Cat Vs Human: Annoy your owner in this feline-themed trick-taking card game
Steal food, knock over lamps and wreck the furniture in designer Jason Anarchy's latest creation
Well done, you’ve invited a narcissistic, jittery psychopath into your house who leaves disembowelled rodents on your pillow. As a treat.
But it’s OK, your miniature house guest is covered in fur, rendering it what you humans call ‘cute’.
Cats. I’m talking about cats. Feline/tamed-owner relations are the theme of Canadian designer Jason Anarchy’s latest game, which has achieved its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal six times over.
Cat Vs Human is a trick-taking card game, which sees players role-playing as an irritating moggy nagging for food and attention to the best of their abilities. These abilities include ‘zoomies’, ‘nuzzle’ and ‘furniture terror’.
With a couple of weeks still to go on the Kickstarter campaign, we spoke to Mr Anarchy about his latest creation.
Cat Vs Human is about playing an irritating feline demanding food from their faithful, long-suffering owner. What's in the rules and win conditions?
JA: Players are cats competing to annoy their human for food. The game is very fast-paced and uses tricking-taking and push-your-luck mechanics.
It's meant to be a highly re-playable, casual game that you could play with anyone.
Is the vibe here like a domesticated card-based Untitled Goose Game?
JA: There's a big difference right away – this game has a title!
Untitled Goose Game wasn't a direct influence, but if you're looking for a new take on the ‘animal annoys human’ genre, Cat Vs Human likely has you covered!
Any top tips for preventing a cat from causing chaos, both in game and in life?
JA: Much like real life, Cat Vs Human acknowledges that the cat will always win. But I'm confident cat owners are OK with that.
You've created several games backed on Kickstarter now. How does this campaign compare?
JA: The response has been amazing so far. We're a week in and just unlocked our 12th stretch goal.
As a frequent creator, every campaign is unique and fun in different ways. I'm always looking to give backers a great experience and one that would make them willing to back future silly games that I might make.
How did the collaboration come about with Ellen Woodbury of Pizzacake Comics?
JA: I'm a big fan of her comics, I think they're some of the best webcomics being made right now.
I reached out to see if she was interested in a game and she was open to the idea right away. It probably helped that I have a resume of webcomic games I've put together already.
When you're making comedy content, it's this strange zone you need to exist in where you're professional but also need to be able to riff and talk about ridiculous jokes with all seriousness so you never know if you're going to get someone who can strike that balance. Thankfully, Ellen is a total pro and has been a fantastic collaborator.
Cat Vs Human is colourblind-friendly. What steps can designers take to ensure their games are the same?
JA: There are two main ways that I'm aware of:
- use a colourblind-friendly palette
- use icons alongside any colour-coded icons you may have, so if you can't make out the colour, the shape should work just as much.
I also kept emailing a colourblind friend of mine and kept saying things like "Hey are these icons distinct colours?" and "Are these four cats easily recognisable as different cats?"
I'm good friends with Nomnivore Games and colourblind friendliness has been one of their big selling points for their games. I took inspiration from them and wanted to make more of an effort towards making my games more accessible.
What sustainability measures have been taken throughout the project?
JA: We're going to make the game with high-quality materials so it's less likely to become damaged and be thrown out. We want to make something that will last and be used over and over again. It should be fun game to bring with you to whatever social gathering and you won't have to worry about the box being crushed in your bag or backpack.
I think the biggest change from the last few games I've done is that I'm moving away from plastic inserts. Especially black plastic, which is the worst kind.
So at the end of the day, it's a game that will last and lead to some great times with friends, but when the game's time finally comes, it's 100% recyclable.
You make games for the 'hardcore casual' gamer. What's the key to fulfilling that brief?
JA: I love games in a hardcore way, but when I get together with my friends, we want to hang out as much as play games. So because we’re adults with responsibilities who don't get to hang out as much as we like to, casual games fill that niche a bit better because we can actually finish them. There are have been too many nights where we set up and try to learn a big-box game and three hours later, we still haven't started playing.
So I've always operated under the assumption that board games are as much about facilitating a fun hangout with your friends as they are about gameplay.
The other meaning behind that tagline is that when I started Jason Anarchy Games, there was a huge punk rock DIY influence behind everything. I'm a ‘hardcore’ casual.
Apart from Your Friend is Sad, what's the best tabletop game you've ever played to cheer up a sad friend?
JA: Joking Hazard. It's the perfect social game. I've been a fan for years and it's been in regular rotation.
And then fairly recently I was able to work with Cyanide & Happiness as the design consultant for Master Dater, which I think is equally as great for cheering people up. It's just too funny.
What are your favourite tabletop games to play with family members?
JA: Point Salad! You can play this game this anyone and it's just wildly different every time.
I've also been playing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons with my son lately. He just wants to play it every day and we're been going through all our adventure books. One-on-one D&D with an energetic nine year old really makes you have to be quick on your feet.
When can gamers expect to see Cat Vs Human in stores once the Kickstarter deliveries have been fulfilled?
JA: We're on track to ship to the backers in July and plan to have Cat Vs Human in stores for fourth quarter.
We're excited to get this out into the world to both humans and their ungrateful cats.
For more information on Jason Anarchy Games, visit drinkingquest.com
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