The Crew Rules

The Crew: A Cooperative Space Adventure

Embark on an exciting space adventure with The Crew, a cooperative mission-based trick-taking game that requires teamwork, strategy, and communication to unravel the mystery of the ninth planet. Designed for 2-5 players, this game is perfect for anyone who enjoys a challenge and wants to experience the thrill of space exploration. Here's everything you need to know about The Crew.

Game Overview

The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking card game that combines a classic trick-taking engine with a narrative-driven, mission-based campaign, making it an engaging and challenging experience for players. The box contains 36 color cards, 4 rocket cards, 5 large reminder cards, 36 small cards, 10 task tokens, 5 radio communication tokens, a distress signal token, a commander token, and a rulebook that doubles as the mission logbook.

Objective

The objective of The Crew is to work together as a team to complete 50 different missions. Each mission has a unique win condition, and you will only succeed if you can communicate effectively and strategize together. The game is won together or lost together – teamwork is crucial to your success.

Setup

Before each mission, follow these steps to prepare:

1. Shuffle the 40 large playing cards and distribute them face down and equally to all players. If there are three players, one person will get one more card than the rest. After the last trick, the remaining card remains unplayed.
2. Each player places a radio communication token with the green side up in front of themselves. Place a reminder card for everyone at the ready.
3. Place the distress signal token face down.
4. Shuffle the 36 small task cards and put them down as a concealed pile. Keep the task tokens handy.

How to Play

The Crew is a trick-taking game, where players take turns playing one card from their hand face up in the center of the table. There are five suits: pink, blue, green, yellow and rockets. You must follow the suit led by the first player; only if you hold no card of that suit may you play a card of a different one. The trick is won by the highest card of the suit led — a card that did not follow suit cannot win, no matter how high its value. Won tricks are set aside face down, and you may only look back at the most recently won trick.

Rocket cards are trumps and always win the trick, whatever else has been played. During a color-suited trick, a rocket may only be played if you cannot follow suit. If a rocket is led, it establishes the suit and must be followed where possible, and the highest rocket wins.

You are never forced to win a trick: if you hold several playable cards, you may deliberately play a low one so that a teammate takes the trick — often exactly what a task requires.

Tasks and the Commander

Most missions require the crew to complete a number of tasks, shown by task cards — smaller versions of the color cards. Reveal the number of task cards the mission calls for in the center of the table. Whoever holds the rocket 4 announces it, becomes the commander for that mission and takes the commander token. The commander always picks a task card first and places it face up in front of themselves, then everyone else takes one, one at a time, until all tasks are distributed. A player may end up with several tasks, and not everyone will necessarily have the same number.

Communication

You cannot talk about the cards in your hand — you may not show, say or suggest which cards you hold. Each player does have one radio communication token, usable exactly once per mission, at any time before a trick but never during it. To communicate, place one of your color cards face up in front of you (it stays part of your hand and can still be played) and put the token on it, green side up: at the top if it is your highest card of that color, in the middle if it is your only card of that color, at the bottom if it is your lowest. If none of these three conditions applies, that card cannot be communicated, and rocket cards may never be communicated. Once placed, the token may not be moved, even if the statement stops being true later in the mission.

Scoring and End of Game

The Crew is not played for points: the crew wins or loses together, one mission at a time. The journey spans 50 missions, each with its own win condition, played through consecutively as a story. If an attempt fails, the mission can be replayed — and everyone gets their radio communication token back for the next attempt. The first few missions rarely take more than five minutes; later ones grow progressively longer and harder.

Common Variants

Players can choose to play the missions in any order they prefer, rather than completing them consecutively as a cohesive story.

A Fun Fact

The Crew's real novelty is that it takes trick-taking — historically a genre built on beating the other players — and turns it into a fully cooperative campaign, where the hardest obstacle is not an opponent but the ban on talking to your own teammates.

Where to Get the Game

Embark on an exciting space adventure with The Crew! the crew card game on Amazon

Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overcommunicating: Although communication is essential in The Crew, be mindful not to overcommunicate and potentially reveal too much information about your hand.
2. Neglecting Task Cards: Task cards play a crucial role in each mission, so make sure to pay attention to their distribution and fulfillment.
3. Failing to Work Together: The Crew is a cooperative game, and it's essential to work together as a team to succeed. Don't focus solely on your own missions, and make sure to help your fellow crew members when needed.

FAQ

1. Can I talk about the cards in my hand during The Crew?

   • No, communication about the cards in your hand is strictly forbidden in The Crew.

2. How many missions does The Crew contain?

   • The Crew contains 50 missions, each with a unique win condition.

3. Can I use multiple radio communication tokens during a single mission?

   • No, each player may only use one radio communication token per mission.

4. What happens if I play a rocket card during a color-suited trick?

   • Rockets are trumps and win the trick regardless of the other cards played — but during a color-suited trick you may only play one if you cannot follow the suit that was led.

5. Who is the commander?

   • The player holding the rocket 4 announces it at the start of the mission, takes the commander token and is first to choose a task card.

6. Can I communicate using rocket cards?

   • No, rocket cards may not be communicated in The Crew.

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