Cat in the Box Deluxe Edition

This is a fun card game that is quick and easy to play so it can be a party game, yet has enough complexity that, like backgammon, paying attention to strategy does make a difference. It is set up to have 2 to 5 players. The game mechanics worked well for us with four players and we think it will work well for the other numbers of players. The unique aspect to this card game is that although there are four suits as in games for typical playing card decks, the Cat in the Box game cards only have numbers with no suit shown. The players declare a suit as they play a card and place a marker on a board to show that card as played so it is used only once in each game. Scoring involves both tricks taken and how markers are placed on the board. We looked at a YouTube video to learn how to play because we couldn’t get our heads around the rule book instructions on declaring a suit when playing a card. However AFTER we had played two hands, the rule book seemed straightforward.

This is a a really great trick taking game. I don't often buy trick taking games. I find a deck of cards is typically sufficient to scratch that itch (pun intended), and I'm able to save on shelf space. However, with Cat in the Box, the twist of not knowing your suit at the start of your hand makes this one distinct and worthwhile hands down. The games ends up being a combination of a trick taking and hand management game. In a round, you are trying to play high cards and take tricks, as well as trying not to cause a paradox. A paradox is basically having cards left but unable to play them. These dual objectives require you to pay attention to what others are doing to keep your options for your next move open. This creates some fun interaction and chatter. Where as, deck based trick taking games can be quiet and predictable once you've deduced your opponents cards. In Cat in the Box, you cannot know until it's played. The big downside is that the rule book doesn't explain how to play very well. We had a difficult time figuring out the rules. If it simply tried to explain the core mechanics up front e.g. "If you've played Spades, you've played a version of Cat in the Box. A few similarities * Red is trump. * You can't lead trump suit until it's broken. * If you break suit, you are saying I don't have any, and can't play that suit for the rest of the hand." Instead the rule book tried to explain the core game play and how to use the tokens/player card to track your hand at the same time. It's not a big deal, just watch a video on how to play first.

Bought this for my cousin. It’s a fun game, not too complicated, and has a nice science twist. It’s pretty well made - by a good board game publisher.

This fun game is a neat twist on other basic trick-taking games such as Hearts or Spades. It's a relatively short game once everyone knows how to play, and can be set up for 3 to 5 players.

Pros: - This is a great trick taking game. Great next after for everyone that has played through The Crew - The main mechanic of choosing your own color it leads to some very interesting choices that's super fun and unique to this game. - Works well with three and plus player counts and has the potential for some negative player interaction but nothing too devastating which is a good balance. - Very tactical trick taking game Cons: - The two player variant is not nearly as good as the other player counts - The game is very tactical and nuanced so the score differences will not be very great which can be a turn off to some people - If you have a more traditional gamer that's coming from hearts or spades they might have trouble grasping the choose your own color mechanic within this game and could make the teach more difficult than it needs to be Also potential warning for those with color differentiation issues, the components can look pretty similar at a glance and are small so if you have vision issues this game might be difficult and maybe look at getting the cat in the box colossal version off of Kickstarter or second hand off the Internet. Takeaway: Overall I think this is a very intuitive and unique trick taking game it's worth it for anyone who loves the trick taking genre and is enjoying this trick taking renaissance.

Cat in the Box is an absolutely awesome trick-taking game. The whole mechanic about the suit of the card is not decided until you play the card is cleverly designed, hits that perfect balance between easy to learn, hard to master. The cats on the cards are super cute, it’s my wife’s favorite part of the game, it just makes the whole thing funner for some reason. The rules are not too bad to grasp, it took me like 10 minutes to explain. Especially if the people you’re playing with already know how to play trick taking games. We played with three people but I’m excited to get this to the table with more. I think this game is for you if you really like games like Hearts or Spades, but want some thing a little more challenging or you just want to spice it up. Also the pacing is on point, it stays nail biting for just long enough until somebody ends up, inevitably causing a Paradox lol. In conclusion, this game earns a solid 5-star rating and comes highly recommended from me.

Excelente opción si eres fan de los juegos de mesa, hermosas fichas semitransparentes y en mi caso que puse micas a las cartas, cabe perfectamente en su caja.

Cat in the Box ist ein cleveres und innovatives Stichspiel, das die traditionelle Mechanik des Genres auf den Kopf stellt und dabei das Konzept der Quantenmechanik spielerisch integriert. In diesem Spiel gibt es keine festen Farben – erst wenn eine Karte gespielt wird, „entscheidet“ man sich, welcher Farbe sie angehören soll. Diese einzigartige Mechanik führt zu aufregenden taktischen Möglichkeiten und macht jedes Spiel dynamisch und unvorhersehbar. Was Cat in the Box besonders spannend macht, ist das Risiko, durch falsche Entscheidungen oder unglückliche Züge ein Paradoxon auszulösen, das das gesamte Spiel beeinflussen kann. Die Spieler müssen also nicht nur ihre eigenen Karten klug einsetzen, sondern auch das Spielfeld und die Karten der Gegner genau im Auge behalten, um unerwünschte Paradoxien zu vermeiden. Das Spiel hat eine moderne, minimalistische Optik, die perfekt zum Thema passt, und die hochwertigen Karten und Spielkomponenten fühlen sich großartig an. Die Mischung aus Strategie, Bluffen und Risiko macht Cat in the Box zu einem faszinierenden Spielerlebnis, das sowohl eingefleischte Stichspiel-Fans als auch diejenigen anspricht, die etwas Neues und Frisches suchen. Insgesamt ist Cat in the Box ein brillantes Spiel, das die klassischen Regeln von Stichspielen herausfordert und dadurch für viele überraschende Wendungen und spannende Momente sorgt. Es ist leicht zu lernen, aber schwer zu meistern, und bietet damit einen hohen Wiederspielwert. Wer ein originelles, strategisches und thematisch außergewöhnliches Spiel sucht, wird hier voll auf seine Kosten kommen! Ein besonderes Highlight der Deluxe Edition sind die hochwertigen Plastik-Tokens, die das Spielerlebnis noch einmal deutlich aufwerten.

Fun

Took the advice from other comments in watching a video of the game play. The instructions read as a direct translation and can be confusing. Once you get the hang of the game its super fun and quick.

Light and very fun. Great quick game!