This bundle includes the Isle of Cats base game and the Late Arrival expansion (which allows for up to 5 or 6 players)!!
Bärenpark puzzley goodness meets Point Salad’esque personal scoring goals = a MUST HAVE for Upstart Boardgamers!
While The Isle of Cats certainly has a bit more to it than a simple “Bärensalat” mash-up, it definitely incorporates some fun mechanics from each! And I say this as a HIGH compliment!! Not that my opinion matters, but Frank West has another wonderful game on his hands here… Bravo! ?
Throughout the game, players will rescue cats; loading the tetris-shaped cat pieces onto their boats in order to score end-game points by linking cats of the same family together, covering-up score-reducing rats, and filling individual rooms of the boat with cats! ?
The basics… 5 days… 5 phases… GO!
Each round of the game represents a day… and during each day, players will go through each of the 5 phases; prepping for the upcoming day and ultimately loading rescued cats onto their boat as they pave the way to victory!! (and maximal cat-saving karmic goodness!!)
FISHING – Each player takes twenty fish from the supply. These fish are your currency for the round…?
EXPLORE – In this phase players draft a 7-card hand and then pay for whichever of those cards they would like to use that day. Card costs are paid in fish… ?
READ LESSONS – There are a variety of cards contained in the deck; each with a different purpose. In this phase, players will read the lesson cards they have purchased. These cards come in the public and private variety. ?
Public cards are played out for all to see and dictate how additional points may be earned at the end of the game. Private lessons are kept face down until they are revealed for individual scoring at the end of the game.
RESCUE CATS – Hooray! It is time to get to the meat of the game! In turn order, players will select rescue cards from their hand and place them out in front of them face down. Each rescue card represents a speed value and a basket value (whole basket or half basket). ?
Cats in need of saving are displayed on the opposite sides of the main gameboard… with cats on the left and right requiring 3 and 5 fish to be rescued, respectively.
In order to rescue a cat you must pay the required cost in fish and then produce a complete basket (either through a basket token, or through baskets/portions of baskets represented on the cards). You then choose a cat-in-need-of-rescue from the proper side of the board and place its tetris-like puzzle piece onto your boat.
RARE FINDS – in this phase, players may use their rare find cards to add special cats and treasure tiles to their boats. Once all players pass, we move onto the next round of the game! ?
And the winner is….
After five rounds, players tally their points and the person with the highest score – wins! I mean, you probably gathered that much already.. but still. 😉 Points are lost for uncovered rats and rooms that remain unfilled. Points are earned for groupings of same-family cats (more points for larger groupings), rare treasures, and public and private lesson cards.
Overall vibe
This is a really fun, fast-moving puzzley game that will definitely spend a lot of time on my gaming table!! I‘m generally afraid of cats, ? but rescuing them and figuring out how to best fit them all into my cargo hold for safe keeping has a certain meditative quality to it. And I LOVE it! And, these cats don’t just randomly scratch you while you are petting them contentedly… hahahaha. Cats!!
The components are well made, the artwork is wonderful, the gameplay is elegant, and the wooden cat meeples are sweet!! Plus, I haven’t had any killer-cats-at-sea nightmares yet… so we are all set! Game on!
Ages: | 8+ |
Players: | 1 – 6 (with included expansion) |
Play Time: | 60 – 90 minutes |
Designer: | |
Artists: | |
Publisher: | The City of Games |
SKU: | TCOG 003 |
MSRP: |
$60 for both games together
on most secondary market sites
|
Our Price: | $51.25 |
Link to BGG: |
So sorry... this game is SOLD OUT 😢
Description
The Isle of Cats is a competitive card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game for 1 – 4 players (supporting up to 6 players with the Late Arrivals expansion).
You are citizens of Squall’s End on a rescue mission to The Isle of Cats and must rescue as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives.
- Players: 1 – 4 (6 with Late Arrivals expansion)
- Ages: 8+
- Playing time: 1 – 1.5 hours
- Family mode: 30 – 60 minutes
Each cat is represented by a unique tile and belongs to a family, you must find a way to make them all fit on your boat while keeping families together.
You will need to manage resources as you draft cards to explore the island, rescue cats, find treasures, befriend Oshax and read ancient lessons. Each lesson you collect will give you another personal way of scoring points, in addition to filling your boat and keeping cat families together!
The game comes with the standard mode, a family mode for young children and less experienced gamers, and a solo mode.
Additional information
Weight | 11.6 lbs |
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Dimensions | 12 × 12 × 8 in |
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