You’ve Got Crabs

About this board game

You’ve Got Crabs is a team-based card game for 4–10 players that takes about 20 minutes to play. Form teams of two and secretly agree on a non-vocal signal that tells your teammate when you have collected four matching Crab Cards.

Each player begins with a hand of four cards. During a team’s turn, every player on that side may simultaneously swap cards from their hand with cards in the middle of the table, known as the Ocean. Keep watching the cards, build a matching set, and wait for the right moment to send your secret signal.

When your teammate notices the signal, they point at you and shout, “YOU’VE GOT CRABS!” If you really have four of the same Crab Card, your team earns a point. If the accusation is wrong, your team loses a point, so timing and observation matter.

Other teams can also watch for suspicious behavior. If a rival correctly identifies a signal, they steal one of your team’s points. But an incorrect accusation lets you steal a Crab Token from the accusing player.

• Play in teams of two, with up to five teams.
• Collect four matching Crab Cards and communicate without speaking.
• Swap cards simultaneously during your side’s turn.
• Use correct accusations to score—or punish mistakes.

The game ends when the last Crab Token has been taken from the Crab Pot. Teams then count their combined Crab Tokens, and the team with the most wins. A reimplementation of the classic card game Kemps, You’ve Got Crabs changes the card distribution and divides the card-swapping phase by team, creating a focused contest of memory, secrecy, and suspicion.