Celebrate the Felines of the World!

Here at Variant Ventures headquarters, we are all about sharing life with our familiars. As the queen of Castle Feline (with four feline familiars my house has the most cats in Variant Ventures), I wanted to take some time to talk about International Cat Day by recognizing some of the amazing ways that cats have left their mark in our nerdy hobbies!

Feline Friends in TTRPGs

Cat-Sith

Gosclaw

The cat-sith is originally found as a fairy creature from Celtic mythology and can also be found within the Bestiary for Pathfinder. This magical beast resembles a black cat with a white spot on its chest that has strangely human-like movements. They have features that had an effect on both curses and luck, making them extra fun to put into your game!

This feline species is featured in Starfinder. They canonically developed over centuries on a harsh and volatile planet. Glosclaw are mechanically medium sized humanoids, who are skilled at digging tunnels. Their fur can range almost any color, especially since they are known to dye it! Who doesn’t want a race of tech savvy felines in their game?

Pard

Tressym

From the worlds of Pathfinder, one can discover the great and mighty Pard! A cheetah-like creature with long, brightly colored fur. One of the most unique features of these creatures is their empathy. This allows pards to transmit complex thoughts and emotions to other pards and basic thoughts and emotions to other creatures, not unlike my IRL feline friends!

Within the game of Dungeons and Dragons exists what is scientifically one of the coolest feline creations, the mighty tressym! Their size is similar to a house cat and they have prominent wings, allowing them to fly with ease. They communicate with purrs and growls, known as “tressymspeak.” You just can’t go wrong with adding these lovelies into a game!

Board Games featuring Felines

Calico

Catlantis

Are you looking for a cute and cozy strategy game? Check out what Calico from Flatout Games has to offer! One to four players work to build comfy quilts to attract cuddly cats! I mean, what else could you possibly ask for? The only downside I can think of is that you will want to curl up next to the kitten on the cover!

Catlantis from Ravensburger (who brought us Disney’s Villianous) touts itself as “a clever game of trade-offs and treasure.” Play as a purr-maid gathering treasure and allies to protect their magical kingdom. This light strategy game is fun for the whole family!

Feline Felonies

Isle of Cats

Variant Ventures Artisans Guild member Atikin Games is working on her current Playful Pets Kickstarter, that includes Feline Felonies. Players take the role of a neighborhood cat whose goal is to become the greatest thief by stealing items from around the game board and other players.

From The City of Games comes Isle of Cats, where one to four players focus on rescuing cats before their home is destroyed! With six expansions, and a recently completed Kickstarter, players aren’t likely to get bored with this content any time soon!

Feline Focused TTRPG

Catcrumb

Clowderful

Catcrumb is the creation of Justin Scott. This content is available free of charge of itch.io. This adorable content is based off of the Catcrumb comic on Tumblr. Currently this content includes rule sets for both players and the Crumb Lord, spells and monsters. Future content is planned for this wonderful game!

From Whimsy Machine, we have Clowderful “A Community-Building RPG of Cats.” Players work together to build a neighborhood and then choose to befriend humans or drive them to move away! This content is available for Name Your Own Price on itch.io and all proceeds go to help local cat charities!

Mew-Tants

The Secrets of Cats

From Anima Press comes Mew-Tants, just some regular cats with super powers! One awesome thing about this content if that you can not only purchase a digital copy, but a physical one as well! You can find this content on anima.press, as well as drivethrurpg.com. This rules light RPG will allow you to live the feline life, explore your neighborhood, help other cats and keep your territory safe!

Ever wonder why your cat brings you garbage and small animals or why you can hear neighborhood cats wailing in chorus at night? Explore the magic of felines with The Secrets of Cats by Richard Bellingham from Evil Hat Productions. This game uses the Fate Core system and has everything you need from character creations to running your sessions.

Orlando Cat Cafe

As many of you know, the bulk of the Variants call or have called Central Florida home. We would be remiss to recognize International Cat Day without shouting out one of the greatest attractions the city beautiful has to offer, the Orlando Cat Cafe! Perfect for finding a new feline friend, taking a cat yoga or painting class, celebrating a birthday, and having a fantastic cup of Axum coffee. If your travels take you to Orlando, consider stopping by this wonderful cat cafe for a bit of rest and relaxation!

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