Island kitties might be easily swayed with a few fish, but their kittens are far nimbler and more skittish. Only the quickest among you will find them before they vanish into the underbrush.

Description of The Isle of Cats: Kittens + Beasts Expansion

This is a major expansion to the board game "The Isle of Cats", consisting of three distinct modules: "Kittens," "Beasts," and "Events." These modules can be added to the base game individually or all together.

The box includes:

• new kitten and beast tiles,
• a kitten board and bag,
• beast figurines and a bag for them,
• event tiles and a bag for them,
• royal rat tokens,
• used basket tokens,
• additional victory point tokens,
• new task cards,
• cards for family play and an updated score pad.

Kittens

This module allows the first player to rescue kittens too, offering new opportunities without overly complicating the game.

While saving cats, the first player now has the option to rescue kittens as well. Each turn, they can choose to save 1 cat, 1 kitten, or 2 kittens instead of cats. On the ship, kittens follow the same placement rules as cats.

Beasts

On the first day (and only the first day), players can rescue not just cats but also beasts from the island. Players rescue beasts in the same way as regular cats, using baskets and fish. Beasts are placed on the ship like cats and follow the same rules.

Each beast tile features 3 or 4 cat symbols, representing the cat families this beast wants to befriend. A beast can only bond with one family. At the end of the game, each friendship is worth 5 points.

Events

This is the most complex module of the expansion, altering the base game’s rules. Before the game starts, event tiles are placed face-up on the island board, covering the "1" and "5" day track spaces. The other three tiles are placed face-down, covering the "2," "3," and "4" day track spaces. At the end of each day, Vesh’s ship moves one space along the track, now landing on event tiles.

Points from event tiles are earned during days 2, 3, and 4. No additional points are awarded at the game’s end.

Event tiles come in 2 types:

• Action Tiles: Offer bonuses, impose penalties, or change rules on specific days.
• Point Tiles: Allow players to score points on certain days.

We recommend checking out the video rules in the "Video" section and, if desired, diving into the detailed rules with illustrations in PDF format in the "Files" section.

Final Thoughts

The game’s designer hasn’t forgotten solo mode or family play, so for the youngest cat rescuers, this expansion is just as engaging as the base game without overcomplicating gameplay. If you’re a fan of the family board game "The Isle of Cats" and crave more variety or new tactics, Gallu the Rooster wholeheartedly recommends grabbing this major expansion!