I'm A Little Crabby: How To Play

Summary

In 'I'm a Little Crabby,' players form teams of two and create a secret, non-vocal signal to communicate. The goal is to collect four matching cards in hand and use the secret signal to alert your teammate. If the teammate identifies the signal and correctly says 'You're a little crabby,' the team scores points. However, opponents can accuse players of signaling incorrectly, leading to penalties. The game ends when there are no more crab tokens in The Crab Pot, and the team with the most points wins. Strategy, observation, and quick thinking are key in this fun and competitive game!

Takeaways

• 😀 Split into teams of two, with the option of a three-player team if needed.
• 😀 Each team creates a secret, non-vocal signal that they will use to communicate when they have four of a kind in hand.
• 😀 Players take turns swapping cards with cards from the 'ocean' (center of the table) to get four of a kind.
• 😀 Once a player has four matching cards, they use their secret signal to try to communicate with their partner.
• 😀 If a teammate correctly identifies the signal and shouts 'You're a little crabby!', the team earns a point.
• 😀 Opponents can also guess the secret signal. If they’re correct, the team loses a point.
• 😀 Players cannot verbally communicate during the game, and secret signals must be visible to their partner but not obvious to opponents.
• 😀 If a teammate incorrectly accuses someone of having four of a kind, that team loses a point and returns a crab token.
• 😀 If an opponent incorrectly accuses someone, they must give a crab token to the accused player.
• 😀 The game continues until there are no more crab tokens in the Crab Pot. The team with the most crab tokens wins.
• 😀 If there is a tie, the teams that are tied continue playing until one team scores the next point and wins.

Q & A

What is the goal of the game 'I'm a Little Crabby'?

The goal of the game is to collect four matching cards (a four-of-a-kind) in your hand and communicate this to your partner using a secret signal to score points. The team with the most points, represented by crab tokens, wins the game.

How do players form teams in the game?

Players are divided into teams of two. If there is an odd number of players, one team can consist of three players, and that's acceptable for the game.

What are the restrictions for choosing a secret signal?

The secret signal must be non-vocal (no words or numbers) and cannot involve actions that other players cannot see, such as foot gestures under the table.

How is the game set up before playing?

To set up the game, players divide into teams, decide on secret signals, shuffle the deck, and deal four cards to each player. Two crab tokens are given to each player, and eight crab tokens are placed in the box lid. The game is played across two sides of the table with the crabbing license indicating whose turn it is.

How do players take turns during the game?

There are no individual turns; instead, one side of the table plays at the same time. Players swap cards from the 'ocean' (center of the table) to their hand to try to complete a four-of-a-kind. Once they achieve four matching cards, they signal their partner using their secret signal.

What happens when a player successfully signals they have four of a kind?

If a player performs their secret signal and their partner identifies it correctly, they earn a point (crab token). The team then discards the matching cards, draws four new cards, and the game continues.

What occurs if an opponent sees a player's secret signal?

If an opponent sees a player's secret signal and correctly calls out 'You're a little crabby,' the player loses a point and must give one of their crab tokens to the opponent. They then discard their cards and draw four new ones.

What happens if a player’s partner falsely accuses them of having a four-of-a-kind?

If a player’s partner falsely accuses them of having a four-of-a-kind, the team loses a point and must return one of their crab tokens to the Crab Pot. The player does not have to reveal or discard their hand.

How is the game continued after a side of the table has finished their turn?

Once a side of the table has finished their turn, by placing their cards face down, the crabbing license is passed to the other side. The new side then begins taking turns by swapping cards to complete a four-of-a-kind.

What happens when the 'ocean' runs out of cards?

When no one wants any more cards from the ocean, the ocean is replenished by drawing four new cards from the deck. If the draw pile is empty, the discard pile is reshuffled to create a new draw pile.

How does the game end?

The game ends when there are no more crab tokens left in the Crab Pot. Players then count up their crab tokens, and the team with the most tokens wins. If there is a tie, the tied teams continue playing, and the next team to score a point wins the game.