I downloaded the crowd-based game “Cat On Yer Head Storybook” from Playniac in London (submitted to IndieCade 2014). I technically opted for the 24-page sample book (rather than paying for the full version), but this abbreviated version of the game still has the basic mechanic in place, and I can see it being a really fun game to experience at (rather nerdy) gatherings.
In effect, it’s a literal cat-and-mouse chase game. One player starts with an imaginary cat on their head, another starts with an imaginary mouse. If the cat player taps the mouse on the shoulder within 30 seconds of starting, the mouse loses. If they evade the cat, the mouse wins! The cat and mouse can be passed to other players by tapping them on the shoulder; to know who’s who, the cat player must loudly say “Cat. Cat. Cat.” over and over again, while the mouse does the same.
It’s fun to imagine someone messing with the gamers by pretending to be a mouse player, but being a decoy instead. In fact, Playniac supports user-submitted rules and modifications to the game, even including an official submission form for mailing in. The full version of the play book includes variant rules and options for play such as mouseholes and cheese for the mouse player to interact with. I might pick it up eventually, but sadly I am rarely at events with 15+ people (rules state you need between 15 and 1000 people; I’d LOVE to see this happen at a concert or sporting event, but alas, getting the rules to that many players could be problematic). I’ll try to run a mini game of COYH (we’re short a few people, but it could still work) in class this Friday, but we’ll see what happens.