The Crew: Mission Deep Sea (2021) Board Game

The Crew: Mission Deep Sea is a standalone sequel to the critically acclaimed cooperative card game, The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine. Released in 2021 by KOSMOS, this game takes players on an underwater adventure as they navigate through various missions and challenges. Designed by Thomas Sing and featuring artwork by Marco Armbruster, The Crew: Mission Deep Sea has quickly become a favorite among fans of trick-taking and cooperative games.

Game Components of The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Card deck: Includes four colored suits of cards numbered 1-9 and a special suit of submarines numbered 1-4, which act as trump cards.

Mission cards: These cards outline the specific tasks players must complete during each mission.

Logbook: Contains the mission objectives and story narrative.

Tokens: For limited communication and indicating card information.

Player markers: To track progress and identify the captain.

How To Setup The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

To set up the game, players shuffle the card deck and deal an even number of cards to each player. The logbook is consulted to determine the current mission and the required difficulty level. Mission cards are drawn based on this difficulty level, and each player receives their specific tasks. The player with the four submarine card typically becomes the captain and manages the mission cards.

Gameplay Mechanics and Game Objective

Cooperative Game: Players win or lose together.

Trick-taking: Each round involves playing one card, with the highest matching card winning the trick. Submarines are trump cards.

Communication Limits: Players can only communicate limited information about their cards.

Hand Management: Players must manage their cards to achieve mission objectives.

Scenario / Mission / Campaign Game: Missions are structured with increasing difficulty and varying objectives.

Objective: Complete all mission tasks to win.

Player Experience

**The Crew: Mission Deep Sea** offers a highly engaging and addictive experience. Players must work together, using limited communication to achieve complex tasks. The game’s variability, thanks to random mission cards, ensures that each game is different, providing endless replayability. The submarine theme adds a fresh twist to the original’s space theme, with engaging underwater theming.

Pros

Addictive Gameplay: Engaging and challenging missions keep players hooked.

Quick Setup and Playtime: Games are typically 20 minutes long.

High Variability: Random mission cards ensure different experiences each time.

Good for Teamwork: Encourages cooperative strategy and problem-solving.

Simple to Learn: Straightforward gameplay mechanics.

Cons

Communication Challenges: Limited communication can lead to frustration.

Luck-Driven Success: Some missions can feel impossible due to bad card draws.

Card Wear: Frequent play can lead to card wear, suggesting the need for sleeves.

Personal Thoughts on The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

This game is ideal for fans of cooperative games and trick-taking mechanics. It is particularly suited for players who enjoy puzzles and strategic teamwork. While it can be played with 2-5 players, the experience is often best with 4 or 5 players. For those who enjoyed the first game in the series, **The Crew: Mission Deep Sea** offers a fresh and challenging experience with its new underwater theme and varied mission objectives. However, some players might wish for this to have been released as an expansion to the original rather than a standalone game, given the similarities in core mechanics.

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