A trick-taking game about getting your nine lives before anybody else, by placing smart bets on the right cats.
What do I need?
Three simple steps.
- Read the short playful rules.
- Download any single PDF with the base game material. (Download > Files > "1 - Base Set.pdf")
- Print, cut, play!
Want more? You can also generate your own material right on this website!
Material
Pick your desired settings and press the button! (A new page will open.) When in doubt, just use the defaults for your first game(s).
Suits
(Click to fold.)Not working? Or unsure what to do? The "Download" button above has PDFs I already made for you! Pick any one of those.
As stated in the rules, you need 1 suit per player. Each suit is only 9 cards (1 page in regular size), so when unsure, just include all of them.
Credits
The fonts used are Puss in Boots (headings, fancy text) and Catcafe (body text, readable). Both freely available online. Parts of the illustrations were generated with AI. Everything else is mine.
This game is obviously a variant on the original game Nine Lives.
To most gamers, the idea of trick taking is second nature. To people who have never played such a game—or rarely do so—it needs quite some explanation. That’s why this version didn’t become the “original”, but rather a spin-off to try for those who think they’ll enjoy it.
This one was also the hardest to make, as my first five attempts were fine and playable, but just felt very mediocre. It took a return to one of my favorite card games (Spades) to make it all work.
Do you have a favorite version of Nine Lives? Let me know which one and why!
For more information, as always, read my detailed developer diary on Pandaqi Blog.