Thrift Treasure: Spite & Malice
Cats are evil. There, I said it. I’ve never met a cat that was nice all the time (or even most of the time). If you take your eyes off your cat for two seconds, he’ll rip into something, steal your food or even jump on your face if you’re unlucky. Our latest Thrift Treasure highlights the evil in cats with its artful renditions of cats with bombs, chains, axes and more. Check out Spite & Malice from Parker Bros/Hasbro.
Also known as Cat and Mouse, Spite & Malice is a card game for two or more players. If you’ve ever played Skip-Bo or Flinch, then you’ve played this game. The rules are identical, the difference is this game has a theme.
Each player works with a hand of five cards, playing as many as they can on their turn to the piles in the center. Cards must be laid in order, and your turn is over when you can’t play any longer.
You also have a ‘build pile’ dealt to you at the beginning of the game. The winner is the first person to deplete their build pile by using it as a sixth card eligible to play. Your opponents can see this pile and may make moves that prevent you from using it.
If you’re the lucky player who completes a pile of 13, you then draw one card and place it at the bottom of any opponent’s build pile, putting them one card farther away from winning. With this twist, comebacks are entirely possible when one person takes an early lead.
Designed for 2-5 players and rated for adults, we have to imagine the adult rating is only for the cartoons on the cards, as it could be enjoyed by players as young as 5 or 6. Of course, the image of kitty coming at them with a battle axe may require a couple couch sessions when they are older…
Spite & Malice appears to be out of print, but you can still find copies on Amazon and eBay. If you don’t already have Skip Bo or Flinch in your library, this may be a better solution for one you can pull out with older players.
LOL I have to agree cats are evil lol
You come across the neatest games at these Thrift Stores. It is very inspiring and makes me want to keep an out while I’m shopping.
What a cool find, I think this will have to be put in rotation on our family game night. Next time we hit the thrift store I’ll have to see what they have. (awesome post:))
I love reading your reviews of games! I am always shocked at how many fun things we’ve been missing just because we didn’t know about them. This one looks fun too. My son is 12 so he could handle the kitty with the battle axe – lol.
What a cool game! And what a cool find! I bet my kids would like this.
You always have the best thrift game finds! I’m amazed that your games always have all the pieces. Do you do quality control before buying them?
That looks like such a fun game to play with the kids!!! My kids have always loved family game night growing up and even now!
That looks like so much fun! My sister and I used to play card games all the time.
How funny! I totally want this game!!! We love Skip-Bo, so I think the kids would get into it just fine, and the illustrations? Hilarious!
I have a cat who is super sweet one moment and EVIL the next!! This definitely sounds like it should be rated A for Adults—don’t want those little ones to have nightmares!
My kids are at an age where games of this sort are becoming appealing. I’ll have to be on the look out for it.
I could enjoy this game. What a neat find.
That is super cool and adorable – I bet my daughter would love it a lot
I love a good card game and this one looks really fun. We don’t take enough time to play games anymore…
Now this sounds like a fun game! I have to agree about the cats too – most are pretty mean!
My kids would have loved this when they were younger! Family game night is always a lot of fun!
We love to find treasure at the thrift store. So many people get rid of awesome games and toys.
That sounds like loads of fun. We really love card games. I’ll have to look for this.
We love Skip-Bo but this would be a cute version of the game for cat lovers who don’t deny that cats aren’t always fluff and cuteness!
This sounds like a pretty fun game! I agree – not all cats are created equal. Some are great, but there are some who can be real jerks!
This does sound like a great game! My 8yo son always checks out the games very carefully at our thrift store, and he has found some great ones. We have a LOT of games. It’s amazing what you can find at a good thrift store, oftentimes nearly brand new, too!
I love it! How fun and cute is this – what a great find and loved the introductory lines of your post – brought a big smile to my face and still am smiling 🙂