As a dedicated content creator for solcat.net, and a self-proclaimed expert in crafting engaging articles, I’m diving deep into the Cat Lady: Box of Treats expansion. Having been charmed by the original Cat Lady game a few years back, I was intrigued to see what this expansion brings to the table. For those unfamiliar, Cat Lady is a delightful card drafting game that has captured the hearts of many, myself included, thanks to its accessible gameplay and endearing theme. But does Cat Lady: Box of Treats truly enhance the experience, or is it simply a box of unnecessary extras? Let’s explore whether this expansion is a must-have for every cat lady the board game enthusiast.
Unpacking the Box of Treats: What’s Inside?
Priced at $19.99 MSRP, this expansion is nearly the cost of the base game itself, which raises the initial question: is it worth it? The Box of Treats expansion adopts a modular approach, offering a variety of additions that you can choose to incorporate into your games. This modularity is both a strength and a potential weakness. While it allows for customization to suit your preferences, it also means that some components might feel less essential than others. Let’s break down each module to assess its value.
New Cards for the Main Deck: A Mixed Bag?
The heart of this expansion, for most players, will undoubtedly be the new cards designed to be shuffled into the main deck. Among these additions are at least five new card types: Boxes, Cat Brush, Shopping Bag, Laser Pointer, and Treats, alongside charming new wooden tokens specifically for the Treat cards.
Initially, the sheer number of new card types seemed overwhelming, especially considering the relatively small number of cards added to the deck. However, in practice, introducing these new cards proved surprisingly smooth. Explaining them as they appeared during gameplay was straightforward, minimizing any disruption to the game’s flow. Despite this smooth integration, the overall impact of these new cards feels like a mixed bag, much like a box of assorted treats. When considering how these additions would play with younger audiences, like my own 6-year-old daughter who adores Cat Lady, some cards fare better than others in terms of complexity and enjoyment.
The Treat cards stand out as a genuinely clever addition. Treats introduce a new food type that can be used to feed any cat completely with just a single card. However, this comes at a cost: fed with a Treat, cats lose their special abilities and are only worth one point. This mechanic adds a strategic layer, providing a valuable option for managing unfed cats or achieving specific goals related to fed cat types. It’s a simple yet effective addition that opens up interesting strategic pathways within the game.
In contrast, the Box cards feel somewhat cumbersome. Their scoring mechanism, reminiscent of science cards in 7 Wonders (awarding points based on the square of the number you possess), is unnecessarily complex for a game as light as Cat Lady. Furthermore, each Box card specifies a particular type of cat required to be placed inside for scoring. While the thematic concept of putting cats in boxes is undeniably appealing, especially to younger players, the execution feels slightly clunky. The restriction on cat types, while thematic, often proves inconsequential as players usually acquire the necessary cat type quickly, diminishing the intended challenge or strategic element. The charm of the “box” theme is undeniable, but the gameplay implementation could have been streamlined for better integration.
The Laser Pointer card offers an intriguing twist on the Spray Bottle from the base game. Playing a Laser Pointer allows a player to snatch any two cards from the tableau, regardless of their position, and discard a third card from the game. Importantly, the cat associated with the Laser Pointer remains stationary on that turn. This card is relatively easy to explain and introduces a significant power play, enabling players to strategically grab valuable cards from different rows or columns. The Laser Pointer feels like a well-designed addition that enhances strategic decision-making without adding unnecessary complexity.
Several new card types are designated for use only in higher player count games. While this might seem like a thoughtful inclusion for larger groups, Cat Lady shines brightest with 2-3 players, and remains enjoyable with 4. Therefore, content geared towards 5-6 players feels somewhat superfluous in an expansion for a game that isn’t ideally suited for that player count in the first place. However, some of the simpler new cards, like the Chicken+Tuna card or the Shopping Bag card (which provides Chicken+Tuna+Milk but awards 2 VP to other players), are welcome additions. Gray cats simply introduce a new cat color, requiring minimal explanation and seamlessly blending into the existing gameplay.
Overall, the new cards for the main deck offer a mix of valuable additions and less impactful inclusions. While some, like the Treats and Laser Pointer, enrich the strategic depth, others, like the Boxes, feel somewhat less refined. Despite these mixed feelings, the new cards are generally enjoyable and likely to be incorporated into regular gameplay for most cat lady the enthusiasts. However, the package as a whole could have been more streamlined, focusing on the stronger additions.
New Stray Cat Cards: More of the Same Goodness
The expansion also introduces new Stray Cat cards, which are a welcome addition. Since only three stray cats are revealed each game (or four with more players), integrating these new cards is effortless. They simply add variety to the stray cat pool without altering the game’s rules. The humor and callbacks within these new cards, such as “Calf” (a playful riff on the base game’s “Cow” cat), are delightful touches that fans of the original game will appreciate. These new Stray Cat cards epitomize the kind of “more of the same” content that expansions should ideally offer – enhancing variety without adding unnecessary complexity or rules overhead. These are definite keepers for any cat lady the player looking to refresh their game.
Cards for 5-6 Players: A Missed Opportunity?
The inclusion of cards to support 5-6 players feels like a misguided addition. Cat Lady is not ideally suited for larger groups, and attempting to stretch it beyond 4 players often diminishes the experience. Party games or splitting into smaller groups are generally better options for larger gatherings. Expansions that increase player counts often cater to a perceived demand rather than enhancing the core gameplay experience, and this module feels like a similar case. For those who enjoy Cat Lady primarily at lower player counts, these cards will likely remain unused and contribute to the feeling that the expansion is not entirely essential.
A Solo Mode: Niche but Appreciated
In today’s climate of social distancing and solo gaming, the inclusion of a solo mode is a sensible addition. While I personally lean towards the convenience of the Cat Lady app for solo play (priced at a mere $1.99 with no setup or teardown), the physical solo mode will undoubtedly appeal to players who prefer tabletop gaming in isolation. Its inclusion is hard to fault, as it caters to a specific segment of players who will find genuine value in it. While not a personal draw for everyone, the solo mode is a fine and thoughtful addition for the cat lady the who enjoys solitary gameplay.
Shared Goals: Unnecessary Complexity?
The Shared Goals module introduces goals that are shared between adjacent players in games with more than two participants. If both players achieve the shared goal, they both earn bonus VPs. For example, a goal might require adjacent players to collectively feed 14 cats to earn 3 VP each. Players can swap out a goal adjacent to them with a central goal during their turn.
In practice, the Shared Goals feel like an unnecessary layer of complexity that adds little to the core Cat Lady experience. They require extra tracking and, due to the ability to swap goals, are often easily achieved, rendering them somewhat inconsequential. While potentially intended to increase interaction in higher player count games, they don’t effectively address the fundamental limitations of playing Cat Lady with 5-6 players. For most cat lady the players, this module is likely to be skipped without missing out on significant gameplay enhancement.
Final Thoughts: A Modular Treat, But Not Essential
Cat Lady: Box of Treats is a truly modular expansion, and its strength lies in the ability to pick and choose the modules that resonate most with your preferences. For someone like myself, a smaller, more focused expansion containing just the new deck cards, stray cats, and treat tokens at a lower price point would have been ideal. However, the modular nature of the Box of Treats caters to a broader audience, including those interested in solo play or larger player counts.
Cat Lady is already a well-designed and tightly focused game. This expansion, even with its appealing modules, feels somewhat superfluous. Yet, now that I have it, I will likely incorporate the new cards into my regular games, if only to witness the delight on my daughter’s face when she grabs a Box card. And perhaps, as my family grows, there might come a time when playing Cat Lady with five or six players becomes a reality, and I’ll be glad to have those extra player components.
Ultimately, Cat Lady: Box of Treats is a decent expansion that adds variety and options to an already charming game. Whether it’s a necessary purchase depends on your individual preferences and how much you want to expand upon the original Cat Lady experience. For the dedicated cat lady the board game lover, there are definitely treats to be found within this box, even if not every piece is equally satisfying.
Thank you to AEG for providing a review copy of Cat Lady: Box of Treats.
