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. 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. Players take turns rolling a die to determine how they must place their wooden ladder (must touch one other ladder, two other ladders, or be the highest point) The player's turn ends immediately. If the player had not yet placed his ladder, it is also removed from the game. The straight ladders used during setup are never removed. In Sagrada, players become artisans competing to create beautiful stained glass windows. Photograph: Owen Duffy/The Guardian

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

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. If you drop your ladder or any ladders fall off onto the cloud base or the table, they are removed from the game, and you receive a raindrop. The game ends when either (a) all the ladders are used or (b) all 7 raindrops have been taken. And the winner is the player with the fewest raindrops in total! Catching And Dropping 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?!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. 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. Open the box and you’ll find a dice, some raindrop tokens, a plethora of wooden ladders and a plastic cloud shaped base. To set-up the game you will put the three ‘normal’ shaped ladders into the base randomly and you are ready. On your turn you roll the dice which will tell you that you must place a new ladder touching exactly one or two ladders or being the highest ladder on the cloud. Make any ladders fall or touch the cloud and you take a raindrop. Three raindrops ends the game and the person with the least raindrops wins. Easy.

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. Then the next player takes his turn. As long as the next player has not rolled the die, the last player to play is responsible for any ladder that falls or touches the table or the base. Here’s where we get into how to win! Included in the game are seven blue tear drops. These are the seven tears of the moon. The moon is saddened by clumsiness of the dreamers, and sheds a tear for each mistake. The game ends as soon as a player places the last ladder or collects the last tear. In a two-player game, the first player to collect three tears is eliminated; the other player wins. In a 3- 6 player game, who ever collects the last tear is eliminated and the player with the least tears wins. A player must collect a tear if: The wooden die feels nice, and the cloud isn’t anything special, but it is sturdy and does its job as a base. The ladders aren’t particularly sturdy but should hold up across many playthroughs as long as they are being handled decently. One ladder started to peel a little, but not in a way that would impact gameplay. It would be nice for the ladders to be made with sturdier wood, but for the price, Catch The Moon delivers in quality. One or several ladders fall or touch the table or the base. As soon as this happens, these ladders are removed from the game if at all possible (they will not be used for the rest of the game).The player’s turn ends immediately. If the player had not yet placed his ladder, it is also removed from the game. The straight ladders used during setup are never removed.The little wooden ladders are so cute. It’s like they were made for the wee mice who scurry around our hen house looking for spilt corn. They are bent in different shapes, and some have rungs missing (on purpose! No need to call Kosmos!). The raindrops are lovely chunky wooden tokens too, and it all slots onto a cloud base that looks champion on the table. I am slightly worried that we might play this so much that we end up snapping a ladder or two. But that is surely the sign of an excellent game – wearing out solid components through overuse must be a publisher’s dream! Catch The Moon On the player’s turn, they will grab a random ladder from the box and roll the die. If one ladder is displayed, they must place the ladder anywhere on the cloud so that it touches exactly one ladder. If a side with two ladders is displayed, the ladder must touch exactly two ladders. If the moon is displayed, the placed ladder must be the highest. The player must use only one hand and can manipulate the ladders in any way they need to as long as no ladder touches the cloud or table. When the player lets go of their ladder, if anything falls or their ladder doesn’t meet the die’s requirements, they must take a raindrop. Century: Spice Road casts players as merchants leading caravans in search of precious spices. Photograph: Owen Duffy/The Guardian

Start the game off by placing the cloud shaped base in the center of the table. Next, insert two straight ladders in the base in any configuration you want to start the game off. Place the remaining ladders in the lid of the box to be randomly drawn from during the game. Moon symbol- Place the ladder so that its tip becomes the highest point of the structure. The new ladder must be touching at least one other existing ladder, but no more than two. one or several ladders fall or touch the table or the base. As soon as this happens, these ladders are removed from the game if at all possible (they will not be used for the rest of the game). 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. As long as no ladder touches the table or the base, and as long as the player does not let go of his ladder, he can move it to try out different placements. However, once he lets go of it, the ladder can no longer be moved.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). Raindrops are given to players whose ladders cause the structure to collapse; the winner is the player with the least amount of raindrops at the end of the game 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.