Stack O' Cats Tartaruga
🐸 Dettagli da BoardGameGeek
Consiglio BGG sul numero di giocatori
Categorie
Meccaniche
Design & Art
Lingua
Pre-order - leggi i dettagli
🐸 Una rana saggia sa quando dividere l’ordine… e quando aspettare il salto giusto.
Pairs well with
FroGames — Moments You'll Remember
Twelve new wooden tortoise shell cats, each with a unique hand-drawn pattern. Your feline tower has just doubled in chaos and color.
This is an expansion for the base game
To use the Tortoise Shell meeples, you need the Stack O' Cats base game. This box only contains the new wooden cats — they should be added to your existing collection for longer games, with more players, or simply with more feline variety at the table.
What it's about
Twelve new cats for your balancing act collection
If you already have Stack O' Cats, you know exactly what happens around the table. An unstable pile of wooden cats that grows turn by turn, trembling hands, laughter, someone swearing under their breath when the tower collapses. It's that kind of game — simple, physical, immediate. And when you find a set that works, you just want more cats.
Tortoise Shell adds exactly that: 12 wooden meeples with a tortoise shell pattern — that mix of browns, blacks, and amber that anyone who's had a tabby or calico cat immediately recognizes. Each pattern has been hand-drawn by artist Sarah Conlon and then heat-pressed onto custom-cut wooden shapes. These are not mass-produced prints: each cat has its own personality.
In practice, this means longer games (more cats = higher possible tower), with more players (the collection is better distributed among 4-6 people), or simply more visual variety on the table. It comes with a coordinated velvet pouch to carry everything around without letting the cats roam free in your bag.
The secret in two lines
It's not a rules expansion. It's a personality expansion. Twelve tortoise shell cats that will turn heads of anyone who truly loves these animals.
The secret of Tortoise Shell in one line
Hand-drawn, heat-pressed onto custom-cut wood. It's the kind of care you feel to the touch, even before you see it.
From the game experience
Stack O' Cats: Tortoise Shell
FrogScore · FroGames editorial rating · based on publisher description and product natureWhat's in the box
Four details that make a difference
12 wooden meeples
Custom-cut cat shapes, all different from each other. Solid material, just the right weight for stacking without flying off at the first breath.
Hand-drawn patterns
The tortoise shell illustrations are by Sarah Conlon. Each pattern is unique — no clones, no mass-produced prints. You can see and feel it.
Heat-pressed onto wood
The designs are heat-transferred directly onto the surface. They last over time, don't peel, and don't fade with table use.
Velvet pouch
Coordinated case to keep the 12 cats together. Take them on trips or keep them separate from the base game deck — the choice is yours.
You already have a box of cats that you love to stack. Twelve more tortoise shells won't solve any problems — but they will make the tower higher, and that's what counts.
📦
Box Contents12 meeples + pouch
Each meeple is custom-cut and individually heat-pressed. Small differences between pieces are part of the artisanal process, not defects.
⚙️
What you need to playBase game + no language needed
A game with Tortoise Shell in five moments
What changes at the table
Not the rules. The experience it adds.
Open the bag, the new ones emerge
Untie the velvet bag. Twelve new tortoise shell cats tumble onto the table, each one different. Someone picks them up to get a closer look. There are patterns that look like the faces of real cats you've known.
"I'll take that one"
The cat lovers' ritual begins: everyone chooses their favorites from the new ones. The one with the black spot on its nose, the crooked one, the one that looks like the cat of the person sitting opposite. The game hasn't even started yet, but the table is already themed.
The tower grows, and grows, and grows
With the base game, you ran out of cats after five turns. Now there are twelve more: the tower extends beyond the point where you knew it would fall. Each new layer is a promise of disaster that is postponed. Hands tremble a little more.
The tortoise shell that makes everything crash
It was a risky move. It was that crooked cat, with a head bigger than its body. It leans, it leans again, it seems to hold — then it doesn't. Crash, general laughter, someone photographs the ruins before tidying up.
All back in the bag, until next time
At the end of the evening, the cats go back into their bags — the base ones in theirs, the tortoise shells in the coordinated velvet one. Someone asks where to buy them. You start another round. It's hard to stop when the cats are like this.
How to use it
Three ways to integrate the new cats
Tortoise Shell brings no new rules. It brings twelve cats that do three different things depending on how you choose to use them.
Add all 12 meeples to the base box. The tower can grow beyond its normal limit, games last longer, tension builds. This is the most immediate use of the expansion.
With the base game, you have a limited number of cats per person. By adding Tortoise Shell, you can play with 5 or 6 people without anyone being left with an empty hand halfway through the game.
Use only the tortoise shell cats for a "special" game, or mix everything and play with a bigger set. The game is simple enough to withstand DIY modifications without breaking.
Some people even buy them just because they look good on a shelf. No judgment: they are artisanal items with unique artwork, they make a statement even outside the game.
Why it's worth it
Six reasons to justify the purchase
Original artwork, not prints
Each tortoise shell pattern is hand-drawn by Sarah Conlon. These are not computer-generated motifs mass-produced — they are real illustrations, each one different from the other.
Heat-pressed, not stickers
The designs are heat-transferred directly onto the wood. They don't peel off, they don't fade, they survive repeated games and the carrying bag.
The most loved pattern by cat lovers
The tortoise shell (calico) is one of the most recognizable and beloved feline patterns. Anyone who has had such a cat immediately recognizes those spots — it's the "heartfelt" expansion.
Bag included
The small detail that makes a difference: a coordinated velvet pouch to keep the 12 cats together. Convenient for transport, and beautiful just to look at.
Right weight for stacking
The meeples are made of solid wood: enough weight to stay put, light enough not to unbalance the tower. The physics of the game remain what you love.
Perfect gift for those who own the base game
Stack O' Cats is a gift game. Tortoise Shell is the gift "for those who already have it" — low impact, high smile, zero risk of getting a duplicate.
When to buy it
For whom yes, for whom maybe not
FroGames honesty: this is a components-only expansion. No new rules, no new modes. It's worth it for the right reasons.
Buy if
- You already own Stack O' Cats and play it often
- You are in love with tortoise shell/calico cats
- You often play in groups of 5-6 people
- You want longer games with taller towers
- You appreciate craftsmanship and original artwork
- You are looking for a smart gift for someone who already owns the base game
Wait if
- You don't have the base game yet — start with that
- You are looking for new rules or game modes — they are not here
- The tortoise shell pattern doesn't appeal to you aesthetically
- You almost always play with two players and don't need to extend game times
Tortoise Shell is the kind of purchase you make for love. Love for the base game, for cats, for well-made objects. If you're in the right place, you already know it.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ about Stack O' Cats: Tortoise Shell
Can I play it without the base game?
No. Tortoise Shell is a box of additional components only — 12 wooden meeples and a velvet bag. It does not contain rules, nor does it contain autonomous game instructions. To use the meeples, you need the Stack O' Cats base game, which provides the mechanics and other necessary pieces. If you don't have the base game, start with that.
Is it worth it if it's just "more cats"?
It depends on what you're looking for. If you want new rules or game modes, no — this expansion is purely components. But if you love Stack O' Cats and are looking for longer games, more players at the table, or simply more visual variety, then yes. And if you're a cat lover, I'll add that the value is also aesthetic: the patterns are hand-drawn and each meeple is unique.
Is it in English?
The manufacturer's packaging is in English, but it's irrelevant. Stack O' Cats is a pure dexterity game: you stack wooden cats. There are no cards to read, no textual rules to understand, no effects to interpret. The language barrier simply doesn't exist here — you play with your hands.
Are all the meeples identical?
No, and that's the point. Each meeple has a different tortoise shell pattern, hand-drawn by Sarah Conlon. The shapes of the spots, the proportions of the colors, the position of the strokes — everything changes from one specimen to another. Considering they are handmade, even small variations in cut or heat-pressing are part of the product, not defects.
Is it compatible with other Stack O' Cats expansions?
Yes. The Tortoise Shell meeples integrate with both the base game and other expansions — the most notable being the XL Expansion, which further expands the cat collection. The more cats you have, the longer the game can be and the more players you can accommodate at the table. Expansions do not exclude each other, they add up.
What age can it be played from?
The age is that of the base game — Stack O' Cats is playable from 6 years old and up, depending on the child's dexterity. It's a physical dexterity party game: anyone who can stack cubes calmly and carefully can play it. For younger children, the wooden meeples are still safe and pleasant to touch, even just to handle.
Stack O' Cats: Tortoise Shell Cat Expansion Pack is a component expansion for the dexterity party game Stack O' Cats. It contains 12 cat-shaped wooden meeples, each decorated with a tortoise shell (calico) pattern hand-drawn by artist Sarah Conlon and heat-pressed onto the wood surface. Includes a coordinated velvet bag for transport. Requires the Stack O' Cats base game to be used. It contains no new rules: the meeples are added to the base game collection to allow for longer games, accommodate more players at the table, or simply visually enrich the feline tower. Being a pure dexterity game — you stack wooden cats — no linguistic knowledge is required to play it. Compatible with other expansions such as the XL Base Expansion. Available on FroGames.it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The answers you're looking for, no beating around the bush.
📸Do the images match the actual product?
The photos on the website often come from BoardGameGeek and are intended to give you an idea of the game. They may vary slightly from the version you receive. The content declared by the publisher is always binding.
📦Does the content of the box match what is indicated?
We always strive to provide the correct content, but minor variations are possible due to reprints or updates. The information comes directly from the publishers. If you have any questions, please contact us!
⏳How do pre-orders work?
Pre-order the game before release, payment is immediate, and the game is reserved for you. As soon as it arrives, we'll ship it right away! If there are any delays, we'll update you promptly.
🔒Can I trust buying here?
Absolutely! Secure payments, tracked shipments, and a team that loves board games as much as you do. If something goes wrong, we'll do our best to fix it.
🛠There's a problem with my order, what should I do?
Write to us now! Whether it's a missing part, damage, or an error, we'll help you resolve it as soon as possible. Your experience truly matters to us.