LogFAQs > #968471393

11. The Crew

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/284083/crew-quest-planet-nine

Category: Cooperative
Key mechanics: Trick-taking
Rules complexity (0 to 7): 2
Game length: 1-5 minutes per hand
First played: 2021
Experience: 50+ plays over 5-10 sessions with 3-5 players

The Crew is a cooperative trick-taking game with limited communication. The deck, rather than a standard fifty-two-card deck, consists of forty cards - four suits from 1 to 9 and one trump suit from 1 to 4. In a given hand - determined by a campaign log - you generally will draft objective cards at the beginning - i.e. you must win the trick containing that card. A hand ends as soon as all objectives are achieved (or one is failed).

If you've ever played trick-taking games like Hearts or Spades, you know the gameplay of The Crew, which is part of its effectiveness - these are games I grew up loving, and can often still enjoy more than hobby games outright due to their mindlessness, ease of play, and partnership. The Crew is fully cooperative, but of course it has some limited communication mechanics that make it pretty appealing.

The base game contains around fifty scenarios, and I've never brought out The Crew and not had people want to play more than one scenario. The simplicity and satisfying familiarity of the rules enable people to dive in quickly, and perhaps more importantly, the quick playtime of the game allows people to iterate and get better and progress. That's one of the great strengths of The Crew - the campaign gives you a constant sense of progress. Granted, I've never played with one group of friends enough to get more than twenty-ish missions deep, but to be even at that point is a win in my book for such a small-cost, small-box purchase.

The Crew is widely regarded as one of the best games of its weight class. And I think while it lacks some of the "hobby game" flavor that you might want, that accessibility can help it to get more reps, which is great for its utility.