Overview
Objective
Skull King is a trick-taking card game played over multiple rounds. Each round:
- Players receive a hand of cards.
- Everyone bids how many tricks they will win.
- Players play cards in tricks clockwise.
- Score the round based on bid accuracy and bonuses.
The player with the highest total score after the final round wins. Ties are a shared victory (no tiebreaker round).
How a round works
What makes Skull King different
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Trump suit — Black (Jolly Roger) beats green, yellow, and purple suited cards.
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Character cards — Pirates, Skull King, and Mermaids interact in a rock-paper-scissors hierarchy:
Pirate Skull King Mermaid -
Optional advanced cards — Kraken, White Whale, and Loot (see Advanced cards).
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Optional pirate abilities — each Pirate has a unique power when you win a trick with it (Pirate abilities).
In GUB
| Mode | Best for |
|---|---|
| Play | 3–8 players, each on their own device, live match |
| Calculator | One device at the table, manual bid/trick entry |
| Rules | Learning or mid-game lookup |