Cat in the Box is an unusual trick game about quantum mechanics and cats. Similar to Schrödinger’s famous thought experiment, the cats on the cards only take on their final state or their final colour when they are played.

At the beginning of each round, the players in Cat in the Box guess how many tricks they can win with their hand cards. After that, each person in turn plays one card each – whoever has played the highest card of the colour played or the trump colour red gets the trick. However, the colour of the hand card is always determined at the moment it is played. If you “can’t” or don’t want to play the announced colour, you have to change the colour, but you are not allowed to play the required colour for the rest of the round – figuratively speaking, you no longer have any cards of this colour in your hand. Each colour-number combination may only be played once in the entire game. This is indicated on a small game board by the person occupying the corresponding space with a marker of their colour.

Once all the cards in the hand have been played or if a person is unable to play any of their cards (a paradox occurs), the game ends. Points are then awarded for the number of tricks won. In addition, connected squares on the game board that are covered with your own markers give extra points, but only if the typed number of tricks has been reached.

Caution. Not suitable for children under 36 months.

• Number of people: for 2 to 5 players aged 10 and over
• Game duration: 20 to 50 minutes
• Format: 17.7cm x 12.7cm x 3.7cm
• Weight: 380 g

Contents:

• 50 cards
• 1 research plan
• 5 game tableaus
• 64 game pieces
• 1 scoring pad
• 1 instruction booklet (DE)