Skull

The first time I played Skull was back in 2013 at a retreat in Illinois. Ever since I was hooked. Designed by Herve Marly of Avalon and Werewolves fame, Skull debuted under the name Skull and Roses but later shortened to Skull. At the time, the “purple” edition was hard to find in the US, and I had to source it from Europe via good ol’ ebay. Since then the game is now published under Space Cowboys and became the “pink” edition that can be found in your FLGS today.

The game is simple: be the first to 2 points or be the last man standing. You accomplish this by winning bids or “skulling” other people. Each player has 4 coaster-like discs (I will call them coasters from now on), 3 of them with flowers on the back and 1 with a skull on the back. In the first phase of the game, everyone will place one coaster down, and continue to place more down until someone decides to start a bid. The second phase then progresses by people bidding higher or passing. The bid is how many placed coasters you can flip over, revealing flowers, without revealing someone’s (or your own) skull. Once everyone except one person has passed, that person becomes known as the “challenger.” In the third phase, or the challenge phase, the challenger first flips over all of their own coasters, then proceeds to flip over other player’s coasters in a top-to-bottom fashion. If the challenger reveals a skull, they have to randomly discard one of their coasters. If all of their coasters are discarded, they are out of hte game. If they flip over the total number of coasters equal to their bid, they receive a point. Then the cycle repeats until someone receives 2 points or has successfully “skull’ed” all of their friends.

The best way I can describe Skull is Poker distilled into its purest form.There is bidding, bluffing, and gambling. Are your friends the type to skull often? Place more coasters down. Are they chaotic neutral type and place coasters blindly? Play the odds. Do they like to “go big or go home?” Put a skull down. Do they look into your innocent eyes and believe in their heart of hearts you would never hurt them? Put a skull down. Games can go from 10 minutes to 2 hours of grueling mind games and hunting for tics in your friend’s grim faces. There is nothing quite like the feeling of exhilaration when you bid the total number of coasters and proceed to flip all the flowers, or the feeling of going out in a blaze of glory when the inevitable skull reveals itself. From the Día de Muertos inspired art to the gripping gameplay, this is the best party game the hobby has to offer.

Why would you like this game: Simple but deep gameplay. Plays up to 6 players (or more if you combine multiple games). You love gambling, bluffing, and/or dopamine hits.

Why would you not like this game: You don’t like intense decision making. You don’t like gambling. You believe coasters are for holding vessels of hydration only.

Similar games: Cockroach Poker (most commonly compared game. I see the similarities, but it is a much lighter game. Also why only one loser?), Liar’s Dice or Dudo.