2. PHASES
Get away! Don’t let her wait so long!...
1. BACKGROUND STRORY
Most of the crabs spend their live in the sea. The female crab returns to the deep water after
lays her eggs in the shallow water. The eggs hatch there. That baby crabs; which are known
as zoea; move to the deeper sea level. Then, they change their shape to the next phase;
megalopa; when they go onto the bottom of the sea because they are heavy now. They
growing up to the juvenile phase before they become adults crab. PHASES is about a male
zoea who have to go through his life’s phases to meet the female who is looking for her soul
mate.
2. THE GAME
PHASES is a turn – based game for two to six players. The goal of the game is to meet the
female who is called Ms Crab in this game. In general, the players rolling their own dice,
place it arbitrary in one of the life level, and moving the crab piece on the board in a turn. On
the board there are 51 small boxes as the path where the players move their pieces. In each
phase, there are certain numbers of boxes where they have to go until they pass the last box
and get in the next phase. There are several characters; who can help the player or distract
them; which can be found in the game pieces.
3. NEEDED TO PLAY 5) b) PROTECTOR BASE
a. CRAB BOARD
5) c) CLOWN CRAB BASE
4) LIFE LEVEL
5) a) FOOD BASE
1) HOME BASE
A BOX
3) MS CRAB BASE
2) d) ADULT PHASE
2) c) JUVENILE PHASE
2) b) MEGALOPA PHASE
2) a) ZOEA PHASE
1) HOME BASE dice
This is where the players put the pieces of
their crabs, dice, and the cards of food, lives,
and protector supplies.
3. 2) PHASES
Each phase is divided into several boxes. The boxes which are pointed in the
picture above is the start of the phases.
a) ZOEA
There are 20 boxes including
plankton, predator and
protector boxes. In plankton
box, the player gain a number of 1 food 2 foods 3 foods
foods depends on how many planktons
are there. In predator box, the players
loose a number of lives which is stated
in there. There are also some protector
Loose 1 life
boxes. In protector box, player get one protector card.
b) MEGALOPA
There are 15 boxes. There are also plankton boxes,
predator boxes, and protector boxes, but with less
amount than zoea phase.
Protector
c) JUVENILE
There are 11 boxes which only include
predator and protector boxes.
d) ADULT
There are 5 boxes, include two predator Loose 2 lives Loose 3 lives
boxes. In this phase, there is a special challenge
where the player can get the other player back to
the first box of the Juvenile phase and have all of
that player’s foods when he comes to the same box
as that player during his turn. Moreover, one of the
Barnacle
predator is a barnacle. If they get in that, they have
to start from thebegining of the megalopa phase.
3) MS CRAB BASE
Place to put the female crab piece.
4) LIFE LEVEL
Players make their own decision to put the dice between levels 1 to 6 which
can give them clown crab/life. Maximum lives given are the same with the
level number. Level six cannot give the player more than six lives.
If the next player has the same or more dice scores than the player before, he
can choose the level under that player’s level or above it. For the level under,
he can get the different amount between those levels to decrease that player’s
life. However, he cannot decrease that life if he chooses the higher level or
get fewer amounts for his dice score. The possibility to gain or lose life
depends on the next take turn player.
4. 5) GENERAL BASE
It is used to put the game card;
a) FOOD BASE
b) PROTECTOR BASE
c) CLOWN CRAB BASE
b. DICE
Each player has their own dice and it is different in each phase. The numbers
which are come out from the rolling are summed to decide after how many
boxes the player can move. In a turn, there is only one chance to roll it. In some
phases, they can get picture in a die or pictures in their dice; picture does not
counted as a number. These pictures represent the amount of foods and
protectors that the player can get. Each picture means one food or protector.
1) ZOEA DICE
The dice numbers are from 1 to 6.
2) MEGALOPA DICE
It has numbers from 1 to 5 and one other side
represent food. (If the players get 1 picture of
fish, he gets one food. Getting the picture of
small mollusk and aquatic plant means two
foods.)
3) JUVENILE DICE
It has numbers from 1 to 4 and two other sides
represent food (fish; plant).
4) ADULT DICE
It has only 1 number and five other sides
represent food and protector. (clam, oyster, and
mussel; algae and sea lettuce; eel grass and fish)
c. GAME PIECES
for zoea for megalopa for juvenile for adult Ms Crab
1) PLAYER’S CRABS
There are certain crabs to be used in the certain phase.
2) MS CRAB
She is placed in the centre of the board.
d. CARDS
1) CLOWN CRAB
He is the symbol of life. Each of it represents the number of the players’
lives. By collecting 5 lives, the player can move forward one box. Each
5. player has free three lives in the beginning. Loose life during the game
means start over from the first phase.
2) PROTECTOR
There are some protectors; found on the board or at the dice surfaces. The
player can save this piece and have the chance to safe their life while he gets
on a predator box. Each of it can only be used once.
a) OYSTER’S SHELLS
They occur in the first phase board.
b) SPONGES AND ANEMONE
They protect the player in the next
phase. However, if the player get
anemone, they have to lose half of
their food supplies.
3) FOOD
Although there are almost different kinds of food in each phase,
their function is the same. The player can change 5 of their food
supplies to one clown crab (life). However, they can do that as
long as the food is for the right phase and they have not died yet.
Plankton is only for zoea and megalopa phases. Players cannot use this
plankton for the other phases. The other kind of food for each phase is
defined in the dice explanation.
After it is used, these cards must be put back in the general base.
4. GAMEPLAY
a. SET THE GAME
Each player is given: 4 crab pieces, 3 clown crabs, 4 kinds of phases’ dice. Put the
game pieces on its given place as it is explained above.
b. PLAY IT
Players roll their zoea dice together. The turn goes from the one with the largest
number to the smallest number. Player roll his dice (the player re –roll his dice only
for the first turn), put it on one of the life level (subjective decision) and move his
piece according to his dice score. They always move in the direction of the next
phase. The game end when one of the adult crabs reaches Ms Crab.
5. UNIQUE SELLING POINT
One of the things that make this game different is the oval crab board instead of using the
common square board. Moreover, this game is based on the real life cycle of crab which is
good for learning. It is also played using strategy which helps the player to build up more
neuron-connections. There are different challenges in each phase. The rule which is used in
the life level gives the player chance to cut the other player’s lives while their own life is still
a mystery. In addition, the most unusual thing is the dice system which can also limit the
player movement when they almost come to the last phase. The layout of this game also
gives more fun as it is made in cartoonish style.
