2013 · Nautical
Skull King
A nautical-themed trick-taking card game in which players simultaneously bid how many tricks they expect to win each round and then play cards to meet that exact bid. Rounds increase in size over ten rounds, with each player dealt a number of cards equal to the round number. Players lead and others follow suit when possible; special unnumbered cards (Escapes, Pirates, Mermaids, Tigress and the Skull King) interact with suit cards and with each other to override normal trick resolution. Scoring rewards exact bids and penalizes over- or under-taking tricks, with special bonuses and penalties for zero bids and for interactions between pirates, mermaids and the Skull King.
- Players
- 2–8 best 6
- Playing time
- 30 min
- Age
- 8+
- Complexity
- 1.7 / 5
About the game
- Design
- Publisher
Expansions
See them in Ludoya
Photos from Ludoya tables
All photos in Ludoya
Where to buy it
Shop prices and second-hand copies, checked every day.
On Ludoya's tables
Full stats in Ludoya- 2,867
- Plays logged
- 2,238
- Players
- 44m 8s
- Average play
- 483
- In collections
- 37
- On wishlists
- 1
- Pre-ordered
7.6/10
from 162 Ludoya reviews
By player count
Mestremuten9.0 Rating: 5/5 Production value: 3/4 Is the game in my collection/Love to have?: 1/1
Played it 76 times
Garfield8.0 #14 Wie Jasse, nur spannender :D [c] Theme: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]None --> Gameplay: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Funny --> Interaction: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Stich --> Artwork: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Nice illustrations --> Luck: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]A lot of luck involved --> Strategy: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]A little bit --> Components: ★★☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Normal cards --> Play duration: ★★★☆☆ <!-- size 7]Ok --> Easy to teach: ★★★★☆ <!-- size 7]Very easy --> Rules quality: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Very good --> Setup time: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Ready to play... --> No downtime: ★★★★★ <!-- size 7]Very fast --> Replay value: ★☆☆☆☆ <!-- size 7]Not much I can think of --> [/c]
No plays logged
Diversión 3/5 · Interacción 3/5 · Atractivo 3/5 · Originalidad 4/5 · Rejugabilidad 3/5 · Accesibilidad 5/5
First impressions · 1 play
Rules questions
Answered from the rulebook by Ludoya's rules assistant.
If I don’t have the suit that was led, do I have to play a trump or a special card?
No. If you don’t have the lead suit, you may play any card; special cards can be played on any turn. (pp. 7–8)
Does the highest-numbered card always win?
No. A card of a different standard suit loses, even if it has a higher number; black trump beats any standard-suit card. (pp. 8–9)
What’s the order of the special cards?
Pirates beat suited cards, the Skull King beats Pirates and suited cards, and Mermaids beat the Skull King and suited cards but lose to Pirates. If a Pirate, Skull King, and Mermaid are all in the same trick, the Mermaid wins. (p. 10)
What happens if an Escape card leads the trick?
The next player sets the lead suit. If they also play an Escape, the next player who plays a card that is not an Escape sets it. (p. 11)
How do I score if I bid zero?
If you take no tricks, score 10 points per card dealt that round; if you take one or more, lose 10 points per card dealt. (p. 12)
Do I get bonus points for captured cards even if I miss my bid?
No. Bonus points for captured 14s and character cards are earned only if you make your bid. (p. 13)
Official score sheet
Skull King score sheet
Every scoring category, from the Ludoya kit. On your phone the totals add up by themselves.
Free, on web, Android and iOS
Play Skull King with Ludoya
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Game facts (players, playing time, age, credits) from BoardGameGeek.