Cat in the Box (Digital Eyes)

It started as a thought experiment, sealed away from the certainty of observation. We sat at the table, hands of cards like particles suspended in probability. No suit existed until declared, collapsing the wave of potential into a single, immutable state. Every choice rewrote the shape of the universe we shared, while paradoxes loomed like black holes at the edge of play. The research board became our map of reality, and each token placed was another observation that could never be undone. In the end, all possibilities resolved into one truth, and what we finally observed was a Cat in the Box by Muneyuki Yokouchi from Bézier Games with art by Osamu Inoue.

Trick-Taking Uncertainty Principle

Trick-taking games are part of my DNA. I’ve grown up with them, playing them endlessly with my family and school friends, as you will know from one of my many previous articles on the topic. However, when I came to Great Britain, I struggled to find people to play them with. Trick-taking changed from being an absolute certainty into an unpredictable wave function. Luckily, the genre has had a renaissance and now pretty much everyone I know has played at least one trick-taking game, if not multiple.

Trick-taking games are so fascinating because they force players to find a balance between the perfect strategy and the uncertainty of what cards other players have. You need to gauge how good your hand is compared to everyone else’s. You know what cards are in the deck and you know your hand. So you can make a rough assessment, but you can never be certain. There is always a risk.

Many traditional German trick-taking games push this tension further by making players bid on how confident they are in their hand of cards. They force you to make a prediction on the uncertain situation that is the current round. The bidding in trick-taking games is nothing like the bluffing in poker, even though having a good poker face does certainly help.

Cat in the Box plays on exactly this core tenet of trick-taking games. It honours the essence of the trick-taking genre while introducing a twist that increases the uncertainty with every card that is played. It transforms each decision into a moment of high tension and strategic depth. The design immediately appealed to me not just as a fan of the genre, but as someone who loves to see new twists on trick-taking.

Dead and Alive Cats

Cat in the Box is a trick-taking game where none of the cards have any suits. Well, that’s technically not true, because every card could have any of the four possible suits. Like Schroedinger‘s Cat is both dead and alive until observed, a card’s suit is undefined until you play it and declare its suit. That’s not all though. The problem is, every time a card’s suit is declared, the player’s token is placed on a grid that marks the play. That means if another player wants to play the same number card in the same suit, they can’t. That’s a paradox that even the best scientists in the world cannot solve. As a result, that player loses points.

There’s another hitch. Cat in the Box is a must-follow trick-taking game. So whatever colour the lead player plays, that is whatever suit the first card played is, all other players have to play a card of the same suit. Of course, the lead player decides the suit as they play their card.

Unfortunately, there is another hitch. The deck of cards contains five copies of every number, but there are only four suits. So while following suit is still very easy to start with, as a round progresses, the chance for an anomaly to occur tends towards 100%. It becomes almost inevitable, but it’s never certain.

The paradox mechanism is what makes Cat in the Box so amazingly exciting and tense. Even though it’s a competitive game, as a round approaches the end, everyone’s rooting for everyone else to still be able to play their cards without causing an anomaly. Even though you want someone else to lose points, it’s actually much more amazing to see everyone being able to play all of their cards.

Scaling the Box

Cat in the Box is the sort of game that says it can be played with two players, but in reality, it really only shines with at least three players, and it explodes into a massive mushroom cloud at four and five. More players intensify the strategic pressure and make paradoxes much more likely. Watching the available card number spaces shrink for each suit creates a real sense of urgency that adds even more tension.

To clarify, I’ve only ever played the digital version of Cat in the Box. So I can’t comment on the quality of components of the Bézier Games edition. However, while it’s probably nice to have chunky tokens, a thick dual-layer board and linen-finished cards, the biggest joy definitely comes from playing the game. Great components will not affect the enjoyment of competing with the other players.

In Cat in the Box, players have multiple ways to win. Accurate predictions and capitalising on a small amount of certainty in a pool of uncertainty are going to get you on the right trajectory. The variety of viable strategies keeps every session interesting. As players change their approach, they force everyone else to respond. That’s what ensures that repeated plays remain fresh and challenging. Anticipating opponents’ moves is as important as executing your own plan, and keen strategic foresight is greatly rewarded.

So while Cat in the Box is not the atom bomb of trick-taking games, its focus on uncertainty and predictions is laser sharp. Like the quantum cat, the game exists in many potential states, and every playthrough reveals a new reality to observe and enjoy. We don’t always need fancy twists to create great new trick-taking games. Sometimes, honing in on one or two key mechanisms can create a chain reaction that will just blow up – but in a good way. The game proves that innovation and tradition can coexist.

If you love trick-taking games that intertwine theme, interaction, and clever design, then Cat in the Box is for you.

Useful Links

• Cat in the Box: https://beziergames.com/products/cat-in-the-box-deluxe-edition
• Rulebook: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0740/4855/files/CATX_English_Online_Rules.pdf?v=1646343073
• Rules video: https://youtu.be/oZFK8iQZKTg?si=NaRTCzRvQem_ho5Y
• Bézier Games: https://beziergames.com/
• BGG listing: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/345972/cat-in-the-box-deluxe-edition
• Tricky tricks – trick-taking and other games article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2022/10/18/tricky-tricks-trick-taking-and-other-games-topic-discussion/
• Trick-Taking it to the Next Level – my fascination with trick-taking games article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2023/12/12/trick-taking-it-to-the-next-level-my-fascination-with-trick-taking-games-topic-discussion/
• Twist Taking – trick-taking games with a twist article: https://tabletopgamesblog.com/2024/04/23/twist-taking-trick-taking-games-with-a-twist-topic-discussion/

Videos

Transparency Facts

I feel that this review reflects my own, independent and honest opinion, but the facts below allow you to decide whether you think that I was influenced in any way. Please also read my Ethics Statement for more information.

• I played a freely available online copy of the game.
• At the time of writing, I have not received financial support from the publisher or anyone working on their behalf.

Audio Version

Intro Music: Bomber (Sting) by Riot (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/)

Music: Fission by Ludwig Göransson

Music by https://www.bensound.com
License code: PQETYDVIU379UKVE
Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

Playlist

These are the songs I listened to while I was writing this review: