Overview

Skull King is a trick-taking game in which you attempt to bid the exact number of tricks you think you will win each round.

You’ll battle with your rivals as you strive to keep your own bid afloat... while seizing opportunities to also sink your opponents (and their bids)!

The pirate with the highest score at the end of the game wins and earns the title of Pirate Captain of the Seven Seas!

Key Terms

For those unfamiliar with these waters.

A Trick: Consists of each player, in clockwise order, playing 1 card face-up to the table. The person who plays the highest valued card wins and takes all the cards played in that trick.

Round: Consisting of 1 or more tricks. The number of tricks in a round is determined by the number of cards dealt. A round begins by dealing cards and ends when all cards dealt have been played.

Example: In the third round, 3 cards are dealt so 3 tricks will be played that round.

Suit: Suit cards are the numbered cards (1-14) in four colors: Parrots (green), Pirate Maps (purple), Treasure Chests (Yellow) & Jolly Roger flags (black).

Superior Suit: All black bordered cards (Jolly Roger maps) form the "superior" suit. Every card in black ranked higher than all the cards of the other three colors of numbered cards.

Example: The number 14 of green (Parrots) is of lower rank than the number 1 of black (Jolly Roger) because black is the superior suit.

Leading and Following Suit: The first card played in a trick sets the pattern (the 'lead' suit) that must be followed. All following players must play a card of that same suit (if they have one).

Important: Cards without numbers do not need to 'follow suit!'

Dealing Cards

Skull King is played over 10 rounds. 1 card is dealt to each player in the first round, 2 are dealt in the second, and so on, ending with 10 cards dealt to each player in round 10.

The entire deck, including all cards played in the previous round, is shuffled together and redealt at the start of each round.

Bidding

After the cards are dealt and you’ve studied your hand, you must decide the exact number of tricks you predict you will win in that round.

Remember, the higher a card’s value, the more likely you are to win a trick.

Be sure to acquaint yourself with all the Special Cards too (see below)!

Numbered Cards

There are 4 suits of numbered cards in the deck. Each suit contains cards numbered from 1 to 14.

There are three standard suits: Parrots (green), Treasure Chests (yellow), Treasure Maps (purple), and one superior suit: Jolly Roger (black).

Each and every Jolly Roger (black) card outranks all cards in the other three standard suits.

If any numbered suit card is played first in a trick (even a black card), all other players must 'follow suit' and play a card from their hand of that same suit if they have one (if they are going to play a numbered card). This means that you cannot play a black card if you have a card in the suit that was lead!

Important: Cards without numbers are NOT suit cards and may be played regardless of what was led.

If you do not have a card in the suit that was lead, you may play any other suit card including a Jolly Roger (black) card.

If all cards played are the same suit, the highest numbered card in that suit would win the trick. But if a black card was played, its rank is superior and it will beat any standard suit card, even a standard suit card of a greater number value. If more than one black card was played, the highest numbered black card would win the trick.

Special Cards

Special cards allow you to override the rules that govern numbered cards. You can choose to play a special card in any trick, even if you would normally be required to follow suit.

Escape (qty: 5): An Escape card loses to all other cards. Escape cards can be handy to help you meet your bid by 'not winning' more tricks than you want.

Pirate (qty: 5): A Pirate card beats all numbered cards. They are of equal rank with each other, so if more than one Pirate card is played in a trick, the person who played the first Pirate card wins the trick.

Tigress (qty: 1): The cunning Tigress chooses her battles wisely. When you play the Tigress, you must declare whether she will count as a Pirate card or as an Escape card: the choice is yours! She takes on all characteristics of either a Pirate or an Escape.

Skull King (qty: 1): As the scourge of the seas, the Skull King is superior to all other Pirates! He beats all numbered cards and beats all Pirates (including the Tigress). The only card that can defeat the Skull King is the Mermaid, luring him into the sea with their precious treasure!

Mermaid (qty: 2): A Mermaid card beats all numbered cards but loses to all of the Pirate cards (including the Tigress, when played as a Pirate), with the exception of the Skull King. If both Mermaids are played in the same trick, the first one played takes precedence.

Note: If a Pirate, the Skull King, and a Mermaid are all played in the same trick, the Mermaid wins the trick, regardless of order of play. (For scoring purposes, only the Mermaid's "capturing the Skull King" bonus is earned. See Bonus Points, below).

Leading with Special Cards

When you lead a trick, you may choose to play either a suit card (even a black card) or a special card.

When a special card is led, the rules for the 'lead suit' are altered as follows:

Leading with an Escape: When an Escape, Tigress (as an Escape), or Loot card (see Expansion Cards, below) is lead, the next player sets the lead suit that must be followed, unless they play one of these as well, which would defer setting the suit to the next player.

Leading with a Character: When a Mermaid, Pirate, Skull King, Tigress (as a Pirate), Kraken, or White Whale (see Expansion Cards, below) leads a trick, there is no suit to follow for that trick. Each other player may play any card they choose.

Turn Sequence

For each round, once bidding is complete, the player to the left of the 'dealer' leads the first trick by playing a card. In clockwise order, each other player plays a card following the rules outlined in the previous sections. The person who played the highest-ranking card wins the trick and plays a card to lead the next trick.

Play continues until all the tricks in that round have been played. Tally each player's score, including any bonus points earned (see below).

All cards, including the ones played in the previous round, are collected, shuffled and redealt, increasing the number of cards dealt to each player by 1.

The player to the left of the previous round's 'dealer' leads the first trick of the next round.

After the tenth round is completed, final scores are tallied, the player with the highest score is declared the victor and is appointed as the Pirate Captain of the Seven Seas!

Scoring

Bidding One or More

When you win the exact number of tricks that you bid, you are awarded 20 points for each trick taken.

Example: Calvin bids 3 and then takes 3 tricks. This earns him 60 points (20 × 3).

Capture more or fewer tricks than you bid, and you’ll lose 10 points for every trick you were off! You don’t earn points for any tricks captured that round.

Example: Angela bids 2 but takes 4 tricks. She's off by 2 so she loses 20 points (-10 × 2).

Bidding Zero

Bid zero and get your bid correct and your score is 10 points times the number of cards dealt that round. The higher the card count, the greater your reward!

Example: Kate bids zero on round 7 and takes zero tricks. She scores 70 points (10 x 7).

However, if you bid zero and then take 1 or more tricks, you'll lose 10 points per card dealt that round instead! Zero bids are risky, but fortune favors the bold!

Example: Johnny bids zero in the ninth round but he captures 2 tricks. He scores -90 points for the round.

Bonus Points

In each round you'll have the chance to earn bonus points, but get your bid wrong and you forfeit all bonuses!

The Number Fourteen Cards

Every 14 card you have collected in a trick earns you a bonus at the end of the round (whether played by you or an opponent):

10 points for each standard suit (yellow, purple, or green) 14 card you have at the end of the round.

20 points for possessing the black (Jolly Roger) 14 card at the end of the round.

Character Cards

Capturing character cards in a trick earns you a bonus at the end of the round:

20 points for each Mermaid taken by a Pirate.

30 points for each Pirate taken by the Skull King.

40 points for taking the Skull King with a Mermaid.

Standard Card Count

Total cards in the standard deck = 70.

Suit Cards:

• Parrot (1-14)
• Pirate Map (1-14)
• Treasure Chest (1-14)
• Jolly Roger (1-14)

Special Cards:

• Pirate (Qty: 5)
• Escape (Qty: 5)
• Tigress (Qty: 1)
• Skull King (Qty: 1)
• Mermaid (Qty: 2)

Expansion Cards

These expansion cards can be added when creating the game on BGA.

Loot (qty: 2): Time to get yerself some treasure me hearties! When you play a loot card, you enter into an alliance with the player who captures it. If both of you bid correctly, you are each awarded 20 bonus points.

Kraken (qty: 1): Pirates fear nothin’ at all, ‘cept fer maybe the Kraken (and their in-laws). When the Kraken is played, the trick is destroyed entirely as the Kraken consumes all. No one wins the trick and the cards are set aside.

The next trick is led by the player who would have won the trick.

White Whale (qty: 1): Once hunted by whalers, the White Whale now hunts any vessel that dares cross its path. The White Whale effects both the special cards and numbered suits in unique ways.

Special cards are destroyed and can’t win!

Numbered cards (including black cards) turn white with fear! This means that the highest numbered card wins the trick, regardless of the suit. If there is a tie, the first one played is the winner. If only special cards were played, then the trick is discarded (like the Kraken) and the person who played the White Whale is the next to lead.

Note: The Kraken and the White Whale are ancient rivals. When played in the same trick the second one played wins the battle. That card then sets the action to be applied. When either of these beasts leads a trick, there is no suit for others to follow.

Advanced Pirate Abilities

These Pirate Powers can be enabled when creating the game on BGA.

Unlock each pirate’s unique skill! To do this, you must first win a trick with that pirate rather than just capturing them. Also, it must be used immediately and does not carry over to the next round. Harry the Giant is the only pirate who’s ability may be used after the final trick of a round.

Rosie D’ Laney: A galley chef with a temper hot as her pies and cold eyes as blue as the sea.

Ability: Choose any player, including yourself, to lead the next trick.

Bendt the Bandit: An orphan raised by smugglers, Bendt is a trader (and traitor).

Ability: Add 2 cards to your hand from the deck and then discard 2 cards.

Rascal of Roatan: A notorious mercenary and gambler with suspiciously good luck.

Ability: Make a side bet of 0, 10, or 20 points. Win these points if you hit your original bid correct, lose the points if you fail to hit your bid exactly!

Juanita Jade: Rumored to have mermaid ancestry granting her the gift of divination.

Ability: Privately look through any cards not dealt that round to see which are not in play.

Harry the Giant: Known to wrestle panthers and crocs for fun, no one dares oppose this man.

Ability: You may choose to change your bid by plus or minus 1, or to leave it the same.