- BGG rating
- 7.0
Crash Octopus: Pink Pirates
- 2–5 players
- 20–40 min
- 2022
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,171
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Crash Octopus
2021
Rules assistance for Crash Octopus
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–5 players
- 20–30 min
- 7+
- Complexity 1.4/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for Crash Octopus
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Crash Octopus is a board game released in 2021 for 1–5 players, 20–30 minutes per game, and ages 7 and up. It was designed by Naotaka Shimamoto and its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Flicking.
Expansions
About the game
"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!
Mechanics
Designers
Publishers
- SD Games
- funbot
- CMON Global Limited
- Bloom Games (I)
- itten
- Atalia
Questions and answers
Crash Octopus supports 1–5 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 Crash Octopus is 20–30 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 Crash Octopus for ages 7 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.
Crash Octopus has a complexity rating of 1.4 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a 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.
Crash Octopus belongs to these categories: Fantasy, Animals, and Party Game. Its main mechanics are Push Your Luck, Dice Rolling, and Flicking. 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 credited designers of Crash Octopus are: Naotaka Shimamoto. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Crash Octopus as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.