Skulls of Sedlec Game Review

SKULL OF SEDLEC GAME REVIEW

 In 1278, the abbot of the monastery in Sedlec, in what is now the Czech Republic, made a journey to the Holy Land. He returned with a small amount of earth from Golgotha, the site of Jesus of Nazareth’s crucifixion, and sprinkled it on the abbey’s cemetery. As word spread of the abbot’s pious act, the cemetery became a sought-after burial place, and soon tens of thousands of people were buried there, effectively requiring the cemetery to be expanded. Hundreds of years later, a new chapel was built on the site, and the remains found were kept in an ossuary. In the late 19th century, a woodcarver named František Rint was hired to sort through the piles of ancient bones, leading to the creation of what is now known as the Sedlec Ossuary.

 I know what you're thinking: the perfect premise for a light card game, right?

 Meet the Skulls of Sedlec.

LET'S TAKE A CLOSE LOOK

 Skulls of Sedlec is an 18-card mini-game from the wizards at Button Shy Games, and like many of their games, there's more to this game than meets the eye.

 In the game Skulls of Sedlec, 2-3 players take on the role of František Rint and take turns drawing and placing cards into their own pyramid. Each card depicts 2 skulls of five different types (criminals, peasants, romantics, priests, and royalty). At the end of the game, players will score points based on the location of these skulls relative to each other.

• Criminals get points for being near priests.
• Villagers always get 1 point each.
• Romantics get points for being near each other.
• Priests receive points for each row of the pyramid they are in.
• Royals get points for having peasants and other royals below them in the pyramid.

 On his turn, the player can choose one of three actions:

 Turn over the top card from two of the six center piles for drawing.

 Take one card face up from one of the draw piles.

 Place a card from your hand into your pyramid.

 Please note that players have a hand limit of only two cards.

 In a two-person game, each player completes the game with a pyramid: four, three, two. In a three-person game, each player completes the game with a pyramid: three, two, one.

 The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

CONCLUSIONS

 Towards the end of 2019, Button Shy Games launched a series of 18-card challenges. The goal was to showcase everything that could be done with just 18 standard-sized playing cards. In case you didn’t know, Button Shy’s signature feature is that all of their games have 18 cards. That might seem like a small amount of design space, but once they opened the gates, they were flooded with submissions – hundreds during the challenge!

 Skulls of Sedlec won the Create a Game Based on a Real-World Location contest in November, and it's a great example of smart game design and complex choices. Plus, the game is already available on Kickstarter as you read this review.

 Skulls of Sedlec is an exercise in simplicity. With just three actions and five different types of skulls, the focus is on the layout of your pyramid. You want to collect the right cards, but try not to have two cards in your hand if you can. Being stuck with two cards means you won't have the opportunity to collect a second Romance when your opponent turns it over. You'll be forced to play one of your cards from your hand first, which is bad because it means your opponent has the advantage; they could potentially collect two cards in a row.

 The illustrations in Skull Crypt may not win any awards, but they are very well drawn, with clear symbolism and rich colors. No one will confuse one skull with another, which is good because you will often be looking across the table to see what exactly lies in front of your opponents.

 People with good memories may have a slight advantage in this game, as all card draws are public. But even that won't help you if your opponent just turns around and takes the card you were looking for.

 If you're already a fan of Button Shy Games' work, then I don't need to convince you how good 18-card games can be. In fact, their hit game Circle the Wagons is still one of my favorite games of 2017. Skull Crypt doesn't have the same level of difficulty as Circle the Wagons, but it's still a solid game that's worth your time!

Related Products

395 грн.

Skulls Of Sedlec (ukr)

DESCRIPTION OF THE BOARD GAME: SKULLS OF SEDLEC We are going to the Czech city of Sedlec, hit by the black plague. All cemeteries are full, and it is necessary to somehow make room for new graves. Therefore, we will help a half-blind monk dig up human remains and put them in beautiful pyramids... KOSTNYTSYA 18 cards are available to players. Each card has a pair of skulls, divided into the following types: nobles, peasants, priests, lovers, criminals, defenders, merchants and fanatics...