- BGG rank
- BGG #7,413
- BGG rating
- 6.5
Bower
- 2 players
- 25 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,685
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Cat-a-comb
2024
Rules assistance for Cat-a-comb
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2 players
- 15 min
- 14+
- Complexity 1.3/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Cat-a-comb
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cat-a-comb is a board game released in 2024 for 2 players, 15 minutes per game, and ages 14 and up. It was designed by Pierpaolo Paoletti.
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About the game
Your goal in Cat-a-comb is to get your cats stacked in all the right places. To set up, each player takes all six cat cubes of one color (black or white). Place the nine tiles — three each of brown, white, and black — into a 3x3 grid, then choose a player to play the three neutral brown cubes on a tile of each color. The other player then takes the first turn. On a turn either place one of your cats from your reserve onto a neutral cat or opposing cat that is sitting directly on a tile, thereby creating a stack of two cats, or take a stack of cats from a tile and distribute them on the board, placing the bottommost cat onto an adjacent space, then the next cat onto a space adjacent to the one just placed, then (if present) the final cat adjacent to that one. (A stack can consist of one cat.) You can never place two cats of the same color directly on top of one another, and your turn cannot end with a stack taller than three. You win at the end of your turn if (1) you have a cat on the top of the stacks of all the tiles of one color or (2) you have a cat on top of three stacks that are each three cats high.
Questions and answers
Cat-a-comb supports 2 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Cat-a-comb is 15 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Cat-a-comb for ages 14 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Cat-a-comb has a complexity rating of 1.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Cat-a-comb belongs to these categories: Abstract Strategy. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Cat-a-comb and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Cat-a-comb are: Pierpaolo Paoletti. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Cat-a-comb as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.