Catch the Moon

Product Information

As you may have guessed, Catch the Moon is about climbing up into the night sky to grab that globe of glorious Gouda….haha okay so even I know the moon is not made of cheese. But how cool would that be?! On his turn, the player rolls the die in the box and takes a ladder at random from the box lid. Using only one hand, he must place the ladder on the structure, according to the die result:

Insert two straight ladders in the base, in any configuration you see fit. (These ladders form the basis of the structure that will gradually rise over the course of the game). As you can see game play is quite simple, yet very fun. I love how creative and whimsical the game is, it’s like creating a work of art. It’s a head-scratching and constantly evolving puzzle that squeezes a lot of depth out of a simple set of rules. It also benefits from some real variety, with different window designs and special power cards ensuring that every play-through gives you a fresh challenge. The game ends as soon as a player places the last ladder or collects the last tear. The player who collects the last tear is eliminated and the player with the least tears wins. There are games that you just want to pull out and play with minimal fuss and set up, just to have a good time. Catch the Moon is one of those games. A simple concept with simple execution and a fun hook leads to lots of fun.In a two-player game, the first player to collect three tears is eliminated; the other player wins. Age Recommendation: The company lists age 8+; however, I think young children could definitely enjoy this and find it fun. You know your kid best. My kids would play this around age 4-5 years old. Who would’ve thought ladders could be so much fun? After playing Catch the Moon, never again will steps be resigned to memories of fetching Christmas decorations from attics or clearing leaves from gutters. Nope, instead you’ll recall the time you managed to somehow perch a tiny ladder on top of a wobbly rung to become the new highest point in the knitted web of crisscrossing legs. Or perhaps the moment you collapsed, head-in-hands, as your carefully-positioned wooden frame slipped from its seemingly secure place between two upright supports and clattered onto the table, causing the moon to cry – and you to end up a teardrop further from victory. In case of a tie, and if there are any ladders left, the tied players continue playing using only the "moon" die result: each player who makes a mistake is eliminated, and the only remaining player wins. If there are no ladders left, the tied players share the victory. I’m thrilled to write another board game review; this time on Catch the Moon by Kosmos games. This game is truly brilliant and I couldn’t be more excited to announce that it will be available to try out at this years Southern Maryland Board Game Convention. The Playful Parent will be hosting a family game room at the convention. The convention is set for fall 2023 at the College of Southern Maryland. I will have more details about this opportunity as the event date approaches.

Catch the moon is a simple but fun one handed dexterity game for up to six players. In this game, participants can compete or cooperate to connect ladders in a whimsical way to reach the sky. This games is special in that it offers a great balance between fine motor skills and problem solving techniques. I’m sure you are wondering what is so special about a combination of dexterity and problem solving game? Well, they are great for children because these type of games help develop control of the small muscles in fingers, hands, and wrists, while also helping to develop hand-eye coordination. Problem solving games are a great way to teach children how to think critically and creatively. Having a game that combines these two skills is some what rare. One of my homeschooling secrets is to play this game to warm up in morning before diving into school work. It helps get the hand muscles ready and the brain thinking. It’s also a great game to play just for fun on family game nights! Select a player to go first. A turn starts with the player rolling the die in the box; than takes a ladder at random from the box lid. Using only one hand, the player must place the ladder on the structure, according to the die result:

Publisher:KOSMOS Designers: Fabien Riffaud & Juan Rodriguez Artist: Emmanuel Malin 2-6 Players Playtime: 20 Minutes

The brilliance of using the multifaceted shape of ladders is that there is an almost limitless number of combinations and structures that can be formed by a combination of the players and gravity, multiplied further by the random placement of two straight ladders in the base to begin with, plus the use of a die to dictate whether players must aim for the highest point and how many ladders their addition to the pile can touch.Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia basilica is famous for its breathtaking stained glass windows, and now they’ve inspired a game where players compete to create beautiful displays of their own. Each round of Sagrada sees players roll a random selection of coloured dice from a bag. You’ll take turns choosing one at a time to incorporate into your window, scoring points for placing dice in certain configurations. Once the ladder has been placed, the next player takes his turn. As the player places their ladder, the other ladders in the structure may move. As long as no ladder touches the table or the base, and as long as the player does not let go of his ladder, they can move it to try out different placements. Keep in mind however, that once you lets go of it, the ladder can no longer be moved. There are a couple of downsides. For one, there’s almost no interaction between players, and it’s easy to become engrossed in your own game, ignoring everyone else around the table. Things can also slow down considerably as players mull over the options available to them, leading to some long waits between turns. But if you’re looking for a game that’s simple yet cerebral, this is a tight and elegant little brain-teaser. Century: Spice Road casts players as merchants leading caravans in search of precious spices. Photograph: Owen Duffy/The Guardian