King-crab derby in the Bering Sea. Outfit a boat, work the grounds, time the market, and beat the rival fleet home. Play a quick one-off derby, or run a multi-season career — sign contracts, fill your quota, build an empire.
Two hundred and forty hours on the water. You outfit one boat, bolt on the gear you can afford, and sign four crew — all from a $1,000,000 stake. Whatever you don’t spend becomes operating cash for fuel, repairs, and trouble at sea. Then it’s simple: find the crab, soak your pots, haul them at the peak, and run your catch to the tender for the best price you can time. Three rival boats are chasing the same water. The fleet is ranked by gross crab sales — but your own season is graded on profit: what’s left after every dollar you spent.
Your three rivals sail the boats you don’t pick. Take a bigger boat and you’re the largest in the fleet — an easier season; take a smaller one and they out-size you — a real fight. You can’t afford everything, so trade boat size against gear and crew.
Sonar and Pot sensors are the big two — they turn guesswork into a plan. The rest buy speed, safety, and stamina. Fit what the budget allows once the boat’s paid for.
Every hand is rated 1–5 stars at Baiting, Setting, Hauling, and Rest recovery — and those stars set how fast each job gets done. Pile a task onto a specialist or split the deck between them. Veterans are strong everywhere; greenhorns are cheap and spiky. Mind the bonuses: the engineer clears breakdowns fast, and a tough hand rarely gets hurt.