Introducing a new solo feline RPG by Tim Roberts, creator of Be Like a Crow & d666!
Be Like a Cat is a solo or two-player role-playing game that invites you to take on the role of a feisty feline exploring one of many worlds and attempting to take control of territory. Think cat mafia! The core rulebook contains all you need to get started, including scenarios for urban, cyber, pirate, space and ancient Egypt adventures.
Sharpen your claws and lick your toe beans; it’s time to fight for your turf.
Hardcover
80 pages
All you need is a pen and paper, two six-sided dice and your unbridled imagination to take to the streets as a feisty feline. This Kickstarter is for a solo RPG where you prowl alleys and rooftops as a cat looking to expand your territory in one of several world settings. The rulebook contains everything you need to start in a few minutes, plus inspiring cat-themed artwork. Think of it as creative writing with rules and strategy.
We aim to fulfil the Kickstarter before the end of August 2023.
THE FIRST THING you'll do is to create your kitten. There are step-by-step guidelines in the rulebook for filling in your character sheet. You must choose a cat archetype from feral, stray and pet. You can also customise your breed and some of your skills. Finally, you'll need to do the essential part of making your moggy... giving it a name.
Lifecycle Stages: These are analogous to levels in other RPGs and are based on the natural stages of a cat's life. As you claim more territory, you can advance in lifecycle stages and gain more skills. You can also collect objects and build a clowder (yes, that's the name for a group of cats!) that can help you protect your turf or even attempt to betray you and steal turf from you.
Skills are divided into four main categories: Movement, Social, Sensory and Combat. Each of these categories has sub-skills that reflect the specific abilities of your cat. For instance, Sensory includes Sight, Navigation, Whiskers, Hearing and Smell.
Once you've created your kitten, you'll begin exploring your environment, gradually expanding your territory. As you venture further into the world, you will encounter randomly generated locations and creatures. You can attempt to take control of each new area you find; sometimes, this will go unchallenged, but other times you will have to unseat the current top cat of the area.
The game plays out in a series of turns which involves moving around a blank hex map (or a real-world map) and generating locations and encounters using d66 prompt tables.
You will also journal your adventures to build up the life story of your magnificent moggy.
Your kitty begins life with Nine Lives; however, as you get into precarious situations such as combat or balancing on high roofs, there is a chance that you will lose lives. You must constantly evaluate risk because you cannot regain lost lives.
Finally, remember to take your catnaps. They're essential if you need to restore energy after a hard day of exploration.
In addition to the solo journalling mode, two optional two-player modes are detailed in the rulebook.
GM Mode: One player creates prompts, embellishes the game, runs the NPCs, and encounters in the style of a traditional RPG, whilst the other player takes on the role of a cat trying to expand its territory.
Side by Side Mode: Create two characters and work together or against each other to secure territory.
