Skull King rules
Skull King is a trick-taking game for 2 to 8 players over 10 rounds. In each round, every player bids the exact number of tricks they will win. A made bid scores points, a missed one loses points, and the highest score after round 10 wins. Skull King is a Grandpa Beck's game; Scorizy is not affiliated with its publisher.
How many cards are dealt in each round of Skull King?
The game has 10 rounds. In round n, each player gets n cards: 1 card in the first round, 2 in the second, up to 10 in the last. So there are n tricks to play in round n.
How do you bid in Skull King?
After looking at their cards, all players announce at the same time how many tricks they expect to win, from 0 to the number of cards in the round. Bids are written on the score sheet before play starts.
Do you have to follow suit in Skull King?
Yes: the suit of the first numbered card played in the trick is the suit led, and everyone must follow it if they can. A special card (Escape, Pirate, Tigress, Skull King, Mermaid) may always be played instead, even when you hold the suit led.
What is the trump suit in Skull King?
The black suit (Jolly Roger) is trump: a black card beats every card of the other suits. Without a winning special card, the trick goes to the highest black card played, or else to the highest card of the suit led.
What do the special cards do in Skull King?
| Card | Effect |
|---|---|
| Escape | Always loses the trick. If the trick holds only Escapes, the first one played wins. |
| Pirate | Beats every numbered card and the Mermaids. |
| Tigress | Played either as a Pirate or as an Escape, announced when played. |
| Skull King | Beats every numbered card and every Pirate. |
| Mermaid | Beats every numbered card and captures the Skull King. |
Who wins the trick between a Pirate, the Skull King and a Mermaid?
- The Pirate beats the Mermaid.
- The Skull King beats the Pirate.
- The Mermaid captures the Skull King.
- If a Pirate, the Skull King and a Mermaid are all in the same trick, the Mermaid wins.
- Between several cards of the same kind (several Pirates, for example), the first one played wins.
How do you score Skull King?
| Case | Points |
|---|---|
| Bid of 1 or more, made | +20 per trick bid, plus bonuses |
| Bid of 1 or more, missed | −10 per trick of difference, no bonus |
| Bid of 0, made | +10 × round number |
| Bid of 0, missed | −10 × round number |
Example in round 5: a made bid of 2 scores 40 points; a bid of 2 with 4 tricks won costs 20 points; a made bid of 0 scores 50 points, a missed one costs 50.
What are the bonus points in Skull King?
Bonuses only count for a player who made their exact bid:
| Capture | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Each 14 of a non-black suit in your tricks | +10 |
| The black 14 in your tricks | +20 |
| Each Mermaid captured with a Pirate | +20 |
| Each Pirate captured with the Skull King | +30 |
| The Skull King captured with a Mermaid | +40 |
How much is a zero bid worth in Skull King?
A bid of 0 is worth 10 points times the round number: +10 × n if made (no trick won), −10 × n if missed, however many tricks were won. In round 10 that is +100 or −100.
When does a game of Skull King end?
The game ends after round 10 and the player with the most points wins. For a short game, you can play only 5 rounds.
How does the Scorizy score sheet count Skull King?
Before the round you enter each player's bid; afterwards, their tricks won and, if they made their bid, their bonuses. The sheet warns when the tricks don't add up to the round number without blocking, since some expansion cards remove a trick. An "other bonus" field covers expansions. It applies the scoring above and stops after round 10, or round 5 in a short game.