DraftCraft — Board Game

Race through the city as a sneaky mouse. Dodge Shadow the cat, survive trap tiles, draw wild Event Cards, and be the first to reach the cheese.

Get on itch.io Game Guide
2–4
Players
38
Board Tiles
15
Event Cards
9
Chaos Cards
Gameplay

How It Works

Simple to pick up, tricky to master. Each turn is a battle of luck and tactics.

1
Player
Pick Your Mouse
Choose your avatar and name. Add AI rivals — from 1 to 3 bots at adjustable skill levels. The turn order is decided by a starting dice roll.
2
Dice
Roll & Move
On your turn, roll the dice and move that many spaces forward along the board. Some zones offer a branching path — choose wisely.
3
Board
Land & Trigger
Every tile has an effect. Draw Event Cards, avoid Mousetraps, slip on Greasy Floor, or teleport through vents and manholes.
4
Finish
Reach the Cheese
First mouse to reach the Finish wins the cheese! Watch out for Shadow, manage your Shield, and build Trap Experience along the way.
Board

4 Zones to Survive

The 38-tile board spans four distinct environments, each with its own hazards and shortcuts.

Street
Street
The starting ground. Open spaces, early traps, and Shadow's first patrol zone. Learn the board here — but don't get comfortable.
Restaurant
Restaurant
Waiters rush past and the path splits. The branch point opens two routes — choose carefully.
Pipes
Pipes
Dark, cramped, and full of shortcuts. Manholes jump you across sections. Greasy floors and vents shift your position without warning.
Kitchen
Kitchen
The final stretch. Dropped grapes, the smell of cheese, and Shadow prowling again. The finish line is here — so close, yet so dangerous.
Core Features

What Makes It Tick

Layers of mechanics that keep every game feeling different from the last.

Shadow
Shadow
Shadow roams the board and can send you back or freeze your turn. She moves based on game events and card draws. Certain tiles are "Shadow Zones" — dangerous to land on when she's active.
Survival
Event Card
Event Cards
A deck of 15 unique cards that trigger on special tiles. Some help you (Cheese Power, Found Scrap, Shadow Nap), some hurt you (Caught, Dizzy, Spotted!), and some shake everyone up at once.
Random
Chaos Card
Chaos Mode
Enable Chaos Mode before the game starts and a Chaos Card triggers every round — affecting everyone. Double Dice, Turnabout, Shield Failure, Mehter March — anything can happen.
Chaos
Shield
Trash Lid Shield
Find a discarded trash lid and use it as a shield whenever you want. One-use protection you choose to play — block a Mousetrap, Shadow, or a bad card on your own terms.
Strategy
Mousetrap
Veteran Mouse System
Survive mousetraps to earn Trap Experience. Collect enough and become a Veteran Mouse — gaining special resistance to certain tile effects and a unique visual badge during play.
Progression
Manhole
Manholes & Vents
The board has hidden shortcuts: manholes jump you between zones, vents teleport you across sections. Use them to leap ahead — or get teleported somewhere worse.
Navigation
Game Modes

Play Your Way

Single-player with bots today, full online multiplayer coming soon.

Bot
Cheese Runners
Race against up to 3 AI bots. Customize each bot's name and avatar. Perfect for solo sessions or local practice.
1–3 AI opponents with adjustable difficulty
Full Event Card & Chaos Mode support
Veteran Mouse progression system
Coming Soon
Online
Online Multiplayer
Play with friends anywhere in the world. Real-time matches, shared boards, and global leaderboards.
2–4 players over the internet
Private lobbies & invite codes
Global leaderboard
Event Cards

The Card Deck

Drew a card? Brace yourself. 14 Event Cards flip the board upside down — some are gifts, most are traps.

Broom
Caught & Swept Away!
Move to the Trash Can tile.
Firecracker
Everyone Run!
All players move to the Gathering Point.
Swap
Sudden Swap!
Switch places with the nearest player within 6 spaces.
Cheese
Cheese Power!
Roll dice + 3 extra spaces forward.
Cat
Sudden Noise!
All players move 1 space backward.
Show
Show Time!
Rush to Restaurant Entrance (Space 22).
Spotted
Spotted!
The waiter saw you. Skip your next turn.
Dizzy
Dizzy!
Roll dice and go back that many spaces.
Shadow Panic
Shadow Panic!
Roll 1–3: back 2. Roll 4–6: forward 2.
Shield
Found Scrap!
Gain a Trash Lid Shield.
Lesson
Hard Lesson
Gain 1 Trap Experience point.
Head Bump
Head Bump
Lose 1 Trap Experience (or Veteran status).
Shadow Nap
Shadow Nap
Shadow falls asleep. Her tiles are safe this round.
Time Shift
Time Shift!
If in Kitchen, move to Manhole 3.
Hidden Tunnel
Hidden Tunnel
Move to the nearest Manhole (ahead or behind).
Scroll to see all cards
Chaos Mode

Chaos Cards

Enable Chaos Mode to draw a Chaos Card at the start of each round. These board-wide effects apply to all players — no one is safe.

Greasy Floor
Greasy Floor
Double Dice
Double Dice
Second Chance
Second Chance
Mehter March
Mehter March
Turnabout
Turnabout
Bad Luck
Bad Luck
Shield Failure
Shield Failure
Manhole Disaster
Manhole Disaster
No Breaks
No Breaks

Each Chaos Card can appear at most 3 times per game. Full descriptions in the Game Guide.

Characters

4 Mice. One Cheese.

Each player picks a unique mouse token. Stand out on the board.

Token 1 Token 2 Token 3 Token 4
Accessibility

Built for Everyone

Designed to be playable by all — keyboard navigation, 6 languages, high-contrast visuals, and adjustable audio.

Keyboard
Full Keyboard Support
Every action — rolling, choosing paths, drawing cards — is fully keyboard-accessible. Shortcut keys for major actions throughout the game.
Shortcuts
Shortcut Preview
Press Alt + S to open the shortcuts panel. All active keyboard shortcuts are shown at once.
Contrast
High-Contrast Palette
Text colors meet WCAG 2.1 Level AAA contrast standards. The dark background keeps tiles, cards, and text readable in any lighting.
Fullscreen
Fullscreen Support
Press F at any time to toggle fullscreen for a larger, clearer board. Works without any plugin or download.
Language
6 Languages
All UI, cards, and tile text switch instantly from Settings — no restart needed. Translations are actively being refined.
Sound
Audio Controls
Separate sliders for music and sound effects. Choose between two original soundtracks, adjust independently, or mute everything instantly.

Lost your rulebook?
We've got you.

The full game guide is available online at any time. Whether you're mid-game and forgot how the Shadow mechanic works, or setting up for the first time — all the rules, card descriptions, and tile effects are one tap away.

Open Game Guide Quick Reference
FAQ

Common Questions

CheeseChase supports 2 to 4 players. In the current version (Cheese Runners mode), you play as 1 human player alongside 1 to 3 AI bots. Online Multiplayer with up to 4 human players is coming soon.
Shadow is the resident cat. She occupies specific "Shadow Zones" on the board. Landing on or passing through an active Shadow tile triggers a penalty — usually being sent back or losing a turn. The Shadow Nap event card temporarily disables her. She can also relocate between the Pipes and Kitchen zones.
In Chaos Mode, a Chaos Card is drawn at the start of each round and its effect applies to all players for that round. This adds a board-wide unpredictable layer on top of the regular Event Card system. It's toggleable in the pre-game settings and makes for a wilder, less predictable experience.
Landing on certain tiles or drawing specific Event Cards earns you Trap Experience points. Collect enough and you become a Veteran Mouse — gaining unique resistances and a special visual indicator. You can also lose XP (e.g., from the Head Bump card), or even lose Veteran status if you take a hit while at zero.
CheeseChase is available on itch.io — free to play in the browser or download the desktop version. No account required.
Yes — the complete Game Guide is always available at the Game Guide. It covers every tile, card, mechanic, and edge case. If your physical copy included a QR code, it links directly there.
Community

Join the CheeseChase Community

Share runs, report bugs, suggest tiles, and chat with DraftCraft. The server is where updates land first — and where the next version gets shaped.

Join on Discord
CheeseChase
CheeseChase Official
Online Members
Join Server
Desktop Version

Download & Play on Your PC

The full CheeseChase experience as a desktop app — all game modes, card decks, and board mechanics. Available now on itch.io.

  • Full 38-space board across all 4 zones
  • All 15 Event Cards + optional Chaos Mode deck
  • Solo and local multiplayer support
  • Shadow mechanic, Veteran Mouse system & shortcuts
  • Updated regularly as the game evolves
Get on itch.io Steam — Coming Soon
CheeseChase board game
Physical Edition — Coming Soon
Printed board, cards, tokens & more. Follow updates on Discord.

Ready to Chase the Cheese?

Launch the game in your browser, no installation needed. Free forever.

Get on itch.io Open the Game Guide