ClanGen
The leader in ClanGen is not the player character, and that surprises almost everyone on the first run. You manage an entire Clan of cats from above, deciding who becomes deputy, which kits get which mentors and when the medicine cat should gather herbs, while the leader simply ages and loses lives like everyone else.
Running a Clan Moon by Moon in ClanGen
Time passes in moons. Each time you skip ahead, the game rolls events for every cat: births, illnesses, injuries, relationships forming, patrols returning and sometimes deaths. Those events appear as short text lines, and reading them carefully is how you spot a medicine cat who needs an apprentice or a warrior with a festering wound.
The Clan structure follows the Warriors books closely. Leaders, deputies, medicine cats, warriors, apprentices, kits and elders all have different jobs and needs.
Beginners usually skip moons too quickly and lose cats to preventable illness. The fix is checking the medicine den between moons, keeping enough herbs and making sure a medicine cat apprentice is training before the main healer gets old. Patient players love that slow attention to detail, while story fans enjoy reading the relationship drama that builds up across dozens of moons.
Patrols, Prey and the Fresh-Kill Pile
Patrols are the main way you interact with the world. Hunting patrols bring prey to the fresh-kill pile, border patrols deal with rival Clans and rogues, training patrols raise apprentice skills, and herb-gathering patrols restock the medicine den.
The fresh-kill pile matters once nutrition is turned on. Hungry cats get weaker and sicker, so a large Clan needs steady hunting.
That growth pressure is where ClanGen starts to feel like a colony sim. A Clan that grows too large outpaces its hunters, while a tiny Clan cannot cover border patrols, so experienced players manage kit numbers and mentor assignments with the same care a city builder gives to housing. It is a gentle echo of what Family Time does with its ever-growing wolf family.
StarClan, the Dark Forest and Long Saves in ClanGen
When cats die, they go to StarClan or the Dark Forest depending on their history, and some events let the Clan receive omens or visits from cats beyond the living world. Fans of the books recognise many of these touches immediately.
The big debate is randomness. Some players love that disasters like fires and floods can hit without warning, others find it frustrating to lose a favourite cat to a single event roll.
Long saves are where the game shines. After a hundred moons the Clan has its own history, its own leaders and its own lineages, and the family tree view becomes a record of everything you lived through. If you prefer bigger-scale management, WorldBox lets you watch entire kingdoms rise, and A Kingdom for Keflings turns villager management into a building project.
ClanGen Questions Players Ask
How do you choose a new deputy?
When the deputy dies or retires, you can pick a new one from eligible warriors. Choosing a healthy, experienced warrior protects the Clan when the leader eventually runs out of lives.
How do you stop cats from getting sick?
Keep the medicine den stocked through herb-gathering patrols and make sure the medicine cat has an apprentice. Treat injuries quickly, because untreated wounds can turn into infections.
Can you play with your own Clan name and cats?
Yes, you name the Clan, choose a camp and pick starting cats at the beginning of each save. The appearance and personality of every cat can be checked on their profile.
ClanGen is a quiet management sim about raising kits, choosing mentors and keeping the fresh-kill pile full, and after enough moons every Clan has its own leaders, its own losses and its own place in StarClan.