Dice Cat and Fish Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Component
• Setup
• Goal of the Game
• Gameflow
• Fish Card Placement Rule
• Weekly Settings
• Fish Market
• Scoring
• Kitty Card Abilities
• Cat Teaser Card
• Source Notes

Component

• Fish Card × 30
• Last-week fish Card × 6
• Octopus Card × 6
• Cat Teaser Card × 14
• Kitty Card × 4
• Goal Card × 4
• Cat Dice × 20 (5 of each color)

Setup

1. Shuffle the Fish Cards, Octopus Cards, Cat Teaser Cards, and Last-week Fish Cards into four separate decks and place them to the left of the play area.
2. Place the 4 Goal Cards above the Fish Market; stack any cards showing the same icon.
3. Each player randomly chooses a color and takes all matching components: one Cat Card and five dice (two d4, one d6, one d12, one d20).
4. Each Cat Card has abilities printed on both sides—players choose one side to use for the entire game.

Goal of the Game

Each turn, players choose which cat dice to send out to snag fish. The player who assembles the highest-scoring catch of fish wins!

Gameflow

1. All players hold their five cat dice in their left hand.
2. Each player secretly chooses any number of dice to send that day and holds them in their right hand. You may choose to send none—but on Octopus Day, every player must send at least one die, so be sure to reserve at least one die until then.
3. After a three-second countdown, all players simultaneously roll the dice in their right hand.
4. Compare totals: the highest roller picks first, the second-highest picks second, each taking one Fish Card. If the top total is at least twice the second-highest, that player takes both Fish Cards. On Octopus Day, instead the lowest roller takes the Octopus Card. In case of ties, tied players re-roll only their dice to break the tie.
5. Among players who rolled at least one die this turn, the lowest roller who didn't earn a card draws one Cat Teaser Card.
6. Place all dice you rolled face-up on your Cat Card—they remain there until the end of the week and cannot be reused.
7. After four days, retrieve all spent dice back into your left hand and begin the next week at step 1.
8. When you have completed six weeks and all decks are exhausted, the game ends.

Fish Card Placement Rule

1. When you gain a Fish Card, you may choose to attach it to an existing fish. If you opt not to, it becomes a new, standalone fish that can no longer be moved.
2. A fish that already has both a head and a tail is considered complete—you may not add any more cards to it.
3. Each fish can hold up to 5 cards. Once it has 5, you cannot add any further cards (five cards does not automatically mean the fish is complete).
4. When you take an Octopus Card, if you have any fish into which it legally fits, you must attach it. If more than one fish qualifies, you choose which one.

Example: When Xiaohua draws an Octopus Leg and one of her existing fish can accept it, she must attach it to that fish—she cannot place it as a new, standalone fish.

5. When you gain a Fish Card and you have any incomplete fish that currently shows an octopus head or tentacle where that card can go, you must attach the card to one such fish. If multiple fish qualify, you choose which one.

Example: When Xiaocun takes a Fish Card, there's one of their fish with an octopus head can accept it, he must attach it to that fish.

6. Shells always stand alone and cannot be added to any fish or octopus.
7. As soon as you meet a Goal's requirements, immediately claim its Goal Card. If completing your third standard fish triggers a goal, take the highest-value available Goal Card.

Weekly Settings

The game lasts six weeks, with each week having four days. In the final week, use the "Last-week Fish" deck in place of the regular Fish deck.

1. Reveal one Octopus Card and roll any d4. Place that Octopus Card face-up on the day corresponding to the number you rolled—this is now "Octopus Day."
2. For each of the remaining days that week, draw and place two Fish Cards.

The day an Octopus Card is placed is called "Octopus Day."

For example: during the weekly setup you roll the d4 and get a 3, so Day 3 becomes Octopus Day. Place the Octopus Card on the third day, then fill each of the other days with two Fish Cards.

Fish Market

The Fish Market is laid out in four days (Day 1 to Day 4). Each day holds two Fish Cards, and the day marked by an Octopus Card is Octopus Day.

Scoring

After Week 6 (or when all decks are exhausted), each player totals their points as follows:

1. Fish. Score each fish individually using:

   Head × (Body1 + Body2 + …) × Tail

   If a fish is missing one of these parts, omit that factor and calculate using the remaining parts.

2. Shell Cards. Add the point value printed on each Shell card you hold.

3. Kitty Card. Apply any end-game points or modifiers granted by your Kitty Card.

4. Goal Cards. Add the points shown on each Goal Card you claimed.

5. The player with the highest total score wins. In the event of a tie, all tied players share victory.

Example: If you have a fish like this, Score: 3 × (2 + 2) × 5 = 60.

Kitty Card Abilities

The sheet prints one table headed "Kitty Card Ability" with eight abilities. It does not state which abilities belong to which Kitty Card or side, so they are transcribed below in the sheet's order. (Setup step 4 says each Cat Card has abilities on both sides, with one side chosen for the whole game.)

• After you've completed two fish, all d4 gain +2 to their strength. Note: Fish that contain an Octopus Card do not count toward the two completed-fish requirement.
• Each time you complete a fish, you may draw two Cat Teaser Cards. Fish containing an Octopus Card do not count.
• Six-sided dice (d6) gain +1 to their roll for each Shell Card you hold.
• Each time you gain a Shell Card, you may draw one additional Cat Teaser Card.
• At the end of the game, gain 70 bonus points for each complete set of Octopus Cards. Octopus fish may not have any regular Fish Cards placed between Octopus Card segments.
• Each time you complete a set of Octopus Cards, you may draw four Cat Teaser Cards. In an Octopus fish, no regular Fish Cards may be placed between Octopus Cards.
• Once per week (turn this sideways when used): choose one day (except Octopus Day), place that day's two Fish Cards on the bottom of the Fish deck, and draw two new Fish Cards to replace them.
• Once per week (turn sideways when used): you may re-roll any one die—yours or another player's—one time.

Cat Teaser Card

Cat Teaser Sticks can be used after rolling your dice. Cat Cans must be declared before you roll.

Card note: the sheet's card art shows the three top-row cards as Sticks and the three bottom-row cards as Cans, which matches the rule above.

Sticks

• Re-roll any number of your cat dice.
• Return one of your d6 dice to your left hand.
• Re-roll any one cat die of another player.

Cans

• Your d6 roll is doubled.
• Your d20 roll gains +4.
• Your d12 roll gains +6.

Source Notes

The printed sheet's component art, the Fish Market illustration, and the scoring example image are not reproduced as text. The sheet gives no printed requirement text for the Goal Cards; the Goal Card rules are limited to the Fish Card Placement Rule step 7 and Scoring step 4 above.