Beatz'n'Catz Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• The Beat
• The Tutorial
• The Miezekatze Lexicon
• How to Play
• Reading the Action Cards
• How It Doesn't Work
• Continuing After the Tutorial
• Challenges
• Highscore Run
• End of the Game
• Action Card Reference
• Challenge Card Reference

Components

• 48 Action cards
• 2 Blank action cards (for your own ideas)
• 1 Tutorial card
• 9 Challenge cards
• 2 MZKZ tokens*
• 1 Final-move token
• 9 Cat-life tokens
• 3 Challenge tokens
• 1 Cat squeaker
• 6 Plush mice
• 6 Double-sided-printed litter-box chips
• 12 Scratching-post dice
• 1 Overview sheet (action cards and challenge cards)
• 4 Sorting boxes (for the game material)

* MZKZ is the written short form for "Miezekatze"!

The Beat

For the beat you perform certain actions. The action cards tell you how to interact with the game material and the people around you. At first only a single action lies face up in front of you. Once you have correctly beatboxed through it, it is turned face down and a new one is added. So you must remember the correct order of these actions. As you can imagine, this gets a little trickier with every additional card … but your shared Miezekatze beat will help you stay in sync and avoid mistakes — won't it?!

The Tutorial

To get to know the game, there is a Tutorial made up of 2 parts (I & II), in which you learn the most important terms and actions of MZKZ. Play this tutorial first. It guides you into the game step by step.

Take Tutorial card I and all the action cards listed on it (01–04). Lay the tutorial card face up in front of you. Form a face-down stack of cards from cards 01–04: the 01 is on top, then the 02 underneath, then the 03, and the 04 lies at the very bottom.

You each get 1 plush mouse, 1 litter-box chip, and 2 scratching-post dice. Lay these toys out in front of you.

Whose name can be beatboxed best? You get the squeaker and are the first Beatzekatze (beat cat). You start the game right away and set the pace. What that means, we explain in the "How to Play" section (p. 4).

Place the two MZKZ tokens as well as the final-move token in the middle of the table. Leave enough space between them that a few action cards will still fit in between.

Lay out 9 cat lives with the living side facing up as a stack. You don't need the rest of the game material for the tutorial.

Now think of a shared, cool final move together with a sound for the successful end of a performance. This could be, for example, that you cheer and throw your hands in the air, or drum your fists on the table and squeal contentedly or shout "Yay!" — there are no limits to your creativity here. The final-move token should remind you, at the end of an error-free performance, to perform this gesture. (You can actually use this final move until the end of a challenge or your highscore run and don't have to think up a new one after every performance.)

Make sure that objects which could tip over stand far enough away from you: things might get a little turbulent in the moments to come!

Now your first performance can begin: Beatzekatze, say "MIEZEKATZE! MIEZEKATZE!" twice in a row, evenly (as a reminder of these two solos, the two MZKZ tokens are laid out) and set the beat for the performance. You decide the speed yourself. The slower you start, the easier it is.

Note: If you'd like to know what a slow, a medium, or a fast beat could be and what that sounds like, TEAM MZKZ has prepared videos for you.

Note: Well, did you skip over the QR code or did you actually scan it? We know that this sort of thing often seems superfluous, but: NOT HERE! ;-) The videos at https://www.mzkz.se/ help you quickly understand how Miezekatze works. This also applies, by the way, to our fully spelled-out examples. ;-)

Attention: After the Beatzekatze's 2nd "MIEZEKATZE" solo, you all join in and perform the action on the card in the same rhythm: everyone says "MIEZEKATZE" together once, in the beat, while carefully striking your fist against the fists of the people to your left and right at the same time (this is also called a "double fistbump").

Your goal is to repeat all the action cards in play, one after another, three times without error — that is, to complete 3 rounds. In this case, one round consists of only one card (card 01). So repeat the action (not the Beatzekatze solos, just the card) three times in a row and then do your final move. Then the performance has been successfully mastered and loud cheering follows, which you have rightfully earned!

Now the squeaker moves to the next person clockwise. You are now the new Beatzekatze. Turn the previously laid-out action card (card 01) over so that it now lies face down. Reveal the 2nd action card from the stack (this should be the 02) and place it face up to the right of the face-down card. You must now perform both cards: both the one that lies face down (well, did you remember it well?) and the one you can see.

Your 2nd performance begins.

With 2 action cards it will sound like this:

MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) Everyone joins in for the 1st round. Say:

1. MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right
2. MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right Now comes your 2nd shared round:
3. MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right
4. MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right And the 3rd shared round:
5. MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right
6. MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right Everyone waves and howls like wolves (an example final move).

The Miezekatze Lexicon

Beatzekatze: The person who has the squeaker in front of them and begins the current performance.

MZKZ beat: You want to stay as synchronized as possible at all times in your shared MZKZ beat — both in your speaking tempo and in your movements. Pay attention to the others in your group and correct your tempo if necessary, so you groove properly. Always make sure you are all in sync and doing the same thing!

Performance: Every tutorial, every challenge, and every highscore run consists of a varying number of performances. With every performance, another action card comes into play. All cards except the newly added one lie face down — so you have to remember them.

In the 1st performance, 1 action card is in play (face up); in the 5th performance, 5 action cards are in play (4 face down and the last one face up).

Action card: An action card shows you what you must do when you reach this card within a performance. This can be movements, sounds, alternative exclamations, or even changes in how MIEZEKATZE is pronounced.

Round: Every performance consists of 3 rounds. In one round you perform all the cards in play, one after another, one time. Only if you have completed all 3 rounds as well as your final move without error does the performance also count as completed.

Example: 4 action cards are in play. First the Beatzekatze is up with their two solos. Then you all perform card 1 once, card 2 once, card 3 once, and card 4 once. You have now completed one round. Start again at card 1 and begin your 2nd round. After the 3rd round, you attach your final move — and the performance is completed!

Highscore run: The highscore run is the game mode in which you try to successfully perform as many action cards as possible according to the usual MZKZ rules, using your 9 cat lives.

Challenges: There are challenges you can play. What happens there, you learn on the respective challenge card. If you want to play a challenge, place it next to the card stack near the MZKZ tokens so you always have the requirements in view. A challenge only counts as completed if you have successfully finished all the prescribed performances (including the final move) and still have at least 1 cat life remaining.

Cat life: As soon as you make a mistake, you must turn over 1 cat life from the stack and place it aside. Then you start the performance over from the beginning.

How to Play

Beatzekatze, now reveal the top action card (01) from the stack and lay it face up to the right of the two MZKZ tokens, so everyone can see it well.

You can find a detailed listing of all the action cards on the enclosed overview sheet. Please read the explanation of the current action card aloud.

Now your first performance can begin: Beatzekatze, say "MIEZEKATZE! MIEZEKATZE!" twice in a row, evenly (as a reminder of these two solos, the two MZKZ tokens are laid out) and set the beat for the performance this way. You decide the speed yourself. The slower you start, the easier it is.

Note: If you'd like to know what a slow, a medium, or a fast beat could be and what that sounds like, TEAM MZKZ has prepared videos for you here.

Attention: After the Beatzekatze's 2nd "MIEZEKATZE" solo, you all join in and perform the action on the card in the same rhythm: say "MIEZEKATZE" together once, in the beat, and while doing so, carefully strike your fist against the fists of the people to your left and right at the same time (this is also called a "double fistbump").

Your goal is to repeat all the action cards in play, one after another, three times without error — that is, to complete 3 rounds. In this case, one round consists of only one card (card 01). So repeat the action (not the Beatzekatze solos, just the card) three times in a row and then do your final move. Then the performance is successfully mastered and loud cheering follows, which you have rightfully earned!

Now the squeaker moves to the next person clockwise. You are now the new Beatzekatze. Turn the previously laid-out action card (card 01) over so that it now lies face down. Reveal the 2nd action card from the stack (this should be the 02) and place it face up to the right of the face-down card. You must now perform both cards: both the one that lies face down (well, did you remember it well?) and the one you can see. Your 2nd performance begins.

With 2 action cards it will sound like this:

MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) Everyone joins in for the 1st round. Say: 1) MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right 2) MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right Now comes your 2nd shared round: 1) MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right 2) MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right And the 3rd shared round: 1) MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right 2) MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right Everyone waves and howls like wolves (an example final move).

Continuing on with action card 03, and so the 3rd performance of Tutorial (I). Turn card 02 over and lay card 03 face up next to it. You know how it works now — have fun!

Have you completed this performance too? Then it continues with the 4th and last performance of Tutorial (I). Here 3 face-down and 1 face-up card are now in play.

With the 4 action cards it will sound like this:

MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) MIEZEKATZE (solo from the Beatzekatze) Everyone joins in for the 1st round. Say: 1) MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fistbump to the left and right 2) MIEZEKATZE while you all pass the mouse to the person on your right 3) MIEZEKATZE with a simultaneous fist strike on the table 4) YEAH! Since the speech bubble says "YEAH", you say that instead of saying MIEZEKATZE.

Repeat that for your 2nd and your 3rd round. At the end of the 3rd round, you attach your final move: everyone waves and howls like wolves.

Always remember: the Beatzekatze only performs each of their solos once, right at the very beginning of each performance. You also only do your shared final move once — and that's right at the end of the performance, meaning only after the 3rd round.

You have now successfully completed all 4 performances of the tutorial — purrfect! It's time for unrestrained cheering and enthusiasm. Now dare to tackle Tutorial (II). It works on the same principle but contains somewhat more difficult actions. To do this, shuffle together the cards listed on Tutorial card II and lay them out as a stack. This way you perform them in random order. Once you have also successfully mastered Tutorial II, you can venture into the big, wide world of Miezekatze.

Important: During the performance you may not talk about the cards in play, and you may not change their order. Only when you have just aborted a performance due to a mistake are you allowed, if necessary, to talk again about the actions and their order (preferably without revealing the cards while doing so).

Reading the Action Cards

Is a movement action shown on the action card? Say "MIEZEKATZE" and simultaneously perform the respective action (e.g. card 01).

Is a speech bubble shown on the action card? Then say the word written in it instead of "MIEZEKATZE" and perform the depicted action if applicable. Don't lose the beat while doing so (e.g. card 04).

Is a change in volume, pitch, or speed shown on the action card? Say "MIEZEKATZE" adjusted accordingly (e.g. card 10).

How It Doesn't Work

Whenever a person makes a mistake, you must interrupt the performance, take one of the cat lives from the stack, and place it turned over next to the stack. You do not get cat lives back when you have successfully completed a performance — instead they count as lost for the rest of the game (tutorial, challenge, or highscore run).

Mistakes include, among others: completely wrong actions, actions and words combined incorrectly with each other, a wrong beat, doing nothing at all, performing actions in the wrong directions, etc.

In general: if it feels like a mistake, it probably is one!

Discuss cases where you're unsure, if necessary, and sometimes turn a blind eye too. You'll develop a feel for what you want to allow as a group.

A performance you haven't managed, you try again. You don't have to start all the way back at the 1st performance — just retry the current performance. If you make a mistake again, repeat the performance accordingly until you have completed it successfully. The squeaker is not passed on for such a new attempt.

Should you ever make a mistake and have to turn over your last available cat life, you have really messed up. Prepare the same challenge for a new attempt. You start again with full cat lives and the 1st performance.

Continuing After the Tutorial

You now know the basic principle of Miezekatze, and it doesn't change either. But of course great and entertaining tasks await you! When you play, you can decide whether you want to try the challenges or play a free highscore run.

Challenges

The challenge cards hold various challenges ready for you. You can play them in any order. Choose a challenge card (randomly or quite deliberately) and prepare everything as indicated on the card.

A challenge card shows you …

1. how many performances you must complete in total to finish the challenge (in other words, how many action cards you must succeed at in a row). Shuffle all the action cards together and draw as many cards as you need for the challenge. Don't look at them yet — just lay them out as a face-down stack!
2. how difficult the challenge is.
3. which special actions, and therefore rule deviations, apply.

Example: The challenge card shown here indicates that a so-called "switch" must be built in at the 4th position. It has a difficulty of 2 out of 5, and you must complete 7 performances to finish it successfully.

If you lose your last cat life during the course of a challenge, shuffle together all the cards available for the challenge again and draw the corresponding number of new, random cards.

… and yes: of course you're also allowed to simply use the exact cards from your just-failed performance again to try once more, if you want to.

Highscore Run

Prepare the game as usual by distributing the game material to everyone, and set out the 9 cat lives. Shuffle all the action cards and lay them out as a face-down stack. Start with the 1st performance (consisting of one card). As usual, after a successfully completed performance (i.e. after 3 rounds plus final move), lay a new action card from the stack face up next to the action cards already in play and turn over the card before it. Always perform all the cards in play — both the face-up and the face-down ones — individually and one after another. Try to complete as many performances as possible with your 9 cat lives.

By the way: if you're already Miezekatze pros, you can also play any challenge in Highscore mode. Just ignore the card-count indication in the lower part of the challenge card and, while observing the challenge's special rules, try to complete as many performances as possible with 9 cat lives. You can use the challenge tokens to keep track of special rules for certain cards. Play the challenges and the highscore run with fewer lives if you want it to be a bit more difficult.

End of the Game

After completing a challenge or your highscore run, you can pack Miezekatze up and put it away. But … one more round couldn't hurt, could it?!

Action Card Reference

The following is the complete listing of all 48 action cards, from the enclosed overview sheet ("Beiblatt"). For every action card you say MZKZ (= written short form for "MIEZEKATZE") once while you perform the action described on it. Exception: it is explicitly stated that you should say something else, or make a different sound, instead. Whenever a new card is brought into play, briefly discuss how you want to perform it. You want to perform them all together and stay as much as possible in your shared, even MZKZ beat.

01 — The Double Fistbump: Simultaneously strike your left fist with the fist of the person to your left and your right fist with the fist of the person to your right, while you say MZKZ. (Note: whenever you see an action on an action card, perform it while saying MZKZ as usual. Arrows in the upper area of the card show you in which directions you act while doing so.)

02 — Out Goes the Mouse: Pass your mouse to the person to your right, while you say MZKZ.

03 — Slammed on the Table!: Strike your fist on the table, while you say MZKZ.

04 — Yeah!: Say "Yeah!" instead of saying MZKZ. (Note: whenever you see a speech bubble on an action card, you must say something other than MZKZ.)

05 — Litter Duty: Turn the litter-box chip over to the other side, while you say MZKZ.

06 — Scratching Post, Here: Are the scratching-post dice lying next to each other? Place one die on top of the other, while you say MZKZ. Are the dice stacked? Take the top die down, while you say MZKZ.

07 — Air-Guitar Solos: Play your air guitar and say, guitar-style, "Miiaaauuu!" instead of saying MZKZ.

08 — Pssst: Say MZKZ very quietly.

09 — I'm a Star!: Are you the Beatzekatze? Make squeaking noises with the squeaker, as you like, instead of saying MZKZ. Are you not the Beatzekatze? Point at the Beatzekatze and call out their name instead of saying MZKZ. Find your beat again afterward!

10 — Slow-Mo: Say MZKZ reeeeally slooowly. Find your beat again afterward!

11 — Yo!: Say "Yo!" instead of saying MZKZ.

12 — Step: Stamp your foot on the floor, while you say MZKZ.

13 — Me! Me! Me!: Point both index fingers at yourself and say your own name instead of saying MZKZ. Find your beat again afterward!

14 — LOUDER: SAY MZKZ VERY LOUDLY.

15 — Sssshhh!: Say "Shh" instead of saying MZKZ.

16 — Huuuii: Whirl the mouse around by its tail, while you say MZKZ.

17 — Brave!: Set your mouse on the litter-box chip, say "WOW" impressed instead of saying MZKZ, and take it back down again quickly.

18 — Gorilla: Drum on your chest with both fists simultaneously, while you say MZKZ.

19 — Flex: Show off your muscles, while you say MZKZ.

20 — Look Me in the Eyes, Little One!: Take your mouse in your hand and look it in the eyes, while you say MZKZ.

21 — High Fives: Give the person to your left a high five with your left hand and the person to your right a high five with your right hand at the same time, while you say MZKZ.

22 — Swaying Squeaker: Are you the Beatzekatze? Squeak a few times with the squeaker instead of saying MZKZ. Are you not the Beatzekatze? Sway along, smile, and say nothing. Find your beat again afterward!

23 — Workout: Are you sitting? Stand up, while you say MZKZ. Are you standing? Sit down, while you say MZKZ. If you are standing at the end of the performance, begin the next performance standing.

24 — Bang Twice: Strike both scratching-post dice against each other, while you say MZKZ: once on "Mieze", once on "Katze".

25 — Dog Alarm: Point at the dog on the card and shout "Buuuh!" instead of saying MZKZ.

26 — Quiet, Now!: Say nothing and place your finger in front of your lips.

27 — Arm Wave: Make wave motions with both arms at the same time, while you say MZKZ.

28 — Silent Applause: Wiggle your hands at head height (the way applause is signed in sign language), while you say MZKZ.

29 — Kiss: Make a kissing sound instead of saying MZKZ.

30 — Ewww: Hold your nose and point at the litter-box chip, while you say MZKZ.

31 — Snap: Snap with 2 fingers (or try to ;-)), while you say MZKZ.

32 — It's Ringing: Say "Ding Dong!" instead of saying MZKZ, and press an imaginary doorbell.

33 — One for You, and One for You: Simultaneously give one die each to the person on your left and on your right, while you say MZKZ.

34 — Freeeeze!: Freeze in your current position for a moment. Don't move and say nothing! Are you the Beatzekatze? Then you decide when things continue as usual. Find your beat again afterward!

35 — Head Nodder: Nod your head, while you say MZKZ.

36 — Go Ahead: Pass your litter-box chip to the person on your right, while you say MZKZ.

37 — BAM!: Say "BAM!" instead of saying MZKZ.

38 — DJ Vibes: Rub your hand across the table and say "wuikkiwuikki" (the sound of a needle scratching on a record) instead of saying MZKZ.

39 — Fireworks: Point at the sky as if there were fireworks there, and say "AAAH!" or "OOOH!" (you decide) instead of saying MZKZ.

40 — Evil Cat: Hiss instead of saying MZKZ.

41 — Dice Break: Say nothing and roll one of your scratching-post dice. Find your beat again afterward!

42 — Like!: Stick a thumb up, while you say MZKZ.

43 — Maneki-neko: Move your forearm like a Japanese waving cat, while you say MZKZ: downward on "Mieze", upward on "Katze". (You can also say "waving cat" if you find that cooler.)

44 — Eyes Closed and Through: Are you the Beatzekatze? Press the squeaker instead of saying MZKZ. Are you not the Beatzekatze? Close your eyes, don't move, and say nothing. Find your beat again afterward!

45 — You!: Point at the person to your left and call them MZKZ.

46 — Helium Cat: Say MZKZ in a very bright, high voice.

47 — Zombie: Stretch your arms out and move them from left to right. Make a zombie sound while doing so, instead of saying MZKZ.

48 — It Claps: Clap your hands once for each MZKZ syllable (so 4 times in total), while you say MZKZ.

Challenge Card Reference

1 — Silence!: You perform all action cards reaaally quietly, in whisper mode: this applies both to the words you say (including the MZKZ tokens and final move) and to the movements and actions that make sounds.

2 — No Cats: You perform all action cards as you're used to. However, you must NEVER say "MIEZEKATZE": stay silent whenever you would normally say "MIEZEKATZE". This also applies to both MZKZ tokens. Think of a cool solution! All other words are allowed.

3 — The Challenge with the Switch: There is one switch: the 5th card is placed below the 4th card instead of to its right. In the 1st round, at this point you perform only the 4th card, in the 2nd round only the 5th card, and in the 3rd round only the 4th card again. You must perform the switch this way through to the end of the challenge for cards 4 and 5. All cards revealed after that are placed and performed as usual again.

4 — The Challenge with Only Switches: There are only switches: the 2nd card is placed below the 1st card instead of to its right, the 4th below the 3rd, the 6th below the 5th, and the 8th below the 7th. This gradually creates 2 rows of cards: the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th cards lie in the upper row, the 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th cards in the lower row. At every switch you reach, which consists of 2 action cards, you perform the upper card in the 1st and 3rd rounds and the lower card in the 2nd round.

5 — Canon in Teams*: You all perform both MZKZ tokens along with everyone else, and you also all do the final move — but in teams, and always offset by 1 team! Form teams of 2 or 3 (you should sit across from each other, if possible). You play with cards face up. The Beatzekatze and their team begin at the 1st MZKZ token. Once they reach the 2nd MZKZ token, the team of the next person clockwise joins in and performs the 1st MZKZ token. When the Beatzekatze's team has reached the first action card, the 3rd team joins the canon by performing the 1st MZKZ token, and so on. Because of the staggered start, each team performs the final move one after another, but you close with an additional, shared final move. Play the performances as usual (add the action cards one by one, and pass the squeaker to the next team).

6 — Solo Canon*: You all perform both MZKZ tokens, and you also all do the final move — but always offset by 1 person. You play with cards face up. The Beatzekatze begins alone at the 1st MZKZ token. Once they reach the 2nd MZKZ token, the next person clockwise joins in and performs the 1st MZKZ token. When the Beatzekatze has reached the first action card, the 3rd person joins the canon by performing the 1st MZKZ token, and so on. You first do the final moves all one after another, but close with an additional, shared final move. Play the performances as usual (add the action cards one by one, and pass the squeaker along).

7 — Back and Forth: You change the direction in which you perform the action cards, from round to round. Change to setup: lay out directly 3 of the 6 action cards you will play in the challenge, face up. Play the 1st round from left to right, the 2nd from right to left, and the 3rd again from left to right. You do not perform any of the consecutive cards twice in a row. The order of the cards is therefore, at first: 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3. After that you add the cards individually as usual. Turn the first 3 cards face down as soon as you lay out the 4th card.

8 — Back and Forth with a Switch: You change the direction in which you perform the action cards, from round to round. Change to setup: lay out directly 3 of the 7 action cards you will play in the challenge, face up. Play the 1st round from left to right, the 2nd from right to left, and the 3rd again from left to right. You do not perform any of the consecutive cards twice in a row. There is also a switch: lay the 5th card below the 4th card. In the 1st round, at this point you perform the 4th card, in the 2nd round the 5th, and in the 3rd round the 4th card again. The order of the cards in the final performance is therefore: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7.

9 — Solo*: You play as usual, but every single action card and every MZKZ and final-move token is always performed by only one person, one after another! The Beatzekatze performs the 1st MZKZ token, then the next person clockwise must perform the 2nd MZKZ token. After that, the next person performs the 1st action card, and so on.

* For these challenges, sort out cards 1, 2, 9, 21, 22, 33, 36, and 44 during setup.