Cats and mischief are basically one and the same. And mischief is code for ‘bunch of events and activities that make my life slightly harder than it needs to be’. Here’s an example. We bought a lovely new doormat, embroidered with pumpkins and miscellaneous Autumnal motifs, to try and keep the hallway clear of muddy footprints, right? Two hours after getting it, Tipsy cacked on it. Mischief. Then there’s Tonto. Watched Tipsy playing in her brand new cardboard box for about ten minutes, waited for her to leave, got in it himself, and piddled whilst staring straight into my eyes. Mischief. Got to love ‘em, eh? Wouldn’t it be nice to base a game around such shenanigans (but with less piddle)?
What ‘mischief’ do we have here then? Tiny Toe Beans: Ultimate Mischief is a pocket-sized strategy game for 2-4 players about cats, pranks and playful mayhem (and hopefully no cacking on the mat). You kitties will explore a quirky, modular mansion where every room, from the sun-drenched Garden to the shadowy Basement, holds unique opportunities for mayhem. Outsmart the ever-watchful Human, sabotage rival felines, and unleash your inner agent of chaos in this light-hearted game of tactical pranks and purr-fect timing (that pun was not mine, swear to God).
Each turn you can play 2 cards from your hand + discard a card for extra movement or drop a Chaos Token to lure the Human where you want them (is this what happens in actual real life? I’ve suddenly got suspicions). Use quirky room rules in combination with your Prank Cards to outwit rivals, while your Mischief Cards fuel the chaos and earn you victory points. Only the craftiest cat can frame opponents, dodge the Human, and emerge victorious. Balance risk and reward as you plot paths, time pranks, and decide when to go all-in—or flee. (I can hear the scampering of tiny galloping paws even now – I am quite often certain that Tonto has been in the area, and yet have no evidence, other than that tappity-scrappity-tappity of him legging it.)
The artwork is loads of fun, and the cartoon cats have bags of character. And you should know that there are little cat faces on the custom D6. If you’re like me and my wonderful other half, it doesn’t matter how many times your feline friends wreck your favourite things, your obsession with cats will never end, and Tiny Toe Beans: Ultimate Mischief will be making it straight onto your ‘Need’ list. Go here. And tell you cat I said ‘pspspsps’.
About the author:
Steve is currently a freelance board game blogger, but often dreams of life as a pirate, or as a ghost herder in the Lake District, or as an evil estate agent who sells haunted houses for his own dark pleasure. Instead of figuring out how to do these jobs in real life like a normal lunatic, he tries to write about them instead, and releases the resultant books upon the unsuspecting world via famous digital bookstores. More books are bound to follow. Find this peculiar entity here.
