Oh Crab! Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Contents
• Setup
• Objective and Context
• Essential Basic Concepts
• Rules of Play
  • Course of the Game
  • 1. Planning Phase
  • 2. Action Phase
    • Add a card to the Trace (or Rest, p. 6)
    • Rest
    • Then: Performing Actions
    • Basic Actions
  • Example of a Player's Turn
  • 3. End of Round Phase
• End of the Game
• Other Important Concepts
  • Card Market
  • Unoccupied Space
  • Card Exchange
  • Push
  • Knocking Over and Standing Up
• 2-Player Mode
  • Setup
  • Team of Crabs
  • Course of a Round
  • Push and Knocking Over
  • End of the Game
• Adventure Pack Expansion
  • Introduction
  • Contents of the Expansion
• Module 1: Surprises
  • Module Components
  • Setup
  • Rules of Play
  • Tips
  • Family Variants
  • 2-Player Game
• Module 2: Events
  • Module Components
  • Setup
  • Tips
  • Rules of Play
  • Game Variants
• Module 3: Challenges
  • Module Components
  • Setup
  • Rules of Play
  • Tips
• Module 4: Asymmetry
  • Module Components
  • Setup
  • Rules of Play
  • Tips
  • 2-Player Game
• Scenarios
• Types of Spaces on the Game Board
• Special Action Effects
• Additional Action Tile Effects
• Adventure Pack: Selected Actions

Game Contents

Note: the following rules apply to a game of 3 to 5 players. The rules specific to the 2-player mode are described in the "2-Player Mode" section, pages 12-13.

If you own the Adventure Pack expansion, you will find the rules it introduces on pages 14 to 18.

Modular board:

• 1 Start tile, double-sided (numbered 0, sides A and B)
• 4 Beach tiles, double-sided (numbered 1 to 4, sides A and B)
• 1 Finish tile, double-sided (numbered 9, sides A and B)

Other components:

• 20 starting cards: 5 sets of 4 cards each, illustrated with the different crabs
• 5 help tiles
• 2 cardboard cook pawns (one to designate the first player, the other in reserve)
• 4 crab activation tokens (for 2-player games)
• 5 player boards illustrated with the different crabs
• 4 additional Action tiles, double-sided
• 36 action cards
• 32 shells
• 5 Crab pawns

Setup

The illustration shows the setup for a 3-player game.

Quick game variant. If you do not have time for a full race, you can play a shortened version using only two Beach tiles between the Start and the Finish.

1. Place the Board in the middle of the table: the Start tile (with the fish-and-chip shop), 3 Beach tiles and the Finish tile (with the Sea). You may place each tile on the side of your choice (A or B). The Beach tiles may be placed in any order. Alternatively, you can follow one of the layouts proposed in the scenarios described on page 19. For your first game, we recommend playing the "First Escape!" scenario. The Beach tile not used for this game must be put back in the box.

2. Next to the Board, place the 3 additional Action tiles. You may place them choosing their side freely (a or b). You can choose a set of tiles yourself or follow the layout shown in one of the scenarios described on page 19. If this is your first game, we also recommend selecting the tiles according to the "First Escape!" scenario. The additional Action tile not used for this game must be put back in the box.

3. Each player chooses a crab, places in front of them its player board and its pawn of the matching colour, and takes in hand the 4 starting cards associated with it. Unused starting cards, player boards and Crab pawns must be put back in the box; they will not be used in this game.

4. Prepare the card Market. The Market has 4 spaces: one for the draw pile of action cards (face down) and three for face-up cards. Shuffle the remaining action cards and fill the face-up spaces. If, during setup, you reveal several cards with the same special action (the one at the bottom of the card), stack them together, so that the three face-up spaces show three different types of special actions. Place the draw pile to the side, face down.

5. Choose the first player at random. They place their pawn on the Start space numbered 1.

6. The other players, clockwise, place their pawns on the following spaces: 2, 3 (and then 4, 5 if you play with more players).

If you included one or more modules of the Adventure Pack expansion in the game, continue the setup following the instructions specific to each module.

Objective and Context

In Oh Crab!, you have only one goal: get your crab to the sea. The first player to get there wins the game.

Starting from the Start space, you will advance toward the sea over the rounds. You will obtain movement actions from different sources: the cards, the game board, the additional Action tiles, or by wisely adding new cards to your Trace, which will often allow you to create powerful combinations.

Your starting deck will be enriched (by gaining new cards) and improved (by exchanging certain cards). You will push or knock over the other players' crabs, encounter obstacles, advance over difficult terrain and collect shells that you can spend to activate additional actions.

Essential Basic Concepts

Discard pile. Above your player board you will place the cards that you discard. This space is called the Discard pile. When you encounter the term "discard a card" during the game, place it here, just above your board. Cards must be placed horizontally (parallel to the board) face up. You discard cards by entering Obstacle spaces, by taking a Shortcut, or because of certain special action effects or costs.

Trace. Under your player board is the space where you will add your cards over the rounds, which will allow you to perform the actions they show. The first card must be placed vertically under the board, then, each following round, you add one to the left or to the right of it. The row of cards thus formed under your board is called the Trace.

Player's Hand. The cards a player holds in hand are called their Hand. These cards can be placed on the table or discarded according to the effects of the game.

Movement on the game board. At one end of the game Board (the land side) is the fish-and-chip shop, from which the crabs escaped. At the other end is the sea, where they seek refuge. Unless explicitly stated otherwise in a special action, all crab movements must be made toward the sea, that is, getting closer to the finish line. It is forbidden to move a crab off the Board or onto an inaccessible space. When a crab enters a space, you must check the effect it produces as well as the actions it allows. Some spaces activate immediately, without player intervention; others can be used at any time during their turn, and others only at the end of their turn (see "Types of spaces on the Board", p. 20).

A space can never contain more than one crab. If you enter a space occupied by another crab, you push it and knock it over (see details, p. 11).

Rules of Play

Course of the Game

The game is played in rounds and may end at the end of any of them. Each round is divided into 3 phases:

1. PLANNING PHASE
2. ACTION PHASE
3. END OF ROUND PHASE

Depending on the rules of each phase, you sometimes act simultaneously, and sometimes in turn.

1. Planning Phase

In this phase, all players act at the same time. Each player chooses a card from their Hand and places it face down in front of them, below their player board and under the Trace.

If you no longer have cards in your Hand, you declare a Rest by announcing aloud: "I have no more cards, I am going to rest."

2. Action Phase

During this phase, players take their turns clockwise, starting with the one who has the cook marker.

Note: Even if a player reaches the sea with their crab during this phase, the other players still play their turn normally. Turns are played one after the other, but to check the victory conditions, the movements are considered to have been made "at the same time".

At the start of your turn, you decide whether you add (the card placed previously) to the Trace, or whether you rest.

Note: If you declared a Rest during the previous phase, you do not have the choice: you must rest.

Then you perform your actions. Once these are finished, the next player begins their turn. When all players have performed their actions (that is, when the player to the right of the one who has the cook pawn finishes their turn), move on to the End of Round phase.

Add a card to the Trace (or Rest, p. 6)

Flip over the card you placed previously and add it to your Trace. Remember:

a. if it is your first turn of play, simply place the card under your board; your Trace is for now made up of this single card,

b. if you already have cards in your Trace, add the new card to the left or to the right of the one(s) already in place.

The added card does not need to "match" the others: the secondary action icon halves do not have to form a complete icon. But try to make them match! This will allow you to perform more actions.

There is no limit to the number of cards in your Trace: as long as you can place cards during the planning phase, you can add them to the Trace during the action phase. During the rest of your turn you will be able to perform, in the order of your choice, the actions obtained thanks to the card you have just added.

Rest

During the Rest, perform the following steps:

1. If you have a face-down card in front of you (placed during the planning phase), discard it to your Discard pile.
2. Choose one card in your Trace to keep; discard all the other cards from your Trace to your Discard pile.
3. Take in hand one card from the Market: either a face-up card (the top card, if several identical cards are stacked), or the top card of the draw pile. If you take a face-up card and it was the last or only card of that pile, refill the Market (see p. 10).
4. Take in hand all the cards from your Discard pile.
5. If your crab is knocked over, it stands back up (put your pawn upright).

Then: Performing Actions

After adding a card to your Trace, or after a Rest, you move on to performing actions. You can, in the order of your choice, use all the actions to which you have access during this turn. Do not forget to fully complete one action before starting another. Actions are not mandatory: you can ignore as many as you like. The effects of the game Board spaces are, however, mandatory: you must always resolve them (see "Types of spaces on the Board", p. 20).

Reminder: If you Rested, you do not have access to the actions provided by an action card, because you did not add one to your Trace. However, you can use all the other types of actions available in the game (for example those of the cook, of the game Board, etc.).

Basic Actions

• Take a shell: Take a shell from the common supply.
• Move forward: Move your crab one space forward, toward the sea.
• Move diagonally: Move your crab one space diagonally (to the left or to the right), toward the sea.
• Move toward the sea: Move your crab one space, either forward or diagonally (to the left or to the right), toward the sea.

You can perform the following types of actions:

A. Main action of a card. At the center of each action card is a main action icon. This action is always available at no additional cost. A main action always corresponds to one of the basic actions. There are four types (see box on the previous page).

B. Secondary action of a card. On the sides of the cards are halves of basic action icons. If the card added this turn to the Trace completes an icon, you gain the action indicated by that complete icon. It is always one of the four basic actions available in the game. If a player completes two icons at the same time, they obtain both actions.

C. Special action of a card. The cards you gain from the Market give you access to special actions. Their detailed description is on page 21, and a summary, for some of them, appears on the help card.

Reminder: some special actions require paying a cost.

Note: If an action allows you to move other players' crabs, it is always the active player (the one currently playing their turn) who makes all the decisions related to these movements.

D. Action linked to the cook pawn. If you have the cook pawn, you have an additional diagonal movement (see the icon on the cook pawn).

E. Action of an additional Action tile. Once per turn, you can spend shells to perform one additional action. Discard to the supply as many shells as the cost shown on the chosen tile, then perform the corresponding action. The full description of the additional actions is on page 22, and a summary appears on the help card.

F. Game Board actions. If you are on a space that allows a game Board action and you meet its conditions, you can perform it. See details in the section "Types of spaces on the Board", page 20.

Example of a Player's Turn

1. Lucas (who plays the red crab) has the cook pawn, so he begins the round. He flips the card he had placed face down during the planning phase and adds it to his Trace, on the right.
2. Thanks to the card's main action (2a), he takes a shell from the supply (2b).
3. Then, to perform a special action (3a), he discards a card from his Hand (3b), then moves onto a space containing a shell (3c), which allows him to take another one from the supply (3d).
4. During his next movement, he uses the action linked to the cook pawn (4a) to move diagonally to the right (4b), onto the space occupied by Adam's orange crab. Lucas pushes it diagonally to the left and knocks it over (4c). As Adam lands on a space with an Obstacle, Lucas draws a card at random from his Hand (Adam's) and places it in Adam's Discard pile.
5. Thanks to a secondary action (5a), Lucas then moves forward onto a space with a Shortcut (5b).
6. To use the Shortcut, he discards two cards containing a main Move toward the sea action (6a) and moves along the arrow of the Board (6b).
7. He has 2 shells and spends them to perform the additional action Shove! (7a), which allows him to swap places with Natalie's blue crab (7b). Unfortunately, at the end, he is knocked over by entering a space with a knocking-over Obstacle. His turn ends here.

3. End of Round Phase

During this phase, you check whether the game is over or whether it continues.

If at least one crab has reached the sea, the game stops: go to the "End of the Game" section, page 10.

Otherwise, choose the first player for the next round: pass the cook pawn to the player whose crab is farthest from the sea. If several crabs are at the same greatest distance, the cook pawn is passed to the player (among those tied) seated furthest to the left of the player who had it until then.

Example. The sea is at the top of the Board. The orange crab is the closest to the sea. The brown and green crabs are at the same distance, but closer than the red and blue crabs. The red and blue crabs are also tied, and they are the farthest away. Check which of the two players concerned (red or blue) is seated furthest to the left of the player who currently has the cook pawn. If, at the end of the round, the blue player had the cook pawn, it is passed to the red player.

End of the Game

The game ends when a crab reaches the sea.

Reminder: in this case, the current round is the last of the game, but all the other players finish their turn normally, because they still have a chance to win!

The player whose crab is the only one to reach the sea during this round wins the game.

If several crabs reach the sea during the same round, the winner is the one who has the most cards in Hand.

If the tie persists, compare the number of shells among the tied players.

If the tie persists, the players concerned are declared joint winners.

Other Important Concepts

Card Market

The card Market (or simply the Market) consists of the action cards available to improve or enrich the players' decks.

The Market is made up of three spaces for face-up action cards (or piles of cards) as well as a face-down draw pile made up of the rest of the action cards. When setting up or refilling the Market, cards showing the same special action must always be stacked, so that there are always three different types of special actions visible on the Market.

When you take a card from the Market, you can always choose to take a face-up card or a card "blind" from the draw pile. But you can never take more than one card, and only the one at the top of the chosen pile.

If one of the face-up spaces becomes empty after a player has taken a card, it must be immediately refilled according to the rules above.

If the crabs really want to reach the sea, the Market should never run out before the end of the game. But if that should happen, because you have dawdled too long on the beach, then, during a Rest, you no longer draw cards, and the Card Exchange action also ceases to work.

Unoccupied Space

Some actions use the term "unoccupied space". This is a space of any type (except an inaccessible space) on which no crab is present. Other elements of the game may be present. To enter an unoccupied space, you must respect its normal access conditions, if it has any (see "Types of spaces on the Board", p. 20).

Card Exchange

At several moments of the game, you may encounter the Card Exchange action.

The Card Exchange action allows you to improve your deck, for example by replacing a starting card without a special action with a Market card that has one.

You can only exchange a card from your Hand for a card from the Market (if you have no card in Hand, you cannot make an exchange).

If the exchanged card comes from your starting deck, put it back in the box (it will no longer be used), then take a Market card into your Hand.

If the exchanged card does not come from the starting deck, place it under the draw pile of action cards, then take a Market card into your Hand.

After the exchange, refill the Market according to the usual rules, if necessary.

Push

A Board space can only contain one crab. If you enter a space occupied by another crab, you push it out of that space. It is then moved one space toward the sea, as if it were using a Move toward the sea action.

If the pushed crab lands on a space already occupied by another crab, a chain reaction occurs: this second crab is also pushed. All decisions concerning the direction of movements are made by the active player, that is, the one currently playing their turn.

Each pushed crab is knocked over (see opposite, "Knocking over and Standing up").

Knocking Over and Standing Up

A crab is knocked over when it enters a knocking-over Obstacle space or when it is pushed. To indicate this, lay down the pawn of the crab concerned.

When a crab is knocked over, it cannot move on its own as long as it has not stood up. You can still use actions, but none of them will be able to move your crab (you ignore those effects). A special movement action that you play and that affects both your crab and other crabs will only have an effect on the others, not on you. In other words: a knocked-over crab cannot move on its own initiative as long as it has not stood up.

However, a knocked-over crab can be moved by an action triggered by another player (such as a push, a special action or the effect of an additional Action tile). Trying to knock over a crab that is already knocked over has no additional effect.

For a crab to stand up, it must:

• devote a basic Movement action (move forward, move diagonally, or move toward the sea). This action can come from any source: action card, cook pawn or additional Action tile;

or else

• take a Rest at the start of the action phase. The crab stands up during the Rest.

When a crab stands up, put its pawn upright.

Example 1. The blue crab performs a forward move. As it enters a space occupied by the orange crab, it pushes it. It can move it to one of the three following spaces: a space with a shell (the orange crab receives it immediately), a space with an Obstacle (the blue crab then draws a card at random from the orange crab's Hand and places it in its Discard pile), or a standard space. The pushed crab is knocked over.

Example 2. The red crab moves to the right. As it enters a space occupied by the brown crab, it pushes it. There is only one space toward which the brown crab can be moved: the one occupied by the green crab (the spaces to the right or in front are inaccessible). The brown crab therefore enters the green crab's space, pushes it and is knocked over. The green crab, in turn, can be moved to one of two accessible spaces; it is the red crab (the active player) who decides which. The pushed green crab is also knocked over.

2-Player Mode

A 2-player game is played like a game with more players, with the exception of the following modifications.

Setup

1. Use only two Beach tiles (instead of three) between the Start tile and the Finish tile.
2. Prepare the additional Action tiles according to the standard rules.
3. Each player chooses two crabs, places both player boards side by side (forming a double board) in front of them, as well as the two corresponding pawns. But they take in Hand only one starting deck (4 cards) associated with one of their two crabs (never mix two starting decks). The board, the pawn and the three other unused decks are put back in the box.
4. Prepare the card Market according to the usual rules.
5. The first player places their first crab according to the standard rules.
6. The second player places their two crabs, one after the other, on the Start spaces available for a 2-player game (numbered 2, 3 or 4). Then, the first player places their second crab on the last remaining space.
7. Place the Board bonuses and the shells according to the standard rules (steps 7, 8 and 9).
8. Each player takes one set of crab activation tokens: one bearing the number "1" and another bearing the number "2".

Team of Crabs

In 2-player mode, you control a team of two crabs. Even though you play two crabs, you use a single shared deck. Place the two player boards side by side to form a double board. Under this board, you will build a shared Trace for both crabs; above it, you will form a shared Discard pile. The shells gained by both crabs also go into a shared supply and can be spent by either crab.

Course of a Round

In 2-player mode, the course of a round includes an important modification: before the End of Round phase, there are two Planning phases and two Action phases (one for each crab of each player). Detailed course of a round:

1. First Planning phase. Played like a normal Planning phase.

2. First Action phase. At the start of their turn, each player chooses which crab they wish to activate during this phase, by placing the activation token marked "1" on the illustration of that crab on their board. All the actions performed during this turn concern only the activated crab.

3. Second Planning phase. Played like a normal Planning phase.

4. Second Action phase. During this phase, each player must activate their second crab (the one that has not yet been activated) by placing the activation token marked "2" on their board at the start of their turn.

Note: Each player can use the cook only once per round (for a single crab). To avoid forgetting, place the cook pawn on your board after using it.

5. End of Round phase. This phase includes the following modifications:

a) the game ends only if both crabs of a player have reached the sea;

b) if the game continues:

• remove all the activation tokens (as well as the cook pawn) from your boards,
• determine the first player as usual. If the crabs farthest from the sea belong to both players and are tied, the first-player pawn is passed on anyway (it does not matter if one player has more crabs that are farthest away than the other).

Push and Knocking Over

When you move your active crab onto a space occupied by your other, inactive crab, this does not trigger a push or a knock-over: the pawn of the crab already there is simply moved back, onto the space you have just left (the two crabs swap places).

Note: This rule also applies to movements resulting from the use of Shortcuts or from the special action Running Jump (Saut avec élan).

One of your own crabs can be pushed and knocked over only as part of a chain reaction, that is, if an opposing crab, which has been pushed, comes in its turn to push your inactive crab.

Inactive crabs behave like independent crabs during chain reactions: they push and are knocked over according to the normal rules.

Example 1. Jojo plays the green and blue crabs. He now activates his green crab and moves forward. This causes a swap of places with his blue crab (the blue crab moves back one space without being knocked over). During his next action, Jojo moves diagonally and pushes Mathieu's red crab normally, which is knocked over.

Example 2. Mathieu plays the red and brown crabs. He now activates the red crab and moves diagonally. This movement pushes the green crab onto the blue crab's space, then the blue crab onto the brown crab's space, and finally the brown crab onto a space with a Shortcut. The brown crab is pushed normally, because it was pushed by a crab of the other player. The three pushed crabs (green, blue and brown) are knocked over.

End of the Game

The game ends only when both crabs of the same player have reached the sea. Ties are broken according to the standard rules.

Adventure Pack Expansion

For the comfort of our players, the rules of the Adventure Pack expansion are included in this base game rulebook. If you do not own the expansion, you can ignore the following pages (and go directly to page 19). However, we encourage you to read them: you will discover how to make the game even more captivating thanks to this expansion.

Introduction

The Adventure Pack expansion contains four independent modules that you can add to the base game in any combination. If you wish to discover them one by one, we recommend introducing them in the order presented here. But nothing prevents you from exploring them in another order, or even from playing directly with all the modules at the same time.

Note: The modules are designed to work independently, but some of them interact with each other to enrich the game experience. The few cards that require other modules are marked with the corresponding icons. If the cards of a module you have chosen reference another module that you are not using, remove these cards before the start of the game, or else replace them if they come up in the draw piles during the game.

Contents of the Expansion

• 24 tokens, including:
  • 14 tokens of Module 1: Surprises
  • 10 tokens of Module 4: Asymmetry
• 39 cards, including:
  • 14 cards of Module 2: Events
  • 11 cards of Module 3: Challenges (3 Reward cards and 8 Challenges)
  • 14 cards of Module 4: Asymmetry

Note: Depending on the version of the Adventure Pack expansion you own, you may find two identical copies of the card deck, differing only by their language. Use only one deck to play.

Module 1: Surprises

While walking along the beach, you come across strange symbols drawn in the sand. A buried pirate treasure? Impossible to resist curiosity: you begin to dig. What Surprise will you discover? Will it help you reach the sea faster... or, on the contrary, slow you down along the way? If you like risk and trust your lucky star, this module is made for you.

Module Components

14 Surprise tokens:

• 5 tokens marked with a banana-peel symbol, called Wastes (Déchets),
• 9 tokens without this symbol, called Treasures (Trésors).

Setup

a. Separate the Wastes from the Treasures.

b. Turn the Wastes face down, shuffle them, draw 3 without looking at them and place one near each Beach tile. Put the two remaining Wastes back in the box without revealing them.

c. Turn the Treasures face down, shuffle them, draw 6 without looking at them and place two near each Beach tile. Put the remaining Treasures back in the box without revealing them.

d. For each Beach tile, shuffle the 3 Surprise tokens prepared in the previous step (2 Treasures + 1 Waste) without looking at them, and place them at random on the spaces of that tile bearing the Surprise symbol. If the space also has a shell symbol, position the Surprise token so as to leave the shell visible.

In this way, each Beach tile receives three Surprise tokens: two Treasures and one Waste.

Rules of Play

When a crab arrives on a space containing a Surprise token (no matter how it got there), immediately flip the token over and apply its effect.

The token, its consequences and the decisions it involves always concern the player whose crab has reached the Surprise space. If the token contains the "!!/" symbol, its effect is immediate, and the token is then removed from the game (put back in the box).

A token without this symbol can be used at any time during the turn of the player who obtained it.

(All Wastes have an immediate effect. Treasures can be immediate or usable later.)

Using a Treasure token constitutes a new type of action. The player who has a Treasure can use it at any time during their turn, with no limit on the number of tokens used per turn. Used tokens are removed from the game (put in the box).

If the effect of a Waste requires discarding a card or a shell, but the player has none, no additional consequence applies.

Tips

Remember: each Beach tile contains exactly two Treasures and one Waste. If a player has already discovered a Waste on a tile, all the remaining Surprise tokens on that tile are necessarily Treasures, so you can collect them safely!

Family Variants

If you do not like bad surprises, you can use one of the family variants below for the Surprises module.

Family variant: All's well that ends well... The setup does not change, but all the Wastes are considered empty tokens (with no negative effect); the only "bad surprise" will therefore be the absence of a reward.

Family variant: Only the good. During setup, do not use the Wastes. Place the 9 Treasures at random (face down) on the Surprise spaces provided on the Board.

2-Player Game

Treasures obtained by a player can be used for the benefit of either of their crabs, not only the one that discovered the Surprise token.

Module 2: Events

The world changes, and each sea wave is different. What does the new day bring? Or rather... this new tile :-) If you like plot twists or temporary rule changes, this module is made for you.

Module Components

14 Event cards.

Setup

Shuffle the 14 Event cards and draw 3 at random, without looking at them. Place them face down to the right of the Board, one per Beach tile, at the bottom of each tile. Put the remaining Event cards back in the box; they will not be used during this game.

Tips

If a temporary Event concerns:

• the cook: place the Event card in front of the player who has the cook pawn as a reminder, and pass it along with the pawn;
• the additional Action tiles: place the card next to those tiles as a reminder.

In other cases, the Event card must remain visible next to the Beach tile to which it applies.

Rules of Play

When a crab crosses for the first time the lower border of a Beach tile with which an Event card is associated (no matter which crab or for what reason), the active player must reveal the corresponding Event card during their turn.

The player can do so at any moment of their turn, between two actions or at the end of their turn, but no later.

Note: If you play with both the Challenges and the Events, you must always resolve first the Challenge of the tile being left, then immediately the Event of the new tile. See Module 3: Challenges.

There are two types of Events: immediate Events (icon "!!/", orange-brown background) and temporary Events (card icon, green background).

An immediate Event introduces a single effect in the game. Apply it immediately, then put the card back in the box.

A temporary Event modifies certain rules until a new Event is revealed, or until the end of the game if it is the last Event.

The effects of each Event are described directly on the cards.

If the players forget to reveal an Event card at the right time, it must be revealed as soon as a player notices.

Note: If you reveal an Event card that refers to a module you are not using, immediately draw a replacement card from among those set aside.

Game Variants

Family variant: The Lucky Ones. If you do not like negative effects, remove the "Robin Crab" and "It's broken" cards from the draw pile before drawing the Events.

Advanced variant: Crystal Ball. If you prefer a more strategic style of play, read the text of the 3 Events drawn at random before placing them face down next to the Board. You now know what awaits you, but not when, which allows you to prepare for it.

Module 3: Challenges

One race is not enough for you? Perfect. If you like competition, the Challenges offer you a mini-race on each Beach tile. And the key... rewards!

Module Components

11 cards of the Challenges module:

• 8 Challenge cards,
• 3 Reward cards.

Setup

a. Shuffle the 8 Challenge cards and draw 3 at random, without looking at them. Place them face down, to the right of the Board, at the top of each Beach tile. Put the remaining Challenge cards back in the box; they will not be used during this game.

b. Shuffle the 3 Reward cards and draw 1 at random, without looking at it. Place it face up next to the first Challenge card, and immediately reveal that Challenge card. The first Challenge is therefore known from the start of the game. Put the two remaining Reward cards back in the box; they will not be used.

Rules of Play

When a crab crosses for the first time the upper border of a Beach tile with which a Challenge card is associated (no matter which crab or for what reason), the active player must announce the resolution of that Challenge during their turn.

The player can do so at any moment of their turn, between two actions or at the end, but no later.

Note: If you play with both the Challenges and the Events, you must always resolve first the Challenge of the tile being left, then immediately the Event of the new tile (see Module 2: Events, p. 16).

The player(s) who meet the conditions of the Challenge receive the first-place reward: a shell and a trophy, to be exchanged for one of the rewards shown at the bottom of the Reward card. If several players tie for the Challenge, each of them receives the first-place reward.

If only one person wins first place, the second-place reward is awarded to the following players: each receives a shell.

Only players having at least one element corresponding to the Challenge are taken into account.

Example: The Challenge is "have the most shells". The green crab has 3, the red and blue crabs have none. The green player receives the first-place reward, and no second-place reward is awarded.

Once the rewards are distributed, the Challenge card is removed from the game (put back in the box).

Then, the Reward card is moved to the next Challenge, which is then revealed immediately. (If there is no Challenge left in play, the Reward card is also removed from the game.)

Note: If you use both the Challenges and the Events, on the borders containing both types of cards, the Challenge card is always placed above the Event card.

Tips

If you meet the conditions of a Challenge but have no way of crossing the tile border yourself to trigger it, check whether you can push another crab so that it crosses that limit in your place, and the Challenge is thus resolved immediately.

Module 4: Asymmetry

There are no two identical grains of sand, no two similar palm leaves... and certainly no two alike crabs! Take advantage of the unique skills of your crab to gain the upper hand in the race to the sea.

Module Components

• 14 Asymmetry cards, with special crab skills,
• 10 double-sided Pincer tokens (value "1" on one side, value "2" on the other).

Setup

a. Shuffle the Asymmetry cards and deal two to each player.

b. Each player chooses one Asymmetry card, places it next to their player board, then places on it the number of Pincers indicated, using the Pincer tokens with the right values. Unused Asymmetry cards are put back in the box; they will not be used during this game.

Rules of Play

Some Asymmetry cards require a specific setup before the game (they are marked with a sunset symbol). Carry out this setup immediately after choosing your Asymmetry card.

Crabs' special skills can modify or ignore the basic rules of the game. Once activated, it is the rule of the Asymmetry card that prevails.

Each crab has a limited number of uses of its special skill, indicated on the card.

Each activation consumes one Pincer. After using a skill, the player must adjust their Pincer tokens: either by flipping a token (from 2 Pincers to 1 Pincer), or by removing a 1-Pincer token.

If an effect of the game allows you to regenerate Pincers, it is never possible to exceed the starting number indicated on the card.

Example: If you regenerate a Pincer but have not yet used any, this regeneration is lost.

Some crabs can activate their skills only during their own turn (icon: own-turn crab symbol), others only during another player's turn (icon: other-turn crab symbol), some in both cases, with different effects (both icons), and others still in special situations, no matter whose turn it is (icon: any-turn crab symbol).

Tips

When choosing your asymmetric crab, take into account:

• its difficulty of use, indicated by a number of "starfish" on the card (from one to three). Beginner players should prefer simpler crabs;
• the modules required to play this crab. If you draw an Asymmetry card that refers to a module you are not using, draw another one.

2-Player Game

In a two-player game, each player draws 4 Asymmetry cards and chooses two of them, which they assign to their two crabs.

Only the crab assigned to a card can use its special skill.

Scenarios

Our setup proposals, ranked by difficulty level. ("Boards" lists the Start (0), Beach (1-4) and Finish (9) tiles with the side (A or B) to use, in order from Start to Finish. "Tiles" lists the additional Action tiles by letter and side (a or b), as labelled in the rulebook's diagrams.)

• Scenario 1: "First Escape!" Boards: 0A, 1A, 2A, 3A, 9A. Tiles: Aa, Ba, Ca.
• Scenario 2: "Sand Games" Boards: 0B, 3A, 1A, 4A, 9A. Tiles: Ab, Bb, Cb.
• Scenario 3: "Surfers' Beach" Boards: 0A, 3A, 1B, 2A, 9A. Tiles: Aa, Db, Ca.
• Scenario 4: "Shortcut!" Boards: 0B, 1B, 4A, 3B, 9B. Tiles: Ab, Da, Ba.
• Scenario 5: "Wild Beach" Boards: 0A, 2B, 4B, 1A, 9B. Tiles: Ab, Bb, Db.
• Scenario 6: "Pirate Island" Boards: 0B, 4B, 3B, 2B, 9B. Tiles: Aa, Da, Cb.

Types of Spaces on the Game Board

Standard space. You may enter a standard space freely. It has no particular effect.

Inaccessible space. A crab can never enter an inaccessible space, unless it jumps over it thanks to a valid jump effect and lands legally on the other side. Groups of inaccessible spaces are delimited by a burgundy-coloured border.

Standard Obstacle space. Effect: when you enter this space, discard a card from your Hand. If you have no card in Hand, you cannot enter it with any of your own actions. Another player can push you onto this space. If you have cards, the player who pushed you discards one at random from your Hand. If you have no card, no additional effect applies. Each Obstacle space has a discard icon and an illustration of a beach object.

Knocking-over Obstacle space. Effect: when you enter (or are pushed onto) this space, your crab is knocked over immediately. Each knocking-over Obstacle space has a knock-over icon and an illustration of a beach object.

Shell space. Effect: when your crab enters this space (no matter how), you take a shell from the supply. This space can be combined with other types.

Card Exchange space. If you end your turn on this space, you can perform a Card Exchange action (see p. 10).

Shortcut space. At any moment during your turn, if your crab is on this space, you can discard the right number of cards bearing the icon of the main action indicated to move to the space shown by the arrow. You must have the cards in Hand to use the Shortcut.

Reeds space. The reeds occupy only the lower edge of the space (land side). Effect: during a movement toward the sea, they act as an impassable barrier: you cannot cross this border. On the other hand, during a movement toward the land (for example when a crab is pushed back by a special action), the reeds do not block the way. This type of space can be combined with other effects.

Water Current space. If your crab ends its turn here, as an effect, it is immediately moved to the adjacent space indicated by the arrow.

If this movement takes you to the sea zone, your crab is considered to have left the beach: the end of the game is then triggered (see p. 10).

If the movement takes you to another Current space, no additional effect occurs: the end-of-turn effect applies only once.

Finally, if the target space is occupied by another crab, you cannot go there: you lean on it and stay on your current space. There is then neither push nor knock-over.

Sea (Sea zone). The sea is a single zone located on the Finish tile, beyond the Water Current spaces. When a crab enters this zone, it finishes its race and triggers the end of the game (see p. 10). From that moment on, it can no longer be targeted by any action: it cannot be pushed back, does not discard cards, etc.

A crab can enter the sea by a standard movement or by a Water Current effect. The zone can accommodate an unlimited number of crabs. If you are pushed toward the sea by a Water Current, you enter it even if other crabs are there; no opposition applies, you do not lean on them.

Surprise space (Adventure Pack). Without the Adventure Pack module this space has no effect. With the Adventure Pack module activated, if a Surprise token is on this space, the effect consists in discovering the Surprise. See the rules of the Surprises module on page 15.

Special Action Effects

Special actions are printed at the bottom of the action cards. Names are translated from the French rulebook; the French names are given in parentheses.

• Seagull! (Mouette !) You can move as many crabs as you want, one space each, from in front of you toward the land. The destination space must be free. You choose the order of the movements.
• Little Sidestep! (Petit saut de côté !) Jump to any free space located at the same distance from the sea. You may jump over inaccessible spaces. You must nevertheless respect the entry conditions of the destination space, if it has any.
• Call of the Sea! (Appel de la mer !) Move your crab, as well as all the crabs that were behind you at the start of this action, to a free space toward the sea, in the order of your choice. If no free space is in front of a crab at the moment you want to move it, you are not obliged to do so.
• Head Down! (Foncer tête baissée !) Until the end of your turn, you may ignore the negative effects of the spaces you enter. This concerns spaces with: standard Obstacle, knocking-over Obstacle, Reeds, Water Current.
• Running Jump (Saut avec élan !) Discard a card from your Hand to use the main action of any card in your Trace.
• Diagonally! (En diagonale !) Perform a basic Move diagonally action.
• Sand in the Eyes! (Sable dans les yeux !) Draw a card at random from the Hand of each player whose crab is in front of you, and discard it. If a player has no card, the action does not apply to them.
• Faster! (Plus vite !) Discard a card from your Hand to perform a Move forward.

Additional Action Tile Effects

Tile names are as printed in the rulebook (letter, then side). Shell costs appear on the tiles themselves.

• Tile Aa, Diagonally! (En diagonale !) Perform a basic Move diagonally action.
• Tile Ab, Little Sidestep! (Petit saut de côté !) Jump to any free space at the same distance from the sea. You may jump over inaccessible spaces. You must be able to meet the entry conditions of the destination space, if it has any.
• Tile Ba, In My Place! (À ta place !) Swap the position of your crab with an adjacent crab. You must be able to meet the entry conditions of the destination space, if it has any.
• Tile Bb, Faster! (Plus vite !) Perform a basic Move forward action.
• Tile Ca, Running Jump! (Saut avec élan !) Move your crab two spaces in a straight line toward the sea, ignoring the spaces flown over. You may jump over inaccessible spaces. You must be able to meet the entry conditions of the destination space, if it has any.
• Tile Cb, Doping! (Dopage !) Add an extra card from your Hand to your Trace. You may use all the actions that this card gives you.
• Tile Da, It's Not Over for Me! (C'est pas fini pour moi !) Take into your Hand all the cards from your Discard pile.
• Tile Db, A Little Exchange? (Un p'tit échange ?) Exchange a card from your Hand (Card Exchange action).

Adventure Pack: Selected Actions

• Take a Market card into your Hand. If necessary, immediately refill the Market according to the usual rules.
• Regenerate your Pincers. Each crab that has already used its Pincers at least once regains one Pincer (never exceeding its maximum).
• Take a card from your Trace into your Hand. If a gap forms in the Trace, slide the cards to fill the space.
• Turn a standard space into an Obstacle space. The characteristics of the space change until the end of the game.
• Spy... Consult the indicated element (one or more), without showing it to the other players. You may talk about it... or bluff.