Cats Called Jiji — Game Rules (English Version)

Game Overview

Welcome to Cat Alley, a quiet street on the edge of town. Apparently, a cat named Jiji has gone missing.
But strangely, everyone describes Jiji differently:

“I’m sure it had a red ribbon.”
“It makes this short kik! sound.”
“I heard it recently got a white-cat girlfriend.”

It seems… there may be more than one “Jiji.”

Your clues are people’s fuzzy memories and the occasional glimpse of a cat disappearing into an alley.
Can you identify the missing Jiji?

This game is a card game inspired by Old Maid (Baba-Nuki).
Draw cards from the neighbor on your left, make pairs in your hand, and try to deduce which hidden card is the true Missing Jiji.
If you successfully identify one, you earn points.
As more information becomes available, who will find Jiji the fastest, the most accurately, and the most often?

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Components

• Jiji Cards (32 cards)
  Numbers 1–8 × 2 colors (White/Black) × 2 copies each

• Shared Rule Cards (6 cards)
  3 rule types: A, B, C × 2 copies each
  (Back side: “Cat Search Guide” summary)

• Discovery Cards (2 cards)
  Front: 1st, Back: 2nd

• Rulebook (this booklet)

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Setup

1. The player who has most recently seen a “Jiji” becomes the starting player.
   (If nobody qualifies, choose randomly.)

2. Place the two Discovery Cards within reach of all players, with different sides facing up (1st and 2nd).

3. Shuffle all Jiji cards face down and deal a number of cards depending on the player count.
   These are your hands, and players may look at their own cards.

   Number of cards dealt:

   • 3 players: starting player gets 11 cards; the others get 10 each; 1 card is left unused

   • 4 players: 8 cards each

   • 5 players: clockwise from the starting player, deal 7, 7, 6, 6, 6 cards

   Redraw rule (4 or 5 players):
   If a hand contains three or more pairs (same number + same color), you may reveal your hand and request a redeal.

4. The starting player chooses one of the three Shared Rule Cards and places it face up for all to see.
   The remaining Shared Rule Cards are dealt to players as personal summaries, placed face down (“Cat Search Guide” side up).

5. Each player selects one card from their hand and places it face down above their summary as their Missing Jiji.
   Other players will try to identify this card.

   Choosing based on your hand structure and the shared rule helps.
   You may choose a card that forms a pair in your hand.

   3-player exception:
   The single undealt card from step 3 becomes an additional Missing Jiji, placed face down next to the shared rule card. This card is also guessable.

6. If you have any pairs left in your hand, place all such pairs face up on the left side of your summary.
   A pair is exactly two cards of the same color and number.

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Gameplay

Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, players take turns.
On your turn, perform steps 1 → 4, then pass the turn to the player on your left.

The game ends when one of the end conditions is met, after which scoring occurs.

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1) Investigate — Draw a Card

Draw one face-down card from the hand of the player on your left.
Cards placed face up as that player’s shared cards (explained later) may not be drawn.

If the player on your left has no cards, the game ends.
(See End Condition A.)

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2) Prove — Form Pairs

If the card you just drew matches (same color + same number) a card in:

• ① Your hand → Reveal the pair; place it on the left side of your summary.

• ② Your shared cards → Stack the new card on top of the matching shared card.

Revealing matched pairs is mandatory.

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3) Share — Reveal Information

Choose one card from your hand and place it face up on the right side of your summary.
This becomes a Shared Card, visible to everyone.

You must reveal a shared card if possible, but only if the number on the card meets the condition shown on the displayed Shared Rule Card and also relates to the number of your chosen Missing Jiji.

If no card in your hand meets the rule → declare that you cannot share, and skip sharing.

A player whose own Missing Jiji has already been discovered may ignore the rule and reveal any card.

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4) Discover Jiji (Optional, Once per Player)

Once during the game, you may declare:
“I’ve found Jiji!”

You then announce the color and number of one or more Missing Jiji cards.
You do not need to specify which player holds each one.

• The first player to make a discovery gets the 1st Discovery Card.

• The second gets the 2nd Discovery Card.

• Others do not receive one.

Maximum number of cards you may declare:
The number of undiscovered Missing Jiji cards currently in play among all other players (and the extra card added in 3-player games).

After declaring, resolve the discovery:

① Check the Missing Jiji

You inspect all Missing Jiji cards except your own, in clockwise order starting from the player to your left.
Do not reveal them publicly during this process.

② Success or Failure

• Success: All declared cards match exactly.
  You flip those specific cards face up and claim them (place them separately).

• Failure: None are revealed; return all inspected cards to their original positions.

③ Pass the Turn

Regardless of success, your turn ends and play passes left.
You do not leave the game even after attempting discovery.

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Game End & Winning

The game ends when any of the following conditions (A–D) occur:

A. A player cannot draw

During step 1 (Investigate), if the player on your left has no cards, the game ends.
Any players who have not yet attempted discovery get a final chance, resolved in clockwise order starting from the player who could not draw.

B. Only one player has not attempted discovery

When exactly one player has not used their “Discover Jiji” action, the game ends.
That player must immediately attempt discovery.

C. All Missing Jiji have been discovered

If every Missing Jiji has been successfully revealed (except a player’s own Jiji who hasn’t attempted discovery), the game ends.

D. A player discovers a majority of Jiji at once

If a player successfully discovers half or more of all Missing Jiji in a single attempt, the game ends.

• 3–4 players → 2 cards

• 5 players → 3 cards

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Scoring

After the game ends, players score based on:

• Their discovery order

• The number of Jiji cards they personally discovered

Points earned per discovered Jiji:

• 1st discoverer: 4 points each

• 2nd discoverer: 3 points each

• 3rd or later: 2 points each

Tiebreaker:
Earlier discovery (better declaration order) wins.

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Optional Rule — “A Long Day on Cat Alley”

For a deeper experience, you may play three full games and sum the points.

• Points may be recorded on paper or a memo app.

• If tied, the player who made the earlier discovery in the final game wins.

Additional adjustments:

1. End Condition D is disabled.
   Even if met, the game does not end.

2. Starting player for games 2 and 3
   Before dealing, the player with the lowest total score chooses the starting player.
   (As usual, the starting player chooses the Shared Rule Card.)

3. Special Victory Condition
   If a player discovers every Missing Jiji except their own, they immediately win the entire 3-game match, regardless of scores or discovery order.
   This applies even in game 1 or 2.