The Isle of Cats

A boat, a deadline, and a great many cats who do not fold.

You are a citizen of Squall's End, sailing to the Isle of Cats to rescue as many of them as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives and puts a stop to the whole enterprise. Every cat is a unique tile, every cat belongs to a family, and your boat is a good deal smaller than your intentions. Frank West designed it for The City of Games.

Card drafting explores the island; polyomino placement gets the rescued cats aboard. The tension sits between the two: the cats have to physically fit, and families want to stay together, so a rescue that looks sensible on the dock turns out to be impossible on the deck. Resources need managing alongside all of it. Medium-weight and an hour to ninety minutes, but playable from age eight, which is unusual for a game carrying this much spatial puzzle.

Perfect for: People who pack the car themselves because nobody else does it properly.

1–4 players | 60–90 minutes | Age 8+

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