Copycat
Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza is a card game by creator Dave Campbell, owner of Dolphin Hat Games. It is a silly yet exhilarating game I have played with my family numerous times.
I am sure Dave Campbell spent much time and money making his idea a reality. In February 2018, he released this card-shedding and slapping game on Kickstarter with a $1,000 pledge goal. He successfully funded with 107 backers for a whopping $2,190. It's not the biggest Kickstarter in history. It may not have been the success Dave had dreamt of, but it was a start.
Side Note: Exploding Kittens in 2015 made Kickstarter history funded with 219,382 backers for $8,782,571.
Two years later, TCGCP went viral on TikTok. The pandemic was everywhere, and those quarantined were looking for distractions. Having not given up, Dave went to work. Today, he has sold over 5 million copies. Success!
What if I told you I was launching a Kickstarter, Thief Con Gangster Cheat Pickpocket, this spring, 2024?
My lovely wife produced the artwork and based it on our third cousin Johnny Sausage. Who spent time in the clank. The artwork holds substantial sentimental value for both of us.
I have always dreamed of sharing a card game with my family and the world. With hours and dollars spent creating, playtesting, and copying, I now present my card game!
How to play?
Evenly pass out all cards to players.
Take turns placing cards in the discard pile while each player recites the following word in the mantra, "Thief, Con, Gangster, Cheat, Pickpocket."
If a card that matches the word spoken is played, then all players must slap the discard pile.
The last player to slap the discard pile must add it to their hand. They then start the next round.
If you have discarded your entire hand, you can win by not being the last hand on the slap pile after the next card and word match.
Essentially, this is TCGCP. I altered the words spoken and artwork but copied the rest of the game. I hope to make a few bucks from Dave's hard work and dedication.
Is what I am doing right? Are the rules of any game not to be copied by an unspoken rule? How about game mechanics?
The line to cross can be hard to judge due to how many games there are out there and their similarities. Yet, in the above example (to be clear, I am not creating Thief Con Gangster Cheat Pickpocket for Kickstarter), the similarities have crossed the line.
Dog Cat Bunny Bear is a card game preparing to launch on Gamefound. It does have rules and mechanics that are identical to TCGCP. Only replacing the words in the mantra and a facelift on the artwork, Dog Cat Bunny Bear is a copycat of TCGCP!
It was created by Ryan Portelli, who is doing business as Cute Cub Games. Could this be a scam? Is it true that his wife made the artwork, and their love of animals inspired them to make this game? The artwork is cute, and the colors are appealing. They used too many tags, and the script seems slightly off. Is their story real?
I searched for Ryan and Cute Cub Games online, on Facebook and Instagram... and found nothing. You can check their Gamefound preview here.
So tell me, dear reader, should this game be reported to the publisher? Should I write Ryan to make him aware of the similarities between his game and TCGCP? Does Gamefoumd need to know? Or should I ignore it because there is no patent on the game's rules? Tell me in the comments below.
