Catte
Catte Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Game Outline
1. Play your cards according to the "Color"!
Play the cat card from your hand that matches the color of the card played by the first player. There are four possible cards you can play.
Card types you can play:
- Black
- White
- Brown: a set of 2 cards (1 Black and 1 White)
You may only play a card of a different color when you cannot play a card of the same color.
Cat Cards (Hand Cards) come in Black, White and Brown.
2. Determining the winner by color -> number order!
The color of a coffee card in the center is the strongest color in this trick. If there is no strongest color, the card with the highest value in the color played by the first player wins.
Coffee Cards (Field Cards) come in Black (5 shown), White (10 shown) and Brown (15 shown).
Example: 1. Brown 13 (BRN13) is played first. The coffee card is Black 7 (BK). 2. Black 2 (BK2) is played. 3. Brown 16 (BRN16) is played as White 15 + Black 1 (WH15+BK1). Player 2 wins.
3. Terminate immediately once the conditions are met!
The player who wins the trick takes the "Coffee Card" in the center. The total of the numbers on the Coffee Cards taken becomes the score. However, if the upper limit is exceeded, the round ends immediately. Players who exceed the limit will not receive points from the coffee cards.
Upper Limit: 3-player game: 20. 4-player game: 15.
The player who wins the trick plays a new coffee card from their field to start the next trick. If a player has no coffee cards to play or no cards left in their hand (cat cards) at this time, the round ends.
Example: a player who has taken coffee cards 10 + 7 gets 17 points on taking a further coffee card (shown as "Get 17pt").
4. The highest score wins!
After the round ends, we will calculate the scores.
- Total value of acquired coffee cards.
- Those exactly at the maximum value: double points.
- Those exceeding the maximum value: 0 points.
- Points equal to the square of the number of unused coffee cards in your own area. Ex: if 3 cards remain: 3 x 3 = 9 points. If 1 card remains: 1 x 1 = 1 point.
- Scoring for one round = 1 + 2.
The player with the highest total score after completing the required number of rounds wins.
Example: 2 cards remaining: 2 x 2 = 4 points. Acquired 10 + 7 + 3 = 20 points; exactly the maximum value, so 20 points x 2 = 40 points. Total 40 + 4 = 44 points.
Contents
- A. Cat Cards (Play Cards): 41 cards [63 x 88 mm]
- Black: 15 cards, No. 1-15
- White: 15 cards, No. 1-15
- Brown: 11 cards, No. 10-20
- B. Coffee Cards (Trump and Scoring Cards): 13 cards [63 x 88 mm]
- Black: 5 cards, No. 1/3/5/7/9
- White: 5 cards, No. 2/4/6/8/10
- Brown: 3 cards, No. 5/10/15
- C. Summary Cards (Japanese/English): 4 cards [63 x 88 mm]
- D. Instruction manual (Japanese/English): 1 sheet
Preparation
(Illustrated for 4 players.)
The person who most recently brewed coffee becomes the starting player for Round 1. If no such person exists, determine the starting player by any suitable method.
- Shuffle the cat cards (A) well and deal them face down to each player.
- 3 players: 13 cards per player (2 cards left over)
- 4 players: 10 cards per player (1 card left over)
- Only you can see the cards you are dealt. You may rearrange them as you wish.
- Place any remaining cat cards (A) face down and set them aside at the edge.
- Shuffle the coffee cards (B) well and deal them face down to each player.
- 3 players: 4 cards per player (1 card left over)
- 4 players: 3 cards per player (1 card left over)
- Place the dealt cards face up in any order in a single row in front of you.
- Place the remaining coffee card (B) face up in the center.
How to Play
- Players take turns clockwise starting from the starting player. Choose any cat card from your hand and play it face up.
- Players 2 through 4 must play the cat card from their hand that matches the "color" of the card played by the starting player (Player 1). Only when you cannot play a card of the same color as the first player may you choose any card to play.
How to Play Cards
You can play cards in 4 different ways!
- The first player plays any cat card from their hand.
- Other players play a card that matches the "color" of the first card.
- If you cannot play a card of the same "color", choose any card you like and play it.
- Black and White: play a single card of that color.
- Brown: play a set of 2 cards (1 black and 1 white). We cannot serve it as a set otherwise.
A set is considered to have a "numerical value" equal to the sum of the two cards' numbers and a color of "brown". A set can only be played with one black card and one white card. It cannot be played with any other combination. Even if you hold a "brown (single)" card, you can still play a set.
- Once all players have played their cards, the winner of the trick is determined.
Winner Determination
Cards played in this trick are judged in the order of "Color" then "Number".
- The same "Color" as the coffee card in the center: the player with the highest-value cat card of the same color as the "Coffee Card" in the center wins.
- The same "Color" as the cat card played by the first player: the player with the highest-value cat card of the same color as the first player's "Cat card" wins.
If multiple players have the same number, the player who played later wins.
- The winner of the trick takes the central coffee card and places it face up in front of them. Please be careful not to add it to your unused coffee card queue. After that, collect the cat cards used in this trick, place them face down, and set them aside.
- The player who wins the coffee card leads the next trick. The first player selects one unused coffee card from their own column and places it in the center. Then, choose any cat card from the hand and play it to start the trick.
- Repeat steps 1 through 5, and a round ends when any of the Conditions for Ending are met. After Calculating the Scores, and Preparation for the next round. The next round begins with the player to the left of the previous round's starting player.
- The game ends after a number of rounds equal to the number of players. The player with the highest total score wins. If there is a tie, share the victory.
Supplement: About Coffee Card
The "Coffee Card" placed in the center represents the "points" the winner of that trick earns and indicates the suit of the strongest "trump card" in that trick. Coffee cards come in Black, White and Brown.
Note: in the first trick, since the leftover coffee card is already in the center, the first player starts without playing a coffee card.
- From the second trick, the first player chooses any one coffee card from their own column and plays it in the center.
- The first player plays any cat card from the hand.
POINT: The first player does not need to match the color of the cat card played from their hand with the coffee card placed in the center.
Example
The coffee card for this trick is "Black". Player 1 played one "Brown 13". Player 2 is holding neither "Brown" nor "White", played one "Black 1". Player 3 held "Brown", but played it as "Brown 17" by pairing it with "White" and "Black" (White 15 + Black 2). Since the coffee card is "Black", Player 2 wins this trick.
The Player 2 who won this trick gains a coffee card "Black 7". Place the acquired coffee card face up in front of you. Be careful not to place it in your unused coffee card column.
The Player 2 played the "Brown 5" coffee card from an unused column. Then, the player plays any cat card from their hand. The Player 2 had neither "Brown" nor "White" in the hand and played the "Black 6" to start the trick.
Conditions for Ending a Round
The round ends when any of the following occurs:
- i. When the total value of acquired coffee cards exceeds the round limit.
- Maximum value on the coffee card: for 3 players, 20; for 4 players, 15. The round ends the instant the upper limit is exceeded.
- "Exactly at the upper limit" does not count as exceeding it. If you end the round at exactly the upper limit, your score doubles!
- ii. When the first player can no longer play a coffee card.
- Even if a player runs out of coffee cards in their column, the round continues unless they become the first player and play a coffee card.
- iii. When a player plays their last card (cat card).
- The trick in which the last card is played will be completed after determining the winner.
Calculating the Scores
When a round ends due to any of the conditions, scoring is calculated. Calculate the following 1 and 2, and the total score 3 is the points for this round.
- Total value of acquired coffee cards.
- Exceeded the upper limit (20 for 3 players, 15 for 4 players): 0 points.
- Exactly at the upper limit: "Total value x 2" points.
- Number of unused coffee cards in your column x number of cards (squared).
- Players exceeding the maximum value can still earn this score.
- Total of 1 + 2.
Example: 3 cards remaining: 3 cards x 3 cards = 9 points. Acquired 15 + 5 = 20 points; for 3 players, since it's exactly the maximum, 20 points x 2 = 40 points. 40 + 9 = 49 points.
Record the total score on a memo or chip, then start the next round.