Thoughts on… Skull


 

There’s a pub in town with a table, a table that seats 6. Go down to that pub tonight and maybe you’ll see them there. They may seem normal at first, but at some point one of them will reach down into their bag and draw out a small box. That box transforms this normal friendly group into silence. A silence sealed in place by a grasping cloying tension. Until with a snap that tension is released in an explosion of cries and laughter. Yet while you’re still reeling from the shock they’re back at it focused, determined, taught. On and on it goes like this, a cycle of emotions, endless. Where is this pub? Why, it could be anywhere. And what is in that box? That, my friend, is Skull.

Skull in Play

Skull is the quintessential bluffing game. Some may think that title should go to Poker, but those are people who haven’t played Skull. It distils out the tension of Poker and focuses it, filtering out Poker’s bulk and leaving a purer, crystal clear vodka shot of Poker’s complex cocktail of elements. Knock back a shot of Skull and let its warmth envelop you!

With its tiny box, containing little more than 30 cardboard tiles, it seems an audacious claim to be making. Yet with only 4 tiles per player, and a spare mat each to track your score, this game takes the legendary bluffing of poker and runs with it. No longer does it matter what someone may have had in their hand, you all have the same hand. There is no luck of the cards, and there is no need for gambling to make the game fun. Instead it’s just a question of how well do you know your friends? You may be surprised by the answer.

Skull Hand

Everyone will get a hand containing 3 tiles displaying a rose and 1 displaying a skull. Then everyone takes it in turn, laying one of these tiles face down in a pile in front of them. As soon as everyone has one down, you have a choice, you can lay down another tile, or you can start betting. “I bet 4,” someone says.

They’re not talking about Poker chips either. They’re betting they can flip over 4 tiles, starting with their own, and reveal only roses. Now you face a different choice. Can you find more? Maybe you feel brave: “5!” you boldly proclaim. No one raises and you’re left on your own, the centre of attention. Flip your own tiles and they’re all roses (I hope), but now where to go? Which one of your devious friends has a skull on top, waiting to sink its teeth into your soft juicy flesh?

Skull Confusion
A classic case of “Skull face”

Surely the player who started the bidding is safe. They wouldn’t have bet 4 if they had a skull waiting… would they? Was it all a ploy to begin with?? The game is filled with these tension climaxes, as the challenger reaches out and flips a tile, them willing for a rose, everyone else willing for a skull. No one switches off from this game, even when you’ve backed out, you’re invested the whole way.

The key to generating this tension is the huge rewards for winning, and the devastating punishment for failing. Win a round, and you flip the scoring tile in front of you to its sleeker, black side. Do it again and you’ve won the game! But if you hit a skull it will go off like a landmine, forcing you to discard one of your four tiles, limiting your options and potentially, if you are unlucky, taking your skull and leaving you teethless. Keep losing tiles and eventually you’ll be out of the game entirely! But you won’t be out of the game for long.

Skull rattles along at a relentless pace. A round can be over in a matter of seconds, a game in a matter of minutes. But then you reset and start again. It’s the perfect game to start an evening of gaming, or to end an evening of… pretty much anything! Let it fill 10 minutes or a couple of hours!

Skull in a bar

I started this review by talking of a pub, and I want to return there. Because Skull is a perfect pub game. Not only does it have a tiny footprint, it’s all played in the minds of the players. And alcohol just makes this game better. More instinct, more pushing your luck, and more laughter. It’s also simple enough for drunk people to learn. Hell, there isn’t anything to learn! The bluffing comes perfectly naturally. Just don’t put your beer on the beer mat shaped playing tiles…

So the final question is as before, just how well do you know your friends? Can you spot that flash of triumph in their eyes as you reach for their tile? How far can you push your own Poker face when they stakes are high? Can you bluff them off your roses, or onto your skulls? Will you rot away with the skulls? Or come up smelling of roses?

 

Rating: Triple Distilled


 

The final image of this article is from Board Game Geek user Teenwolfdude.

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