Crab Rage!, an Area-Control Game by Osprey Games
Crab Rage! is a board game designed by Pim Thunborg for publisher Osprey Games, illustrated by Bonedust. Each player leads a team of wrestling crabs competing in arenas to win the legendary Golden Claw. The game combines area control with muscle dice management representing the crabs' strength, spiced up with temporary alliances and betrayals between players. Its originality lies in the contrast between its cartoonish art style and the tactical depth of its interaction mechanics.
Setup and Gameplay
Each player picks a team, takes their board, crab dice, and rage tokens. Arena tiles are placed in the center of the table, and each player places a first crab with its starting muscle value. On their turn, a player moves crabs between arenas, spends rage tokens to trigger signature moves, and can form or break alliances. At the end of each round, a Rumble pits the forces present in each arena against each other: the team with the highest total muscle takes control and gains fans.
Win Conditions and End of Game
The game is played over four rounds. After the fourth, each player tallies the fans gathered in the arenas they control, converted into glory points. The player with the most glory wins the game and claims the Golden Claw.
