Cat-a-Comb (Cat-a-Comb) is one of the Soda Pop series games, first released in 2024 by designer Pierpaolo Paoletti and publisher ThunderGryph Games. It is a clear proof that depth does not depend on size or production. The designer packed a tense, interesting game into a 0.33 L tin decorated with funny cats and skulls in the spirit of the indie strategy Mewgenics. Besides the compact package, setup is fast and the footprint tiny — you can lay it out in a minute on a café table, windowsill, or bar.

The modular board is nine hexes in three colours (black, white, brown) arranged as a 3×3 diamond grid. For each game the hexes are shuffled and laid out at random, so every board configuration is different and tactics shift with it.

The rules are short and clear. Each player starts with six cubes of their colour (black or white) showing cats. Play begins by placing three neutral (brown) cat cubes on the board. The player who places the neutrals moves second.

There are two win conditions: control three hexes of one colour, or control three towers of three cats regardless of hex colour. We will not reprint the full rules — you can find them here.

You can roughly split a game into the classic chess phases: opening, middlegame, and endgame.

• Opening

  A critical stage — losing it shapes the rest of the game. Players try to bring cats onto the board quickly for room to manoeuvre. Move order matters a lot: the second player is worse off and by their second turn often cannot place a cat and must start dismantling towers instead of growing presence.

• Middlegame

  Roughly after each side has four cats on the board. Active attacks begin; watch carefully that the opponent does not take two hexes of one colour while you try to do the same. At beginner level many games end here.

• Endgame

  At least one player has five cats on the board. The second win condition becomes much more likely — besides regions, watch for three-high towers.

Strategy and tactics tips:

• Lone cat

Not a named trick, but beginners forget it: a one-cat tower is still a tower and can be dismantled the same way — just move the cat to a neighbouring hex or tower (when the rules allow).

• Centre of the room

Central hex b2 is important: from there one cat reaches almost every other cell (except a1 and c3).

• Opening deconstruction

When your only legal move in the opening is dismantling a tower, dismantle a tower controlled by an opponent cat. That restores tempo so you can place a cube next turn. Dismantling a tower you control usually lets the opponent cover a neutral with theirs next, forcing you to dismantle again instead of placing.

• Seizing the initiative

As above, first player looks better in the opening. Second player’s lifeline is the rule that they set the initial neutral layout. At first that seems cosmetic — both sides can use those neutrals. In practice the setup lets second player catch tempo and take the initiative. Place two neutrals adjacent and the third at least one hex from either. When the only move is dismantling, break an opponent tower so a neutral becomes third in a neighbouring tower and the opponent cat stays at least one hex from a lone tower. Then the opponent cannot place next and must dismantle — while you will be able to place afterward either way.

• Last cat

It is often better not to place every cat: hold the last one in hand until bringing it out flips the board or ends the game.

• Stripped tail

A three-high tower with the same colour both on top and at the bottom. It lets you use two of your cats in one turn. On a key hex it can seize two same-colour hexes at once. If you spot such a “tail”, it is often wise to dismantle it yourself and place the foreign cats where you want them — rather than wait for the opponent to break it optimally.

In closing: the lack of strategic space from the tiny 3×3 board is more than made up for by stacking, which adds another dimension and turns games into sharp battles where every move counts.

I am sure this is not a complete list of ideas. If you know more — share them and we can discuss.