Battle Kittens Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Overview
  • Contents
• Game Overview
• Gameplay Summary
• Setup
• Sequence of Play
• Round 1
  • Draft Phase
  • Play Phase
  • Competition Phase
• Rounds 2 & 3
• Final Scoring
• F.A.Q.
• Variants to Game Play
  • Family Variant
  • Short Variant
  • Variable Draft Variant
  • Team Variant

Overview

Ages 8+, 2 to 6 players, 15 minutes.

Contents

• 54 Kitten Cards
• 9 Battleground Cards
• 4 Attribute Cards
• 7 King Cards
• 6 Reference Cards
• 50 1 Fish Counters
• 15 5 Fish Counters
• This Rulebook

Game Overview

Players draft Kittens into Squads and deploy them into different Battlegrounds to compete to see who can claim the most Fish.

Gameplay Summary

• Players draft Kittens
• Players divide their Kittens into 3 Squads and assign each Squad to a Battleground
• Players add up the stats of their Squads at each Battleground to see who earns the most points for that Battleground's Attribute and award Fish accordingly
• Players repeat the above steps for the second and third Round
• Players total up their Fish and whomever has the most Fish wins!

Setup

• Shuffle all the Battleground Cards and place them face down in a pile to form the Battleground Deck.
• Place 2 Battleground Cards face up and 1 face down in the center of the table.
• Shuffle the Attribute Cards and place them face down in a pile to form the Attribute Deck.
• Place 1 Attribute Card face up adjacent to each of the revealed Battleground Cards and 1 face down on the hidden Battleground.
• Shuffle all the King Cards and place them face down in a pile to form the King Deck. These cards represent the whims of the King, and they can be helpful or harmful depending on his mood.
• Deal 1 Reference card to each player.
• Shuffle all the Kitten Cards and place them face down in a pile to form the Kitten Deck.
• Deal 7 Kitten Cards to each player to form their starting hand.

Sequence of Play

• Play 3 Rounds of combat with each Round consisting of the following 3 Phases:
  • Draft Phase
  • Play Phase
  • Competition Phase
• After 3 Rounds of play, proceed to Final Scoring.

Round 1

Draft Phase

• Each player chooses 1 Kitten Card from their hand and places it face down in front of themselves, then passes the remaining 6 cards in their hand to the player to their left. Repeat this until all cards have been claimed.
• Once all players have 7 Kitten Cards on the table in front of them, proceed to the Play Phase.

Play Phase

• Players take the 7 cards they drafted into their hand.
• Reveal the hidden Battleground Card and Attribute Card.
• Players arrange their Kitten Cards into 3 Squads by playing them facedown into piles based upon which Battleground they want to send those Kittens to.
• Each player must deploy a Squad consisting of at least 1 Kitten to each Battleground.
• Once all the Squads have been selected by players, proceed to the Competition Phase.

Competition Phase

• Each Battleground now holds a competition for the stat shown on that Battleground's Attribute Card.
• Starting with the first revealed Battleground:
  • Each Player reveals their Squad of Kittens they assigned to that Battleground.
  • If any Kittens have King, Yarn or Flag icons on their card, resolve their special abilities now (see Reference Card).
  • Determine which Squad has the highest of that Attribute to claim first place.
  • Determine who has the second highest to claim for second place.
  • Determine who has the third highest to claim third place.
  • Award Fish to the first, second and third place players according to the values printed on that Battleground Card. (If there is a tie and neither player possesses Kitten Cards at that Battleground with a Tie-Breaker Icon, all tied players gain the associated number of Fish.)
• Repeat these steps for the second and third Battleground.
• Once the Fish have been claimed at all 3 Battlegrounds:
  • Reshuffle all the Kitten Cards and deal 7 to each player.
  • Reshuffle all 7 King cards and place them face down to reform the new King deck.
  • Discard the 3 Battleground Cards and draw 3 new ones, placing 2 face up and 1 face down in the center of the play area.
  • Shuffle the Attribute Cards and place 1 face up on each of the revealed Battleground Cards and 1 face down on the hidden Battleground.
  • Proceed to Round 2.

Rounds 2 & 3

• Repeat the above Draft, Play and Competition Phases for Rounds 2 and 3, followed by Final Scoring.

Final Scoring

• Players add up their number of Fish collected.
• The player with the largest number of Fish wins.
• In the case of a tie, those players rejoice in a shared victory.

F.A.Q.

Q: If 2 players are tied at a Battleground and both players have a Kitten Card with a Tie-Breaker Icon, what happens? A: The 2 Tie-Breaker Icons cancel each other out, thus both players remain tied and share in the victory.

Q: If 2 players are tied at a Battleground and 1 player has a Kitten who wins ties and the other player has two Kittens that win ties, what happens? A: The first two Tie-Breaker Kittens cancel each other out and the remaining Tie-Breaker ability remains active, thus winning the challenge.

Q: If 2 players are tied for first place at a Battleground and both receive Fish for first place, does the next highest player get the second or third place points? A: If there is a tie for first, both players collect the first place amount of Fish and the next highest player would win the Fish for second place and then the next highest player would win the Fish for third place.

Q: If I played my Squad at a Battleground but have zero of that Battleground's Attribute stat, can I still earn Fish? A: Yes, if your Squad with a total of zero in that Attribute places in first, second or third place, you still earn those Fish.

Q: In what order do we resolve our special abilities if there are more than one Squad with abilities to trigger? A: The Kitten with the name that comes first alphabetically resolves first, then resolve the rest of that Squad's abilities before proceeding clockwise to the next Squad to resolve their abilities.

Q: If a card or ability tells me to draw a new Kitten to add to my Squad at a Battleground and the new Kitten I draw has a special ability, does it immediately trigger? A: Yes, if you draw a Kitten with a Yarn or King icon to add to your Squad, their special ability happens immediately. In the case of a Yarn icon you may immediately draw another Kitten card from the top of the deck to add to your Squad. In the case of a King Icon you must immediately decide if you will draw a King card or not.

Variants to Game Play

Battle Kittens has a number of different game play variants available for players to change the difficulty and pace of the game. Players may also choose to play with multiple variants for an even more customized experience. Before playing with any variant please ensure that all players understand the rule changes.

Family Variant

For a simpler game to play with children, reveal all 3 Battlegrounds and all 3 Attributes before the Draft Phase so all players know what stats they need to draft for and can strategize accordingly. Ignore the King, Yarn and Flag icons on the cards. There is no need for Reference or King cards, so return them to the box.

Short Variant

For a shorter game, replace each Draft Phase with the following:

• Deal each player 10 Kittens randomly from the top of the Kitten Deck.
• Each player chooses 7 cards to keep and 3 to discard.
• Once each player has chosen their hand of 7 Kittens, proceed to the Play Phase.

Variable Draft Variant

For a more strategic Draft Phase, when passing cards change direction depending on the round:

• Round 1: Pass to the left (clockwise)
• Round 2: Pass to the right (counterclockwise)
• Round 3: Pass to the left (clockwise)

Team Variant

• The Team Variant is for 4 to 6 players.
• Players break into teams of 2 and sit in a fashion to that they are not sitting next to each other.
• During the Competition Phase, team members add their Kittens' stats together for each of the Battlegrounds.
• Players must keep their hands secret and may NOT do any of the following:
  • Show each other your cards
  • Share the name of your cards
  • Share any information relating to which Attributes you are playing for, which Battlegrounds you are playing your Squads into, or how many Kittens you will be sending to each Battleground
  • Share any information relating to the information on your cards including their total or individual stats
• Fish are awarded to the team and not to individuals.
• During Final Scoring, each team adds up their team's total Fish to determine the winner.