Game Overview (Background and Rules)

Let's start with the big picture. Some of the following text is paraphrased from the Cats of Cathulhu books by Joel Sparks.

BACKGROUND

Humans are unique in the animal kingdom. Their brains are amazingly good at complex reasoning but strangely blind to the spiritual forces that other animals see easily. Humans are also frighteningly susceptible to psychic manipulation.

From the first time that a human allowed a cat to share shelter from the rain, all the way to the creation of air conditioning, canned food, and a bewildering variety of cushions, humanity’s ability to change the world has been put to uses pleasing to cats. This is no coincidence. It is a deliberate, holy cause known as the Great Idea, a 10,000-year campaign of psychic pressure by which felis cattus has encouraged homo sapiens to do everything possible to make the world a more comfortable place. The Great Idea has been so successful, that most cats aren't even aware of it anymore. Cats just want what they want, and people tend to give it to them. It's great. The only thing wrong with it is that it depends on humans.

You see, there are dangers that lurk just beyond human senses. Animals know that the multiverse contains countless dimensions of space and time. Animals know that in the dark corners of these places lie dread spirits, chaotic energies, and ancient gods. At certain locations of sympathetic correspondence, these dimensions can intersect. Animal cults and their human servants work in the shadows of the material world, seeking to bring about the return of these elder beings. And human society is blind to it. So it falls to the cats to hold back the darkness and keep their comfortable world from falling into ruin.

In this game, you players will take on the roles of ordinary cats who must contend with sinister plots and supernatural conspiracies that threaten the reality of dull-witted humankind. You must face these challenges with only quick wits, clever ideas, sharp claws, and fast feet. And, of course, the supreme confidence that cats are superior to all living things.

That is not dead which can indefinite sleep,
And in dream-shadows, lively spirits leap.

SETTING

This specific game takes place in a small coastal New England town. The local cats call it Big Cliff, because it sits atop a big cliff. Sometimes the simple names are best. The PCs (Player Cats) all live in or around a local establishment called "Jim and Jane's Cat Cafe". It is, as it sounds, a cafe where cats wander about while the patrons eat and drink. The eponymous owners, Jim and Jane, live in the apartment above the cafe. They are good humans, tending well to the cats that live in and around the cafe.

One way or the other, the PCs have a connection to the cafe. They may be "cafe cats" that live in the cafe and apartment, or they may be outdoor cats ("owned", stray, or feral) that live nearby. Jim and Jane always put fresh food out for these cats. All of the PCs know each other, either as roommates or indoor-to-outdoor acquaintances. And they all know Jim and Jane.

MAKING YOUR CAT CHARACTER

Everything you need to know to make your character is contained in the character sheet below.

CATTHULHU GAME RULES

One player acts as the gamemaster, aka the Cat Herder. the remaining players take on the roles of ordinary cats. These cats are the PCs (Player Cats).

ROLLING THE DICE: When you perform a risky action or try to avoid a bad outcome, the Cat Herder will tell you to make a roll using the Cattribute that best fits the situation. Roll 2d6 and add that Cattribute modifier to the roll. If the total is:

* 6 or less: You fail. Things go badly. However, you do add a check to your Progress track.
* 7-9: Partial success. You mostly get what you want, but there is a complication, the effect is reduced, or you get hurt.
* 10-12: Full success. Things go as intended.

If you roll double 6s, you have rolled Lucky Cat. Lucky Cat always succeeds, and you can give yourself or another cat a Treat (see the section on Treats).

ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE: If something makes a task easier, like a talent or good circumstances, you may get Advantage on a roll. If something makes the task harder, you may get Disadvantage. When you have Advantage, roll 3d6, add the two highest dice and ignore the lowest. When you have Disadvantage, roll 3d6, add the two lowest dice, and ignore the highest. If you have Advantage and Disadvantage on the same roll, they cancel out. You only ever gain the benefit of one Advantage or one Disadvantage on any roll.

When rolling with Advantage, if any two dice roll 6s, you get Lucky Cat. When rolling with Disadvantage, you only get Lucky Cat if all three dice roll 6s.

TREATS: All players receive one Treat at the start of each game session. Players may spend a Treat to change a Failure into a Partial Success or a Partial Success into a Full Success. Players may also spend a Treat to prevent a Scratch. Lastly, a Treat may be used to introduce a minor fact or narrative truth into the story. For example, a player might spend a treat to say that someone left a window open, allowing easy access to a building. This use of Treats is subject to Cat Herder approval.

You cannot give a Treat to another cat, but you can spend one of your Treats to change a roll or prevent a Scratch for another cat IF you can explain how you are helping that cat succeed.

GETTING HURT: Sometimes when you fail a roll, especially in a fight, you get hurt. When you get hurt, you receive a Scratch. Mark a blank space on the Scratch track on your character sheet. Sometimes a very bad situation or powerful enemy may cause 2 or 3 Scratches at once. If you take one or more Scratches, and your Scratch blanks are all filled, then you become Injured. Mark the Injured space on your sheet. While Injured, all rolls are at Disadvantage.

If your Scratch track is filled AND you are Injured, one more Scratch can cause your cat to die. Fortunately, cats have nine lives. When your cat would die, cross out the highest numbered life on your character sheet. Your cat is then removed from the scene; they miraculously escape and go somewhere to lick their wounds. If you are down to your last life, however, then… your cat will be remembered fondly.

HEALING: A cat that takes a nap can heal one Scratch. If a cat gets pets from a human, they can heal 2 Scratches. A cat that is in a calm situation can spend a Treat to heal all Scratches.

An Injured cat can heal Scratches as normal, but the Injured condition remains. Removing the Injured condition takes several days of rest or medical care from a human. An Injured cat that has healed its Scratches can take Scratches as normal without dying (at least until the Scratch track fills again). The Injured condition continues to cause Disadvantage to all rolls until it is healed.

A few notes on being a cat: Cats are... well, cats. No thumbs. They walk on four legs. They can't talk - well, not to people, anyway. They can communicate with each other just fine thought. They can mostly understand humans, but not completely. Housecats are best at this, while Feral Cats are partiularly bad. Cats also have some ability to understand and communicate with other animals, with Ferals being the best at this and Housecats only really understanding animals that also live in their house (dogs, if there's a pet dog, etc). This is not a game of anthropomorphic animals. It is a game about normal animals that are just smarter and more aware than humans think they are.

WARNING: These rules are experimental.

These rules are a hack of an existing ruleset, but that doesn't mean they don't have problems. This will be a test run for the Cathulhu World rules, and feedback on them is welcome.

I realize there are several quality rulesets out there for playing cats, but I decided to make my own because I hope to eventually use these rules in face-to-face games with some friends and kids that like simple rules. BUT, the exceedingly simple Cats of Cathulhu rules seemed too simple. I also REALLY like the failure/partial success/full success mechanic of PbtA games. So I made my own rules hack, and here we are.