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Space Cats

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First published in 2019 by Pluma Press.

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All rights reserved.

This is a game where people create amazing stories about fantastic events.
Any resemblance to real life talking animals or spaceships traveling at high speed is just
a coincidence.

Fate™ is a trademark of Evil Hat Productions, LLC. The Powered by Fate logo is © Evil Hat
Productions, LLC and is used with permission.
 Traveling to the edge of the universe, going
where no one ever goes, exploring new planets,
fighting vile creatures, these are the galactic
animals. Yes, you read it right! In a distant future or a
distorted past—it does not really matter—they dominate
an entire galaxy, with their eccentric craziness, and cour-
age. So board on your spaceship, invite your friends and
fasten your belts, for we will embark on a journey at warp
speed to Animalaxia, the animals’ place in the universe.

Both. It is a book that contains the rules for a game. But

a game a little bit different than maybe you are used to.
Imagine that you are watching a movie that you like and
that, incredible as it may seem, you can be part of it as one
of the main characters! Can you imagine that? Well, that’s
the most important thing: to imagine.
What distinguishes this game
from others is that, as you
play it, you will be creating
a story. After a game ses-
sion, you will have a com-
plete adventure to remember
and talk about, like the books we
read or the movies we watch.
During a game, players will make
decisions that will form a unique sto-
ry, in which they are the protagonists.
All of this happens in everyone’s imagina-
tion, so this is one of the most fun and flexible aspects of
these games because by using the same book, you can tell
countless stories.
Also, it doesn’t matter who plays: whether beginners
or veterans, children or adults, the game is easy to adapt
to each one at the table. This is a cooperative game, and
everyone works to make it fun. The most important rule
is to spend time with friends and have a great time
together.
Consider this: if we get excited watching a mov-
ie or reading a book, imagine how we would feel
if we could become a hero within these incredible
stories!

Space Cats is a game whose stories talk about

friendship and overcoming challenges, with
bits of humor and adventure, in a classic sci-
ence fiction and space opera style. So, don’t be surprised if
you use references from movies, cartoons and comic books
like Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate or Lost in Space, for ex-
ample, as an inspiration to create your own unique stories.

The protagonists of this game are animals, and each player

will create their animal character. It does not really matter
whether it is cats, dogs, raccoons, rats or any other animal
you like. The idea about cats came from the original pur-
pose of creating this book: getting some money to help
some stray kittens. So please feel welcome to use your
imagination when thinking about putting your own pet as
a character in your game, following the rules of character
creation (in Chapter 3).

One of the players will have a special role in the game.

They will be the Storyteller. They are also a player, but they
have a unique role in the game: to help beginners under-
stand how things work, as they should read the entire book
and understand the rules and how to do everything justly.
The Storyteller is also the one who prepares the challeng-
es that the players’ characters will face. The Storyteller
is like a director: they imagine a cool scene and then de-
scribe that scene to the players. The players, in turn, will
tell the Storyteller how their characters are going to act
within that scene, making decisions and performing ac-
tions that can sometimes take the Storyteller by surprise,
and so the game goes on. The Storyteller is responsible for
roleplaying all the other characters that appear in a scene
but who do not have a player in control—whether they are
enemies or allies.
Numerous challenges can cross the characters’ path, such
as fear or anxiety. These adventures are not just about
stopping a villain, they are about discovering how we can
become a great adventurer. We play stories about loyalty,
friendship and the solidarity of being there for someone
when they need it. By using animals as characters, they
help us understand more about ourselves.

Many tabletop games use dice as part of their rules. How-

ever, in Space Cats, we do not use dice, we use tokens
instead. They can be sticks, beans, poker chips, plastic
beads, candy, etc. The important thing is to have some-
thing on your hands, or at the table, that makes it easier
when you need to count tokens. A little further on, we will
see how to use them.

The number of players and their age will set the pace and
tone of the game. Planning a two-player adventure can be
different from planning an experience for five, or even for a
group of 10-year-olds and 20-year-olds or older. Some may
be timid while others are extroverts. It is essential to be
mindful of each other’s needs, and to encourage all players
to help, supporting and respecting their limits, through-
out the game. Some tips, when it comes to putting things
together, are:
Establish a comfortable and secure place with access to
the bathroom, water and food. Even in short games, make
sure everyone feels comfortable. It is a good idea to have a
table so everyone can place their animal sheet and their to-
kens. This may even be a blanket, in a park, during a picnic.
 Each player creates their animal. Each player has their
character, which is an animal, and remember the adven-
ture is set in space! This means that the space animal
may be part of the Galactic Council, an adventurer from
the Wilderness, a member of the Star Troop,
or someone focused in maintaining the
Alliance between the Catoid, Dogoid
and Ratoid planets, amongst others,
throughout the Animalaxia.
Prepare an exciting idea for
the story that the animals, creat-
ed by the players, will live in. In
Chapter 5: Telling Space Stories,
you will find easy steps to do this.
In general, they are stories full of
space adventures, but with a place
for drama and the importance of
friendship.
 Reward each player. At the end of each story, each
player earns points to advance their characters. Chapter 4,
in the subheading Advancing your character, explains more
details about reward.

Several tokens (at least 9) per player (which can

be sticks, beans, poker chips, candy, etc.);

A copy of the animal sheet for each player;

A copy of the Group Determination sheet;

Pencils, erasers, and paper;

Food, for a snack during the game.

Imagine we are watching a game of Space Cats that is

about to begin. There are four people at the table: Igor,
Camila, Rafael, and Eva.
 Igor (the Storyteller): Okay, in our last game you arrived
at Gorgonzol, a cheese planet, with an urgent message to
the Rodent King, sent by Ambassador Sniffslim, from the
planet Thinfur. You are in the town of Crookedholes, and
you come through the leading portal, a large circular hole.
Around these doors there are several stands packed with an
unimaginable assortment of exotic goods for sale. There are
mice everywhere, screaming and offering goods. Nearby,
there are boats, large enough to carry some rats and per-
haps a cat, tied to the surface of the Great Golden Sea of
Gorgonzol. What do you guys do?
Rafael (playing as Radi, a fearless cat): Radi has been to
this planet before, and he had good relations with the peo-
ples of some Ratoid planets. Does he know the way to the
Rodent King’s palace?
Igor: Yes, he knows that his palace is close to downtown—
right next to the market square, a little further to the left.
Rafael (as Radi): “Follow me; I know how to get to the palace.”
Eva (as Drizzly, a smart rat): “Okay, show us the way.
But do not lead us into an ambush, like the last time.”
Rafael: Right Igor, Radi is leading everyone through the
streets to the palace.
Camila (as Leslie, the brave dog): “Hey, wait for me.”
Igor: You walk through the streets, being careful to
avoid all the mice with their tiny paws, keen to sell you
things you do not need for prices way beyond your
budget. It takes about five minutes for you to reach
the square, a large and spacious place, full of rats,
insects and other animals that came here because
of the festivity. The noise of the crowd is a mix of
screeches and squeaks, musicians entertaining the
crowd and sellers who shout products and prices.
Next to the square, you find a building, surrounded
by columns: the Palace of the Rodent King.
Rafael (as Radi): “There it is, the palace! What
did I say? Let’s see if the King is accepting visitors.”
 Camila (as Leslie): “He better be.
Ambassador Sniffslim seemed wor-
ried that the message be delivered ur-
gently.”
Eva (as Drizzly): “Let’s find out.” We go up to
the entrance of the palace.
Igor: It takes some time for you to go around the square
in the middle of the crowd, but you come to the gates of the
place. Two mice are standing by, guarding the area. They
wear ornate reflective armor, and look at you with suspicion,
and without fear, despite the difference in size.
Eva (as Drizzly): “Hello, gentlemen of Gorgonzol. We
have urgent matters to deal with the Rodent King.”
Igor (speaking like one of the mouse guards, in a loud,
high voice): “The King will not receive any more visitors to-
day. Come back tomorrow.”
Rafael: Is there any tree or something so I can climb up
to peek at one of the windows?
Igor: I am afraid not.
Camila: I’ll try to convince them by making a solemn
face, showing the importance of the message.
Camila (speaking as Leslie): “We came straight from
Thinfur, on behalf of Ambassador Sniffslim, with a message
of urgency. I am sure that the wise Rodent King wishes to
hear this message, for we have come from afar, to bring it.”
Igor: Right. You will need to spend some tokens to try and
convince the mice.
Camila: Alright. I’m going to spend a Clever token be-
cause I had a good idea, and I’m going to spend two Force-
ful tokens, because I’m talking firmly, to convince them. That
puts me at +3 on the scale and I can do it!
Igor: That’s good. The mice turn pale at your words, as
the realization hit them, that for they almost let the King miss
an important message. They apologize and rush in to open
the gates, which are tall enough for you—but not for everyone,
and some of your team will have to duck a little, as they
pass through the gates. One of them asks you to wait
for a moment in the spacious hall (a place the king
designed for meetings with large animals), while
he will warn the King of your arrival...
 A cluster of stars, with several
planets, scattered, spinning and mov-
ing. Some are like ours: with earth,
water, plants, and animals—all kinds of
them. Others are... different. Planets made
of cheese or yarn balls are common around
here. The Animalaxia is vast, and many places
have not even been explored yet. Some regions
have planets or moons with habitats allowing all
species to coexist together. Others are known as
Catoid, Dogoid, Ratoid planets since they are inhab-
ited mostly by a single species. Diversity is the rule.
Currently, the Animalaxia is divided into three
regions: the Leash Zone, the Wilderness, and the Itchy-
fleas Empire.
 Before these regions existed, the planets
had their own laws and alliances, but that
did not work out well. Over time, fleas and
their allies, ticks, and lice, wanted to impose
their laws onto other animals. They wanted
the animals to serve them and the fleas would
provide protection and labor. Many animals did
not agree, and they broke apart.
Fleas are treacherous creatures and used
their ships and troops to invade planets. Howev-
er, they saw that they would be defeated when
the animals of Animalaxia began to unite against
them. The fleas called for a truce, as they did
not want to be defeated. Hence, a meeting was
convened among all the animals, which became
known as the Great Animal Assembly. From this
meeting the Animalactic Alliance was formed—a
council responsible for maintaining harmony among
all the planets that agreed with its terms. The Anima-
lactic Alliance decided that the fleas and their allies
would have to be expelled from their domains, sent to
a place far, far away, within the confines of the Animal-
axia. The fleas accepted reluctantly and promised that
they would one day return.

After the expulsion of the fleas, a part of the Animalaxia

became known as the Leash Zone, an area in which the
practice of war is prohibited. Everyone who wants peace
and agrees to their rules becomes part of this region and
receives protection. The laws in this part of the universe are
organized by the Animalactic Alliance Council, a conference
that leads all worlds in the Leash Zone, made up of one
animal of each species coming from a different planet. The
Animalactic Alliance makes regular trips to other planets to
see if all is well or to convince others to join the Alliance.
 There are places beyond the reach of the
Alliance troops, and that means you will be at the mercy
of the people of that place—which is not always good, as
some may be tyrants.
Although the Leash Zone is a neutral and peaceful
place, it is not always easy to find someone you can trust
completely. There are many spies and informants from the
Itchyfleas, space pirates and other outlaws can cross your
path and complicate things for you. Still, it is an excellent
place to live, where there are also good-natured animals,
lively businessmen, and vibrant cities.

If your character has grown up in the Leash Zone, as a

suggestion, you may want to choose one of the sentences
below to represent your animal. There are also suggestions
of stunts that the animals from this place usually have.
What I am good at: Dealing with the tricksters in
this area; Knowing if an Itchyflea is invol ved in
something; Identifying the places of traffic and
smuggling.

What I am bad at: Being patient with the

outlaws; “I defend the Alliance at all costs!”;
Realizing someone is deceiving me.

I’m more forceful when I pilot my

ship in the Leash Zone..

I’m quicker when I’m on a mission

for the Alliance.

I’m more clever when I’m negoti-

ating with the law.
Everyone who did not agree with the Animalactic Al-
liance, but who also were not with the fleas, said that
they wanted to take care of themselves—to be free.
Thus a vast region became known as the Wilderness,
a place organized by the Federation of Free Planets,
where each planet can create its own laws, but where
great decisions have to be made by all. Each planet
within the Wilderness has its leader (sometimes a king,
a president, or emperor) and it can be dangerous to
travel in this area if you’re not mindful of your sur-
roundings. As each planet decides its own laws, they
hardly ever get together to convince others of some-
thing. They prefer to take care of their own business-
es and avoid problems.
This region is so vast and full of animals with
different ideas that it is good to watch your step.
Members of the Alliance and the Itchyfleas Empire
are continually trying to convince the leaders of that
place to join their groups.

If your character was born in the Wilderness, as a

suggestion, you might want to choose one of the
sentences below to represent your animal. There are
also suggestions of stunts that the animals that are
part of the Wilderness usually have.
What I am good at: Taking care of myself;
doing what I want; operating my ship in the
Wilderness.

What I am bad at: Deceiving others and cheat-

ing; getting rid of the Itchyfleas; helping a
friend when they need me.
 I’m more forceful when I’m defending my
home.

I’m quicker when I search for information on

the planets of the Wilderness.

I’m more clever when I need to apply the law.

The fleas and their allies were sent to the furthest

point of the Animalaxia. There, they began to
build a reign of oppression that became known
as the Itchyfleas Empire. They do not have
a fixed location, but rather cross this area
invading planets. They intend to create a sig-
nificant force to invade the Leash Zone and
take revenge for being expelled from this
area in the earlier war. They have superior
spacecraft and technology, but they are
small in number. However, their territory
has been expanding day after day.
The Itchyfleas are villains, and as such
there are no rules or ideas to play as one
of them.
 Now, many, many years later, things remain the same,
with each side having its territory within the Animalaxia.
However, many claim this is a false calm before the storm.
People are starting to say in private that the Turtle War is
starting to kick off. A slow and steady proxy war: a war of
spies and intrigue. No one wants to take the first step to
restart a war that required so much effort to end.

Here are a few more places worth mentioning in Animal-

axia. All of them are within the Leash Zone or the Wilder-
ness, so it will be common for you to go through some of
them during your journeys.

Gorgonzol is a popular and famous planet within the

Leash Zone. It is one of the oldest artificial worlds ever
built and is made entirely of cheese. Its cities are over-
populated, with buildings in various types of materials—
but the cheesestone is the most common here (stones
made from dry cheese). The towns in Gorgonzol have
lively trade zones, and many travelers usually come
here in search of a good bargain.
If your character grew up in Gorgonzol, as a sugges-
tion, you may want to choose one of the sentences
below to represent your animal. There are also sugges-
tions of stunts as examples for animals from Gorgonzol.
What I am good at: Persuading people; Socializ-
ing with a lot of people; Move effortlessly in the
middle of heavy traffic.

What I am bad at: Following someone; “I have no

sense of direction”; Being nice.

I’m more forceful when I perform acrobatic maneuvers.

I’m quicker when I run through the crowd.
I’m more clever when I’m negotiating.

Yarnball is an artificial planet within the Leash Zone, cre-

ated by the union of rich feline families. Everything on the
Yarnball planet is expensive and refined, with large and or-
ganized cities, parties and gala events. If you want to visit
Yarnball, it is not enough to be cultured and well spoken.
You also need to look rich and have lots of money.
If your character grew up in Yarnball, as a suggestion, you
may want to choose one of the sentences below to repre-
sent your animal. There are also suggestions of stunts as
examples for animals from Yarnball.
What I am good at: Making a good impression; Be-
ing influential; Persuading people.

What I am bad at: Speaking to “the rabble”; Doing

stuff alone; Empathizing.

I’m more forceful when I’m in my territory.

I’m quicker when I’m acting under pressure.

I’m more clever when I’m paying for something.

This planet appeared by chance in the

Wilderness; the hairballs scattered
around Animalaxia started bumping
into each other and forming comets,
moons and even planets. Motleyfur
was colonized by travelers and
wanderers and became, in a short
period of time, a planet dedicated
to parties, gambling and com-
merce. Some powerful families
rule this planet today (such as
the Cragmaw, a rat family that
owns the largest gaming houses
in the entire region). The cit-
ies are overpopulated and
the richer families really
took over the place—
stay away from them, to
avoid problems.
If your character grew up in Motleyfur, as a suggestion,
you may want to choose one of the sentences below to
represent your animal . There are also suggestions of
stunts as examples for animals from Motleyfur.
What I am good at: Knowing my way around; Hav-
ing dealings with important people; Always having
an ace up my sleeve.

What I am bad at: Being honest; Staying calm;

Being nice.

I’m more forceful when I’m about to lose my mind.

I’m quicker when money’s involved.

I’m more clever when I’m gambling.

24
25
 You are
about to become part of the largest bunch of
animals in the universe. This part of the book is here to
help you prepare for the great adventures you will live with
your animal. Be willing to try and overcome challenges,
know different species and planets, even if your character
has to be disintegrated, stretched, trampled, electrocuted,
devoured, self-destructed, or melted in the process.
Ready? Welcome to Animalaxia.

Aislan has prepared a story to play Space Cats with some

friends. One of them, Alisson, will create an owl named Pretty-
wing, who is a space pirate: he travels from planet to planet
trying to get things done the easy way, not worrying about
the law and always going on adventures.

Welcome to Animalaxia. You are ready to take the

next step, creating a unique animal. Let’s talk about
the things your animal can do. To create an animal
you will need to complete the form in the animal
sheet (there is one at the end of this book that you
can copy), according to what you find interesting.
 The animal sheet is meant to describe your animal, the
things they are good at, what they like, what they don’t
like, and other cool things about them. Every animal has
some basic information in their sheet that will help them
when the adventure begins. They are:

Describe your animal, what their job is and their personal

abilities. You can use a phrase like I’m a diplomat cat who
likes to make jokes or I’m a space soldier dog who travels
across planets, maybe something like I’m a tough dog. Try
to think of a role or profession in which your animal has
been trained or is completing their training.
For example, “Who am I?” Alisson decides to write “I’m a wander-
ing owl” this is a precise description of his character: an erratic
explorer, in search of adventure. Despite having an exciting life,
he says that his owl has a good heart.
During the game, whenever a situation comes up and your
phrase Who am I? can help you, you go up +1 at the Perfor-
mance Scale to accomplish that task (we’ll see how to do
tasks in Chapter 4: Doing Things).

Well, here you will say

something that your
animal likes to do and in
which they are an ex-
pert. You can write I’m
good at using my para-
l yzing gun or I’m good
at being friends with
everyone, maybe some-
thing like I’m good
when someone chal-
lenges me to a duel.
For “What am I good at?”, Alisson finds it is a good idea to write
down “I’m good at using my claws” because he says that Pretty-
wing is quite skillful with them, which can help in several situations.
During the game, whenever a situation comes up and
your phrase What am I good at? can help you, you go up
+1 at the Performance Scale to accomplish that task.

Nobody is perfect, and this part of the animal sheet reflects

that. Use it to express something that you don’t do very
well. Maybe it’s something your animal feels insecure or
unable to do. I’m not good at piloting a ship, or I’m not good
when trying to negotiate with someone are some examples.
And for “What am I bad at?”, Alisson says that his owl suffered
an attack long ago and has a scar on his wing and he writes “I’m
not good at long flights.” Whenever Prettywing needs to spend a
lot of time flying, he may have complications.
During the game, whenever a situation comes up and
your phrase “What am I bad at?” applies, you go down -1
at the Performance Scale to accomplish that task.
Now that you have identified yourself, outlined your
abilities and weaknesses, it’s time to see how you usually
solve the adversities which may come your way

The approaches your animal uses explains in a clear way

how they will solve problems they may encounter in the
adventure. Sometimes they need to approach the situa-
tion by being clever to solve a puzzle, quick to reach the
enemy or forceful to continue resisting a challenge. When-
ever your animal tries to accomplish something significant,
you will choose at least one of these three approaches to
spend your tokens.

When you solve a situation cleverly, it means that you are

using your smarts and reasoning to find the best way to
 do something. Maybe you are trying to figure out the
right path, solve a difficult math question, spot the weak-
ness of a spaceship or hack into a computer system.

When you solve a situation quickly, it means that you are

moving fast or working precisely to get what you want.
Running to catch up with an enemy, flying your spaceship
with style or acting first during a challenge are good ex-
amples of quick actions.

When you solve a situation forcefully, it means that you are

using brute force. Holding a heavy door, lifting a boulder or
pushing a small spaceship can be considered forceful actions.

This section will explain how tokens work in the game. At the
beginning of the game, the player decides which approach
their character will prioritize. Distribute your tokens like so:

+4 on the approach they want to prioritize the most

+3 on the approach they want to be at the average

+2 on the approach they consider the least important

This value is the number of tokens that the player has

at their disposal to spend in their animal’s actions. When-
ever a player tries to do something, they say how many
tokens they want to spend in that action. Each spent token
improves the result by +1 on the Performance Scale. The
maximum number of tokens that you can spend in a single
action is four tokens.
But which token should I spend? Well, it’s important to see
what kind of action you want to take. If, for example, the action
requires you to be quick, then you can spend your quick tokens
to try and accomplish what you want. However, you can also
spend more than one type of token on the same action.
 Let’s say you want to knock a door down and you want to
do it quickly and forcefully. To do so, you simply spend tokens
from your animal’s Quick and Forceful approaches. Remember
that the limit you can spend in a single action is four tokens.
You may be flying a spacecraft, and you want to perform a
Clever, Quick and Forceful maneuver because you are at high
speed, you need to think fast and hold on to the stick firmly. To
do this, spend tokens of each of these approaches! Wow, this is
going to be awesome!
For his approaches, Alisson thinks that Prettywing has to be
smart to be able to survive because he travels to many places
and can get himself in all kinds of danger. So he places +4 on
Clever. He also says that he has sharp claws, and places +3 on
Forceful, and his wing problem makes him not so agile, for this
reason he thinks it is cool to leave Quick at +2.

A stunt is something you know how to do that makes your

character special. It may be that you feel more forceful
when you are helping a friend, more clever when you are
debating with an important diplomat or quicker when you
are piloting your spacecraft.
When you start the game, you are allowed three free
stunts. To create a stunt, follow the templates below:
I’m clever when _____.
I’m quicker when _____.
I’m forceful when _____.
 During the game, whenever a situation comes up, and
one of your stunts can help you, you increase +1 in the Per-
formance Scale to accomplish that task.
In the first stunt, Alisson writes “I’m more forceful when I help
a friend,” because he is loyal pal. Then he writes, “I’m quicker
when I’m running away from someone” because he’s a pirate,
he runs away often. And for his latest stunt, he writes, “I’m more
clever when I’m thinking of a plan” which can come in handy
whenever he’s brainstorming ideas on how to invade places.

Space adventurers are under pressure all the time. They may
be in a pursuit, a duel, a diplomatic row, a discussion against
someone who has changed to the dark side—in short; risk is
part of their routine. How far does the union of the group allow
them to stand still? Group Determination is about that.
In addition to the character sheet that belongs to each
player, the Storyteller has the Group Determination sheet.
At the beginning of each session, the Storyteller places that
sheet in the center of the table to mark the current Group
Determination level. This sheet represents both the physical
disposition and the willpower of the players’ pets. The higher
the Determination, the more prepared they will be to deal
with the problems that cross their paths. The Determination
shows how important it is to be a friend when a problematic
situation appears.
Whenever a game of Space Cats begins, the Group Deter-
mination is equal to the number of players in the adventure
(not counting the Storyteller). This means, for example, that in
a group with three players, the Initial Group Determination will
be 3. You can use a pencil to mark the Determination on the
sheet, or you can use a token over the current Group Determi-
nation level—both ways work well. Do not record the level with
a pen as this value will increase and decrease during the game.
Whenever players face dangers or stressful situations, this
can reduce Group Determination, which is not good at all.
Someone can do a maneuver with a spaceship to lose you,
humiliate you in front of a crowd, deceive you with lies, and
so on. All of this may reduce the determination of the
group.
If the Group Determination reaches zero, the
group will be defeated by the situation. This does
not necessarily mean that something terrible hap-
pens, but being beaten by a situation is indeed
not a positive thing. They may have been cap-
tured, allowed a villain’s plan to succeed, they
might have been left without the resources or
the energy to keep trying—in any case, they
will need to accept defeat and start over.
The Group Determination sheet is
placed in the center of the table
or in a place where all partic-
ipants can see. You can
think of it as a shared
sheet, which
belongs to the
whole group. If the
value increases or
decreases, all charac-
ters will be affected.
 Igor is playing with Camila, Rafael, and Eva. As there are three
players, at the beginning of the game, Igor places the Group
Determination sheet in the center of the table and uses a token on
top of the third heart, the initial Group Determination level.

During the game, the characters will go through many situa-

tions that can increase or reduce the Group Determination.
Group Determination can be reduced when someone falls
from a high place, loses a heated debate, suffers an accident
with their spaceship, is cornered by the enemy, or anything that
could hurt, cause a social embarrassment or leave someone
disoriented. It does not matter if only one character has been
hit: Group Determination decreases as a whole. By default, any
such situation reduces the Determination by 1. In general, it is
the consequence of a test that did not reach a minimum of
3 on the Performance Scale, but the Storyteller is allowed to
affect players in other circumstances as well, and reduce the
Determination by more than one if it is appropriate.
 In addition to these situations, the attitudes of the
characters and the group can affect the Determination. If a
player alone makes a selfish decision or performs an action
that harms any ally or innocent bystander, the Group De-
termination is reduced by 1. If the group acts unanimously
this way, the Group Determination is reduced by 2.
It is essential to be of one mind when there is something
on our way that threatens us. We feel insecure or even sad
and unmotivated when we are surrounded by people we
cannot trust. This feeling is what causes the reduction of
Group Determination. It is as if a bond of trust has been
broken. This happens even if one of the players separates
themselves from the group and makes a selfish decision
or does something bad on their own. Each member of the
group is equally important, and by acting this way, even
distant from the others, it is as if they are distancing them-
selves and making the union of the group less effective.
Consulting your friends about these decisions is important.
 However, the opposite is also valid. Reinforcing the Group
Determination with confidence and good deeds is possible!
If a player alone makes a free decision or performs an ac-
tion that helps some ally or innocent bystander, the Group
Determination increases by 1. If the group acts unanimously
this way, the Group Determination increases by 2.
This occurs because when we do good deeds, we feel
better and stronger, and we create a stronger bond between
those involved. That is essential for the group to stay united
and determined during the challenges that arise—when we
know that we are surrounded by good people that we can
count on when facing a difficulty, we feel motivated. This
happens even if a player took a good initiative on his own
while they were separated from the group.
Note that group decisions only change the Determina-
tion if everyone present agrees. If one of the players has a
different opinion from the other players, the Determination
does not change.
The group can also increase their Determination during
a recovery scene (see below).
During a scene, Igor describes an embarrassing situation in
Gorgonzol: in the heat of the public fair of the city of Crook-
edholes, amid the agitation and the shouting of the peddlers,
Camila’s pet sees a robbery. An agile and tiny hamster
moves through the crowded marketplace with ease and
steals the purse of a young lady who cannot defend herself.
Camila says she will ignore the fact because it is the respon-
sibility of the city guard to pick up and arrest the hamster.
The Storyteller thinks that this was a selfish action and re-
duces the Group Determination level by 1. They had the initial
determination of 3 and they are now only at 2.
Later on during the adventure, the group decides collec-
tively to give up on the reward that the Rodent King offered
for the rescue of his heiress so that the cheese could be spent
in the rebuilding of a village invaded by the Itchyfleas Em-
pire. The Storyteller judges that this was good action on their
part, and therefore increases the Group Determination by 2.
They had Determination 2, and now they are at 4. They are
now in a stronger position as they continue their adventures.
When the Group
Determination is
reduced to zero, the
group is defeated. This
means that they have been
caught, arrested, expelled
from a place, retired, or disin-
tegrated. Again, the context of the
story and the seriousness of the tone of
the game determine a lot about the fate
of a character. Discuss this with the players to
know what tone they expect.
When the group is defeated, the Storyteller deter-
mines the fate of the characters. This means that the Sto-
ryteller will give the details of what happens to the animals
in the group of players. All participants can give their opinion
to enrich the scene, but when the group is defeated, the
Storyteller’s word is final.
After meeting with the Itchyfleas, the group
formed by Whistle, a dog in the service of
the troops of the Alliance, Noisy, its com-
mander, and Harold, the rogue recruit,
loses all their Determination, reaching
zero. The Storyteller takes a time to
choose a destination that matches
the characteristics of each character.
He then decides that a commander
of the Itchyfleas captured Noisy to
interrogate him about the strate-
gies of the Alliance. Whistler fled
at the last moment but will have
 to stay hidden for a long time, because the Empire
now can identify his face. And Harold the recruit was too
frightened and decided to abandon his adventurous life to
return to the tranquil life of a farm dog.
If the characters are defeated, that usually means the
end of their story as adventurers. It is time to come up with
new characters and begin a new game. The group together,
however, may decide to continue the story with the same
characters, picking them up a few years later (or even be-
fore!) the events that resulted in their defeat.

If during the players turn, and before the Group Determination

is reduced to zero, the group unanimously decides to surrender,
they will still be defeated, but it will be the players themselves
who will decide their destiny, not the Storyteller. Also, the group
determination is not reduced to zero in this case. This is a great
chance to avoid a tragic end to your little animals!
Of course, as they have surrendered, players need to de-
scribe something that makes sense. They may say that their
animals were imprisoned, lost in space, or sent to distant
planets rather than having a catastrophic doom.
During a meeting with the Itchyfleas, the group formed by
Whistle, Noisy, and Harold realizes that the Itchyfleas will
reduce their determination to zero. If the group determination
reaches zero they will be defeated, the Storyteller is the one
who decides what will happen to them—and since Itchyfleas
are bad guys, this will probably mean they will face an undesir-
able fate. To avoid this, they decide to surrender, and the Story-
teller agrees, saying “well, then what is the fate of your animals
as soon as you surrender? What happens?” Players say their
animals are sent to prison together on the planet Grumpy,
which is dominated by the Itchyfleas. They have still been
defeated but the group determination is not reduced to
zero, and they have a chance to continue the adventure if
they escape from prison. Phew, that was close!
Whether they are defeated or surrender, one thing is al-
ways true: a character never dies. This is not the kind of story
that Space Cats intends to emulate.
Now players start making decisions and doing things with
their animal characters. Maybe they need to jump from a
moving ship, try to convince their friend not to succumb to
the other side, try to escape the monster on that strange
frozen planet, and many other things.
Whenever you’re playing, you first tell what your char-
acter is trying to do. Take a look at your character’s sheet.
The answers to the questions “Who am I?”, “What am I
good at?” and “What am I bad at?” will help guide you
when deciding which actions your character eventually
decides to do.
If you are a dog that likes action, then jump on that
moving train; if you are a hamster who loves to trade,
then convince the prince to handle you the secret
map; if you are an exhibitionistic cat and an ace pilot
of a spaceship, pull off some crazy maneuvers.
When you try any of these things or other cool ac-
tions, how do you know whether you are successful?
Most of the time, you will be able to perform them be-
cause you are a capable adventurer and the situation
is favorable, but if something can go wrong, then you
need to spend tokens.
Sometimes you will try to do something that is so simple
you do not need to spend any tokens. Piloting a ship in a
quiet place, opening a door, or chatting with a friend are
some examples of these routine tasks.
But sometimes the action is a bit more challenging, like
piloting a ship through a shower of hairballs, knocking down
a stuck door, convincing a soldier that you need to speak to
the king because your message is important, and so on.
When a situation like that arises, you will have to spend
tokens from your Approaches to try and get what you
want. If an action needs force, then you will spend tokens
from your Forceful Approach; If you need to analyse a sit-
uation, you will spend tokens from your Clever Approach;
but if you need to do things quickly or skillfully, then you’ll
spend tokens from your Quick Approach.
Remember that you can spend tokens from more than
one Approach at the same time, as long as you do not
spend more than four in total and describe how your ap-
proaches are used in that situation. So you can decide to
spend 1 Quick and 1 Clever token to try to solve a puzzle in
an agile way, or even spend one token from Quick and an-
other one from Forceful to perform an acrobatic maneuver
with a firm wrist.
Jorge is a storyteller in an adventure of Space Cats for Fernando
and a few more friends. Fernando plays a character who is a
ship pilot dog, called Teeth, and is trading pieces for his space-
ship (affectionately called Dogpryzer).
Jorge: There are a lot of skilled traders and you are on your
own, if you are not careful, you’ll spend more than you want!
Fernando: I’m going to spend one Clever token and a Quick
one, to negotiate with them without being deceived, and to
make it fast and leave soon. I hope that’s enough.
After spending your tokens, you will find out how effective
your action was. To do so, compare the amount of tokens
spent with the Performance Scale, shown below. You start
at 0, and each token you spend goes up by +1 in the scale.

Now, let’s understand what happens when we spend

tokens to achieve one of these results on the scale.

Whenever you attempt an action, your character already

begins at that level on the scale. This is because, howev-
er good you are, something can always go wrong. Maybe
your tokens are over for that scene (this will be explained
in more detail later), and you’re exhausted, your equipment
may be defective, an earthquake or something unforeseen
has happened.
 If you tried
to make a long jump, you
didn’t quite reach the other end; your
equipment failed when you needed it the most;
your spacecraft does not obey your commands, or some-
thing else goes wrong. Notice that it is not the character who
couldn’t perform well, but rather, something happened that
prevented them from doing what they wanted. Something
blocked the chosen course of action, and there is a price to
be paid.
Talk to the Storyteller and the other players to find out
what may have gone wrong. Depending on the situation, the
Group Determination may also be reduced.
Fernando managed to buy the pieces he needed to repair his
ship and went on a journey. On the way, he was chased by
space scouts but managed to escape. Unfortunately, his ship
was damaged (again), so he needs to make an emergency
landing. Fernando is currently without tokens and cannot spend
anything to increase his landing efficiency. He lands disastrously
on a strange planet and the wing of his spacecraft breaks, also
damaging the engine. It looks like he’s going to have to get more
spare parts again.
When you reach that level of the scale, you get what you
want, but something else happens. If you are trying to ma-
neuver your spacecraft into a narrow crevice, you can, but
... the maneuver does not come out as expected and you
hit the rocks, damaging one of the engines. If you tried to
convince the Cat Queen to help you on an adventure, she
accepts your proposal, but you owe her a big favor.
Notice that you still get what you want, and that is
often enough, but something that is not under your control
happens, however simple it may be.
For example, if you are trying to open a door, you
manage to open it, but the lock is now broken and it can
not be shut anymore. If you’re trying to reach an Itchy-
flea spaceship, you are able to do it, but you don’t know
where they are going next.
Talk to the Storyteller and the other players to know
the details about how the situation gets more complicat-
ed, even if you got what you wanted. Depending on the
situation, the Group Determination may be reduced.
Teeth, Fernando’s character, disastrously landed the ship
on a deserted Wool Planet. Bruno, who was with him on
the ship, decides to take a look around to try to figure out
where they are. As he thinks there’s not much at risk, he
prefers not to spend all his tokens — after all he does not
know what lies ahead. He spends only one Clever token
to see where they are and if there is a safe route to the
closest city. He climbs atop a hill and finds a road, but ...
it does not look safe. They have to either take the chance
or just stand there where they are.
Whatever it was, you did it, exactly as you wished. If you
tried to maneuver your spacecraft, everything works out; If
you tried to make new friends on a distant planet, you did
it; If you wanted to find your way through a maze of com-
ets, you did it. Depending on the situation, the opposing
Determination may be reduced by 1.
The characters of Bruno, Fernando and David are walking on
a dangerous road, on a Wool Planet, after a forced landing.
Jorge, the Storyteller, tells them:
Jorge: You are on the way to what looks like a big city in the
distance, but suddenly you are surprised by a shower of hairballs!
They fall fast and frighteningly! What are you guys going to do?
David (as Roger Dornelles): I’m going to spend 2 Quick
tokens, reaching +2 on the efficiency scale, and apply my
phrase “Who am I?” Which says “I’m a daring runner” going
to +3 on the scale, to get out of there!
Jorge: Right, you reach +3 on the Performance Scale and
run away, jumping and dodging the balls of hair that hit the
wool floor. What about you, Fernando and Bruno?

Now the situation reversed: things really go your way. In ad-

dition to what you wanted in the first place, something good
also happened that improved your current situation. Per-
haps you are trying to convince the ambassador and he also
gives you a free pass to his planet; if you are trying to ma-
neuver the spacecraft, you also come closer to your enemy;
or if you are being chased, you mislead your opponents into
going the wrong direction. Depending on the situation, the
opposing Determination may be reduced by 1.
 Talk to the Storyteller and the other players to find out
what can go well beyond what is expected.
During the rain of hairballs, while Roger Dornelles escapes
with incredible maneuvers, the others decide:
Bruno (as Weenie): I’m going to use my laser gun and try
to disintegrate the hairballs before they reach the ground. As
I want to do this efficiently, I’ll spend 2 Quick and 2 Forceful
tokens. I’m shooting for real!
Jorge: You get +4 on the Performance Scale, and that’s
very good! The shots hit the balls, and they disintegrate! In
the distance, a group of bandits, who intended to assault
you, are startled by your ability and flee in fear. In addition
to destroying the hairballs, you scared the bad guys! Now,
the way to the city is clear!
If you can get to that level on the scale, something phenom-
enal happens! It’s hard to describe how incredible you are.
That’s the stuff of the movies! No character can reach that
level of Performance by using only tokens. You need to ap-
ply phrases or a stunt, as we will see later. Depending on the
situation, the opposing Determination may be reduced by 2.
Talk to the Storyteller and the other players to find out
what can go far beyond what was expected.
After the incredible maneuvers of Roger Dornelles and the
shots in the hairballs made by Weenie (Bruno), Teeth (Fer-
nando’s character) decides to follow the bad guys, without
being seen, to check if they go to the city and if there is a
safe place. He says he’ll do it swiftly and smartly, so he
spends 2 Quick tokens, not to lose sight of them, and 2 Clever
tokens to move with stealth, reaching +4 on the Performance
Scale. He looks at his character sheet and sees that he has
the stunt “I’m more clever when I’m chasing someone” and
that increases +1 on the Performance scale, moving it to +5.
He also has the phrase “I know how to deal with bad guys”
which increases its total to +6 on the Performance Scale.
Jorge says that, in addition to following the bad guys, Bru-
no, David, and Fernando have cornered them and are taking
them arrested to the nearby city. On the way, because the
thieves were frightened they confess what they were planning
to do and give our heroes relevant information.
Whenever the moment of tension, action, and discussion is
over, the characters are allowed to recover all their tokens
by having a recovery scene. This means that they paused
a bit to catch their breath and regain their strength, and
took the chance to ask interesting questions to each oth-
er, or share stories of their past. It is an opportunity for all
the players to get to know each other a little more, sharing
details of their animal.
A recovery scene also increases the Group Determina-
tion to the initial value of the session, if it is below that value
at that time.
When they arrive in the city, they have a chance to rest and
talk. Players have almost no more tokens to spend on their
actions. To their relief, it’s time for the characters to relax a
bit and have a recovery scene. Weenie asks something about
the history of Roger’s scars. Teeth says he wants to meet
Motleyfur one day. Roger asks Wennie why he is afraid of the
Itchyfleas. Talking and resting allow them to recover all their
tokens. Before stopping, the Group Determination was at 2, but
with the recovery scene, it returns to 3, its initial value.
During the creation of your pet, you answered three ques-
tions: “Who am I?”, “What am I good at?” And “What am
I bad at?”. The answers to these questions can help your
character as they perform their actions.
Whenever the answer to “Who am I?” or “What am I
good at?” explains why you can do something more easily,
you increase +1 on the Performance Scale for that action
without the need to spend tokens. This can be done for
several sentences. So if both your phrase “Who am I?” and
“What am I good at?” help you in some way you increase
+2 on the Performance Scale.
But when your phrase “What am I bad at?” applies, you
reduce -1 on the Performance Scale for that action.
Penguin, a space pilot cat, is performing risky maneuvers
during a meteor shower. Before spending any tokens, Pen-
guin’s player, Matheus, checks the phrases he wrote on his
character sheet. For “Who am I?”, he wrote “A bold space pi-
lot” and “What am I good at?” he wrote, “Piloting under fire”.
When it comes to piloting ships, Penguin knows how to do it!
In this case, before spending tokens for this action, he
goes up +1 on the Performance Scale for each phrase, reach-
ing +2 and managing to perform the maneuvers. If Matheus
wants Penguin to really excel with his moves, he can spend
tokens and raise the score on the Performance Scale to +3,
+4 or higher!
At times, you will have stunts which may help you do some-
thing. When this happens, you go +1 on the Performance
Scale without spending any tokens.
Stunts are amazing things you can do in a specific situ-
ation. Unlike approaches and questions, you can only apply
one stunt each turn you play. That is, when doing some-
thing, you can spend tokens from more than one Approach,
you can use more than one phrase to raise your level of Per-
formance, but you can only choose one stunt. Also, remem-
ber that the stunt needs to make sense in the situation.
During a negotiation with the Rodent King, the city of Crook-
edholes is attacked by galactic scouts, who act for the
Empire expanding their territory. Miou, a cat that serves the
Alliance troops, decides to hide the Princess Longteeth, so
that she is not the target of the invaders. After expending to-
kens from his approaches, just to make sure, he sees that he
has the “I’m quicker when I want to hide” stunt and with that
he increases his Performance by +1.

Sometimes we go beyond our limits to accomplish some-

thing. Maybe we need to rush to reach the time to hold
the hand of our friend who is about to fall into the gorge,
or perform extraordinary maneuvers during a spaceship
battle to deflect multiple shots and explosions, jump an
incredible distance to reach the edge of the other side, etc.
When you need to do something like this, and you
do not have any more tokens available, or maybe when
you’ve already spent your four allowed tokens, and still
need a more extraordinary result, you can talk to the
group to reduce Group Determination by 1 and increase
the result in the Performance Scale by +2. This extra effort
represents your willpower and the encouragement of your
group to push beyond the limits and do what it takes to
accomplish a great achievement. In some situations, it is
the only way out.
Leslie and Radi, played by Camila and Rafael, were fleeing at
high speed from some space pirates. They made a forced land-
ing on a strange planet and the ship crashed. Radi is trapped in
the wreckage. Leslie spent all her Tokens during the chase and
now needs to help Radi out of this situation. Camila declares, “If
everyone agrees, I want to reduce the Group Determination by 1
to receive +2 on the Performance Scale to lift the debris and help
Radi escape. Do you all agree?” The group nods in agreement,
and the Storyteller moves the Group Determination marker down
by 1. Leslie gets +2 on the Performance Scale and starts digging
through the debris to save her friend.

The moment an action scene begins, things can go hay-

wire, with everyone talking at the same time what they are
going to do.
To decide who acts first the Storyteller must imagine
the scene in his head and see which character would be
better able to act at that moment—this will be the first
player. When that player finishes their action, they choose
who will be next, and so on, until everyone has had the
chance to participate. At this point, if the scene is not yet
resolved, the Storyteller chooses a new player to act, a
new round begins, and the dynamic repeats itself.
Storyteller characters do not participate in this rota-
tion. They act when it makes sense in the context, or else
they act last in the round.
Whenever a story ends, the characters celebrate their
achievements, and each player gains 1 point. This point can
be spent to:
Raise an Approach by +1, up to +4;

Increase the initial group determination by +1, up

to a limit equal to twice the number of players;

Buy a new phrase that describes some new knowl-

edge or experience that your character has lived;

Buy a new stunt (up to the limit of 2 per approach)

that demonstrates a new particular skill learned
during the adventure.

Alain has just overcome several challenges with his character

Screwdriver along with his group! After avoiding the collision
of a meteor on the planet Jabutrix and defeating the Masked
Racoon of the Itchyflea Empire, it is time to advance his pet!
As he did very well in controlling the device that detonat-
ed the meteor, he thinks it makes sense to spend his new
point to create the stunt “I’m more clever when I operate
technological devices.”
 The Storyteller is responsible
for several things during the
game: preparing the challenges
that arise during the adventure,
controlling the Storyteller char-
acters (or NPC for Non-Player
Character) and guiding every-
one on the rules of the game.
So let’s talk about the Storytell-
er’s job and how to prepare stories
in Space Cats.

An adventure is a short story. It’s like one or two epi-

sodes of a TV series. Something happens, the heroes
appear, there is action and adrenaline, and the prob-
lem is solved. Usually, an adventure can take several
hours to complete.
Therefore, some groups of players prefer to play a
little each day, or a few times a week. Each meeting
usually lasts an hour or two — some groups play for
five hours or more! So how do you prepare an adven-
ture for the next time you are with your friends?
The setting is the world where your story happens. In our
case, it is Animalaxia. You can use the planets shown in this
book or create your own! To create a planet, think about
what animals inhabit it, what it is made of, how its climate
and technology are. Free you imagination; in Animalaxia,
everything is possible! And to create an adventure within
this universe of adventurous animals, we need to think of
two things: a villain who has a plan and why the players
cannot ignore him.

The main villains in Animalaxia are the Itchyfleas, so it’s

not hard to think of one. Maybe there is an invasion of fleas
with their robots and spaceships, or some animals in their
service are up to something. The actions that villains plan
in general have to do with: capturing, invading, exploiting,
stealing, destroying, kidnapping, and conquering. The tar-
gets of their plans are usually: a member of the Alliance, a
wealthy city, the heir of a kingdom, a high-tech ship, a relic,
an innocent settlement, a leader of the Wilderness.

After thinking about the villain, you need to think about

why players cannot ignore their plans. Make sure players
understand the evil plans and that they need to do some-
thing about it or or the villains will win. Some of the possi-
ble consequences are: someone the characters care about
will be kidnapped, a planet will be invaded, a leader will
lose his throne, pets will be captured, a secret will be re-
vealed, an alliance will be destroyed, and so on.

Space Cats fits all ages. If any of the players have a hard
time understanding a rule, keep the game flowing as things
go right, or change the rules to make it easier to understand
and ensure fun. Some ideas for adventures for all ages are:
 4 - 6 years old — heroes need to organize a wedding par-
ty between a cat princess and a mouse prince, and unexpect-
ed and fun things happen: they need to prepare the food,
the spaceship that brought the guests doesn’t work, and
they need to solve it, the priest is a dog that does not like the
prince mouse and wants to mess up the wedding, etc.
7 - 9 years old — The Itchyfleas created a machine that
made all the animals of an entire planet sleep soundly, and
nothing can wake them up while the machine is working—
they intend to steal the planet’s treasures. The heroes must
turn off the machine and expel the Itchyfleas from the planet.
 10+ years old - Chapter 6 presents a complete adven-
ture: The Crown of the Rodent King, an example of adven-
ture for all ages, including 10+ years.

Well, until now you have a villain, and the players know
they need to stop their plan. Now, let’s make things more
interesting. The best way to do this is to start the game by
describing an action scene, which can catch the attention
of the players. A chase, a meteor shower, a riot at a fair, a
big ball, a sporting event, a jailbreak - give the characters
something to do right away.
Now let’s look at some of the tasks for which the Story-
teller is responsible and how to deal with them.

The adventure is divided into scenes. An adventure can

have one, three, six or a countless number of scenes. Each
scene tells an essential part of the story.
An adventure may have a scene in which the pets dis-
cover that the Itchyfleas are invading a city, another scene
about the chase, a scene full of action, etc. Therefore it is
essential to think about what the first scene will be and
when it is time to move on to the next one.
A scene must always have a goal and an obstacle to
achieving that goal. If the characters have already over-
come the barrier and the purpose of that scene has already
been reached, it’s time to move onto the next situation.
Each player controls their pet, but there will be many oth-
ers in a scene that do not have players. It is the Storytell-
er’s role to control all other characters, called Storyteller
Characters, or NPC (see the game transcript at the begin-
ning of this book to see an example). Give them all a per-
sonality and a motivation. The Storyteller should always
ask himself: what does this character want most?

It is often easy to know how a situation should be resolved

by using the rules in this manual. But sometimes a situation
may occur in the game in which the rules are not clear.
The Storyteller has the final word on how a rule applies.

Sometimes players get a little lost—especially if they are

playing for the first time. In this case, the Storyteller can
help players, as things can get a bit boring if players do
not know what to do next—give something that requires
immediate reaction so everyone stays excited. Always talk
to the players. Ask them what they are interested in ex-
ploring on the adventure and then provide scenes in which
those interests appear.

Including the Storyteller, everyone should have a good time

during the game. The Storyteller should keep in mind that
they are not playing against the players. Your role as a Sto-
ryteller is to think of interesting challenges for your friends
to overcome by using their characters. So the Storyteller
should do their best to have each player have a personal
moment to be in the spotlight—each player must have the
chance to be the star of the story for a moment. Study the
character sheets of all players to create situations in which
things that they are good or bad at will be in evidence.
Space Cats is a game about adventure and ac-
tion, but it’s also about friendship, generosity and
teamwork. The Storyteller should provide op-
portunities for players to come up with choices
between the right path and the easy path.
The right path can delay them, put them in
trouble and complicate things—but as a re-
ward it will create bonds and allies, as well as
increasing Determination. The easy way can
be practical, fast and secure—but they will
have to ignore pleas for help, in addition to
missing out on building up Determination—
maybe even reduce Determination.
 Spontaneous and individual acts of generosity between
characters can and should be rewarded with Determina-
tion. But the Storyteller should not encourage them to set
out on separate missions around the world—group unity
is more important, after all. If a player takes a chance on
their own, the Storyteller must show the risks of that atti-
tude through dangerous challenges and difficult choices—
that is, it is more likely they will lose Determination.

Villains do not need a sheet like that of the players’ char-

acters. When the Storyteller is to create the villains (and
other supporting characters), do the following:
Think of the villain’s motivation. What do they want
the most? How does this conflict with the goals of
the players’ characters?

Make a list of 3 things the villain is good at; their

strengths. When one of these things can help them
in a situation, the players’ characters will receive -1
or -2 in their actions against them.

Make a list of 2 things the villain is bad at; their

weaknesses. When one of these things is relevant
to a situation, players’ characters will receive a +1
or +2 in their actions against them.

Set the villain’s Determination: A value between

1 and 5, which means the number of successes
needed to defeat them. Results on an action be-
tween +3 and +5 reduce the villain’s Determina-
tion by 1; results of +6 reduce it by 2.
 This is an introductory adventure that serves
as an example for you and your friends to
understand how to play Space Cats. It can
be played in just a few hours.
Before the adventure begins, you may
want to take a look again at chapter 1 where
we explain the steps for you to play a session,
as well as the scene example. Make sure all play-
ers have created their characters—animals willing to
save the day. If one or more of the participants own a
pet, remind them that they can create their own pet
as a character to live this adventure!

The Rodent King of Gorgonzol will hold a pub-

lic celebration at his palace to commemo-
rate another year of the Four Cheese Fes-
tival—a tribute to the late King Roquefort,
who freed Gorgonzol from the tyranny of
the Itchyfleas.
 During the party, he proposes a challenge: the King’s
crown will be stolen—just for fun, of course—and the
guests will have to find out who the thief is. The one who
deciphers the riddle will receive a surprise prize.
However, when the servant rats go get the crown to
start the game, they find out that it disappeared! There is
a thief, in fact, inside the party and they have the crown.
The King then, in despair, offers a cash prize to anyone
who captures the thief and returns the crown.
There is an Itchyflea spy infiltrated among the guests
— a treacherous rat. He stole the crown and will only
return it if King Rodent announces he is now an ally to
the Itchyfleas. Players need to unmask the traitor and
face the Itchyfleas who infiltrated the party.

The players’ animals are invited to the King Rodent

party and know that there will be a commemoration
in honor of the ancient King Roquefort. This is an
excellent opportunity to make new friends and create
alliances with rats.
Ask each of the players: “Why did you accept the
invitation to attend the party?”— this is the first chance
for players to show a little bit of the personality and
motivations of their pets.

The players may have traveled long distances to get

to Gorgonzol, or perhaps they were already staying
at the planet. It is essential that the characters are
together, so ask the players: “What brought you here
together?”.
The adventure begins with everyone already inside
the party at King Rodent’s palace. It is large enough to
accommodate several species of animals, and there is
an ample open space for larger animals such
as dogs or foxes, for example.
 You can read the paragraph below for the
players as an introduction to the scene:
“You come to King Rodent’s palace and are well received.
The party takes place in a spacious and ornate hall. There are
animals of all species and sizes, and they are celebrating. Many of
them dance, others play instruments, eat and drink, while others talk
and tell stories.”
Show some interaction opportunities for the characters
on the scene—maybe someone pulls a character or offers
a drink, perhaps someone in the hall will get their atten-
tion, perhaps they’ll meet an acquaintance. Take into
account the interests of the characters and the players
to create these little scenes.
Describe the scenario and ask what the charac-
ter of each player would like to do. If they still do not
know or are unsure, give suggestions or describe funny
scenes: maybe someone performs a weird dance or
tries to entertain a crowd with funny stories.
The first challenge of the characters will be gaining the
trust or admiration of the party guests. Despite the excel-
lent reception, some guests may be uncomfortable with
the presence of the characters—perhaps because they are
not noble, maybe because they are foreigners or of differ-
ent species of animals.
The group may act to change that impression of the
noble guests. Some suggestions are (with the Approaches
in parentheses):
A convincing speech or a heroic story told to re-
mind how all the animals fought together against
the Itchyfleas (Clever)

A friendly group dance with the guests, to show

that everyone can be happy together despite their
differences (Quick)

A generous act to help a grumpy elderly guest who

has gone awry, fallen or stuck in the party dress,
showing that everyone can help each other re-
gardless of their origin (Forceful)

If at least one of the players performs something in that

regard that reaches +4 on the Performance Scale, the pets
will be admired by many at the party, and this will increase
Group Determination by 1.

After a while, the Rodent King climbs up the hall, where

there is a throne. He wears the king’s clothes, but he is
without the crown. He states:
— Welcome, everyone. Today is an important day because the
Four Cheese Festival celebrates our freedom from the Itchyfleas
Empire. The great King Roquefort fought bravely, and today we
are free. As part of our party today, we will have a challenge and
whoever solves this puzzle will receive a surprise prize!
 At that moment, a guard rat climbs and stands next to
the King. He holds a small wood box. The box is beautiful
and features gold designs. The King continues:
“As you can see, I am without my Crown. The challenge is to find
my Crown because it was stolen. No, calm down, it’s just a joke
hahaha! The real Crown is protected inside this box.”
The King walks and opens the box as he says “this
crown was created by King Roquefort as a reminder of our
freedom,” but the box is empty. He widens his eyes and
shouts, “The Crown has been stolen!” Everyone in the room
laughs, amused by the joke. But the king is serious and
shouts to everyone:
- This is no joke! The crown was stolen for real! There is a thief
among us! Close all the gates, no one leaves the palace until
the bandit is found! I’m offering a huge reward for anyone who
catches this thief and brings them to me!
After this statement, the animals in the room are agi-
tated and surprised. What was meant to be a joke became
something serious.

The theft of the Crown is something serious. It is a sym-

bol of the freedom of Gorgonzol and the fight of animals
against the tyranny of the Itchyfleas Empire. This is an
opportunity for players to decide to do the good deed and
help the King find the Crown. That’s because all the an-
imals in the room are frightened by the situation and no
one is taking action.
If they are not willing to help, emphasize the impor-
tance of finding the Crown for each character, and how
they all seem desperate and without action. If they drew
attention in Scene 2, by doing feats or telling stories, King
Rodent himself could ask for help. Notice that this is an ex-
cellent opportunity for them to make a generous action.
Below are some suggestions on how players can discov-
er clues to get to the conspirator and the thief. If players
find it difficult to interpret the scene or do not know how to
interact with the story, the Storyteller can assist during the scene
or suggest they can spend Clever Tokens to try to deduce and
discover information, Quick tokens to move in the middle of the
crowd and to hear or reveal new information or Forceful tokens
to intimidate people to speak what they know or to clear the
way.
Talk to the animals at the party to discover a mouse plot-
ting something:
One of the animals might say,
“Someone was behaving strange-
ly. Yes, one of the servant rats
was acting suspiciously. He
would get angry and say
things like ‘finally our re-
venge will be complete’.”

Another animal might

say, “There was a rat that
talked all the time on the
radio. I thought he was
security, but suddenly he
said ‘The plan is already in
progress. Prepare your-
selves for action’.”

Search for trails and

tracks.

Some tufts of
brown hair can
be seen near the
crown box, or in
some of the corri-
dors of the Castle.
Using Clever tokens
may allow you to
identify the hair as
being from a rat from
some distant planet.
 A king’s security guard is unconscious, un-
clothed, in a closet. Reanimating the guard (a
good shaking using Forceful tokens), he says he
was attacked by a rat that stole his clothes.

A high window of a guest bathroom is open, and

a shiny object is attached to its handle. Climbing
up to the window (some Quick or Forceful tokens),
players discover that it is a small grab hook, which
may have been used to invade the castle.

If the players tell the King that there is a treacherous rat,

he will call all the rats and servants from the palace to
the ballroom. The King then asks the player’s pets to help
him find out who the trickster is. As players think of a way
to figure this out, a fat rat wearing a soldier’s outfit looks
impatient and restless. If someone talks to him or goes up
to him, they will find out that his fat belly is false: Suddenly,
the Crown falls from his stomach and rolls across the floor.
He looks startled at the Crown and shouts “Plan B!”. Then,
two Itchyflea robots come knocking down some doors and
walls. Everyone is scared and starts running like crazy. The
aim of the robots and the traitor rat is to retrieve the Crown.
Otherwise if players do not warn the king and decide
to look for the treacherous rat on their own, they can min-
gle with guests at the party, walk around the hallways and
even search the kitchen as they try and track down the
suspect. At some point, the same scene above takes place:
the nervous fat rat dressed as a soldier drops the crown
from his fake belly and shouts “Plan B!”. The two Itchyfleas
robots enter the scene by knocking down and destroying
what they find on their way to try and recover the Crown.
Both fleas that control robots and the traitor rat can
say things like “You do not know what true power is!” or
“Gorgonzol will pay for defeating us in the past!” and then
begin the attack with paralysing laser guns shot at any-
one who is stopping them from reach the Crown.
Strengths:
Paralyzing Guns: If a
player character is hit, the Group
Determination is reduced by 1, and
that character loses the ability to move or
speak (duration at Storyteller discretion, but
no longer than a few minutes).
Steel shell: Players receive -1 in actions aiming to
hit, hurt or penetrate the hard shell of the robots.
Deadly Claws: If a player character is grabbed by a robot,
the group determination decreases by 1, and the player gets
-1 in any attempt to free themselves from the robots grip.
Weaknesses:
Fleas are easily irritated. If the players provoke them,
they will have more difficulty in controlling the robots (+1 in
the actions against them).
The joints of the robots do not withstand the water very
well. If players soak a robot, they will have good advantag-
es (+2 in the actions against them).
Opponent Determination: 4.

Strengths:
Sneaky: If he can run into a dark aisle, players
receive -1 in their actions against him.
Treacherous: The rat uses dirty tricks, like
throwing water on the pets face, pulling the
rug, etc. Players get -1 to defend themselves
from their dangerous attacks.
Slight: Players get -1 if they try to chase him.
Weaknesses:
Coward: If any character manages to
corner him, the player gets +2 in the actions
 against him. An action with a +4 or higher re-
sult in this situation can cause him to yield.
Panicky: Players get +1 if they try to intimidate
the rat.
Opponent Determination: 3.
When it is time for the players’ animals to act, the
amount of tokens spent to reduce the opponents determi-
nation tells you how well they did.
After the determination of all opponents is reduced to
zero, they are defeated. The Rodent King calls for their im-
mediate arrest, including the traitor.

If the players agree to receive a reward from the King,

they will be honored and can now enter and leave Gorgon-
zol without a problem, as the King trusts them. Also, the
group receives gold gifts from the King and several smaller
gifts from the population (choose rewards that have to do
with the motivations of each character, or with the reasons
they gave to attend the event). Gifts can be objects, infor-
mation, contacts, tips for an upcoming adventure,
among others. The Group Determination
increases by 1.
If they decide not to receive the gold re-
ward or use it for a good cause, the Group
Determination increases by 2, and even
then they receive gifts from the
Gorgonzol people.
The party goes
on, and everyone is
amused while cel-
ebrating the Four
Cheese Festival and
also a day of victory
against the Itchyfleas.
 Especial thanks to these people that support
Space Cats Indie Go Go Project:

Andre Pönitz, Lukaina, Matt Borselli, Matt Borselli, Max

Kaehn, Michael Bowman, Michael Chmielewski, Mike
Gruber, Seth Spurlock, Steve Swanson, The Roach,
Volker Mantel, afwierstra, iamfrost13, millians.david,
stentor.danielson, tevel.drinkwater

Especial thanks to everyone that support

Fate Plus Patreon at www.patreon.com/fateplus:

Álvaro López Aránguez, Anders Jonsson, André alias

DD, Arthur Green, Bleupomme, Chris Jahn, Chris-
tian Häusler, Daniel Cuenca, David Lawson, David
Morfin, David Thornley, Don Arnold, Evil Hat Produc-
tions, Frédéri POCHARD, Grassdragon, Grzegorz, Jef
Wilkins, Joe Trzos, Jonathan Korman, KrisDoC, Mack-
enzie, Marcel Wittram, Martin Deppe, Martin Singh-
Blom, Matt Kaufman, Michael Bowman, Mitchell Evans,
Mykel Alvis, Patrick Barnes Phil Groff, Rachael Hixon,
Serge Beaumont, Steve Stone, TY PRUNTY, Tevel Drink-
water, William King.

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