Saturday 7th March, 2026. What a day! My son invited us to his new flat for lunch, cocktails and games. Oh, and rugby-Scotland v France. And I had one job to do and I messed up. I forgot the games. However, the Gods of Glaswegian numpties were smiling on me - there is a small comics shop nearby and there, front and centre, was Skull! After polishing off the delicious roast chicken we broke the cellophane and moments later (time is an elusive concept) the day was over.
Skull is for almost everyone. It’s an easy to play, small box holiday game for up to 6 people. On your turn, place a disc or start the bidding. Pass when the bid is low, and you might be handing victory to the grinning, gobby nob to your left. Be last to pass and you might be ‘skulled’, which is nearly as bad. Win two rounds or be ‘last person standing’ and you can beat your chest and enjoy the bragging rights, at least until the next game. A few hours of brinksmanship, bluffing, and banter later and what was the verdict? This is a good laugh.
In saying that, Skull, like similar games of this ilk, is better with more players, but with 5 or 6 there is a chance that a game drags on. And there is player elimination, which ups the stakes but can irritate anyone who gets eliminated ‘early doors’ and has to sit for some time watching everyone else having fun- thank God for mobile phones, eh? If I had to choose, I’d go with Richard Borg’s Perudo variant Bluff a.k.a Liar’s Dice- it does a very similar thing, but faster. Finally, the artwork ‘pops’ and the discs are tactile but you could play this game with beer mats.
What you may like:
- Bluffing and bluffing related shenanigans.
- The banter
-
The simplicity.
What you may not like:
- Player elimination (usually not a big issue, but…)
- Occasionally, a game can drag on.
- Bluffing
Artwork and components 3/5
Complexity 1/5
Replayability 3.5/5
Player interaction 4/5
Fun 3.5/5
Thematic 0/5
Overall score 70%
