Few rivalries run as deep as the one between the common house cat and the garden cucumber. It was only a matter of time before these two enemies showed up in board game form. Cats vs Cucumbers is a press-your-luck dice game from Melanie and Ammon Anderson (Gnome Hollow).
A Dicey Rivalry
Players are collecting points over a series of rounds while trying not to bust. On your turn you’ll roll six dice and lock in any cucumbers that are rolled. You can re-roll all non-cucumber dice up to two times before finalizing your dice. If you roll three or more cucumbers on a turn you’ll bust and take a cucumber token from the supply.
Players control three cat meeples that will advance into boxes with higher point values in the center of the table. You can also collect treats that increase in value with the more you collect. Each of the die faces do something different, but you’ll need to collect at least three of each dice face to take the action.
Cat icons (white/black) – Collecting three cats of any color allow you to move your cat meeple forward into the next box. You can move one more box for each cat icon beyond the three.
Cat treats – You’ll collect a treat for rolling three treat icons, collecting an additional treat for each matching die face. A single treat token is worth one point, two are worth three points and three are worth five points.
Toys – Collecting toy icons will give you tokens that have a mystery benefit that can be gained immediately or saved for later. You’ll need three toy icons to earn a token, earning an additional token for each matching icon.
Swipes – With three swipe icons, you can push another player backward into a less valuable box. Move your opponents back even more with additional matching swipe icons.
Nine Lives
The game timer for Cats vs Cucumbers is a deck of cards representing a cats nine lives. Each time a player busts by rolling three or more cucumbers, one life card will be removed from the deck. The game ends when the players collectively lose nine lives.
Cucumbers aren’t all bad. Each time you bust, you’ll collect a cucumber token that can help offset any time you bust OR they can be collected to earn one victory point per token at the end of the game. Cats vs Cucumbers uses a simple Yahtzee mechanic that most players are familiar with.
There are two additional dice combos that players want to keep an eye out for. A “Purr-fect” combo is when a player rolls all six different icons. The “Meow-za” combo is when you roll three unique pairs of dice. When you get either of these combos, you’ll take the reward for one of the die faces. With the “Purr-fect” combo, you’ll also earn a cucumber token. Both of these combos will earn you another full turn before passing the dice.
Final Thoughts
We love a good press-your-luck game in our house. Cats vs Cucumbers has a really cute style and easy to learn mechanics. There are a couple of ways to earn points, so being able to pivot when you’ve had a bad roll isn’t too difficult.
The cats and all the components in the game are really fun and colorful. This is a game that is easy to throw in a bag and take on the go. The nine lives deck of cards is a great way to handle the game timer. The more times players bust, the quicker the game ends. There’s even some strategy in whether you spend a cucumber token to keep from busting when you roll three or more cucumbers.
Cats vs Cucumbers is an easy game to recommend to anyone who enjoys a well themed press-your-luck game. Cats and cucumbers may never find common ground, but at least their rivalry can lend to a fun time around the game table.
Cats vs Cucumbers from Levity Games and Envy Born Games launches on July 8, 2025 on Kickstarter. Check out the campaign today.
A prototype of the game was provided for this coverage. Components and rules covered in this preview are not finalized. Read more about our preview policies at One Board Family.