Wizard Kittens is a card game by Magpie Games. It’s a competitive matching-style card game, where you’ll be fighting the clock as well as other players. The game is designed for 2-4 players aged 7 and up, and comes in an easily portable pack.
The Wizard Kittens game got its start on Kickstarter, where it received over 30 times the goal amount to make the dream a reality! Now, you’ll be able to find it at various retailers if you too want to be a mischievous kitten.
We got our hands on this delightful wizard kitty game and took it for a prowl. Here’s our take on this cute card game.
FAQs About the Wizard Cat Kittens Game
How long does a round of Wizard Kittens take?
An average game of Wizard Kittens lasts 15-20 minutes. If you haven’t played before, expect that to be closer to 30-40 while you learn the rules.
How big is the Wizard Kittens box?
The Wizard Kittens box is 5.5 x 7 x 1.5 inches and it weighs under a pound. It’s easily portable and makes a great stocking stuffer.
What is the Wizard Kittens bonus pack?
The Wizard Kittens bonus pack is a $10 add-on pack for the game that includes:
• A gray spell token
• 7 cat character mats
• 2 new curses
• 4 new monsters
• 2 special rules cards
You can purchase the pack from Magpie games directly, or through resellers on Amazon
In addition to the bonus pack, there is a Wizard Kittens Magical Monsters (Amazon link) expansion pack. This add-on allows the game deck to accommodate a 5th player, while adding a new character, new monsters, and new adventure to explore.
How Do You Play Wizard Kittens?
Wizard Kittens Card Game Rules:
- The objective of the game is return curses to the book you and your kitty friends accidentally released them from
- A winner is determined based on who scores the most points, unless you are caught by the librarian first
- Then, the winner is determined by who has the least points
Setup Directions
- Each player selects one of the 4 kitten character cards and grabs the corresponding color of pawprint token
- For 2 player games, remove all Chaos Cat cards from the deck. For 3-4 players leave one in the deck
- If desired, remove Chaos Mode and New Rule cards from the deck. These are used for variation play only once the standard game has been learned
- Choose six curses in total from the curse cards, 2 each of easy (blue), medium (orange), and hard (red)
- Lay out one curse card next to the large Chapter 1 and 2 cards. Place Chapter 3 card face down (or remove for a 2-player game)
- Each player then draws one extra credit card, concealing from other players
- Assign color-coordinated smaller chapter cards to each player based on their character card
- Shuffle all the resource cards, and deal one to each player face up for every open chapter (generally 2 to start)
- Remove 10 cards, add in the Caught librarian card, shuffle, and place at bottom of the deck
- Place resource card deck face down in center of table
Wizard Kittens Gameplay
- Choose whoever you want to go first (I like to pick the person with the most cats)
- On their turn, a player begins by drawing a card from the resource pile
- Place that card next to your other resource card(s) for Chapter 1 or 2. You want to try and match the symbols at the bottom of the curse cards for the chapter, so choose placement accordingly
- Next, you may use one spell from your character card (give a card to someone else, draw an additional deck card, swap one of your cards with someone else’s, discard two of your cards)
- Place your pawprint token over the spell you use, as you may not use the same on twice in a row (this will negate it for your next turn)
- This concludes your turn, and play rotates clockwise to the next player
- Play continues in this fashion until a player matches all resources on the large curse card for a chapter (order doesn’t matter). They then discard those resource cards and claim the large curse card, whose point value is listed in a star in the top left corner
- Any additional resource cards in that chapter that were not needed for the curse should be retained and placed under the curse card. Each one subtracts one point from the curse card value at the end of the game
- It’s possible to clear curses from multiple chapters in one turn, assuming you have the right cards
- Continue play, trying to clear all 6 curse cards that were selected during setup
- Gameplay ends when either all six curses are cleared, or when the stop card (Caught – Professor Whispurr) is drawn
Scoring in Wizard Kittens
- Count up the star point values of each curse card you hold, including any additional bonuses indicated at the bottom of the card
- Subtract a point for each extra resource card stored
- Add in extra credit card points if you fulfilled the conditions. Note that extra credit only counts for points if you don’t get caught
- Assuming you cleared all curses, the highest point total wins
- If you were caught, anyone with more than 10 points automatically loses
- The winner is then the player with less than 10 points who has the fewest cards left in play (their ritual circle)
Wizard Kitty Chaos Card
If the Chaos card is drawn, this triggers the large chapter 3 card to be turned over into play. Remember this is only for 3-4 player games.
Add a remaining curse from your pool to this new chapter, and each player also turns over their small chapter 3 cards.
The player who drew the chaos card may then draw another card, so as to actually get a resource card on their turn.
Wizard Kittens Advanced Mode
- Flip character cards over to the advanced side. Each one now has a spell unique to just that cat
- When a chaos card is drawn, a new rule card is also triggered. Some have immediate effects (such as swapping cards) while others change gameplay moving forward
Wizard Kittens Review
Where to Buy
If you’re picking up your own copy of the Wizard Kittens card game, here are some sites you can buy it for price comparison:
Related Items
Done being a wizard kitty for a while? Here are some other games we love, and think you will too!
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Raccoons are related to kitties, right? Well, try their card game out too in Trash Pandas!
Let the the Stranger Things Eggo card game take you back to the 80’s as you escape the Upside Down!
Magpie Games Wizard Kittens , Purple
Features
- Wizard Kittens is a semi-cooperative set collection card game. Play as kittens who have accidentally released a few curses from the library’s restricted section.
- The library is supposed to be a place of quiet and contemplation, with no noise, no playing, no yarn—and definitely no magic!
- Now you and your friends must defeat the curses fast before you’re caught by the librarian, Professor Whispurr!
- Player Count: 2-4
- Play time: 15-30 minutes