Nine Lives: Math Meows

Nine Lives: Math Meows is a fast card game about being a cat trying to NOT lose your lives.

Each round, you take turns playing a single card. There’s only one rule: you can’t play a number already on the table. If this means you can’t play a card anymore, you lose a life.

But that’s not the end. You may wager a life, which allows you to play multiple cards as one number. If you still end up losing the round, however, you lose all lives wagered too!

What’s special?

As expected, this is a spin-off for the original Nine Lives.

What’s different? It uses numbers, permanent powers (instead of one-time powers you get when wagering), and specific “cats” you can play (with their specific set of 9 lives).

As I’m a mathematician, this version was the easiest to make and balance, and therefore was actually finished first. Sure, the math is very easy, but I still deem this a slightly more complex version of the game. Because the power of your current Life Card is active at all times, there can be a lot going on in certain rounds. (For example, if it says “Nobody may play a 6”, then it’s easy to forget that for a hot second once you’re 10+ turns into a round.)

But that’s why I make these spin-offs. Most ideas can be executed in multiple ways, each with their advantages and disadvantages. This version has more possibilities than the base game, for example, if you’re willing to play a bit risky.

I’ve learned that it’s best to split those ideas into separate standalone projects, instead of cramming it into a single game which ends up achieving nothing. (That would be like writing a book in 5 different genres, appealing to fans of none.)