Cats rule and dogs drool! Not for nothing does a “dog game” mean a board game that is no good at all. Kitty card game, then? If that appeals more to you – put on a woolly jumper, grab a cup of tea, put Felix or Minoes on your lap and play with your friends the mustachioed battle game 9 Lives by Allplay (previously known as Board Game Tables). Is this game as meowsome as the theme suggests or do the dogs not like it?
Have you ever played a trick taking game (such as Wizard), and are you familiar with the cat saying “If I fits, I sits”? Then you actually already know the rules of 9 Lives. The card game is a simple trick taking game with trumps, where players try to win a round. How many rounds (or tricks) a player wants to win is determined by your kitty cat(s) prior to the game. Before each game, players place a cardboard token of their unique furball on a score sheet to determine how many tricks they expect to win. Players base this on their assigned hand. Do you score as many tricks as predicted? Then you will be rewarded with bonus points. Do you guess wrong? No points for you, Smelly Cat!
What makes 9 Lives unique from the many other trick taking games you can buy is its excellent theme. It oozes passion and love for cats. Each card value has its own unique cat art and the cardboard tokens of the cats are also fantastic. The box cover even features the famous Kit Cat clock – and this clock actually has a proud place up on my wall too (see the pictures for proof). What a feast of recognition!
So if you want to play a fun but simple thematic game, 9 Lives comes highly recommended! For more complexity, I would still opt for, say, The Crew, which is a bit more involved than a simple trick taking game. But don’t worry, my furry friends, because 9 Lives gets the Catnip prize for kitty card game from me. So the game is an ideal addition in the Calico, Cat Lady and Wizard Kittens category!
