
- BGG rank
- BGG #45
- BGG rating
- 8.0
The Crew: Mission Deep Sea
- 2–5 players
- 20 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2021

Rules assistance for Knaves
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

For 3 players
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Knaves is a board game for 3 players and 60 minutes per game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Trick-taking.
Each player tries to win tricks without taking any jacks. This uses a standard deck of 52 cards. In each suit, the cards rank: A (high), K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The entire deck is dealt, except for the last card, which is revealed to determine the trump suit. The player on the dealer's left has the first lead. Each player must then follow the suit of the led card if he can; if a player does not have a card of the suit led, he may play any card he wishes. The trick is won by the highest trump card played, or by the highest card of the suit led if no trumps are present. The winner of the trick leads the next trick. At the end of each hand, each player scores one point for each trick taken, minus points for jacks: hearts = -1 point diamonds = -2 points spades = -3 points clubs = -4 point (Mnemonic: if you have to take a Jack, you would love to take the one which hurts the least. Getting hit with a club hurts the most; getting hit with a spade hurts too, but not as much.) A player may have a negative score. The winner is the first player to reach 20 points.
Knaves supports 3 players according to the catalogue. This is the publisher’s listed player count, so the game is designed for exactly that number of participants. Variants for other group sizes, if any, are described in the rulebook of your edition, so check it before setting up a different configuration.
The listed playing time for Knaves is 60 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.
Knaves 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.
Knaves belongs to these categories: Card Game. Its main mechanics are Hand Management and Trick-taking. 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 Knaves 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.