of the rolled die:
- Roll a 1, 2, 3 or 4: move 1 space.
- Roll a 5: move 2 spaces.
- Roll a 6: move 3 spaces.
Optional: Simpler Play
- The Original Dice App is made just for Cat Years. Roll the dice and have fun, or keep your rolls to 3 or under if you want to take things slow and easy.
- Perfect if you've got just a few players and want a relaxing game.
Closing
The warm days you shared with your human. The way they looked at you, the times they were there beside you, treasure them. You walked through so many seasons together. Your cat life was full of happiness.