Cat in Park

You are an expert in the works of the artist Pablo Picatto – and you know a secret. Somewhere in a bewildering collection of paintings hides the true masterpiece, “Cat in Park”. The problem is that it’s surrounded by convincing variants and clever forgeries, each featuring a unique mix of artistic hallmarks and, of course, Picatto’s famous cat.

Every painting in the game combines four out of seven possible hallmarks. You secretly know one of the four that define the real masterpiece, such as a raincloud or a dinosaur. Unfortunately, the other players are experts too, each armed with their own piece of hidden knowledge. To uncover the real painting, you must watch their choices closely, read their intentions, and piece together what they know while hiding your own agenda.

On your turn, you expand your museum’s collection by drafting valuable paintings, donate less desirable works to the public museum, and reserve artworks for later. Reservations let you snatch paintings from the public collection – and even from other players – or protect your own prized pieces from being taken. But every move sends a signal to your opponents.

Your goal is to secure the “Cat in Park” with all four true hallmarks, along with valuable variants that have three of them. But there’s more at stake which can obfuscate everyone’s actions: Each player is also curating a secret personal exhibition focused on a specific hallmark. And, naturally, you are all collecting the most fashionable cat colour of the season.

With relatively simple rules, the game is as much about outthinking your opponents as mastering the mechanics. Can you deduce what your competitors are collecting? Will you claim the most valuable paintings early or bluff, mislead, and wait for the perfect moment to strike?