Cat in the Box: Deluxe Edition

Objective and scope: Players try to score the most points over a number of rounds equal to the player count. Bezier Games lists Deluxe Edition for 2–5 players; each trick is worth a point, and a correct prediction can score a connected-token bonus from the Research Board. This summary covers the 2022 base rules and excludes later Colossal expansion modules.

Round setup: The number of rounds equals the number of players, and the Round Start Player rotates. Use cards by player count: two players use 1–5, three use 1–6, four use 1–8, and five use 1–9. Deal ten cards to each player except in a five-player game, which deals nine. Everyone secretly sets aside one card that is not used this round, then predicts their trick total in clockwise order. Two-player games skip prediction and use their special bonus rule.

Play and claim a space: The Round Start Player leads a card and declares its color; all other players play one card clockwise and declare a color. Place your played card by that color on your player board and put one of your tokens on the matching number-and-color space on the shared Research Board. That space must be empty, and your player board must still show a token on that color’s X, meaning you have not given up that color this round.

Leading color: The first color declared in a trick is its led color. A player leading a trick normally may declare blue, yellow, or green, but not red trump. They may lead red if any token is already in the red row of the Research Board, or if none of the cards in their hand could be legally declared as another color. Following players may declare any color that satisfies the empty-space and remaining-color rules.

Following or changing color: A player who declares a color different from the led color removes the token from that led-color X on their player board. They may no longer declare that color for the rest of the round. Cards have no printed suits, so players are not simply following a suit printed on a card; instead, every declaration both determines the current trick and restricts that player’s later hand.

Winning a trick: If everyone declares the led color, the highest number wins. If multiple colors appear, red trump is strongest, the led color is next, and all other colors are weaker; compare numbers only among the cards in the strongest color. The winner collects all cards in the trick and becomes the lead player for the next trick. The Round Start Player card stays where it is.

Trick phase and paradox: Normally, continue until each player has one card remaining. If a player cannot legally declare a color for any card in their hand, a paradox occurs: they reveal the hand, the current unfinished trick has no winner, and the round proceeds to scoring. Research Board tokens already placed remain in place. A player cannot intentionally create a paradox if a legal card can be played.

Round scoring and two players: Each won trick is worth one point. If a player’s prediction was correct, score one point for each token in their largest orthogonally connected group on the Research Board; diagonal connections do not count. A player who caused a paradox instead loses one point per trick won and forfeits the prediction bonus. In a two-player game there is no prediction: each player who wins four or fewer tricks earns the connected-group bonus.

End of game: After every player has been the Round Start Player once, add the round scores. The highest total wins. If tied, compare the tied players’ scores in the final round; if they remain tied, they share victory. At each round’s end, retrieve tokens from the boards, reset the color markers, and pass the Round Start Player card to the player on the left.