The Crew(s!) Review - A Trick-Taking Triumph

[@PaulPaulPaulson]

As a native german speaker, I can confirm that "game in a jar" not only is the correct translation, but the official one.

[@calembourman2295]

And "deux jouers" doesn"t exist... "Two games" is "deux jeux'", " two players" is "deux joueurs" but "jouer" is the verb "to play" !

[@bertrand391]

@@calembourman2295 Best wrong french since Zee Garcia tried Le Havre too hard.

[@calembourman2295]

@@bertrand391 kinda :)

[@BIFIMASTER1]

Das stimmt

[@sarag8925]

🖤

[@andyraff4465]

"I don't even know what's in here; I just keep it because it makes me feel like an adult." Hard relate.

[@heikesiegl2640]

Absolutely!!

[@jamiepayton1574]

Hahahah

[@rysonsynic]

"I don't even know what's in here! I just keep it because it makes me feel like an adult." Quentin has rarely been more relatable.

[@Electroporcupine]

Tom prioritising his comic timing over having ads for other videos at the the end like he's supposed to, gotta respect it

[@jamiepayton1574]

Excellent prioritisation ahaha

[@IndominusLux]

That ending left me feeling like I just spent time slowly creeping up a roller coaster incline, anticipation and excitement building the whole while. And when I finally got to the top? It was just the end of the ride. The fasteners lifted and I was asked to step out. I'm confused, I'm a little angry, but more than anything I'm just impressed how badly I was hoodwinked.

[@IamJFD]

I had to repeat the last part just to check if my youtube had an error 🤣🤣🤣

[@caitlinsticco8008]

@@IamJFD Me, too. The final word being cut off halfway made me sure I had accidentally bumped something on my phone and skipped the end of something like that.

[@IamJFD]

@@caitlinsticco8008 damn he sure is a clever man. cool SUSD video

[@enosfruit]

oh man, what an ending! i felt like my father held my hand, led me through an adventure path across jungles and took me to the top of Mount Everest, only to

[@jayolila3046]

to what exactly

[@OutbackCatgirl]

@@jayolila3046 it's pretty simple, really. Only to ​

[@caitlinsticco8008]

Tom, in his youthful naivety and inexperience, is apparently unaware of a standard rule known to all veterans of performing arts : if you share your stage with an animal, you will be upstaged. I don't know WHY we all feel compelled to watch the cat looking at stuff outside, but we do!

[@virtualstu]

What cat? I was looking at the excellent patterened cardigan

[@alexdarth7614]

That ending is comedy gold

[@Yoshi348]

I never thought I'd hear the basic trick taking rules I know by heart in such an entertaining way, but here I am.

[@misterproject8]

Loved the editing on this one. All those physical jokes such as Tom looking at his sleeve while a hand from off-screen creeps in with the card he's looking for were great treats.

[@stuartblack7002]

I made the mistake of assuming that everyone knew how to play a trick-taking game when attempting to teach Crew to my brothers. ...it did not go well.

[@TwoToneTrumpet]

Love the cozy look paired with the rain out of the window, and most importantly, the cat. Nice work

[@GaaMacgfx]

The cat has my complete attention everytime they are in the screen.

[@TheRectangularVerb]

SU&SD is the best boardgame review channel. No other manages to interlace teaching the game, highlighting core mechanics, exposing weakness of design and pointing out the essence specifier of a game in a way that is equally entertaining as it is suspenseful. Thanks!

[@MrSaturn012]

I legitimately gasped when the twist was revealed. I thought a cooperative trick-taking game was cool enough, but this is a whole 'nother level

[@pendrag2k]

It really is a brilliant game (Crew 1, I'm referring to). It's a bit of a brain burner at times, but really fun.

[@strctlykilz]

For a similar idea but for only 2 players check out Fox in the Forest Duet! Love that game. Very similar gameplay where you can't talk but certain numbers have certain rules and you're cooperatively playing a sort of tug of war, using the winner of the trick to move around a little board and land on different spaces without running out of room

[@teratoma.]

yeah, i never expected it to be a playing card either

[@dasvenson765]

@lookitfan yep the rounds are so quick and everyone is so focussed during it that you get some solid game time but then you still get to have a good talk between rounds. It's a really great casual game with a couple of beers.

[@usr_rusty]

Yep I was loving the idea of the game but having occasionally had quarter backing issues when playing pandemic I was worried. That twist blew my mind.

[@PeterHaderlein]

This was my game of the year for 2020. I played it a ton on lockdown with my partner, and for hours in the hospital with her before our child was born. You really can play it forever. And I can confirm the 2 player variants are great!

[@rebecca7948]

I very much approved of the cat framing on the screen as often as you could! Plus the amazing bios for the "other characters" Good work, loved this review!

[@michaelschlobohm8877]

sorry tom you're no longer the fluffy lovable SUSD sidekick. That floof of judgement on your window sill has taken you spot. please see shipping if you need a box to clear out your office... :-D great review, keep 'em coming tom.

[@brutus_salazaar]

I approve of games in a jar and floof judges on window sills - Top review again Tom!

[@PiquantPan]

being part of a family that plays a LOT of Spades, it's very funny to hear a detailed, nuanced description of play patterns and strategy and just thinking "well yeah, duh, that's how contract-based trick-taking works, of course you can't talk about what's in your hand" -- really well done review, i'll have to see if they want to give this a try

[@THESP-rz3hg]

I can't be the only one who can't hear/say "The Crew 2" without putting in movie subtitles: Electric Booga-Crew 2 Crew for You 2 Crew 2 Furious... I'll show myself out.

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Cat. There's a cat in this video. I approve of cat.

[@johnstrine]

1:16 Cat 1:49 Cat 14:35 Cat 18:40 Cat

[@jessicahenson7559]

"Like the Dice Tower" lol, great

[@seanmcgowan4842]

D*ce Tower

[@catherineescobar3123]

Evocative of the way you try to guess what your partner is doing/holding in bridge. Very interesting. I like the idea of a cooperative trick playing game.

[@timborocksloud]

I.LOVE.THE.CREW. Absolutely the best bang for your buck in gaming I've ever purchased. Also, it won my award for best game to play at a brewery while sipping beers with friends. It's the first game I ever went out and bought card sleeves for because we played "the crap out of it". As a veteran who used to spend hours playing cards with my buddies on a submarine in the middle of an ocean, we built so many bonds, talked so much junk to each other while playing cards, I can say we would have played this game at the cost of losing sleep. Which is saying something. I can't wait to pick up the next version. When playing with friends, I will often throw in a house rule that if you are the one responsible for playing a card incorrectly that causes us to fail said mission, some penalty is incurred, something foul eaten (beanboozled jelly beans), shot of alcoholic substance consumed. Obviously, these rules would only be in effect for a group you're really good friends with and can take the ribbing, but so many good stories afterwards.

[@stogrady]

This video contains the new gold standard for explaining trick taking games.

[@partypao]

Tom's house's interior design is impeccable. I also love that large lawn and kitty cat.

[@martinba9629]

I dunno, but NOWHERE in the (german) rules is it stated that you're not allowed to talk. Sure, you're not allowed to say what you've got, or verbally share any info based on your hand, but as far as we were concerned, some form of verbal planning was always OK. It was just more fun that way. I would only play this in silence with a very well-versed trick taking team.

[@olijones4354]

Maybe this is lack of familiarity (never knew anything other than "coop trick taking" before watching), but what kinds of things does that leave that you _can_ say?

[@martinba9629]

@@olijones4354 Good question :-D Guess it would depend on how loose you want to play it. But at the least you can explain to newer players some basics on how you could tackle the objectives without "not playing it right". I guess discussing the objectives before looking at you hand might definitely be within RAW.

[@jokerES2]

Quinns was on the line straight afterward with reference pear. That much is obvious.

[@jokerES2]

@@antfungames As the publisher of said game, it helps not to spam every unrelated comment with an advertisement.

[@raphaelg7122]

"He didn't just pour that liquid into the shaker with the cards that was a clever cut sure-" (he pours it into the cup) "COME ON"

[@ValkyrieTiara]

lol you must be new around here. Part of me was surprised they were disposable "normal" playing cards and not actual The Crew cards.

[@Tharukan]

Yeah, these games are amazing, some of the best in my collection and certainly the best from a price-value-standpoint. Fully agree that The Crew 2 is better than 1, more varied, replayable and interesting, but also harder, more unfair and less stable due to more randomization. So, while everybody absolutely eventually should get The Crew 2, they also should definetely start with The Crew 1, an absolute stroke of genius in its own right. Oh, and absolutely don't expect anything from the story, you'll just get disappointed. It's just enough to give context, no more, no less. Great review, as always! Keep it up!

[@Estradarsaysmoo]

I would watch a 30 minute video of you just introducing different players, this is excellent.

[@charlietwoteas3676]

Your enthusiasm is amazing as always Tom and your reviews and jokes are always fun and informative. You totally sold me on the Crew until the no talking rule came up. Thats a big deal breaker for me

[@MrMarkiful]

Give it a change, to me it’s one of the best games ever, there’s plenty of talking, just not about the value of the cards, you can talk about life and stuff 😉 And there is communication, once per round you can communicate by placing a card on the table. And then there’s a lot of after talk … Although you can not communicate (by speech) about the value off you cards or anything regarding your cards, when I play is, it is definitely not silent. I don’t tend to like silent games, but this is a fun game. And let’s be honest, normally in any trick taking game you also don’t tell the others about your hand. (pardon my poor English, not native)

[@rosinawe896]

The game won't bite if you do talk and it still works, if you don't tell people what's on your hand. It's just not as rewarding.

[@TheCypop]

Thank you Tom, you made me laugh my ass of. You guys at SU&SD are making the best game reviews videos out here imo, because you are directing shorts and not juste spreading pawns on tables and comment. And you're crazy. Keep it that way you big fools ! Xoxo

[@TZerot0]

Just picked up The Crew today, can't wait to give it a go!

[@benjizt]

I know it's been a long day when the highlight of my day is realising that Quinns and i have the same printer model

[@OldPongGeezer]

That is so random... lol!

[@thamesandkosmosgamesuk]

We approve of this cat....er we mean this review! So glad you liked both Crews.

[@jonathanrager3432]

Absolutely great review. That epic outro made chuckle. I enjoy this channel so much. Thank you. First thing I do when I see a game that interests me, is search the videos of you guys. Thanks for the humor and all the insights. "in the it's just a playing card"

[@antfungames]

If you like the Crew you will definitely love Crown Battles! They also have Missions!

[@clementhossaert5234]

Tom: Deux... me: Oh neat! he's using French Tom..... jouerrrrs me: Oh no.

[@MaximeRoman]

J'ai eu la même réaction ^^

[@Nixitur]

Ah, this reminds me a bit of Doppelkopf, a 2v2 trick-taking game where at the start of the game, _you don't even know who you're playing with._ It's brilliant, and learning to communicate which team you're on and what your cards look like without being allowed to say it is a huge part of the game. With that in mind, though, I wanna push back against the notion that you can't tell when people are misplaying. You can _absolutely_ tell, and it's pretty brutal for new players. There are so, so many unspoken agreements about what you should play depending on what you have, how far into the game you are, and even where you're sitting compared to the person starting the trick and the person who you want to take it. They're extremely difficult to keep in mind, but you kinda have to to play well. And if you're misleading your teammates, they can tell that it was your fault. And it sounds like the first game at least doesn't mitigate this problem... at all?

[@johanneswerner1140]

Well... Thing is, whenever you are playing with the big guys... Yeah, Doppelkopf is a ton of fun! I need to teach my kids. Maybe I'll start with Skat.

[@patrickmcardle1920]

Nice plug for Senet magazine in the background. Beautifully produced board game mag with seriously attractive covers and lovely illustrations throughout. Great content too.

[@surrealroad]

Thank you Tom, after watching a dozen reviews of The Crew I finally now understand what trick taking is.

[@Sputnik34]

The ending is such blue balls hahaha

[@xobxob]

Unexpected Sault album appearance but it fits perfectly in one of Tom's videos. They're both prolific, thought-provoking and wildly fascinating and talented.

[@CptnFunbags]

I support the use of the Bach cello suite, evoking the feeing of brotherhood by tapping into the “Master & Commander” soundtrack for that buildup.

[@WilliamHerff]

The greatest review on KZbin.

[@ScarTrek]

Dangit guys, I'd been planning to pick up a copy of this at the end of the month, now it'll be out of stock for a year!

[@redsands1001]

Ah crap I hadn't thought of that. Have put off stopping by my local game store for weeks to pick up something else and had also been hoping the crew would be in stock

[@fernando47180]

Lucky me, a year has passed, and I've only just discovered Mission deep sea. Time to get myself a copy!

[@EricOosenbrug]

" ... then you're alone, afraid, and an idiot" - best part 👌

[@tedchevalier]

Nice Wilhelm scream. Now you join the ranks of true media.

[@maxriley9540]

Not until they use a Lego Yoda death scream

[@saladbar1212]

Tom is too good at his job and it's wonderful to watch

[@SuperKillerpickle]

I honestly never knew trick games was a category. I grew up playing spades, know it by heart, but now I'm so excited for my doors being open!

[@TeamCGS2005]

Just got these over Christmas, and it's amazing!!

[@82ndmi]

definitely a review that will garner no controversy. who doesn't love crew.

[@redsands1001]

Crew online is pretty good. Got a good number of plays in boardgame arena over course of pandemic

[@deadlandplacebo1695]

Can I use my secondary communication hole?

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

No that is for the board game Ruhrschif-fart.

[@richardsaunders9214]

The surprise ending in Ender’s Game didn’t surprise me because I noticed how much was left near the end of the book.

[@alymbouras]

If you like the crew you will definitely like Crown Battles!

[@wigoow1206]

0:55 "Kennerspiel des Jahres". I've never heard someone mispronounce a German phrase like this before and I suffered through a lot of Anime. It's soo bad it has to be a comedic bit while simultaneously being soooo bad, you wouldn't be a able to do it on purpose. Bravo.

[@geekinmeout]

I recently picked up The Crew: Planet 9. I can't wait to play.

[@erynroston4441]

Bohnanaza is almost certainly the best Uwe Rosenberg game.

[@xavierpaquin]

4:28 The illusion self-annihilated by becoming conscious of it's own paradoxical nature

[@ahchiu9]

This review really gets good at 14:35

[@sshrdlu]

what's the on-file music playing from 08:34? I think it's whipsmart and I want to track it down

[@ginoclarijs3336]

I hope you guys can do a playthrough or review with the 3 together. The comedy is just simply gold.

[@ClaudeAndTaylor]

The Crew 2 is possibly my FAVOURITE trick-taking game ever. Holy moly is it special 😍😍

[@chaosblow4838]

The production of this video is so good lmao

[@WebMonkey741]

Hey it's Quinns before his haircut! Which shows that this review took longer to get out than Hostage Negotiator.

[@warpathh]

Do you have recommendations for similarly quality games to check out?

[@boro_tam]

The Crew is a spin on the Italian trick-taking game Tressette (or Trešeta in Croatia and Montenegro). The basic rules are the same - you have to follow suit if you have the suit in your hand. It is usually played 2vs2 and you can't communicate in any way with anyone at the table. The only time you can communicate something is if you are the first playing the trick and it is a non-verbal type of communication and you can "say" only 2-3 things (depending on the region/country you are playing in). It is a game recorded from the 18th century and played in almost all the countries that were under Italian rule at some point in history. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tressette

[@johanneswerner1140]

I need to learn this. I enjoy this kind of card game, though I'm quite mediocre on the German games of Schafkopf, Doppelkopf and Skat.

[@Michelandinho]

I’m definitely going to start using the term “primary communication hole” whenever I can.

[@Bodyknock]

There’s also a really good unofficial solo variant for the Crew on BGG where you deal out a four player game with three hands as face up dummies called Dewey, Huey and Louie. The three face up hands play cards programmatically: Dewey works Deterministically playing heir cards in the order they were dealt as much as possible. Huey plays their Highest possible card every time trying to win every trick. And Louie plays their Lowest card every time trying to lose every trick. You yourself have five tokens that you can use to force the bots to play a specific card or to swap the Commander and 4 Trump with a bot. (Communications restrictions likewise restrict the sorts of uses you get from your tokens.) It’s a great solo system for The Crew! It works with smoothly all the missions as far as I can tell and makes the game a really solid solo puzzle experience with unlimited replayability.

[@garthantash]

Huey, Dewey and Lewie - somebody is a Silent Running fan.

[@Bodyknock]

@@garthantash Yep!

[@littlenikke]

I think I might pick this up just to see how badly my bridge playing (for decades) parents will beat me. Allowing a limited form of table-talk will make them giddy.

[@GadBoDag]

That's the fun - they can't beat you, since it's cooperative! But also, they can get really mad at you for playing wrong, and thus making them lose, lol.

[@unlimitedrabbit]

To anyone watching this who already knew that anyone wearing a hat with corks suspended on strings around the brims was named Bruce, be confident in the knowledge that you turned out all right.

[@Astomps]

This one the best susd of all time

[@drewpearson6722]

Tom! You've quickly become my favorite! Keep up the good (and hilarious) work!

[@francescotamburini5790]

It’s so funny to listen to the first minutes of explanation of the Crew because it’s basically the card game I play with my grandparents and the single most popular cardgame in my city, maraffone (also known by godless punks and reviewed by SU&SD as briscola chiamata). Maraffone is played two vs. two and it is also famous for not allowing conversation during games. The only things you can say (and you can say them only when opening a trick) and a set of 3 fixed prompts which are supposed to give information to your teammate about your hand of cards. I can never remember the actual meaning of the prompts so I actually just wing it. And of course each game is followed by counting points and usually an aggressive argument between teammates on how they should’ve played their hands.

[@johanneswerner1140]

Yeah, like in German Doppelkopf. And there are nasty rules to punish you if you don't call a possible win ("cowardice" / Feigheit), just to "make things interesting"...

[@flintsteel]

Nice to see the Sault album.

[@piethegoon5189]

I got an ad for Dream Crush with Quinns in it. That was pretty neat

[@BornAgainJeeper]

By far my favorite reviewer

[@Triskitout]

love the cold close, great work

[@ngoriyasjil2085]

Sounds very similar to Hanabi in concept! Only in that everyone else can see your cards/tiles, while you have to play them mostly blind.

[@WuschelofDespair]

It‘s much deeper and imo better than Hanabi. Hanabi is great, but it doesn’t take too long until you have kind of solved it and some table-meta establishes itself making the game top easy. That being said, Hanabi works for a chilled evening, while you really have to focus for the crew. 10/10 a game you should give a try though : )

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

This has not much to do with Hanabi, except both are card games. :P Check it out, it's cheap and fun! If you are not familiar with trick taking games, just push through (maybe with some friends who know).

[@wirkungsabschatzung3775]

Great music taste with Sault's "5".

[@pilkjaer]

This game is rather good implemented on Boardgamearena. We often use it as a "warmup" during the game nights.

[@HEMAYATC]

Been waiting for this. You did not disappoint, Tom! Great work!

[@richardkirke]

Bridge is an absolutely magnificent game. Well worth your time, though a bit of a monster and definitely relies on rough parity of skill to not be very one sided.

[@DoctorEth]

You got me again, Mr Brewster. Both with the Eastenders-theme and with that ending tho. But the return of Reference Kitten made me so happy I forgot to listen occasionally xD She's a Reference Cat now!

[@payprplayn]

Just a slight quibble about the "twist". My copy of the rules doesn't say players can't discuss strategy and coordinate their play. It says only that they may not tell each other what cards they have. There are other ways to strategize, though.

[@jamiepayton1574]

Excellent review of an excellent game!

[@DuarteFernandesQueiroz]

After that ending I’m not sure if I can ever trust you again, Tom :) Great review and I loved the soundtrack in this one

[@adamkrupil4270]

"There are so many of these tasks, that it boggles the mind" I see what you did there.

[@llamapie24]

Nice Arturia Keystep Tom! Whatcha producing? Lo-fi beats to board game to?

[@mrdarlok]

It's been quite a journey with the Crew, we're on mission 50, and i think it's similar to the old punishment of being forced to finish a whole box of cigars after being caught smoking. The game eventually felt more like work than a fun puzzle/game that you we all just felt compelled to complete. When we finish we likely will have a ceremonial burning of the box :)

[@pokebalzzz02]

As many of us are still house-ridden, do you think a video talking about the games that translated the best onto Tabletopia or Tabletop Sim would be a possibility?

[@ZoidbergForPresident]

That Omega was Overkill! :P

[@Goon-124]

9:50 But what about my SECONDARY and TERTIARY communication holes?

[@colingerber5319]

Did they make you watch all the older video reviews from before your hire? Because the East Enders theme song gag is a deep cut call-back

[@vasarat1]

What do you guys think of Meadow? Have you played it?

[@HelloKyoto]

Tom, you're a legend. This is such a great video. Keep it up, dude

[@gamexpert510]

You're a wizard, Tom!

[@cameronsprott8230]

The Max Gland reference actually had me giddy