- BGG rating
- 8.2
Cathood: Family & Friends
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #8,507
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Cathood
2025
Rules assistance for Cathood
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Cathood
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Cathood is a board game released in 2025 for 2–4 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Fábio Lima and its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
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About the game
"Cathood" means "the state or essence of being a cat", and that's what you're trying to achieve. In Cathood, you are one of eight lovely cats, each with its own personality, that move around a neighborhood to meet humans, collect toys, and visit parks to establish their territory. By doing so, you earn "points" — to use the human equivalent measuring system — while working toward becoming the most beloved cat in the neighborhood. In game terms, this design is an area-control, pick-up-and-deliver, and set-collection game in which managing the right resources is essential to success. The modular neighborhood, constantly changing, brings an innovative puzzly vibe to the decisions, tests orientation skills on a map, and encourages players to think and interact as a cat. Are they going to walk in the streets, or jump through the roofs? Stop in a cat café to exchange resources, or hiss at another player to steal from their personal supply? Learn new tricks and complete secret objectives, or be the first to visit important places and expand their influence? Since players activate a limited number of actions per turn based on the number of discs in front of them, creating the right synergy is key for a winning strategy. Are you ready? Purrrrfect! Cathood was one of the five finalists of the "I Concurso de creación de juegos Zacatrus". —description from the designer
Questions and answers
Cathood supports 2–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Cathood is 45–60 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 Cathood for ages 10 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.
Cathood has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-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.
Cathood belongs to these categories: Animals, Territory Building, and Abstract Strategy. Its main mechanics are Variable Player Powers, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Cathood are: Fábio Lima. 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 Cathood 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.