How to Play Exploding Kittens: Barking Kittens

Game Objective

The goal of Exploding Kittens: Barking Kittens, as an expansion, is to be the last player not to explode. The game ensures that all players, except one, will be eliminated by an Exploding Kitten.

Setup

To play Exploding Kittens: Barking Kittens, you need a base edition of Exploding Kittens (Original Edition, NSFW Edition, Party Pack, etc.). Follow these steps for setup:

1. Remove all Exploding Kittens (4) and all Defuse Cards (6) from the main deck.
2. Also remove the Tower of Power Card (1) from the Barking Kittens expansion deck.
3. Give 1 Defuse Card to each player.
4. Shuffle the remaining Defuse Cards back into the main deck.
5. Shuffle the remaining 19 expansion cards from Barking Kittens with the main deck cards.
6. Set aside 6 random cards, face down, on the table. Then, place the Tower of Power Crown on top of these cards. This will be the Stockpile.
7. Shuffle the Tower of Power Card back into the deck.
8. Deal 7 cards, face down, to each player. Including the Defuse Card, everyone should now have 8 cards in hand. Do not show your cards to other players.
9. Put the Exploding Kittens back into the deck so that the total number of kittens equals the number of players. Remove any remaining Exploding Kittens from the game. For example, in a 4-player game, include 3 Exploding Kittens; in a 3-player game, include 2 Exploding Kittens.
10. Shuffle the cards and place the deck face down in the center of the table. This will be the Draw Pile.
11. Make sure to reserve space for the Discard Pile.
12. Choose a player to start.

Quick Game Variant

Before inserting any Exploding Kitten or the Tower of Power into the deck, randomly remove about one-third of the cards from the game. Then, shuffle the Tower of Power Card and an appropriate number of Exploding Kittens into the Draw Pile and start the game.

Game Flow

Refer to the manual for details on this section.

Actions and How to Play

The Barking Kittens expansion introduces new actions and interactions:

• Barking Kitten (2 CARDS):
  • Place this card face up in front of you and ask if anyone has the other Barking Kitten.
  • If a player has it, that player becomes your target and must play a Defuse Card or explode. At the end of the turn, discard both Barking Kittens.
  • If no one has the other Barking Kitten, leave the card face up in front of you. You cannot play it again, and the card is no longer part of your hand. When someone plays the other Barking Kitten, you will be the target and must play a Defuse Card or explode.
  • If you have both Barking Kittens (even if one is already on the table in front of you), play them together and choose any player as your target.
  • After playing this card, it remains your turn.
  • Like other Kittens, the Barking Kitten cannot be Noped!.
• Alter the Future (3X) (2 CARDS):
  • Secretly look at the top 3 cards of the Draw Pile and rearrange them in any order. Do not show the cards to other players and return them to the top of the Draw Pile face down.
  • You can play this card at any time, regardless of whose turn it is.
  • You cannot play it in the middle of an action (e.g., WHILE someone is shuffling the deck).
• Bury (2 CARDS):
  • Play this card, then end your turn by drawing a card.
  • After looking at the drawn card, secretly place it anywhere you want in the Draw Pile.
  • You cannot play this card if you have a "I'll Take That" Card in front of you.
  • In games with the Imploding Kittens Expansion: When Burying an Imploding Kitten, keep the Imploding Kitten in the orientation you drew it (face up or face down) when placing it back into the Draw Pile.
• Personal Attack (3X) (4 CARDS):
  • This Attack is played on yourself. Take three consecutive turns. Perform your first turn normally (play-or-pass and then draw). Then, when your turn ends, it is your turn two more times.
  • If you play another Attack Card (Personal Attack, Regular Attack, etc.) during any of your turns, your target must take any remaining turns of yours plus the number of attacks on the Attack Card just played.
• Share the Future (3X) (2 CARDS):
  • Secretly look at the top 3 cards of the Draw Pile and rearrange them in any order. Show these cards to the next player before returning them to the top of the Draw Pile face down, then proceed with your turn.
• Tower of Power (1 CARD):
  • To play this card, wear the Tower of Power Crown. Then, take the Stockpile Cards and, without revealing them, place them inside the crown on top of your head.
  • The Crown will protect you from any theft attempts. If someone tries to steal cards from you, they must take a random card (without choosing which one) from the Tower of Power Crown instead of from your hand (until the Stockpile Cards run out).
  • This applies to Favor Cards, playing pairs of cards, playing 3 of a kind, or any other form of card theft.
  • You cannot take Stockpile Cards from the Tower of Power to add to your hand. It only protects you from thieves trying to steal your cards. Continue using the Tower of Power until the end of the game.
• I'll Take That (4 CARDS):
  • Play this card face up in front of another player.
  • The next time this player draws a card, they must look at it secretly and give it to you. Immediately after, discard the "I'll Take That" Card to the Discard Pile.
  • If the player gives you an Exploding Kitten, you must Defuse it or explode. The game continues as if the player had drawn a card and ended their turn.
  • You cannot play this card in front of a player who already has one in front of them.
• Super Skip (1 CARD):
  • End your turn without drawing a card. If you were supposed to take multiple consecutive turns, end all of them.
• Picnic (2 CARDS):
  • Starting with you and proceeding in the direction of play, each player must place a card of their choice face down on top of the Draw Pile.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when all players, except one, are eliminated by an Exploding Kitten. The last remaining player is the winner.

Tips to Win

• Use the Barking Kitten with sharp instincts: If you have a Barking Kitten and think someone has the other, be quick and play it to try to explode them. However, if you're wrong and no one has the other card yet, you'll be putting the target on yourself.
• The Bury card is a great option if you are CERTAIN the top card of the Draw Pile is an Exploding Kitten.
• The "I'll Take That" card is very useful when you're sure a player is about to draw a card you want.