Herding Cats
Herding Cats Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
- 60 cards:
- 40 Cat cards
- 12 Cowdog cards
- 4 Stampede cards
- 4 Wild Cat Lady cards
- Rules
Object of the Game
Collect cats into a herd of one color, together with a cowdog. A herd of three same-colored cats and a cowdog goes into the player's supply. The player who has collected the most herds when the deck runs out is crowned the chief cat-herder of the season.
Setup
Shuffle all the cards into one deck and deal 3 cards to each player. Place the remaining deck face down in the center of the table.
Agree on who goes first.
Playing the Game
The first player examines the cards in hand to determine whether they can play a card. A player must always play a card if one is possible.
On your turn you may play one of the following cards:
Cowdog
On your turn you can always play a cowdog. All you need to do is place this card face up on the table.
Cowdogs come in four colors: orange, purple, blue and green. Each cowdog herds cats of its own color.
Cat
A cat cannot simply be placed on the table. It may only be placed on top of a cowdog or on a cat of the same color.
Once a cowdog card has 3 cat cards on it, the herd is complete. The herd (the cowdog and three cats of one color) goes to the player who placed the third cat on the cowdog, no matter who played the first two. Having collected the herd, that player places it face down in front of them. At the end of the game, the number of herds determines the winner.
Stampede
When you play this card, place it face up on the discard pile. The player then combs through the discard pile and must take out every cat that can be placed on the table according to the rules (on a cowdog or on a cat). All herds created this way count toward the player who played Stampede.
If you have no other cards in hand that can be played by the rules, you must play Stampede.
Wild Cat Lady
The Wild Cat Lady is a joker card and may be played in place of any cat.
If you have no other cards in hand that can be played by the rules, you must play the Wild Cat Lady.
Important: On your turn you must play one card, even if you do not want to. If a player has no cards that can be played by the rules, they must discard one card of their choice. Place the discard pile next to the deck.
At the end of your turn, draw the top card from the deck so that you again have 3 cards in hand. Then the turn passes to the next player clockwise.
End of the Game
When the deck runs out, the game continues until all cards in hand have been played or discarded. During this time players may still collect new herds!
When all players have run out of cards in hand, the game ends. Each player counts how many herds (a cowdog and three cats of one color) they collected during the game. The player with the most herds wins. If players are tied on herds, the contenders share the victory.