Here at Gay NYC Dad, we love Exploding Kittens – the game and the company. Exploding Kittens is a card game with kittens and explosions. Now, finally, there’s a game board version! And, yes, there are kittens and explosions in the board game, too, and so much more!
What’s in the box?
Exploding Kittens: The Board Game includes the game board, action cards, move discs, character tokens, a field guide, and the rules. The game board is a pretty standard size, so it’ll fit on most tables. The game board is so cute! There’s a giant lolling cat, holding a teddy bear, with a tin of sardines, a ball of yarn, and some cat toys, too. The character tokens are super cute, too. Each of them represents a different cat in the Exploding Kittens universe. My favorite color is purple, so I will always choose the cat barfing a rainbow, but I’m partial to taco cat, too.
How to play Exploding Kittens: The Board Game:
Open the game board and put the character tokens in the litter box (I told you it was cute!). Shuffle the action cards and deal five to each player. Players can look at their own cards, but shouldn’t expose them to the other players. This next note is very important. All of the cards are placed on the table near the board, but not on the board. The remaining action cards become the draw pile and be sure to leave room for a discard pile. Before shuffling the move discs, remove all ten of the Danger Magnets. The Danger Magnets should be placed face up next to the ball of yarn on the board. The rest of the move discs should be placed near the board with space enough for a discard pile. Then choose a player to go first.
On each player’s turn, they have to play action cards (as many as they want, including none) and then draw move discs (which tell the number of spaces the character has to move). You always have to start your turn with at least three Action cards, so if you don’t have three at the start of your turn, your first action is to draw until you have three. There are three different kinds of spaces on the board: i) number spaces, where the number is how many action cards you have to draw; ii) character spaces, which tell you which character to skip ahead of in the game; and iii) the Exploding Kitten spaces. If you land on an Exploding Kitten space, you’re toast, unless you have a Defuse card. Exploding means you have to swap spaces with the last place player. If that puts you in the litter box and there are more than one other player in there, you get to choose which of them gets to take your previous position. You also have to get rid of all but three Action cards from your hand, but you get to choose which cards you keep, so choose wisely. Once the character has been moved, the next clockwise player takes their turn.
There are four types of Move discs. There are Cut the Line discs, which let you move to the first spot in front of the player in front of you on the board. There are Danger Magnets, which force you to move to the next Exploding Kitten spot. And then there are Flip discs. The Flip discs are the most fun. Some are move or flip; others are move and flip. Flip means you get to turn the board from Calm Mode (blue – the starting board) to Chaos Mode (red) or back again.
TOP TIP: Keep the Field Guide handy, because it helps explain the rules of each type of card and disc.
How to Win Exploding Kittens: The Board Game
You win when you land on the Ribbon space at the end of the board. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though, because you have to land on the Ribbon space by exact count or you loop back (there’s an arrow to tell you where to loop back to) and start the final sequence again. And, yes, there is an Exploding Kitten space in the Loop Back zone, so you are not home free. You’re also vulnerable to being swapped back by another player. Lots of excitement!
TOP TIP: There are six (6!) Exploding Kitten spaces in the Loop Back zone in Chaos mode, so do whatever you can to keep it in Calm mode when you’re in the Loop Back zone or flip to Chaos if someone else is there ahead of you.
Exploding Kittens: The Board Game is fun and action-packed and super cute to look at, too. It’s fairly simple, but has dynamic gameplay, so everyone will be on the edge of their seat, trying to get to that ribbon. The instructions and field guide are great, but if you’re learn-by-doing person, you can scan the QR code on the rule book to watch a video of the game in play. Exploding Kittens: The Board Game is for 2-6 players and the recommended age range is 7+. This is a quick game, only about 20 minutes, so it’s a great activity to sneak into your day.
٭٭٭٭٭Highly Recommended
This board game review is fantastic! I love how Exploding Kittens has expanded from a card game to a full board game experience. The mechanics sound really engaging – having to manage action cards, move discs, and avoid those dangerous Exploding Kitten spaces creates so much excitement. The 20-minute playtime is perfect for quick family game nights. For those looking for some casual gaming fun during breaks, check out https://www.cookie-clicker2.org – its a great way to relax!