The Isle of Cats

2019

In 'The Isle of Cats', players draft cards and arrange unique cat tiles on their boats, managing resources, befriending creatures, and learning ancient lessons to earn points.

90
minutes

1 - 4
player(s)

Medium

About the game

Welcome to the enchanting world of The Isle of Cats, a game of strategy, exploration and feline fascination. This captivating board game, designed by Frank West, is set on a mystical island inhabited by a variety of colorful cat species. You, as the player, are tasked with rescuing these delightful creatures before the evil Lord Vesh arrives.

The game truly shines in its theme and setting. The Isle of Cats is a magical place, filled with vibrantly illustrated tiles depicting an array of unique cats. This island is divided into several regions, each home to a different type of cat, which adds a layer of depth to the gameplay. The looming threat of Lord Vesh’s arrival keeps the tension high and the stakes real.

Game components Unboxing the fun!

The board game ‘The Isle of Cats’ comes with a variety of components that each play a role in the gameplay. Let’s break down each component and its use in the game.

1. Game Boards:

There are two types of game boards in ‘The Isle of Cats’. The first is the main game board, which represents the isle itself. Players will place cat tiles on this board throughout the game. The second type of game board is the player boards. Each player receives a individual player board that represents their ship. Players will place their rescued cats on their ship board.

2. Cat Tiles:

There are various cat tiles included in the game, each representing a different type and color of cat. These tiles are placed on the isle and player boards during gameplay. Each player tries to rescue and collect as many cat tiles as possible, which they do by placing them on their ship board. The arrangement of the tiles on the ship board can earn players points based on the game’s scoring rules.

3. Basket Tokens:

Basket tokens are used to rescue cats from the isle. Each player starts the game with a certain number of basket tokens and can gain more throughout the game. Players must use a basket token each time they want to rescue a cat.

4. Fish Tokens:

Fish tokens act as the currency in ‘The Isle of Cats’. Players use fish tokens to perform various actions such as drawing cards, rescuing cats, and more. Players can earn more fish tokens throughout the game by performing certain actions or playing certain cards.

5. Discovery Cards:

Discovery cards represent various items and actions that can help players during the game. These cards can provide additional basket or fish tokens, allow players to rescue specific cats, or provide other beneficial effects. Players draw discovery cards by using fish tokens.

6. Lesson Cards:

Lesson cards are a subset of discovery cards that provide players with individual scoring objectives. By fulfilling the conditions on their lesson cards, players can earn additional points at the end of the game.

7. Oshax Tiles:

Oshax tiles represent a special type of cat that can be rescued. Unlike other cat tiles, Oshax tiles are wild and can be used to complete any color of cat family on a player’s ship board.

8. Rare Treasure Tiles:

Rare treasure tiles are unique tiles that provide additional scoring opportunities. Players can collect these by playing certain discovery cards.

9. Common Treasure Tiles:

Common treasure tiles are similar to rare treasure tiles, but they do not provide as many points. These are used to fill empty spaces on player’s ship board.

10. Rescue Boards:

Rescue boards are used to keep track of the order in which players rescue cats during the rescue phase of each round.

Game setup Lay it out, line it up, let’s go

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game for 1-4 players (6 with expansions). Here is a detailed guide on how to set up this engaging board game.

Step 1: Player Roles

Every player in The Isle of Cats is a citizen of Squalls End on a rescue mission. Your job is to save as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives. Each player has a unique color and matching boat.

Step 2: Setting up the Board

Place the main game board in the center of the table where all players can easily reach it.
Each player takes a boat in their chosen color and places it in front of them.
Separate the discovery cards into their five different types (indicated by the color of the banner on the back of the card) and shuffle each deck separately. Place these decks next to the game board.
Place the cat tiles in the bag and mix them together. Draw and place 3 cat tiles per player on the fields of the island on the game board.
Place the Vesh’s boat on the first spot of the Vesh’s path.

Step 3: Initial Resources

Each player starts with 20 fish tokens, which are the currency used in the game.
Players also receive two random common treasure tiles, which can be placed on their boats.
Each player draws 7 discovery cards.

Step 4: Random Elements

The cat tiles are randomly drawn from the bag and placed on the island, creating a different set of cats to rescue each game.
Discovery cards are drawn randomly from their respective decks.

With the game setup complete, players can now begin trying to rescue as many cats as possible from the Isle of Cats.

Game flow Round and round we go

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game designed for 1-4 players. Each player is a citizen of Squall’s End on a rescue mission to The Isle of Cats and must rescue as many cats as possible before the evil Lord Vesh arrives.

The game is divided into 5 days (rounds) and each day is divided into 4 phases which are completed in the following order:

Day Setup
Fish Phase
Explore Phase
Read Lessons Phase
Rescue Cats Phase
Rare Finds Phase
End Phase

In the Day Setup, fields are refilled with cards and cats. The starting player marker is passed to the next player.

During the Fish Phase, each player receives 20 fish tokens. Fish are the main currency of the game and are used to perform various actions such as drafting cards and rescuing cats.

In the Explore Phase, players draft cards from the field. Cards include cats, treasures, and lessons. Players pay fish to keep the cards they want and pass the rest to the next player. This continues until all cards are drafted.

The Read Lessons Phase is when players reveal their lesson cards. These cards provide ways to score additional points at the end of the game.

During the Rescue Cats Phase, players use fish to rescue cat cards from the field and place them onto their boat. The placement of the cats is crucial as players score points based on how they arrange their cats at the end of the game.

In the Rare Finds Phase, players can use fish to rescue rare finds from the field. These include Oshax cats and treasures which can provide additional points or abilities.

Finally, during the End Phase, players check if the game should end. If it’s the end of day 5, the game ends and players proceed to scoring. Otherwise, a new day begins.

After the 5th day, players count up their points based on cats rescued, lessons learned, treasures collected, and the arrangement of cats on their boat. The player with the most points is declared the winner.

Players'turn One turn to rule them all

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, medium-weight, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game. Each turn during a round of the game plays out in a specific sequence of events. Here’s a detailed breakdown:

1. Fish Phase:

Each player will start their turn by gaining 20 fish. Fish is the main currency in the game and is used to pay for actions.

2. Explore Phase:

In this phase, players draw a number of cards from the main deck. These cards can be lesson cards, cat cards, or any number of other types. After a quick review, the player chooses two of them and passes the rest to the next player. This continues until all cards have been chosen or discarded.

Lesson Cards: These provide players with different objectives that can score them extra points at the end of the game.
Cat Cards: These represent the different cats you can rescue and add to your boat.

3. Read Phase:

During the Read phase, players reveal and execute any green lesson cards they have collected. These may alter the rules or provide additional scoring opportunities.

4. Rescue Cats Phase:

This is where players use their fish to pay for and rescue cats. The cost of each cat is determined by the card drawn during the Explore phase. Players will then place the corresponding cat tile onto their boat. Strategic placement is important as it can lead to additional points and bonuses.

5. Rare Finds Phase:

In this phase, players can choose to pay for and place rare finds, which can include rare cats, treasures, or Oshax. These are special elements that provide unique benefits or extra points.

6. End of Turn:

At the end of the turn, any unresolved cards are discarded, and the first player token moves to the next player.

Throughout the game, strategic decisions include where to place cats on your boat, which cards to select during the Explore phase, and how to use your fish most effectively. The objective is to score as many points as possible by rescuing and efficiently placing cats, completing lessons, and finding rare items.

End of the game All good games must come to an end

The Isle of Cats is a strategic board game that involves rescuing as many cats as possible before the cruel Lord Vesh arrives. The game ends when the players have completed five rounds, signifying Lord Vesh’s arrival. At this point, it’s time to calculate the final scores.

Before final scoring, players must ensure that they have completed a few essential actions:

Exhausted all their lessons: Players must make sure they have exhausted all their lesson cards. These cards can provide players with private and public objectives that can score them extra points.
Placed all cats on their boat: Every player should have placed all the cats they’ve rescued onto their boat. Placement is important as cats of the same color placed together in a group will score points.

Once these steps are completed, players can proceed with the final scoring. Victory is determined based on the number of points each player has accumulated throughout the game. Points can be earned through the following conditions:

Rescued Cats: Players earn points for each cat they have successfully rescued and placed on their boat. Points vary depending on the color and group of the cats.
Lessons: Players score points for completed lesson cards. Both private and public lesson cards are included in this.
Families: A family consists of at least 3 cats of the same color touching each other. Each family will score points for the player.
Rare Treasures: Any rare treasures collected during the game will also add points to the final score.
Room Completion: If a player has completely filled all the rooms on their boat, they earn additional points.
Penalties: Players must subtract points for any rats that are still visible on their boat and any rooms that are not completely filled.

The player with the highest total score after all these calculations is the winner of the game. In the event of a tie, the player with the most cats on their boat wins. If there’s still a tie, then the player who went first in the game wins.

Scoring Did you outsmart your rivals?

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, medium-weight, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game for 1-4 players (6 with expansions). In this game, you will be rescuing cats from an island that is about to be destroyed. At the end of the game, players score points for the cats they have rescued, lessons they’ve learned, rare finds they’ve discovered, and how well they’ve managed to keep families of cats together. The player with the highest score wins. The scoring system in this game is as follows:

1. Cat Scores

Each rescued cat on your boat earns the number of points shown on the cat tile. For example, a single cat tile might be worth anywhere from 3 to 5 points.

2. Family Scores

Players earn bonus points for creating “Families” of cats. A Family is a group of 3 or more cats of the same color that are touching each other.
The bigger the family, the more points it scores: 3 cats score 8 points, 4 cats score 11 points, 5 cats score 15 points, and so on, up to 30 points for a family of 10 or more cats.

3. Lesson Scores

Lesson cards provide unique scoring opportunities. These can be public (green lessons) or private (purple lessons).
Public lessons apply to all players and are revealed at the start of the game. Private lessons only apply to the player who drew them and are kept secret during the game.
Lessons may reward points for placing cats in specific layouts, rescuing certain types of cats, or other unique conditions.

4. Rare Treasure Scores

Players earn points for Rare Treasures placed on their boat as specified on the treasure tile. For example, a treasure tile might be worth a flat 3 points, or it might give 1 point for each cat of a certain color on your boat.

5. Room Scores

Players lose 5 points for each room on their boat that is not fully covered by cats and/or treasures.

6. Tie-Breaking

In the event of a tie, the player with the most leftover fish wins. If there’s still a tie, the player who took the earliest turn order position in the final round wins.

Particular Cases and Exceptions Wait… is that legal?

The Isle of Cats is a competitive, medium-weight, card-drafting, polyomino cat-placement board game for 1-4 players (6 with expansions). Though it is generally straightforward, there are some rare or special rules and exceptions that players should be aware of.

1. Rescue Phase:

In the Rescue Phase, players must remember that they can only rescue cats if they have enough baskets. Each player starts with one permanent basket, but additional baskets can be obtained through lesson cards, discovery cards, or any time a player doesn’t rescue a cat during a rescue phase. However, these additional baskets are only temporary and must be used in the same round they are obtained or they will be lost.

2. Rare Finds:

During the Explore Phase, players may come across rare finds in the form of Oshax, ancient treasures, or common treasures. These are special and follow different rules. Oshax are unique cats that can be any color while ancient treasures must be placed on the boat immediately upon discovery. Common treasures, meanwhile, can be stored and placed on the boat during any future Rescue Phase.

3. Cat Families:

When placing cats on the boat, players must remember that a cat family is formed by connecting cats of the same color. A family must have at least three cats to score points, and the more cats in a family, the greater the score. However, the cats must be placed on adjacent squares, not diagonally.

4. Public and Private Lessons:

There are both public and private lessons in the game. Public lessons apply to all players and can earn anyone points if they meet the conditions specified on the card. Private lessons, on the other hand, only apply to the player who drew them. It’s also important to note that private lessons must be paid for with fish during the lesson phase, while public lessons are free for all players.

5. The End of the Game:

The game ends after five rounds, with the player who has the most victory points crowned the winner. However, it’s important to remember that players lose points for each rat and room on their boat that is not covered by a cat or treasure. This is a common rule that is often overlooked, so players should be sure to cover as much of their boat as possible before the game ends.