Catchy! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Gameplay
  • ① Play Cards
  • ② Compare Strength
  • ③ Check the Cat's Mood
  • ④ Move the Cat
• End of a Round
• Game End and Winning the Game

Components

• This Rulebook
• Game Cards
  • 15 Number Cards (3 colours from 1 to 5)
  • 1 Joker
  • 1 Starting Card
  • A cat is marked on all odd number cards.
• 1 Cat tile (the Cat): red on the front, blue on the back
• 1 Scoring Card
• 2 Scoring Pawns

The scoring card carries a Japanese caption: "pull in 3 points, closer 2 points, draw 1 point" (引き寄せ3点、近いと２点、引き分け1点), which matches the scoring rules below.

Setup

1. Prepare the Course
   • Put the Starting card aside, and shuffle up rest of the game cards. Draw 3 cards from the deck, and place them face down between the players as shown in the picture on the right page.
   • Place the Cat at center of the course with its red side up.
2. Distribute the Cards
   • Add the Starting card to the deck and reshuffle it up.
   • Then deal 7 cards to each player.
3. Choose the First Leader
   • The player who has the Starting card in their hand is the first "leader", and plays a card first. The leader then chooses one of the cards in the course and exchanges the card with the Starting card facedown.
   • Both players choose pawns and place them onto the scoring track.

Gameplay

Catchy! is played in a series of rounds (up to 7). When a player satisfies a condition of "GAME END," the game ends and the player with higher score wins!

Each round consists of a series of card playing, called "trick." A trick is played along with "Trick Flowchart" until two players' hands are exhausted, or the Cat moves into one of the players' "Arm."

① Play Cards

• The leader plays a card face up from their hand. Then the other player (the follower) plays one, too. The follower must play a card of which color the leader played, if possible. If the follower does not have the same color card, they may play any card of their choice.
• Joker may be played at any time exceptionally.

② Compare Strength

• When both players play the same color, the player who played higher number "wins the trick."
• When different color cards are played, i.e., the follower could not play the same color, the leader "wins the trick."
• When Joker is played, regardless of the color, the player who played higher number "wins the trick."

③ Check the Cat's Mood

Only when both two players play odd numbers, regardless of the color, the Cat flips to other side. If red side is up, it flips to blue side, and vice versa. It does not flip when at least one player plays an even number.

• (Exception) When Joker and 3 of any color are played in the same trick, the Cat flips but does not move, and the leader in the trick becomes the leader of the next trick, too.

Example of STEP THREE AND FOUR: The leader plays a blue 3 and the follower plays a blue 1. Both played odd numbers of the same color, so the Cat flips. Since the Cat is blue, it moves by one step to the lower number.

④ Move the Cat

• If the Cat's red side is up, it moves by one step towards the player who won the trick.
• If the blue side is up, it moves by one step towards the player who did not win the trick.
• The player whom the Cat moved towards becomes the leader of the next trick.

End of a Round

• After the Cat moves, if either of the following conditions is satisfied, the round ends.
  • The Cat is in a player's "Arms." (cf. picture of SETUP)
  • 7 tricks have been played and players' hands are exhausted.
• Player(s) gain their scores according to the finishing position of the Cat.
  • When it is in a player's arms, the player gains 3 points.
  • When it is neither a player's arms nor at the center of the course, the player with the Cat closer to them gains 2 points.
  • When it is at the center of the course, both players gain 1 point.

Game End and Winning the Game

• Game ends when either player has gained 7 or more points. The player with higher score wins! (If both players have 7 points, both players win!)