Fish & Katz Game Review

The Basics:

• For ages 6 and up
• For 2 to 6 players
• Approximatly 20 minutes to complete

Geek Skills:

• Counting & Math
• Logical & Critical Decision Making
• Hand/Eye Coordination & Dexterity
• Reflex & Speed

Learning Curve:

• Child – Easy
• Adult – Easy

Theme & Narrative:

• Grab those fish before your pesky feline rivals do!

Endorsements:

• Child Geek approved!
• Parent Geek mixed!
• Gamer Geek rejected!

Overview

I am currently a cat owner. I have had the pleasure of having dogs as pets, and I can confidently say that these two animal companions are different in a few key ways and similar in most others. Case in point, I have never met a dog or a cat that wasn’t eager to eat whatever I had. Dogs are more upfront about their intent and interest, with them begging at the table. Cats are much more subtle, feigning disinterest and then suddenly pouncing on unattended food. I am not ashamed that I have been bested more than once by my cats as they stole a bit of chicken or took off with a cracker. They are super crafty. In this game, you must be as quick and nimble as a cat to ensure the delicious fish you want doesn’t get into the wrong paws.

Fish & Katz, designed by Benjamin Leung and published by HeidelBÄR Games, is comprised of 50 Fish cards, four Expansion cards, six Overview cards, 20 Paw tokens, and six Kitty Paw finger puppets. Yes, finger puppets. Each Kitty Paw is a knitted “sock” the players slip over their fingers. Adorable.

Preparing the Fish

To set up the game, complete the following steps:

First, give each player a Kitty Paw and one Overview card.

Second, remove the four Expansion cards or keep them in if you want to use them (see Game Variant for more details). Shuffle all the Fish cards (and the Expansion cards if using them), placing the deck face-down. This is the draw deck for the duration of the game.

Third, draw one card for each player, plus one more, to a wide-spaced row, ensuring the cards are face-up. For example, you’d draw five cards if playing with four players.

Fourth, place the Paw tokens into a pile and off to one side of the game-playing area.

That’s it for game setup. Time to grab some fish!

Hungry Kitties

Fish & Katz is played rounds with all players playing simultaneously. A single game round is summarized here.

Step One: Ready? Set? POUNCE!

On the count of “three,” each player will attempt to place their finger (the Kitty Paw) on one of the face-up cards in the row. There should be no hesitation; players cannot change their minds once they pounce on a card.

Step Two: Who Gets the Fish?

If just one player has their Kitty Paw on the card, they collect it now, putting it in front of them. If two or more players have selected the same card, neither player gets the card.

Step Three: Has the Game Ended?

After all the players have collected their cards, check to see if one or more players have collected two fish types with at least three collected cards. If not, continue to the next step.

If a player has, it’s time to score those fish!

Award each player one Paw token for each set of three or more Fish cards of the same type. The number of Paw tokens the player receives is noted on the cards in the set. Note that the player only gets the displayed Paw tokens once per set, not for every card in the set. Once the Paw tokens are distributed, all players place their collected Fish cards in the discard pile, regardless of whether they scored. Players always keep their acquired Paw tokens.

Do a quick count. Has any player collected six or more Paw tokens? If not, continue to the next step. Otherwise, the game has come to an end.

Step Four: Clean the Row or Reset the Fish

Discard all the cards still in the row and deal new cards. If the draw deck is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile to create a new draw deck.

If players scored Paw tokens in the previous step, take all the cards in the discard pile and shuffle them back into the draw deck. Then, draw new Fish cards.

That’s it! Keep going until one little kitty is the winner!

Top Cat

The game continues as noted above until one player has collected six or more Paw tokens. The player with the most Paw tokens wins the game!

Game Variant

The four Expansion cards add “Squids” to the row of possible fish to pounce on. If players collect a “Squid” Fish card, they keep it before them and can discard it to steal another opponent’s collected Fish card. The Squid is discarded, and the newly acquired Fish card is given to the player. There is no way to block this, and it can trigger the end of the game.

If only two players are around, specific rules change how the cards are collected. The rules work, but we suggest you always play with three or more players. The game is much more enjoyable when there are a lot of cat paws around.

To learn more about Fish & Katz, visit the game’s webpage.

Final Word

The Child Geeks had a wonderful time with this game, finding the gameplay entertaining and engaging. The use of the tiny cat paws is a true joy. More than once, the Child Geeks would pretend they were kittens and hiss and scratch at each other. In truth, I think the Child Geeks had a bit more fun with the cat paws than the game itself. One Child Geek said, “I like this game for two reasons. First, pretending to pounce on fish like a cat was a lot of fun. Second, the cat paws on my finger were very funny.” Another Child Geek reported, “The game was easy to learn and fun to play with my friends. I liked playing it with my dad, too, because I was able to beat him every time. He said it was because I was closer to the table.” Regardless of why the Child Geeks enjoyed the game, their votes were all the same, giving Fish & Katz their full approval.

The Parent Geeks were less enthusiastic about the game, finding it fun to play with their kids but more of a chore by the time the game ended. One Parent Geek states, “I think this is a game for younger players, but it is certainly easy to play as an adult, too. It’s a bit too easy if you ask me. And the real challenge is not to get overly exasperated when everyone pounces on the same fish. I think I won twice, but only because I was collecting cards no one else wanted.” Another Parent Geek stated, “A good family game and not so much without the family. I tried this with my kids and loved it. I tried this with my best friends, and it fell flat. I’m not surprised, but I find it funny how the same game can do so well with one group and poorly with another.” When the last fish was caught, the Parent Geeks took a vote, resulting in a mixed bag, finding this game of dexterity to be a bit fishy.

The Gamer Geeks thought the cat paws were entertaining, and that’s where their praise ended. One Gamer Geek stated, “I think the game is flawed. I cannot collect what I want in a way that keeps it secret from my opponents, which means I’ll be lucky to get the cards that I want because the people I play with are jerks.” Another Gamer Geek said, “A solid kids’ game for kids. I want to make that clear. Kids.” Fish & Katz didn’t catch any positive attention from our gaming elitists, and their vote for the game clearly showed that—two thumbs down.

Please make no mistake, my friends. Fish & Katz is a game for Child Geeks and their families. Oh, sure, I’m guessing older players are enjoying it, so why not? The game is fast, the gimmicky way you “catch the fish” is fun with the cat paws, and the table talking whilst playing is delightful. While that is certainly interesting and entertaining in its own right, it cannot be said that it’s enough for those players looking for a game where strategy and tactics are needed. What you do need is speed, dexterity, and patience.

Worth playing? It is if you are a Child Geek. They are still talking about it, with most kids calling it the “cat paw game” rather than by its title. That is a moot point, as all the Child Geeks know what they are talking about and universally agree the game was a lot of fun. Will it be entertaining to you? Go give it a try and see if it catches your attention “purrfectly”.

This game was given to Father Geek as a review copy. Father Geek was not paid, bribed, wined, dined, or threatened in vain hopes of influencing this review. Such is the statuesque and legendary integrity of Father Geek.