
- BGG rank
- BGG #33
- BGG rating
- 8.1
Arkham Horror: The Card Game
- 1–2 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2016

Rules assistance for 12 Realms: The Crab
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
12 Realms: The Crab is an expansion for 12 Realms released in 2013 for 1–6 players, 40 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. Its main mechanics are Area Movement and Cooperative Game.
The Crab is a Special Edition Miniature and has special gameplay. If players are able to defeat the Dark Lord of Bone Island, a Crab with a pirate hat remains. To help you, the Crab follows you to every Realm. The Crab offers you additional blue talents to use. Which talents you can use depends on the Dark Lord you defeat on the Bone Island. Used talents from the Crab didn't recover. If all talents from the Crab are spent, the Crab is gone.
12 Realms: The Crab supports 1–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for 12 Realms: The Crab is 40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists 12 Realms: The Crab for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
12 Realms: The Crab has a complexity rating of 2.5 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
12 Realms: The Crab belongs to these categories: Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Area Movement and Cooperative Game. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The catalogue lists 12 Realms: The Crab as an expansion for 12 Realms. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need 12 Realms to use it. Check that your edition of 12 Realms is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.