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"We lost our way and sailed into a nightmare. All our cargo was thrown overboard, and now we must save that precious cargo — as well as our captain! — and escape from the raging gigantic octopus from the deep."
In Crash Octopus, players race to collect cargo that's floating in the ocean, while surrounded by a horrifically giant octopus. The first player who collects all five types of cargo on their ship wins.
The game is played by using the table as the landscape, with a string perimeter around the playing area. To set up, place the octopus head at the center of the playing area, surrounded by the tentacles spread out at an equal distance, then the player ships and anchors outside of the tentacles near the perimeter. Finally, you drop all the cargo onto the playing area by bouncing it off the octopus' head.
On a turn, a player uses their flag to either navigate — by flicking the anchor next to their ship, then moving their ship to touch the anchor — or flick cargo. Cargo comes in five types — goblet, chest, gem, gold, and captain (yes, really!) — and you can flick any type of cargo that's not on your ship toward your ship. The only exception is that you can't flick the single cargo item closest to your ship. If the flicked cargo misses your ship, your turn ends; if it hits your ship, you load that cargo, then advance the cargo tracker, which is a string of beads on the perimeter.
If you advance a black bead on the cargo tracker, the octopus attacks! Each player takes a turn dropping a die and bouncing it off the octopus' head, possibly moving the head or a tentacle to get in the way of others picking up cargo and possibly knocking cargo off a ship. What a setback!
- table presence looks fantastic
- quick and chaotic in a fun way
- may not hit the same level of engagement as other dexterity games
- less weight compared to some favorites
- Men at Work
- Sealon flicks
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dexterity flicking / table presence — flicking treasures toward ships; octopus head and tentacles introduce chaos and timing
- Flicking — flicking treasures toward ships; octopus head and tentacles introduce chaos and timing
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I really liked it first of all I had a really good time with the White Castle
- I was blown away by Scout
- Earth is my favorite out of all four of those games so far
- it's pure Mayhem
References (from this video)
- quick to teach and quick to play
- unique take on dexterity mechanics (flags and spinning) rather than finger flicks
- great table presence and photogenic components
- plenty of stories and memorable moments during play
- treasure loading and octopus attacks
- treasure island with an octopus mechanic and boats
- Crocodile
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dexterity-based flicking using flags — Players flick flags attached to boats to load treasure tokens onto their boat
- end game bonuses — Endgame can be decided by a final octopus attack, with the winner determined by the last successful hit
- end-of-round tension and last-shot swing — Endgame can be decided by a final octopus attack, with the winner determined by the last successful hit
- Flicking — Players flick flags attached to boats to load treasure tokens onto their boat
- octopus attack die mechanic — A die is dropped on the octopus head to determine whether to move treasure, move the octopus head, or move a tentacle; attacks knock items off boats
- treasure loading objective — Aim to load one of each treasure type onto your boat as quickly as possible
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it was a blast we played this at a board game cafe
- Murano is a rondelle style game
- the teach for this game is lightning fast
- i rate terraforming mars the board game a 10 out of 10
- aries expedition will likely replace terraforming mars the base game for him
References (from this video)
- fun, silly theme
- easy to teach
- availability and language variants may vary
- dexterity-flicking with an octopus centerpiece
- ocean/underwater theme
- silly/familial
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area_control — targets score points via interaction with ships
- Flicking — flick dice to impact a central octopus and knock over ships
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Dexterity games it's a sport-like element, there's almost a sport aspect to a dexterity game.
- we love to hate games, we love to hate.
- Strike is a ton of fun and is accessible for a big group.
- it's not only like rewarding when you're actually able to make some really awesome throws but it's not like really complicated.
- there's social contract at the table of like we're around a table and it's okay to be a troll and to like cut people out of deals but there's that level you can take it.
- this is the best real time game that I have in my collection.
References (from this video)
- Ridiculous look and potential for chaotic fun
- Fast, party-oriented play that can generate laughs
- Not yet played by narrator, so initial impressions are speculative
- dexterity chaos with nautical/oceanic flair
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- dexterity-based placement — Players drop or flick pieces onto a central octopus target to score points.
- flick/throw mechanic — Uses a flag dowel to flick pieces toward ships, introducing a skill-based element.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a very volatile month for the collection
- i don't mind doing it it's fine just going all the way through
- it's a lot of work and i haven't done most of those yet but it's packed
- this video is easily winning which did not surprise me at all
- i love mechanics in games
- i figured other people might want to know that that existed
- thanks for watching