Image taken from https://boardgamegeek.com/image/8807429/cat-saga-tangled-tails

Designer: Martin van Rossum
Publisher: Rolling Rhino Games
Artists: Luis R. Blanco, Krzysztof Matusik

First off, I must give a huge thank you to the Rolling Rhino team for sending us a preview copy of this game for an honest review. Thank you! Also please remember that anything discussed and/or shown here is subject to change.

Cat Saga is a cooperative roll and write adventure story game where players take on the role of curious, skillful cats. Before the game begins, players can design their cat character, or they can select one already created. If the player wants to construct their character, the game includes Personality and History catalogs for the player to peruse and select which of each they enjoy and would like to apply to their cat character. Each Personality and History has their own strengths, attributes, items, and other benefits. Even though this was only a sneak peek, there were multiple options to choose from which I really appreciate. Oh, and of course you get to name your cat. 😸

Once each player has their adventurous cat at the ready, the first Saga begins. Each Saga is a series of numbered story entries that can simply relay story, have important plot points, provide choices or options, and/or challenge the characters with skill checks to win and enemies to defeat. The Sagas all begin with a bit of story (see below for a teeny spoiler of the first Saga), and then players collectively work through the entries following the instructions and performing the required actions as necessary.

I don’t want to spoil too much, so I won’t provide any specifics, but each story is unique yet also seems to be overall linked. The game is fun and easy to follow, and the Sagas make it possible to play them as a mini campaign, as the end of a certain Saga will point you in the direction of another. The story aspect of this game is the main focus. There are the usual Tries and Fights added in, but it’s much more of a literary adventure and less of a traditional board game.

Honestly, I’m not usually a huge fan of these style games (though I’ve found another recently I really like, so maybe my preferences are changing), but I really enjoyed this one. Here are a couple highlights for me:

1) Each Saga story is easy to read but well written, interesting, and thematic. There’s a solid story line, and while the transitions between entries can be a little choppy, it’s mostly a smooth, continuous story.
2) I like the option to make it a five-part Saga campaign, but I also appreciate that you could probably play one Saga for something quick, or it’s easy to stop and pick back up where you left off.
3) The character designing is actually really clever and enjoyable! I’m typically not a person that likes this type of thing, and I wouldn’t want to do it every time because it’s rather time-consuming, but there’s a lot of creative freedom in it, and even some strategy in what skills and abilities you want your cat to have throughout the game. The items are neat, and I didn’t mention this, but characters can also level up between Sagas to get more goodies which keeps things slightly more exciting.
4) Even redoing the same three Sagas twice, I still feel there is a lot of variability, variety, and options in this game in terms of choices, outcomes, the story, etc. There are multiple avenues to try and decisions to make, so much so that I forgot some of the ones I made the first go around, so the second play, while feeling familiar, still felt pretty fresh.
5) This is small, but I greatly appreciate that you don’t need anything but the sheets, a writing utensil, and three dice to play. It makes it very approachable and easy to get into. The player sheets are also excellent in design. They have plenty of space for everything needed, and nothing superfluous to detract from the game or take up unnecessary space.
6) The artwork is absolutely adorable and really well done. I apologize for the quality of the pictures below but imagine them in all their full color glory. I’m cheap and printed these for free at work in black and white, but now you can let your imagination run wild on what you’d want them to look like!

My only minor complaint would be that the “feeling” of each Saga is a little samey. The stories are different, but the standard action you take in the game (rolling dice to see if you succeed) is exactly the same in each Saga (at least the three I’ve played). But, to counter this, your continually changing abilities, items, and the choices in the story help negate this feeling.

There were also a few clarity issues in the rulebook, but after discussing with Rolling Rhino, I have faith things will be updated in the final copy for release.

While it’s not something I can see myself playing consistently, the endearing characters, incredible story telling and design choices, and the fact that I don’t have anything like it in my collection make Cat Saga a definite winner.