Party game
Skull
Bluff with flowers and skulls, then bid how many you can flip
- Set-up
- Under a minute
- Reading
- None
The quick verdict
Full verdict ↓Great for Groups of 4 to 6 friends or older cousins who love bluffing and calling each other out
Think twice if You mostly play with 3; reviewers find it flat at that count
How we rate it
Learning curve. Two choices a turn and one rule for flipping; the depth is all in the bluffing.
Luck & skill. No dice or card draws: outcomes come from players' choices and how well you read them, with a little guesswork.
Interaction. Every round is a contest of nerves: bidding against each other and flipping other players' discs.
Set-up. Hand each player a mat and four discs.
Reading. Only flower and skull pictures on the discs.
Learning curve: 1 = UNO or Connect 4; 3 = Catan; 5 = a heavy strategy game. These describe the experience, not an overall score.
Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.
Is Skull right for you?
Great if
- Groups of 4 to 6 friends or older cousins who love bluffing and calling each other out
- A quick game to start or end a games night
- Mixed-language groups: there is nothing to read once you know the rules
- Travel and gifting: six small sets of discs and mats in a compact box
Skip it if
- You mostly play with 3; reviewers find it flat at that count
- Your group is quiet or dislikes bluffing and being bluffed
- You want deep strategy or lots of components; this is all about reading people
A place on the honours list
Good company to be in.
Recognition from beyond our table.
As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année (as Skull & Roses), 2011 (Winner)
Spiel des Jahres (recommendation list, as Skull & Roses), 2011 (Recommended)
How Skull plays
Set-up: each player takes a mat and four matching discs, three showing a flower and one a skull, with identical backs. To start a round, everyone secretly places one disc face down on their mat.
- Time to teach: about 5 minutes.
- Reading and language: The discs show only a flower or a skull, so nothing needs reading during play; bids are just numbers, which you can call out in Hindi, English or any language. The rulebook is in English.
Skull - Complete rules in video - EN · Space Cowboys · Official
Choose a video · Watch right here
If this creator doesn’t allow embedded playback, watch on YouTube ↗.
A turn, step by step
- 1Place
Add a flower or your skull face down to your stack, or open the bidding.
- 2Bid
Raise the number of discs you claim you can flip safely, or pass.
- 3Flip
The top bidder flips all their own discs first, then others'; a skull costs them a disc.
- 4Win
Win two challenges, or be the last player with discs left.
The full explanation: how a game of Skull goes
A turn: going round the table, you either add another disc face down on top of your stack, or open the bidding by announcing how many discs you think you can turn over without revealing a skull. Once bidding starts, nobody places more discs; each player either raises the bid or passes, until only one player, the Challenger, is left.
The challenge: the Challenger flips discs one at a time, and must turn over all of their own discs first before taking the top discs from other players' stacks. Reach the number without a skull and you win the round: turn your mat to its flower side. Hit a skull and you lose one of your discs for good, picked in secret, so the others don't know whether you lost your skull or a flower. Lose all your discs and you are out.
How you win: win two challenges (a second success while your mat is already flower side up), or be the last player left in the game.
Tip and variant: putting your own skull down and then bidding high is a classic trap, because others may raise and walk into it. Space Cowboys' current rules add a Last Chance disc for a player who drops to one disc, usable once per game, and Indian store listings say you can combine two sets for more than six players.
What's in the box
- 6Player mats
one per player, with a flower side to show a won challenge - 24Discs
four per player: three flowers and one skull, with identical backs - 1Last Chance disc
listed for Space Cowboys' current edition; older boxes may not have it - 1Rulebook
Space Cowboys' Skull page and its English rules list 6 player sets (each 4 discs and 1 mat), 1 Last Chance disc and 1 rulebook. An Indian store's listing for the Asmodee import gives the same list. The Last Chance disc comes from the current rules (copyright 2023) and may not be in the classic box linked here.
Where to buy
Buying link pausedWe haven’t found an available Amazon listing for this edition.
How to make sure you get a genuine copyEditions and the details worth checking.
What reviewers and players say
Skull is a small bluffing game with a strong record: it won France's As d'Or Game of the Year in 2011 as Skull & Roses and made the Spiel des Jahres jury's recommended list the same year. Reviewers praise how fast it teaches, the absence of luck, and the tension of every bid, and see it as a great opener or closer for a games night. The usual complaints are player elimination, that it is weak with only three, and that quiet or poker-faced groups may find it less fun. It offers little beyond bluffing, which is the point.
What people love
- Rules explained in a couple of minutes
- No dice or card draws: wins come from reading people
- Tense, funny moments when bids climb and discs are flipped
- Small, portable box
Common complaints
- Player elimination can leave someone watching
- Falls flat with only three players
- Little depth beyond bluffing; can feel repetitive for some
Based on 5 reviews and discussions
- Review Skull Game Board Game Review (Ronny Alexander, March 2026) · Co-op Board Games
- Video Skull & Roses (Tom Vasel and Sam Healey, Miami Dice) · The Dice Tower
- Players Skull, de la discussion sur la nouvelle version (forum thread, October 2013) · Tric Trac forum
- Award As d'Or (list of winners) · Wikipedia
- Award Skull & Roses (jury listing, 2011) · Spiel des Jahres
Summarised in our own words from the sources above. We don't use Amazon reviews or ratings.
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Why consider it | This game Bluff with flowers and skulls, then bid how many you can flip | A different fit Hidden roles and bluffing for bigger groups of up to ten | A different fit Another small, tense bluffing game for groups | A different fit A pocket-sized game of guessing what others are holding |
| Players | 3–6 | 3–10 | 2–6 | 2–6 |
| Best with | 5-6 | 5-8 | 4-6 | 3-5 |
| Play time | 15–45 min | 30–45 min | 15 min | 15–30 min |
| Age | 10+ | 8+ | 14+ | 10+ |
| Rules | Easy | Easy | Easy | Easy |
| Indian edition | Imported | Imported | Imported | Imported |
| On this page | Explore Saboteur | Explore Coup | Explore Love Letter |
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Questions people ask about Skull
Is Skull the same as Skull and Roses?
Yes, it is the same game by Hervé Marly. It came out in 2011 as Skull & Roses and was renamed Skull for a 2013 edition with new art; Space Cowboys now publishes it.
Can you play Skull with 2 players?
No. The box has six sets and the game is for 3 to 6 players, and reviewers say it is best with 5 or 6. For more than six, Indian store listings say you can combine two sets.
What age is Skull suitable for?
Space Cowboys says 10 and up. The rules are easy enough for younger children, but the fun is in bluffing and reading faces, which teenagers and adults usually enjoy most.
Is Skull a game of luck?
Very little. There are no dice and no cards to draw; every disc on the table was placed by a player, so winning depends on how well you bluff and read the others.
What is the Last Chance disc in Skull?
It appears in Space Cowboys' current rules. A player who fails a challenge and is left with one disc takes it as an extra flower for the next round, once per game; older boxes may not include it.
Game facts
- Designed by
- Hervé Marly
- Publisher
- Space Cowboys (part of Asmodee); first published as Skull & Roses by Lui-même in 2011
- First published
- 2011
- Players
- 3–6
- Language
- No reading – The discs show only a flower or a skull, so nothing needs reading during play; bids are just numbers, which you can call out in Hindi, English or any language. The rulebook is in English.
- Awards
- As d'Or - Jeu de l'Année (as Skull & Roses), 2011 (Winner); Spiel des Jahres (recommendation list, as Skull & Roses), 2011 (Recommended)
Sources & photo creditsThe references behind this guide.
Facts on this page come from the publisher, the Indian maker or distributor, and the sources below. Photos are credited under each one.
- Space Cowboys - Skull (publisher's game page)
- Space Cowboys - Skull rules (English PDF)
- Spiel des Jahres - Skull & Roses (2011 jury listing)
- Wikipedia - As d'Or (list of winners)
- Board Games India - Skull (Asmodee, imported)
- Bored Game Company - Skull (Asmodee)
- Skull Game Board Game Review (Ronny Alexander, Co-op Board Games, March 2026)