The Crew - A Card Game for Everyone

[@convisor2315]

Who's here from Shut Up And Sit Down??

[@NoPunIncluded]

Hello!

[@TLEberle]

I’m here!

[@longc35]

Yep

[@Keindzjim]

Yep! And subscribed to No pun included now as well ;)

[@pinakiriima]

Yup, they are friends the two channels. I think it is pretty cool!

[@pauk.w]

What was the special effects budget for this video?! Thought I was watching Avatar 2 for a second.

[@MrWibbleman]

Great game. Completed all missions with my 3 sons over the period of a few weeks. Some very hard missions.. was fantastic..

[@BoardGameBarrage]

Wow.. shade at Hanabi. One of the all-time great coop games!

[@z-beeblebrox]

ohhhhhhh god I thought he said "Harambe" and I was wondering if he really just snuck in a deep cut 2016 meme in a really weird yet still technically accurate way

[@zenpvnk]

Heh... I was on the fence but that was actually the moment that made me want The Crew... a litmus test as to if I can trust a reviewers opinion is if they don't like Hanabi ;D

[@nyankosensei5528]

One of my least favourite games ever. Was worried this game would be too similar.

[@thomsoap]

me and my bf have hundreds of board games and Hanabi is the only one that caused us to get in a legitimate argument lol. awful game

[@anibalismo]

This is by far the best explaination of this game. This is my first trick game (I received as a gift) and I was really lost on how to go about it. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@Blokoddity]

I grew up on Euchre! I love taking tricks!

[@jacksonreynolds7433]

Even with all the incredible, deep, complex and thematic experiences you can get with boardgames these days, euchre remains one of my favourite tabletop games ever

[@gomezthechimp1116]

30 years ago, before year zero of boardgame frenzy (which was1995 if you must know), for me Sunday night was card game night at the pub. I would consult the oracle aka David Parlett`s book of card games and teach my freinds whatever strange and unusual game I`d discovered during the week. If it stuck, we`d play it all evening, if not, move on to something we all enjoyed. Imagine that: a new game every week and all for the price of a couple of decks of cards a month.

[@Heldermaior]

Thank you Efka. I will now say "please remove the Joaquin Phoenixes from the deck" before playing cards😂

[@stuartcoyle1626]

I saw the intro sequence and was thankful that NPI are taking infection control seriously.

[@2532robh1]

I love Efka (I don't know if I can spell, but I try) at the beginning!

[@NoPunIncluded]

Nailed it!

[@thebeersandthebees]

20 seconds in and holy shit the effort put into that helmet.... amazing.

[@michaelfrisoli2352]

Brought Diamonds game to game night explaining it’s a Trick Taking game and got blank stares. I felt old 😩 Hope your explanation helps other attempts 😂

[@0shlem0]

Thank you for the recommendation. I had the hardest time trying to explain Euchre to my friends, this seems like a much better way.

[@testoftetris]

the point you made about inconsistent difficulty at 10:50 felt really validating. I've noticed that many co-op games have this problem, and it's one of the key reasons why I kind of fell out of love with Pandemic. Sometimes you just get screwed by the cards and you'll have almost no way to win, but that often doesn't become fully evident until halfway through the game.

[@josuemoralesdominguez5669]

Holy crap, you're right.

[@michaelcreek3813]

Dude, it's a trick-taking card game. You're halfway through the game by the time you've dealt everyone their cards.

[@curumu_yt]

I smash that like button the moment you appear in that space suit

[@Sam-vk8xd]

Did you Detroit smash it?

[@tangentric]

Thanks Efka! Getting this on pre-order now. Great video, funny, poignant and informative. Best board game channel on the interwebs!

[@ianman1980]

Once the world opens up again, I think I’ll be considering this game!

[@isaacbf]

I'm really excited about this game! I'm hoping to introduce my bridge group (yes, that bridge) to it for a change of pace, and I'm fully expecting it to take over bridge night. (Though this plan will probably need to wait until the post-COVID-19 era.) Thanks for the review!

[@JarradShaw]

I think it is closer to games like Tournament at Camelot (or know the new Avalon), or Fox & The Forest (orrr their new 2 player only co-op version), or Canada’s Inside Up Games with Gorus Maximus, or even Claim and Claim 2.

[@visor360]

Great review, & OMG I cant believe you did that to feast for oden!! :P

[@markg650]

I've never seen one of your videos before but this was an excellent review. Good job!

[@PapaKarloHimSelf]

Liked immediately after hearing "Durak". It's weird to have this game in my life from the veeeery young age and finding out that this is not the default-card game in the world. I had to chuckle every time a review had to explain "trick-taking" since it so familiar to me.

[@swankidelic]

Вадим Назаров Hearts and Spades are standards for me and where I grew up, so The Crew and The Fox In The Forest are natural games to me. I haven’t heard of Durak until this video, though, and Efka makes it sound super interesting.

[@KnakuanaRka]

Never heard of Durak. Thanks for showing me how it’s spelled!

[@PapaKarloHimSelf]

It's also super simple with some depth in card counting aspect) Also with multiplayer and teams variants!) Knew it my whole life (I'm from Russia), and my granddas showed some nuances and strategies that stuck with me to this day. I guess my interest in board games actually has roots in our plays of durak and other games) Btw, "durak" is "fool" in russian. So basically you play to avoid remaining the last aforementioned fool)

[@dunyoss1463]

I learned Durak from a Ukranian friend in college and enjoy it. I've never thought of it as trick-taking, though.

[@wheelskis]

Glad to see you're still creating content these days.

[@mattias9095]

Much love from SUSD

[@MrLinguist88]

Wooot, Durak is also considered a trick taking game?!? Mind blown XD

[@giantsparkplug3462]

Love the cards that have D for queens and 1 for aces!

[@XShrike0]

They also have V for Jacks and I think R for Kings. What is happening?

[@NoPunIncluded]

@@XShrike0 It's a French deck of cards D = Dame R =Roi V =Valet :)

[@ElArlequin]

Dude. BEST VIDEO FOR A BOARD GAME I SEEN. Congratulations. Im a subscriber!

[@A_Toastonawhiteplate]

Great review as always. I have to disagree with the everyone thing however. My wife hates coop games since in her mind only one person can win a game...

[@corvus418]

That's sad, and an unfortunate personality trait.

[@happymaskedguy1943]

Not really. It just means that she prefers competitive games. It has no bearing on anything else in life. You internet kids. The real world is much more nuanced than you think.

[@Calmien]

I love how skytear survived mediocre stuff punch :D

[@Skarpo89]

I want this game since I heard of its existence, though living alone and on quarantine right now it'd be a little pointless. I'd still buy it for when the sun comes out again 👀.

[@NVRMTmotion]

I mean, I'm right there with ya. But I bought it moments ago so that'd I'd be good and ready when we're cleared to get the board game night up and running again! Aka, you can't play what you don't own!

[@bski90]

great t-shirt. Is that stormtrooper flipping the bird? classic

[@michaelstoddard1606]

Where. Did. You. Get. That. Shirt?

[@VagrantFrequency]

OMG the actual jam in the Letter Jam box :O

[@gamesbymanuel]

Great video. I haven't yet found a trick taking game I enjoy but this sounds like it might be it!

[@Sam-vk8xd]

Doubt it.

[@AhJong0]

This is my second time watching the review. Didn’t really get the appeal the first time but haven’t been able to get the game out of my head. Think I’ll be picking this one up for Christmas fun.

[@DrewBearism]

‘This game is dope.’ Hit the nail on the head right there

[@Skarpo89]

I still love that closing song

[@PlayedbyInstinct]

Does Letter Jam really come full of jam? I only ask because when I bought Pandemic (the original one with wooden cubes) the box was full of mould... that freaked me out a bit.

[@pacolorcagarcia8354]

Great review as always. Arkham LCG is not mediocre at all, though!

[@RandomPerson-nd2ey]

Depends on how much you value it compared to it's cost. The mechanisms, luck of the die (the bag is essentially a die that you customize), and components don't justify the price in my opinion. Edit: I should probably explain why. Top of the list is that my group doesn't like constructing decks beforehand which is a key element. Sure, I could build their decks for them but then either I'm to blame for losses or we end up back at the first problem. Second, you need multiple copies of the core set to build a deck properly for 4 players. That's a steep cost already for only a few chapters of one story that we know has expansions which extend. Third, I think I remember reading that I would need to buy multiple copies of the big expansions to play them "properly with all of the options". Fourth, it's co-op. Those type of games typically flop for the group I play with. We prefer to compete in games that are either cutthroat or really puzzly (like Azul or Great Western Trail). You get the idea. That's a LOT of money compared to say... "Legendary Encounters: Alien" which has 4 chapters, an expansion that adds more, an alien player that comes via a chestburster mechanism which we do our best to prevent, a traitor mechanism, scoring for campaign play, etc.

[@pauk.w]

It's okay Paco, I agree with you.

[@Sebastian-rt9qf]

@@Reggie1408 nice

[@MattCrawley_Music]

It’s amazing

[@Possi_ball]

@@RandomPerson-nd2ey What does the cost of a game has to do if it is good or mediocre?

[@swankidelic]

Great video, NPI is definitely increasing in quality in every degree... except, where’s Elaine?

[@razorboy251]

Great review guys, the quality was amazing: costumes, fancy shots, background jazz music, pupper! But it's another trick taking game and I generally really dislike them.

[@stevenfranklin1124]

Came from SU&SD. Great video!

[@alexortiz9777]

Do you have a list of reviews for games we can play with friends online somewhere? Would be cool to still have game nights during quarantine

[@corvus418]

You can play pretty much anything on Tabletop Simulator, so a separate list doesn't make sense.

[@emmaplaysgreen2849]

Other Emma! Yay! :-)

[@SnareSpectre]

Couldn't disagree more on the opinion of Hanabi, but the rest of the review was great. :)

[@AhJong0]

I feel like Hanabi has been pooped on before here...why the dislike?

[@Sam-vk8xd]

Because it’s cool to hate old things.

[@AhJong0]

Sam I’ll tell grandma the bad news 🥺

[@gomezthechimp1116]

@@Reggie1408 I only like Hanabi when it`s stripped of the memory aspect, as it is on BGA. Almoast as difficult, but far less frustrating.

[@StuartHetzler]

I'm not here because of SU&SD, but your style is very similar to theirs, I must say.

[@redsands1001]

So easy to forget the current mission rules and take a trick you shouldn't. I've only been able to play this online in quarantine and like it quite a bit

[@sepehrarefmanesh4756]

This is how you explain a “how to” Thanks

[@07jackg]

What's the final example of a trick taking game he mentions (where you ask and def) - I couldn't catch the pronunciation?

[@vanialuizacirilo2222]

It reminds me of a card game I learned from my french husband, it calls: Tarot. It's half colaborative kkkk

[@javierper3z]

Not gonna lie, I like No Pun Included much better, now that it's dogs and boardgame review channel. Not that I ever disliked them... but the new third host is my favorite

[@TommerWine]

I love Hanabi and I'm very curious to hear more about your negative opinion

[@martycruz2882]

Question? For example task card is green 7, so in order for me to win that task I have to have a green 7? In other words only way to win task is with the same color and number?

[@oleksandrhorskyi8442]

This might be not relevant for you but maybe somebody will want to find the answer in the comments. No, it shouldn't be STRICKTLY you, who should play the green 7. The green 7 should just be in the trick you are winning. Meaning if you have green 9, you might just want to go with green 9 and wait for somebody to lay down green 7 and other cards. Then you win this trick and complete the task. OR let's say your highest green card is 1 and you need to win that green 7. Then what you can do is to wait until that person with green 7 drops every, let's say, blue cards from his hand. Then you play (let's say) a blue 9, that person doesn't have any blue cards so he can play any card he wants and he cannot win the trick, he plays green 7 and you win the trick.

[@glenfairen2996]

Ha. I make Canadian 5 dollar bills smile like the Queen on the ten pound note...

[@samsimmons4796]

I too like the title art

[@vonwoolf9963]

I just saw a box of Skytear, is a review of it coming? :-)

[@AlexNguyen]

Nice vid!

[@jakob8412]

What is the standard playing card deck you're using in this video?

[@NoPunIncluded]

No longer identifiable pack of cards Elaine bought in France a couple of decades ago.

[@dwarrenmsp]

Alright, I hated The Mind. This intrigues me though. Should I stay away or give it a try?

[@swankidelic]

What do you hate about a The Mind?

[@dunyoss1463]

The two really aren't much alike. They're both cooperative and have restricted communication. They both use cards, but in very different ways. There ends the similarity. I have zero interest in The Mind, but The Crew is amazing for my crew of gamers.

[@ControlLingOo]

Apparently for Spiel des Jahres it was too hard... And only got nominated for Kennerspiel ?!

[@jjchipol]

Really want to play this. It looks like a lot of quick fun and a good coop feel. Do we know when an English version of the game becomes available?

[@gomezthechimp1116]

You don`t need it, it`s cards with numbers on them. Get the German version from Amazon uk and download the rules/logbook from board game geek. It`s still only £10.

[@khananiel-joshuashimunov4561]

Funny, I've been watching your content for years and just noticed I wasn't subscribed. Weird, huh?

[@Soldier7sixx]

For some reason, I just don't understand the rules! It's just not sticking. I do play a lot of games like Gloomhaven which is more complicated. Am I complicating it in my mind?

[@NoPunIncluded]

You're not the only person to feel like that about trick taking.

[@Soldier7sixx]

@@NoPunIncluded it finally clicked with me this evening. For context, I've had the game for 3 months 😂. We played the first 5 missions and loved it 😀

[@Keindzjim]

Can you play a rocket even if you have the color of the suit that was led?

[@NoPunIncluded]

No, you cannot. Which adds extra puzzle layers.

[@nuwandabob]

How come Efka looks younger by the day??

[@AbeBSea]

Every video requires Bessie

[@Possi_ball]

Nah, it's just the make up girl they hired.

[@DOWWADC]

Those cards @1:55 are gorgeous! Anyone know where to get them?

[@NoPunIncluded]

Elaine had them for a very long time and I think she bought them in France.

[@TomaszSmykowski]

I like it very much

[@metal_helm]

At 5 minutes I you say that you have to win the blue 7 task with a blue 7 card from you hand, but a minute later you say that the highest card value layer out will win the trick. I’m confused 😩

[@oleksandrhorskyi8442]

That's exactly right, he got blue 7 and he got blue 7 task. He need to win this trick in order to win the game. And in order to win that trick, blue 7 should be the highest card in that trick. Meaning nobody around the table should play blue 8 or 9.

[@joffu]

So, why didn't you just signal that you had the green 9? Honest question, as I'm trying to get my head around the strategy. (Also, the postman showed up with my copy of this game WHILE I WAS WATCHING YOUR REVIEW :O)

[@MrYcah]

Remember that you múst follow suit if you have the same color of cards in your hand. By showing that the blue 9 is the only blue card he has, Efka signals a suit the other player can use to give him the freedom to play a card of a different color on a trick (as the green 9 is the highest value of that color, you must do this to "give" it to another player).

[@martycruz2882]

Also at 7:43 time stamp ema has a green 9 task card, she played a blue 9 then you play the green 9 how is it that she wins the trick if you have the green 9?

[@MrYcah]

Because she led the trick with blue. If you cannot follow suit you can/must play a differently colored card. If you do that, you cannot win the trick even if it's a high number. The person who starts the trick decides which color you need to use to win.

[@spudmaphot]

It has the same base rules as wizard.

[@benjizt]

I abso-bloody-lutely love trick taking games. But i can't say the same for the other people in my life -- perhaps this game will evangelise them

[@g8kpr3000]

A card game for everyone..... Except me

[@Sam-vk8xd]

And yo momma.

[@massive323]

I disagree about this being entry level - I bought a month back and have had difficulty teaching the concept of it to my non-gamer friends

[@mescaLEO]

change friends

[@massive323]

@@Reggie1408 maybe - I love the game, but it's still harder to understand conceptually than something like Hanabi or The Mind which can literally be taught in 2 mins

[@massive323]

@@Reggie1408 nah, i'll have to tag that as 'strongly disagree' - even playing with an incompetant Hanabi player, you're going to come out with some sort of score but if someone doesn't know what they're doing in The Crew it's unliklely you'll pass the first mission. Anecdotal I know, but my 8 year old, who is well versed in gaming, picked up Hanabi in 2 mins easily - but trying to explain the nuance of The Crew was like trying to explain avation to a dog

[@massive323]

@@Reggie1408 now now, let's not go down the insult path when we're discussing cardboard please. Fact is - laying down cards in number sequence is a lot easier to 'get' than The Crew's take on trick taking where a certain player/s have to 'capture' the trick via headsier means. Thus, Hanabi is a lot easier to teach and understand.

[@g8kpr3000]

Some people just don't get trick taking games, I am one of those. I never could wrap my brain around it. Each time someone says "I'll teach you" it's followed by "everyone teaches trick taking games wrong, I will make you understand" and then they confuse me further and I hate it. Trick taking games are not for me at all, and I absolutely hated the mind. So when I played the crew in January, I want to gouge my eyes out.

[@zackotron1986]

I still don't get this game...how does Emma win the trick if she needs to win the green 9 but this was played by the narrator?@7:43

[@samus2205]

She needs to win a trick when the green 9 is played. As the narrator played the green 9 into a blue trick Emma wins.

[@zackotron1986]

Isn't she trying to win a trick for the green nine that's showing on the table?

[@zackotron1986]

As in the task card on the table

[@MrYcah]

Remember that the person who starts the trick decides what the winning color for that trick is.

[@venisontron]

PUPPY

[@TheRoark]

How DARE you put Skytear in the mediocre games pile! Edit: wait, it stayed on the table, nvm you good

[@henribcosta]

miss my CC...

[@Tharukan]

Wait, did you just call Skytear mediocre? :O Why didn't I see that the first time I saw this? U wrong doe

[@NoPunIncluded]

Two of the games in that pile I would say are some of my favourite games. It's just a throwaway gag.

[@Tharukan]

@@NoPunIncluded Alright then! :D Ordered The Crew for nicholas day btw. Thanks for the great review! Hope this fares better than the last coop game I introduced my family to, which ended in reproachful comments and such :D

[@JarradShaw]

Sold me. Bought it. I’m stuck with my girlfriend. Shipped. We’re playing (she doesn’t know yet)

[@Sam-vk8xd]

So she doesn’t know she’s stuck with you yet? That’ll be interesting when she finds out...

[@khananiel-joshuashimunov4561]

Spoilers for Mario!

[@jakersni9499]

@6:58 I'm a bit confused. Efka, did you guys just play a standard trick taking round in order to get rid of your one blue card before attempting Emma's challenge? I didn't think you could do that.

[@EJCR_Cap]

From what I under stand the player who’s mission it is had to win the trick with the green 9 in present in the trick, not actually with the green 9. And since the player lead with a blue 9 and Efka had no more blue cards he could put down any card he likes, such the green 9. Since the blue 9 was trump for the first person she win the trick and the mission. I hope that helps. Be well!

[@magne6049]

08:53 "A cooperative game which you can teach in 2 minutes." Yet, no one actually does that. Not the arduously long-winded game manual. Not this video. Not other videos I've seen. So even though the game is supposedly a quick game of 20 minutes. You'll spend 10-15 minutes at least trying to get everyone to understand the game at first (given that no one already knows it). Even though it doesn't look that complicated of a game! This is disasterous, and your playmates might quit it before even starting, which happened to me. Why aren't there videos on youtube that give a quick 30 second to 2 minute quick primer on a game, so that you can start playing as soon as possible..??

[@oleksandrhorskyi8442]

The rules for this is literally few sentences, what youre talking about? You have 4 color suits and cards numbered from 1 to 9. Trick taking in this game is when somebody leads the trick with one card, everybody got to play the same suit. Person with the highest number wins the trick. If you don't have the suit, you can play whatever, but you cannot win. Rockets win any suit. That's literally the whole mechanism of the trick taking and the rest are small details. What separates this game from others is being cooperative and not being able to talk. And of course the goal. It is even simpler - you have objective tricks you need to win, when you do this - you win the game. That should easily fit into 2 minutes if you ask me. Your party will definitely ask some questions, answer them and now it's 4 minutes, let's play

[@magne6049]

@@oleksandrhorskyi8442 I agree that the overarching rules could be explained in a few sentences. But my gripe is that the game manual does not do that. Nor any other resource I’ve found.

[@magne6049]

@@oleksandrhorskyi8442 That said, it is a really great little game. I have subsequently learned the rules and been able to explain them to others in a few sentences, just as yourself. My comment was about the poor onboarding. Simple should be simple.

[@oleksandrhorskyi8442]

@@magne6049 You wouldn't believe this but I've never actually learnt this game using the game manual, I watched some videos before and got a good grip on the game, no problems. And today was the first time I opened the manual and studied it and you are right, it is not very clear on some points and some small things are scattered across the whole manual. So I totally agree with you on that point!

[@dandurkin9735]

You had me entertained until you slandered Hanabi. Thank you for the first 12 minutes and 56 seconds. The Crew arrived at the start of week 2 of my family's "staying-at-home"; my daughter and I have been training to quest Planet Nine. Week 1 was spent re-mastering Hanabi.

[@Sam-vk8xd]

Hanabi? More like Hanasbeen... hehehe.

[@dandurkin9735]

Sam You’re absolutely brilliant.

[@grotesque13]

Dream

[@robertflinch2447]

Oh, that's that guy from the twilight imperium playthrough. He's lost weight

[@Shot007]

Tough buy now when most are saying the 2P is not that good and you know we are in quarantine.

[@testoftetris]

I recently picked up Fox in the Forest and I've been having a terrific time with it. It's another trick taking game designed specifically for 2 people. There's also a co-op version of it if you want called Fox in the Forest Duet

[@massive323]

not for me - I think it's more than fine at 2 player.. go for it yo

[@koomo801]

I couldn’t wait for the quarantine to stop so I played it at 2P with my 10-yo son and it’s excellent. He had played Fox in the Forest once and Tichu once so he knew the concept. He was a nervous wreck but he loves it, too. More missions tonight!

[@rudigerkipferl4479]

Well this just won the Spiel des Jahres but... I hate Trick taking games. I don't care about taking tricks. And seeing this video shows me that Trick taking being cooperative doesn't change a thing about that. Looks incredibly boring to me, the idea that I might have to partake in this game makes me cringe... 🤷‍♂️🙇‍♂️

[@marcomow]

Oh hi "the mind" with campaign mode

[@Sam-vk8xd]

So this is the mind?

[@leeprice133]

I'd disagree there - whenever anyone explains The Mind to me I'm like 'that sounds terrible' - this actually seems to involve some tangible and at least semi-reliable strategy.

[@zylo202]

Not really seeing how this is any better than Hanabi.

[@Sam-vk8xd]

It’s not,yet it is, but it’s not but it actually is... not... is.

[@darinherrick9224]

Fascinating.. This game looks headache inducing. I don't understand the hype. At all. Tricks? I can take 'em or leave 'em. I love Fox in the Forest, but every other Trick Taking game I"ve played left me cold. Yeah...good video. No interest in playing this game. Ever.

[@Sam-vk8xd]

The hype is real though.

[@lystic9392]

Try Skull King. It's cheap, light, and not head ache inducing.

[@ilirtanku9722]

its not a good game.i played it and was meeh.the gameplay is poor,the only real value is that the creator put a story

[@internet2055]

who's gonna give me back the 14 minutes and 6 seconds I spent here?????

[@thisbymaster]

A cooperative game where you can't talk with the people you are working with? That is literally the whole point of a cooperative game, what is next a work placement game without any pieces? A territory control game without a board? Fun in a game of kingdom death?

[@swankidelic]

Limiting communication is a big part of many co-op games, like Hanabi, The Mind, Fox In The Forest Duet, etc. It seems counter-intuitive, I agree, but these games (except The Mind) allow very specific communication that actually turns it into a deduction game. You can still table talk, you just can’t say “I have lots of green cards” or “You should play a low blue” or anything like that.

[@MattCrawley_Music]

There’s more to cooperating than talking...

[@pacnwnudist]

Why are cards being dealt out counter-clockwise and people playing cards out of turn order?