Gamehelpthecrewjourneyendearth

Introduction

The aim of the game is to complete 25 stages by working together as a team. Each stage consists of several tasks. You must reach the airplane before the Time Marker does. You win together or lose together!

The game is a cooperative trick-taking game. Players take turns playing cards. The highest card wins the trick, subject to the rules for following suit and trump cards. Tasks are completed by winning tricks that meet specific conditions.

Playing a Stage

Each stage has its own track, with an airplane marking the destination. The Crew Marker shows your progress. The Time Marker shows how much time you have left.

Each stage consists of several rounds. In each round:

1. Check the special rule for the current stage space.
2. Decide whether to discard a task, if you wish.
3. Choose one of the two available tasks and reveal it.
4. Shuffle and deal the playing cards.
5. The player who receives the 4 Helicopter becomes the Guide for this round.
6. Follow the task instructions. Assign the task to a crew member if it is an Individual Task.
7. Prepare the Communication Tokens.
8. Play all tricks and check whether the task was completed.
9. Move the Crew Marker and the Time Marker.

The Guide leads the first trick. After that, the winner of each trick leads the next one.

If the task is successful, move the Crew Marker forward by the number of spaces indicated by the task's difficulty. If the task fails, the Crew Marker does not move.

The Time Marker always moves forward one space after every task, regardless of whether it was successful.

Continue playing rounds until the Crew Marker reaches the airplane. You must always reach the airplane, even if the Time Marker gets there first.

Trick Taking

Each player plays one card face up in turn. The first card played determines the suit that must be followed.

You must follow suit if possible. If you do not have a card of the required suit, you may play any card.

Only cards of the opening suit can win the trick, except for Helicopter Cards. There is no obligation to win a trick: you may play a lower card even if you could win it.

Helicopter Cards are trump cards and win any trick, regardless of the other cards played. However, a Helicopter Card may only be played on a Color Card if you cannot follow suit. If a Helicopter Card is played first, it establishes the suit and must be followed if possible.

If several Helicopter Cards are played, the highest one wins.

The winner takes the trick. Place completed tricks face down. Only the most recently won trick may be looked at again.

Play all tricks before checking whether the task was completed, unless a special rule causes the task to fail immediately.

Tasks

There are three types of Task Cards:

• Standard Tasks: These usually apply to the entire crew. Their difficulty ranges from 1 to 6. The difficulty level depends on the number of players. If completed, the Crew Marker advances by the corresponding number of spaces.
• Special Tasks: These can be completed multiple times during a round. Each successful completion counts towards the Crew Marker's movement. Subtract the penalty indicated on the task card from the number of successful completions. If the result is zero or less, the task fails and the Crew Marker does not move.
• Random Tasks: These have an approximate difficulty level of 3. Their exact requirements are only revealed when the task is played.

Some tasks are Individual Tasks. They must be assigned to one crew member.

After the cards have been dealt, everyone votes simultaneously using a Communication Token:

• Green means that you are willing to take the task.
• Red means that you are not willing to take the task.

The Guide chooses one player from those who voted green, including themselves. The chosen player must complete the task. If everyone votes red, the vote is repeated.

Pay attention to the exact wording of each task, especially terms such as "exactly", "at least" and "at most". The total value of a trick is the sum of all numbers on the cards played.

Communication

You are not allowed to show, tell or indicate information about the cards in your hand, except through the permitted communication.

At the beginning of each task, Communication Tokens equal to the number of crew members are made available. Any crew member may use them. Each token can only be used once per task, but individual players may use more than one token.

You may communicate at any time before a trick, but never during a trick. Some tasks require additional preparations before communication is allowed.

To communicate, choose a Color Card from your hand and place it face up in front of you. The card remains part of your hand and can still be played normally. Helicopter Cards cannot be communicated.

Place a Communication Token on the card:

• At the top: This is your highest card of this color.
• In the middle: This is your only card of this color.
• At the bottom: This is your lowest card of this color.

You may only communicate a card that meets one of these conditions. The position of the token cannot be changed, even if the information becomes outdated.

Take a Reminder Card into your hand to remember that you have a communicated card on the table. When you play that card, return the Reminder Card and turn the Communication Token to its red side.

Discarding Tasks

You may discard a maximum of one task per stack per stage. Random Tasks may never be discarded.

All players vote on which task to play or whether to discard a task. All votes must match. If they differ, players can change their votes until everyone agrees.

Delays

Some stage spaces contain disruptions. When moving forward, you must stop the Crew Marker on the space immediately before a disruption. Any remaining movement is lost.

You cannot move past the disruption as normal until your next task. The Time Marker is not affected.

Stage Spaces

Each stage space has its own special rule. The rule that applies is always the one for the space where the Crew Marker is currently located. The Time Marker has no effect on this.

Some Color Cards have symbols that interact with specific stage spaces. These symbols only matter when you are on the corresponding space.

Train

Relax and enjoy the scenery passing by your train window. No special rules apply.

On Foot

Traveling on foot is slower. You must always choose the task with the lower difficulty level. Special and Random Tasks have a difficulty level of 3. In case of a tie, you may choose either task.

Paragliding

The situation changes constantly. Before the first trick, each crew member must place one of their own cards face down in front of them. This card is treated as if it doesn't exist.

Before each trick, the face-down card can be exchanged for another of the player's own cards. The last trick consists of the face-down cards.

Communication is prohibited.

Skis

If the skis (blue 7) are played in a trick, each crew member passes all their cards, including communicated cards, to the player on their left after the trick. The winner of the trick leads the next trick as usual.

Scooter

The player who has the scooter (blue 1) chooses another crew member before the first trick, without discussion, and secretly swaps any card with that player simultaneously.

The 4 Helicopter may not be exchanged.

Bicycle

Only crew members without a bicycle in their hand may communicate. There are 6 Color Cards featuring bicycles.

Helicopter

If at least one Helicopter is involved in a trick, each crew member simultaneously and secretly passes one card to the player on their left after the trick.

Communicated cards may not be passed unless they are the only cards remaining in your hand.

Fog

Deal only the number of cards indicated by the stage space, including the 4 Helicopter. After every trick, each crew member draws one of the remaining cards.

In a three-player game, the Guide starts with one extra card.

Storms

Anyone wishing to communicate must first flip a Communication Token into the air.

If it lands on green, communication is permitted. If it lands on red, communication is not permitted and the token cannot be used again during this round.

Donkey

The stubborn donkey costs time. The Time Marker moves two spaces forward instead of one, regardless of whether the task was completed.

Jeep

After the third trick, each crew member secretly places two cards in the middle of the table. Shuffle these cards and each player takes two of them back.

Communicated cards may not be used.

Machetes

There are 7 Color Cards featuring machetes. Always play all tricks.

The task fails immediately if at least one machete is present in a trick with a total value of:

• 15 or 16 in a three-player game.
• 20 or 21 in a four-player game.
• 25 or 26 in a five-player game.

Dog Sled

Discuss who will steer the dog sled. The chosen crew member decides without discussion which task to choose and whether to discard tasks. All communication requires their permission.

Before each trick, they may also decide whether they want to lead the trick.

Cable Car

If the task fails, the Crew Marker is reset to the first cable car space of the stage.

Ice

If the task fails, the Crew Marker moves one space back.

Cracked Ice

If the task fails, the Crew Marker does not move.

If the task is successful, the Crew Marker moves back by the number of spaces it would otherwise have advanced. It can never move back further than the first space of the stage.

Special Stages

Some stages have predefined tasks instead of Task Cards. Their objectives and special rules are explained in the stage tooltips.

Two-Player Games

In a two-player game, a third crew member called Ghost joins the team. The player without the 4 Helicopter (the Scout) controls Ghost and chooses which of Ghost's face-up cards to play. After each trick, the next face-down card is revealed.