How it works:

 

You put the cards face down on the table and take turns drawing from them.

If you draw a Kitten card, you explode.

 

When you explode, you die and you are out of the game.

 

(Which is a bad thing)

 

Unless!

 

You play a Defuse card which can defuse the Kitten using things like laser pointers and catnip sandwiches.

 

Or

 

you can play various cards to skip your turn, attack other players, peek at the deck, or secretly relocate* the Exploding Kittens.

 

* Relocating an Exploding Kitten card to a new location in the deck lets you form complex, fun, and cruel strategies against other players.

 

Also!

 

You can play cat cards, which are different from Exploding Kittens.

 

Cat cards activate special powers when played as multiples.

 

 

The gameplay

 

is unique because the longer you play, the greater your odds of exploding and the more intense the game gets.

 

The game mechanics were designed by two seasoned game designers:

 

Elan Lee & Shane Small.

 

The cards were written and illustrated by

 

The Oatmeal.

 

 

Holy smokes!

That looks like fun.

 

How do I get in on this crazy combustive cat action?