2022 · Card Game
Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition
Players bid how many tricks they expect to win, then play cards whose colours are only revealed when they are played. The active player leads a trick, opponents follow, and the highest card of the resolved suit wins the trick. A communal research board collects player tokens placed during the hand; connecting groups of tokens scores additional points. Rules prevent declaring a colour for a card number already declared, so players must plan bids and plays to avoid creating paradoxes. Supports 2–5 players and includes upgraded components such as plastic tokens, recessed player and center boards, a score pad, and a custom insert.
- Players
- 2–5 best 4
- Playing time
- 20–40 min
- Age
- 13+
- Complexity
- 2 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Publisher
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 872
- Plays logged
- 1,144
- Players
- 37m 51s
- Average play
- 284
- In collections
- 31
- On wishlists
- 3
- Pre-ordered
7.6/10
from 107 Ludoya reviews
Garfield9.0 8 Very funny Stich-Spiel! [c] Theme: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]No --> Gameplay: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Interesting choices to make --> Interaction: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Who blocks which spots --> Artwork: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very nice --> Luck: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Random cards and what others play --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Very little --> Components: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Play duration: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]A little bit too long for what it is --> Easy to teach: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Quite easy (10min) --> Rules quality: <!-- size 7]not read --> Setup time: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Very fast --> No downtime: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Almost no downtime --> Replay value: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Only little variety --> [/c]
Vic Granell7.5 I'd play this over Skull King almost any day!
- Base -
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
Do the face-down cards get used in this round or are they removed?
Each player selects one card from their hand and places it face down; those face-down cards are not used in the current round (page 4).
When and how do we predict how many tricks we'll win?
After placing the face-down card, each player in clockwise order (starting with the start player) places a token on the number on their player board that represents how many tricks they predict they will win (page 4).
What exactly do I have to satisfy when declaring the observed color on a played cat card?
Two rules must be met: the research-board space for that color and card number must be empty, and you must still have your player token on the X of that color on your player board; additionally the start player may not declare red unless a token already exists on the red row or they cannot declare any other color (pp.5-6, 12).
If I declare a color different from the led color, does anything happen to my player board?
Yes — when you declare a color other than the led color, you remove the player token on your player board that was on the X of the led color (if it hasn't already been removed) and you can no longer declare that led color for the rest of the round (page 6).
How is the winner of a trick determined when players declare different colors?
If any player declared a color different from the led color, resolve color strength first: red (trump) beats all, otherwise only cards of the led color remain; then among the remaining cards the highest number wins the trick (page 7).
What is a paradox, and what happens if one occurs during the trick phase?
A paradox occurs when a player cannot legally declare any color for any card in their hand; when it happens you immediately stop the trick phase, the player reveals their hand, no one wins that trick, tokens placed during the interrupted trick remain, and the paradox-causing player scores −1 point per trick they won that round and forfeits any bonus (pp.8-9).
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.