The Crew: Mission Deep Sea

Based on the game by Thomas Sing

This submarine crew must complete missions in total silence to avoid detection. Cooperate to win tricks with increasingly complex conditions.

Setup

Use 4 suits for the color cards: Clubs♣, Hearts♥, Caps■, and Planets◉. From each, take cards 1–9. That’s 36 suited cards**.**

For the 4 Submarine (trump) cards, use the four Aces from Spades♠, Diamonds♦, Switches＋, and Stars✦. Assign them ranks 1–4 by agreeing on an order (e.g., Ace♠ is Submarine 1, Ace♦ is Sub 2, Ace＋ is Sub 3, Ace✦ is Sub 4). You should have 40 playing cards total.

You also need a small token to mark the Captain (whoever holds Submarine 4), and everyone should get a communication token. A coin with distinct heads and tails sides works well for this.

Shuffle all 40 cards and deal them evenly:

The player holding Submarine 4 becomes the Captain and leads the first trick.

Choosing tasks

Before play begins, choose a mission from the list below. Missions are numbered by difficulty — start with Mission 1 and work your way up. Each mission lists specific tasks that must be completed during the hand.

The Captain chooses a task first, then each player picks a different task going clockwise until all tasks are assigned. If a mission has fewer tasks than players, some players will have no task. If you have 4–5 players, consider alternating clockwise and counterclockwise task assignment so tasks will be more even assigned across rounds.

Mission 1 — First Dive (1 task, easy)
The Captain must win a trick containing any 9.

Mission 2 — Finding Our Bearings (2 tasks, easy)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing the 1♣.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 5♥.

Mission 3 — Into the Deep (2 tasks, moderate)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing any ■ card.
Task B: A different player must win the very last trick of the hand.

Mission 4 — Pressure (3 tasks, moderate)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing the 7◉.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 3♣.
Task C: A third player must win a trick containing the 9♥.

Mission 5 — Uncharted Waters (3 tasks, moderate)
Task A: One player must win exactly 1 trick the entire hand.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 2■.
Task C: A third player must win a trick containing the 6◉.

Mission 6 — The Abyss (3 tasks, hard)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing the 8♣ before Task B is completed.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 4♥.
Task C: A third player must win exactly 0 tricks.

Mission 7 — Leviathan (4 tasks, hard)
Task A: One player must win the first trick.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 1◉.
Task C: A third player must win a trick containing the 5■.
Task D: A fourth player must win a trick containing the 6♣.

Mission 8 — Mariana (4 tasks, very hard)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing the 8♥ before Task B is completed.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 4♣ before Task C is completed.
Task C: A third player must win a trick containing the 3◉.
Task D: A fourth player must win the last trick.

Mission 9 — Kraken (5 tasks, very hard)
Task A: One player must win the first two tricks.
Task B: A different player must win a trick containing the 7■.
Task C: A third player must win exactly 1 trick.
Task D: A fourth player must win a trick containing the 2♥.
Task E: A fifth player (or double up) must win a trick containing the 9◉.

Mission 10 — Hadal Zone (5 tasks, extreme)
Task A: One player must win a trick containing the 9♣ before any other task is completed.
Task B: A different player must win exactly 0 tricks.
Task C: A third player must win a trick containing the 1■ and a trick containing the 8◉.
Task D: A fourth player must win the last trick.
Task E: A fifth player (or double up) must win a trick containing the 6♥.

Custom missions: Once you’ve completed these, create your own. Good task types include: win a trick containing a specific card, win exactly N tricks, win the first/last trick, and ordering constraints (Task A must be completed before Task B).

Gameplay

Trick-taking rules

1. The lead player plays any card from their hand.
2. Clockwise, each other player must follow suit (play a card of the same suit as the lead card) if able. If unable, they may play any card, including a Submarine.
3. Submarines are trump. A Submarine beats any color card. Among Submarines, the higher number wins.
4. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick, unless a Submarine was played (then the highest Submarine wins).
5. The trick winner leads next.

Here's the trick so far in a 4-player game: West led the Spades 7, North followed with the Spades 8, and it's now your turn to play.

Communication

Communication:

While on a mission, you may not discuss your cards. Once per mission, before a trick begins, each player may use a communication action: place one card from your hand face-up on the table, then place your communication token on it to tell your teammates something about the card.

• If the token is on the top of the card, it means, “This is my highest card in this suit.”
• On the bottom means, “This is my lowest card in this suit.”
• In the middle means, “This is my only card in this suit.”

If you have a card that is not the highest, lowest, or only card of a suit in your hand, it can not be used for communication.

Once you place your communication token, turn it over to indicate you have used your communication action this mission. You may not move your communication token later if what you communicated is no longer true.

Winning

All players win together if every task is completed by the end of the hand. You lose if any task cannot be fulfilled.