Catgirls and Cigarettes
achieve. Once attained a Catgirl is self actualized and
Welcome to a world where anthropomorphic feline
beings known as Catgirls roam the city of NeonBlade.
Among the neon lights and towering skyscrapers,
Catgirls navigate a life filled with charm, mischief, and
self-discovery. Relationships intertwine, identities
bloom, and conflicts arise against the backdrop of a
bustling metropolis.
The Cat Herder
One player is known as the Cat Herder or CH. The CH
guides the other players, sets the stage, and informs
players what is needed to overcome Conflicts.
Cigarettes:
Cigarettes serve as a resource pool for players. At the
beginning of the game, each Catgirl starts with 10
Cigarettes, which can be burnt during character
creation and Conflict resolution. Once burnt, a
Cigarette is gone forever. The only ways to gain new
Cigarettes are to take on new Struggles or to fail
Conflicts.
Character Creation:
Players create a Catgirl character using a mix of traits.
There are three types of traits: Fortes, Struggles, and
an Identity Quest.
Cigarettes can be burnt or purchased during character
creation to acquire additional traits or enhance existing
ones.
Fortes
Players burn Cigarettes to acquire or increase Fortes
that define their Catgirl's abilities. The initial cost of a
Forte is 3 Cigarettes. A Forte can be any trait the player
can imagine that is beneficial to her. For instance, a
Catgirl might have a ‘Quick Reflexes' trait, granting
advantages in agility-based challenges.
A Forte starts at a score of 1 and can be increased by
one point by burning 3 additional cigarettes.
Fortes should be 2-4 words long and not be too
general. ‘Perfect Makeup’ or ‘Brilliant Musician’ are
good Fortes. ‘Wins at Everything’ is not.
Struggles
A Struggle is a trait that hinders a Catgirl. “Can’t Say
No” or “Quick to Anger” are good examples. During
character creation a player must pick at least one
Struggle for her catgirl. The player may choose to pick
additional Struggles to gain Cigarettes. Each Struggle
after the initial one awards the Catgirl with 1 Cigarette.
A Catgirl can purchase a new struggle at any time
during the game to gain new Cigarettes.
Identity Quest
Each Catgirl must choose one Identity Quest. This is her
defining goal. It can be anything from “Become the
Greatest Chef in NeonBlade” to “Defeat Evil Twin”. An
Identity Quest should be attainable, but not easy to
gains 3 new cigarettes. At this point she can choose to
respec by trading in some or all of her Fortes for
Cigarettes (3 per Forte). She may also buy off her
Struggles at a cost of 1 Cigarette each.
Conflict Resolution:
When a challenge arises the Cat Herder determines the
number that must be met to overcome it. A player can
compare her relevant Forte to the target number. If the
Forte is equal or greater she is successful. Players can
burn Cigarettes to influence the outcomes. Each
cigarette burnt increases the score of the relevant trait
by 1 point until the Conflict is resolved. Once the
Conflict is over the trait reverts to its base level.
A Catgirl player can choose to declare one or more of
her Struggles makes the Conflict more difficult. This
increases the target number by 1 for each Struggle
declared.
If the Catgirl fails the Conflict she gains 1 Cigarette plus
an additional for each Struggle.
The Cat Herder must keep in mind that a Conflict must
have stakes. Otherwise Catgirls may be tempted to
deliberately fail frivolous Conflicts in order to score
Cigarettes. A conflict is not a conflict unless failure
causes a problem for the Catgirl.
If the Catgirl does not have a Forte apropos to the
Conflict she can burn 3 Cigarettes to “take the L”. In
doing so she fails the Conflict, but can now choose a
new Forte relevant to the topic she has faced. The new
Forte has a score of 1. When failing a Conflict in this
manner she does not gain any Cigarettes.
Gender
The only gender in Catgirls and Cigarettes is Catgirl. All
Catgirls and all players use She/Her pronouns
regardless of their real life gender.