# Skull King

Skull King is a board game for 2–8 players. It plays in 30 minutes and is meant for ages 8 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 5. It is rated 7.5 out of 10 by 153 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $15.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–8 (best with 5)
- **Playing time:** 30 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 8+
- **Complexity:** 1.7 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2013
- **Categories:** Card Game, Nautical, Pirates
- **Mechanics:** Trick-taking, Hand Management, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Predictive Bid
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.5 out of 10, from 153 reviews
- **Owned by:** 447 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 2,842
- **Unique players:** 2,146

**Designers:** Brent Beck, Jeffrey Beck

**Artists:** David Bock, Eckhard Freytag, Apryl Stott

**Publishers:** Grandpa Beck's Games

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Cardhaus Games | 15.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/skull-king/ |
| Miniature Market | 19.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/skull-king-gpb3056.html |
| 401 Games | 19.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/skull-king |
| Board Game Bliss | 19.95 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/skull-king-black-box-grandpa-becks-games-edition-new-edition |
| eFantasy | 16.99 € | https://www.efantasy.gr/en/products/board-games/295283-board-game-skull-king |
| TLAMA games | 319 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/skull-king--kral-lebek/ |
| Dragons Lair | 159 kr | https://dragonslair.se/products/skull-king-kopia |
| Zatu Games | 12.75 £ | https://zatu.com/products/skull-king |
| Games Empire | 23.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/skull-king |
| Uplay | 14.99 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-skull-king.html |
| Good Games | 24.95 $ | https://www.goodgames.com.au/products/skull-king |
| Pelipeikko | 15.95 € | https://pelipeikko.fi/fi/lautapelit/3161-skull-king-nordic |
| Spelexperten | 185 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/kortspel/skull-king-swe.html |
| Spielezar | 15.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/kartenspiele/skull-king-rav |
| Fantasiapelit | 17.4 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_236582 |
| La Gameria | 17.95 € | https://gameria.es/juegos-de-mesa/skull-king-13371.html |
| Zacatrus | 18 € | https://zacatrus.es/skull-king-2023.html |
| Va de jocs | 18 € | https://vadejocs.es/producto/skull-king |
| Game Ninja | 199 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/skull-king-nordic/ |
| Homoludicus Granollers | 20 € | https://homoludicus-granollers.org/skull-king |
| Goblin Trader Barcelona | 20 € | https://www.goblintrader.es/es/inicio/48473-skull-king-castellano-8436607940418.html |
| Alphaspel | 229 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/112257-skull-king-eng-regler |

## Expansions

- [Skull King: Expansion Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/skull-king-expansion-pack)

## Similar games

- [Skull Queen](https://www.ludoya.com/games/skull-queen)
- [Wizard: Jubiläumsedition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/wizard-jubilaumsedition)
- [500](https://www.ludoya.com/games/500)
- [Charms](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dois)
- [Twinkle Starship](https://www.ludoya.com/games/egment-trix)
- [Wizard](https://www.ludoya.com/games/wizard)
- [Ninety-Nine](https://www.ludoya.com/games/ninety-nine)
- [luz](https://www.ludoya.com/games/luz)
- [Scharfe Schoten](https://www.ludoya.com/games/scharfe-schoten)
- [Inflation!](https://www.ludoya.com/games/zimbabweee-trick)
- [Torchlit](https://www.ludoya.com/games/torchlit)
- [9 Lives](https://www.ludoya.com/games/9-lives)

## Rules questions

### Do I have to follow suit, or can I play a special card instead?

You must normally follow the suit led, but special cards (Escape, Pirate, Mermaid, Scary Mary, Skull King) may be played at any time — even if you could follow suit (see pages 1 and 8).

### How does Scary Mary work — can I play it as a Pirate or an Escape?

Scary Mary may be played either as a Pirate or as an Escape, and the player must announce which function they are using when they play it (see pages 2 and 8).

### If both the Skull King and a Mermaid are played in the same trick, who wins?

If the Mermaid and Skull King are in the same trick the Mermaid always wins the trick, and capturing the Skull King with a Mermaid yields a 50‑point bonus (see pages 1 and 2).

### Does the Skull King give bonus points when he wins tricks that contain Pirate cards, and does Scary Mary count as a Pirate?

Yes — if the Skull King wins a trick that contains one or more Pirate cards, the Skull King’s player gets +30 points per Pirate, and Scary Mary always counts as a Pirate for that bonus regardless of how she was played (see pages 2 and 8).

### What happens if everyone plays an Escape card in the same trick?

If every player plays an Escape in a trick, the trick is won by the player who played the first Escape card (see pages 1 and 8).

### How are bids scored, and what special rule applies to a "no tricks" (zero) bid?

A correct bid scores 20 points per trick; an incorrect non‑zero bid is penalized −10 points per trick difference; a successful zero bid scores the current round number ×10 points, while a failed zero bid is penalized by that same round×10 amount (see pages 2 and 8).

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/skull-king)
- [Skull King in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/skull-king)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150145)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._