Skull Queen is a strategic trick-taking card game from Schmidt Spiele, designed by Stefan Dorra. As the successor to the popular Skull King, this game brings a fresh twist to traditional trick-taking mechanics, offering players new challenges and exciting strategies.
How to Play
- Game Setup: Each player receives a board and four pirate tokens in different colors. The deck consists of 50 cards, numbered 1 to 12 in four suits, plus a single 0 and 13. Cards are shuffled and dealt evenly among players.
- Board Placement: After reviewing their hands, players decide which side of their board to use (ascending or descending) and place their pirates in starting positions.
- Gameplay:
- The lead player starts the trick. Players must follow suit if possible.
- After each trick, cards are evaluated:
- Single Cards: Colors that appear only once in a trick are set aside and may influence later rounds.
- Multiple Cards: The highest played card in each suit moves its corresponding pirate forward on the board, while the lowest card moves backward. Special cards can modify these movements.
- Special Cards:
- Aye (8): The winner of this suit moves their pirate forward two spaces instead of one.
- Snack (5): The loser of this suit moves their pirate backward two spaces instead of one.
- Monkey (0): Adopts the suit of the trick and automatically loses. Can always be played, regardless of hand composition.
- First Mate (13): Adopts the suit of the trick and automatically wins. Can always be played.
- End of Round: After all cards have been played, players score points based on their pirates’ positions on the board. Pirates that fall off the board score no points. The game lasts a number of rounds equal to the number of players, and the highest-scoring player wins.
What’s in the Box?
- 50 playing cards
- 4 player boards
- 16 pirate tokens
- Rulebook in English, French, and German
Game Specifications:
- Players: 2 to 6
- Ages: 8 and up
- Playtime: 30 minutes
Skull Queen introduces strategic decision-making and surprise twists, making each game dynamic and unpredictable. Whether you're a seasoned trick-taking player or new to the genre, this game guarantees hours of fun!