
- BGG rank
- BGG #925
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Santiago
- 2–5 players
- 75 min
- Complexity 2.5/5
- 2003

Rules assistance for Shanghaien: Crazy Captain
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.
Shanghaien: Crazy Captain is an expansion for Shanghaien released in 2009 for 2 players, 20 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Michael Schacht and Roman Pelek and its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling.
This is part 9 of the Abacusspiele Catalogue edition. With the two Crazy Captain extra cards you are able to control your opponent a complete round by blocking several actions. You can find the catalog here: http://www.abacusspiele.de/neueseite/katalog/index.html The extra cards are on the last page
Shanghaien: Crazy Captain supports 2 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 Shanghaien: Crazy Captain is 20 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 Shanghaien: Crazy Captain for ages 8 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.
Shanghaien: Crazy Captain has a complexity rating of 1.7 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.
Shanghaien: Crazy Captain belongs to these categories: Pirates and Expansion for Base-game. Its main mechanics are Set Collection and Dice Rolling. 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 Shanghaien: Crazy Captain are: Michael Schacht and Roman Pelek. 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 Shanghaien: Crazy Captain as an expansion for Shanghaien. Expansions add new content, rules or scenarios to the base game and usually cannot be played on their own, so you need Shanghaien to use it. Check that your edition of Shanghaien is compatible, as some expansions were revised between editions.