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Yes, I know...sorry about that, I know you miss me, and I miss you and your warm lap. But I had to go, that body wouldn't hold me any more, I was miserable. Listen, I've got orders for my fifth life. The Queen thinks it's time for me to join the Struggle again. You didn't know this, but the other four mostly took care of the Boggins when I was with you. (I needed a Life for rest after the mess at the World Tree.) So I'll be with a family in Norway who need a grey tortie lapcat. But I'll be doing a bit less lap sitting from now on. They've got an infestation of Boggins.
Of what?
Look, I don't have much time. I came to tell you I'm alright, but also to ask you to do me a favour. I want you to finally write a review of that Cat game you bought a bunch of moons ago.
Huh? Why?
The Queen of Cats, she's decided to change one of the Rules--
The Rules?
Yes, let me finish. The Rule about people, primate people, that is, not knowing about the work we do. I don't know why exactly, but She's decided that since the Cat game described very similarly to what we actually do, the part we play in the Struggle, that humans should know that. Most humans won't believe it. But those that do, it's time for them to know. So could you do that review?
Yes, or course, I'll do that as soon as I wake up!
Good. I need to go now. My broccoli boat has just arrived.
But can't you stay a bit? I miss you so much!
I'm sorry, I have to go now, I'm about to be born. I can't miss that! I love you! Bye!
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John Wick made us wait a long time for "Cat", but the wait was well worth it. Cat is a fascinating little game in which the players take on the role of cats who protect humanity from "Boggins" and other evils. We've all wondered Exactly What Cats Are Really Up To, and now we know.
Character generation is simple. Each cat has 6 characteristics:
CLAWS (for fighting and climbing) COAT (for protection and persuading) FACE (for sensing the world) FANGS (for fighting and carrying things) LEGS (for jumping, balance and other quick movements) TAIL (for magic!)
You choose 1 trait as Best Trait which gives you 5 points in that trait, 3 Strong Traits with 4 points in each Trait, and the rest of the Traits are Good, with 3 points.
In addition to the 6 characteristics, each cat has 3 names: the name given them by humans, the name they use with other cats, and a secret name that no one knows. Your cat will also have up to 7 points of Reputations which are titles that describe something they are known for. An example would be "Excellent Mouser" or "Climber of Walls". Reputations have bonuses associated with them. And finally, every cat begins with 9 Lives, which can be lost during gameplay.
Gameplay is simple, but elegant. Undertaking an action which has a chance of failure is called Testing Fate. This represents something like climbing a wall or jumping a brook, versus something with little or no chance of failure for cats, such as falling asleep in a sunbeam. The GM will assign it a difficulty, either Easy, Medium or Hard and determine which Trait applies. The relevant Trait score gives you a number of dice to roll. One even (2, 4 or 6 on a d6) die means success for an Easy Risk, 2 evens means success for a Medium Risk and a Hard Risk requires 3 even dice.
There is an additional mechanic called Advantage Dice. These are handed out by the GM for good roleplaying and so forth, and allow you to add a die to a Risk roll. However, you don't automatically get to use Advantage Dice, you have to describe the nature of the advantage. An example would be if it is night and you are attempting to hide. In that case an Advantage Die would represent it being easier to hide in the darkness. In other words there needs to be an in-game reason why you can use an Advantage Die.
These are the main aspects of the system. There are additional rules having to do with Scars, Healing, Fighting, Dying, Reputation and Style Points, and then a section on Magic. The Magic section is particularly charming, describing how Magic works, but also discussing the "Bauble Curse", what happens to a cat's Magic when she gets thoroughly wet, explaining that tailless cats (Manx) still have a Tail trait, and listing a small number of the basic magic "Tricks" (spells) available to cats. I wish that this "grimoire" section had been expanded more, during playtesting we noted that this was an area where we were unclear as to how other "Tricks" could be created and so forth.
After the Magic section is a short section with Advanced Rules, and then a long and very helpful section on "Storytelling" which is basically "GM advice". The next section covers adventuring in the Dream World, in which cats have some power to alter themselves, or anything else, through dreaming. A chapter with some story hooks follows, and then some discussion on the relations between cats and dogs, including the possibility of playing a dog character. Which leads to the next chapter, on the enemies of Cats, including the Boggins.
Boggins are a dangerous menace to human beings and other creatures. Their aim is to acquire a physical form by discovering weaknesses and exploiting them to possess their target. Negative emotions and thoughts strengthen them, and they come in many kinds and levels of power. The book describes quite a few of them and any GM worth his whiskers can certainly invent more. Boggins are the primary enemy of the Cat, and many cats regard it as their duty to struggle against the Boggins in the lives of their companion humans. Unlike humans, cats can see Boggins and attempt to get rid of them.
The book closes with a few pages of facts and folklore, interspersed with commentary from Roland the author's cat. The scope of "Cat" might seem limited, revolving around the battle between cats and Boggins. But the tools are there for expanding outward from that. I can imagine a version of the game in which investigation or politics plays a part equal to or greater than combat. And players need not be cats, since there are rules for dog characters, who are mostly meant to be NPCs. With a little work other kinds of creatures could be included. And the infinite variability of Boggins means a good GM can always come up with a surprise.
All in all "Cat" is an excellent idea that has been executed well, and well worth the money and time. Thus I'm giving it a 5 for substance. I'm also giving it a 4 for Style. The layout is done well, and a nice number of black and white pictures in various styles are interspersed.
