Crash & Grab Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• Round Overview
• I. Plan
  • Choose Movement Card
  • Roll Rotation Die
• II. Player Turn
  • 1. Place Your Saucer
  • 2. Start of Turn Upgrade Effects
  • 3. Execute Move
  • 4. Boost
• Saucer Collisions
• Accelerators
• Crewmembers
• Crash Sites
• III. Turn Clean-up
  • 1. Crash Penalties and Rewards
  • 2. Place Crewmembers
  • 3. End of Turn Upgrade Effects
  • 4. Upgrade Your Saucer
• IV. End of Round
  • 1. Place Crashed Saucers
  • 2. Move the Probe
• End of Game
  • Winning
  • Clean-up

Components

• 14 board tiles
• 6 saucer tokens
• 1 placement die
• 1 rotation die
• 6 escape pods
• 24 crewmembers
• 6 saucer mats
• 23 upgrade cards
• 18 movement cards
• 1 probe token
• 4 directional markers
• 14 energy cubes
• 10 booster discs
• 2 override tokens
• 6 reference cards

Game design: Clayton Skancke and Brian Henk. Art: Loic Billiau. Published by Pull the Pin Games.

Setup

1. Board tiles. Place the 14 board tiles in random locations and orientations, but arranged into the grid shown in the rulebook for your player count: a 2x2 grid of tiles for 2-4 players (3-4 saucers), a slightly larger layout for 5 players (5 saucers), and the largest layout for 6 players (6 saucers).

2. Direction markers. Place the four direction markers so that one sits at the top, one at the bottom, one on the left, and one on the right of the board tiles. Their order around the board does not matter.

3. Energy, boosters, and overrides. Make a shared supply pile of booster discs and energy cubes; in a 5-6 player game also make a pile of override tokens. Each player takes 1 energy cube to start.

4. Upgrade cards. In 2-player games, remove the Rotational Stabilizers upgrade card from the deck and return it to the box. Shuffle the remaining upgrade cards to form the Upgrade deck.

5. Saucers and movement cards. Each player picks a color and takes that color's escape pod, saucer mat, and 3 movement cards. Each escape pod should already contain that color's saucer token and 4 crewmembers. In 2-player games, each player instead controls 2 saucers, so each player chooses 2 colors and takes both matching escape pods, saucer mats, and sets of movement cards.

6. Lost crewmembers. Sort all remaining crewmembers into the middle of the table by color and type; these are the "Lost Crewmembers." Pilots must be kept closest to the board, but the other types (Scientist, Doctor, Engineer) can be arranged in any order. In games with 2-5 players, also add the crewmembers belonging to any player color that is not in use.

7. Starting player. Whichever player most recently had something stolen from them takes the Probe token. That player takes the first turn of the game.

8. Place saucers. Starting with the player holding the Probe, each player "places" their saucer on the board by rolling the placement die (see "Placing Crashed Saucers" under End of Round, below).

9. Starting boosters and pilots. How this step works depends on player count:

   • 2 players (4 saucers): The player with the Probe "places" the Pilot of one of their saucers on the board by rolling the placement die. The other player gives one of their saucers a booster and "places" the Pilot of their other saucer (see "Place Crewmembers" under Turn Clean-up, below).
   • 3+ players (3+ saucers): The player to the right of the Probe player takes a booster (this step is skipped in 3-player games). Every saucer that did not already receive a booster or the Probe "places" its Pilot.

Round Overview

Each round follows these steps:

I. Plan

1. Choose a movement card (all players choose simultaneously).
2. Roll the rotation die.

II. Take your turn — starting with the player holding the Probe, each player in turn order does the following:

1. Place your crashed saucer (if needed).
2. Use any start-of-turn upgrade effects.
3. Execute your move.
4. Boost.

III. Clean up the player's turn

1. Apply crash penalties.
2. Place crewmembers.
3. Use any end-of-turn upgrade effects.
4. Upgrade your ship.

IV. End the round

1. Place crashed saucers.
2. Move the Probe.

The following sections explain each of these steps in detail.

I. Plan

Choose Movement Card

Distance: Each turn you select a movement card, which sets the distance you will travel. Cards show either a fixed distance of 2 or 3 spaces, or a "0-5" card that lets you choose the distance on your turn. You may reuse the same movement card on consecutive turns.

Direction: Place the chosen card face-down on your saucer mat so that the corner corresponding to the direction you want to travel touches the notch at the bottom of the mat.

Bonus: If you play a card showing 2 or 3, you also receive a bonus of a booster disc or an energy cube when you later execute your move.

Roll Rotation Die

The player holding the Probe takes the first turn each round. After all players have chosen their movement cards for the round, roll the rotation die to determine whether turn order passes to the left or to the right.

• 2 players: Skip this step; the rotation die is not used in 2-player games. Since each player controls 2 saucers, on your turn you choose which of your saucers moves first, and your other saucer executes its move on your next turn.
• 5-6 players: The player who will go last in turn order takes an override token, letting them move in any direction they like on their turn regardless of the rotation result.
• 6 players: The player who will go second-to-last in turn order also takes an override token.

II. Player Turn

1. Place Your Saucer

If your saucer is not currently on the board, it means an opponent crashed you before your turn came up. Roll the placement die to place it (see "Place Crashed Saucers" under End of Round). You still execute your movement card and get its bonus if it had one, but you may move in any direction rather than the one you chose during the Plan phase.

2. Start of Turn Upgrade Effects

If you hold an upgrade card whose text begins with "at the start of your turn...", this is when you may optionally use it.

3. Execute Move

Turn your chosen movement card face-up and follow the instructions for its type:

• 2-card: Take a booster disc, then move 2 spaces in the direction you chose. Boosters and energy are both unlimited resources — you may hold as many as you like, and if you physically run out, use a substitute to track how many you have.
• 3-card: Take an energy cube, then move 3 spaces in the direction you chose.
• 0-5 card: Choose a number from 0 to 5, then move that many spaces in the direction you chose.

4. Boost

You may spend a booster disc to boost: choose any direction, then move the number of spaces shown on the movement card you played this round. If you chose a 0-5 card, you must boost the same distance you chose during Execute Move — you cannot pick a new value for the boost.

Saucer Collisions

Any time your saucer moves onto (or is pushed onto) a space occupied by another saucer, you collide with it. Resolve the collision as follows:

• You stop. You occupy the space the other saucer was on instead of completing any remaining movement.
• The other saucer executes your remaining movement. Starting from the space it was occupying, it moves the number of spaces you still had left to travel, in the direction you were traveling when you hit it.

Accelerators

When you would normally move onto or through a space containing an Accelerator, you stop on that space instead and do not execute any remaining movement. Then you move again as follows:

• Distance: You always travel the distance you were moving when you reached the Accelerator, counted starting from the Accelerator's space. For example, if you were traveling 3 spaces total but reached the Accelerator after only 1 space, you must then travel exactly 3 spaces starting from the Accelerator.
• Direction: If it is your turn, you choose the direction. If it is not your turn — meaning another saucer's collision pushed you onto the Accelerator — you must move in the direction that saucer was traveling when it collided with you.

Crewmembers

Throughout the game you pick up and steal crewmembers to fill your saucer mat.

• Picking up: Your saucer moves through crewmembers rather than stopping on them, the way it does with Accelerators and other saucers. Whenever you enter or pass through a space holding a crewmember, immediately pick it up and place it on your saucer mat.
• Color matching: A crewmember matching your player color can never be stolen from you once you have it. A crewmember that doesn't match your color ("off-colored") can be stolen from you if another saucer later crashes you (see Crash Penalties, below).
• Stationed crewmembers: The first crewmember of a given type you pick up occupies that type's station on your saucer mat and becomes "stationed." If a stationed crewmember is later stolen from you, any extra crewmember of that type you're holding immediately becomes the new stationed one.
• Extra crewmembers: If you pick up another crewmember of a type you already have stationed, stack it on top of the existing one. Keep any of your own color at the bottom of the stack, so it's clear to everyone which crewmembers on top are available to be stolen.
• Passing crewmembers: In 2-player games where you control more than one saucer, your saucers can hand crewmembers back and forth. Whenever one of your saucers moves to within 1 space (orthogonally) of your other saucer, either or both saucers may transfer any or all crewmembers of their own color to the other saucer.

Crash Sites

Your saucer moves through Crash Sites the same way it moves through crewmembers — it does not stop on them the way it does on Accelerators and saucers. Crash Sites are the numbered spaces where crewmembers and saucers get placed onto the board (see Place Crewmembers and Place Crashed Saucers, below).

III. Turn Clean-up

At the end of a player's turn, resolve the following in order.

1. Crash Penalties and Rewards

If your saucer moves off the edge of the board, it crashes. What happens next depends on whose turn it is:

If your saucer crashes on your own turn:

• Lose a crewmember: If your saucer holds any off-colored crewmembers, give one to the opponent with the fewest total stationed crewmembers. If there is a tie, you choose which of the tied opponents receives it.
• In 2-player games where you control 2 saucers, one of your saucers crashing the other counts as that saucer crashing on its own turn, and triggers the Lose a Crewmember penalty for whichever saucer's turn it currently is.

If your saucer crashes and it is NOT your turn (an opponent crashed you), the player whose turn it is chooses one of the following:

• Steal a crewmember: Take one off-colored crewmember from you, as long as that player has at least as many stationed crewmembers as you do.
• or Energize: Take an energy cube from the supply instead. Energy is an unlimited resource, so if the supply runs out, use a substitute to track it.

2. Place Crewmembers

For each crewmember that was picked up from the board on your turn (even one you picked up by pushing another saucer into it), do the following:

1. Choose a Lost Crewmember from the front of that color's queue.
2. Roll the placement die.
3. Place the chosen crewmember on the Crash Site matching the number rolled. If that Crash Site is already occupied by a saucer or another crewmember, increase the rolled number by 1 repeatedly until you reach an unoccupied Crash Site (wrapping from 12 back around to 1).

By the end of the turn, the number of crewmembers on the board should always match the count at the start of the game — the only exception is if the Lost Crewmembers run out before the game has ended.

3. End of Turn Upgrade Effects

If you hold an upgrade card whose text begins with "at the end of your turn...", this is when you may optionally use it.

4. Upgrade Your Saucer

You may trade in 2 energy cubes to draw 2 upgrade cards, keeping one face-up in front of you as a permanent ability and discarding the other. There is no limit to how many upgrades you may collect, and using an upgrade's ability is always optional. If the Upgrade deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to form a new deck.

You cannot use an upgrade on the same turn you acquire it, so the next player can take their turn while you decide which upgrade to keep. End-of-turn upgrades, however, can be used starting the same round in which they were acquired.

IV. End of Round

At the end of the round, do the following:

1. Place Crashed Saucers

If any saucers crashed during the round, place them the same way crewmembers are placed (see Place Crewmembers, above), starting with the player holding the Probe and going clockwise. Roll the placement die and place the saucer on the matching Crash Site. If that Crash Site is already occupied by a saucer or crewmember, increase the rolled number by 1 repeatedly until you reach an unoccupied Crash Site (wrapping from 12 back around to 1).

2. Move the Probe

Whoever holds the Probe takes the first turn of the next round. The player with the fewest stationed crewmembers across their saucer(s) takes the Probe. In 2-player games, combine the stationed crewmembers on both of a player's saucers to determine who has the fewest. If there is a tie, the Probe goes to whichever of the tied players went last in the previous round.

End of Game

Winning

You win immediately once you have a crewmember at every station on your saucer — a Pilot, a Scientist, a Doctor, and an Engineer of any color(s) (both saucers, in 2-player games). If you grab your winning crewmember as your saucer crashes off the edge of the board, you win immediately, before having to resolve that crash's penalty.

Clean-up

To make the next game faster to set up, pack each color's components back into its escape pod "matchbox." Make sure each pod contains, matching its color:

• 1 energy cube
• 1 saucer
• 4 crewmembers