# Skulls of Sedlec ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2020 - **BGG Rating**: 7.4 - **BGG Rank**: #1105 - **Players**: 2-3 (Best with: 2) - **Duration**: 20 min - **Weight**: 1.24 / 5 - **Designers**: Dustin Dobson - **Artists**: Karolina Nakazato, Marianne Waage, Marty Cobb - **Publishers**: Button Shy, Even Toys and Games, Frosted Games, Geekach LLC, Lucky Duck Games, Matagot, MINDOK, Salt & Pepper Games - **Categories**: Card Game, Print & Play, Renaissance - **Mechanics**: Open Drafting, Pattern Building, Set Collection ## Verdict If you love a clever puzzle that fits in your pocket and has a unique theme, Skulls of Sedlec is for you!Clever puzzle gameplayUnique macabre themeHighly portableQuick playtimeImpactful decisionsNot for everyoneLimited interactionNeeds a few playsRECOMMENDED ## Description Welcome to the Sedlec Ossuary, around the 16th Century AD! The Black Plague and Hussite Wars have left the graveyard a bit… overcrowded. That's where you, novice monks, come into play. Your mission is to assist the Bone Collector, a half-blind monk, in arranging the skulls inside the crypt. But don't think it's just manual labor, mind you? You're in a fierce competition to create the best arrangement of skulls, honoring the last wishes of the deceased. Each round, you'll excavate graves from the graveyard, revealing cards that represent different types of skulls. The challenge is to choose the right cards for your hand, collecting the skulls that fit your strategy. Then, it's time to arrange these cards into a stack, forming patterns that score points. Whoever achieves the best harmony and most points at the end will be the grand winner, and the Bone Collector will proclaim their stack as the most exceptional. Skulls of Sedlec is a super compact game, released in 2020 as part of Button Shy Games' subscription package. It was a finalist in a design challenge by the publisher, which called for a game about a real-life location. Get ready for a set collection and pattern building puzzle, all with a macabre and charming theme. Perfect for those who enjoy a quick, portable strategic challenge! ## How to Play Game Objective In the 16th century AD, during the period of the Black Death and the Hussite Wars, the Sedlec Ossuary became overcrowded. You take on the role of a Bone Collector, a nearly blind monk, with the mission of exhuming bodies and organizing the skulls in the crypt. The goal is to build your own Ossuary (a pyramid-shaped arrangement) and score according to the wishes of the deceased to determine the winner. Setup Shuffle the 18 game cards. Create a Graveyard consisting of 6 piles of 3 cards each, face down and arranged in a 2 x 3 grid. Choose one pile and reveal the top card. The player who most recently visited a cemetery goes first. Game Flow Players play in clockwise order. On each turn, the player must choose and perform one of the three available actions: Dig, Collect, or Stack. Hand Rule: The hand limit is 2 cards. If a player starts their turn already holding 2 cards in hand, they are required to perform the Stack action to play a card. Actions and How to Play Turn Actions Dig: Reveal the top cards of any 2 piles in the Graveyard. If there is only 1 face-down card, reveal it. Choose one of the revealed cards and place it in your hand. Restriction: If there are no face-down cards on top of the piles at the start of the turn, you cannot perform this action. Collect: Take a card that is already revealed on top of one of the Graveyard piles and place it in your hand. Restriction: If there are no face-up cards on top of the piles at the start of the turn, you cannot perform this action. Stack: Place a card from your hand into your Ossuary, following the Placement Rules. Restriction: If you start your turn with no cards in hand, you cannot perform this action. Placement Rules The first card can be placed anywhere to start the bottom Row. New cards can be added to the bottom Row, to the left or right of cards already placed. The bottom Row limit is 4 cards (in 2-player games) or 3 cards (in 3-player games). Construction always begins with the bottom Row, but it is not necessary to finish it before starting the one above. A card can be placed on higher Levels as long as it is centered directly over two cards from a lower Row. Cards cannot be rotated; they must always be oriented vertically relative to the owner of the Ossuary. Skull Types and Scoring Nobles: Score 1 point for every Noble and Peasant located on Levels below them. Peasants: Score 1 point each, regardless of position. Clerics: Score 2 points for every Level where at least one Cleric is present. Romantics: Two Adjacent Romantics score 6 points (3 points each). Each Romantic can only score once. Criminals: Score 2 points if they are Adjacent to a Cleric. Otherwise, they do not score. End of Game and Scoring The game ends when all players have finished their Ossuaries. A complete Ossuary consists of 9 cards (for 2 players) or 6 cards (for 3 players). Point Counting: Sum the scores for each type of skull according to the rules described above. Tie-breaker: In the event of a tie, players compare their highest scores obtained with any single type of skull. If the tie persists, they compare their second-highest scores, and so on, until a winner is determined. Tips for Winning Noble Positioning: Since Nobles score based on who is below them, try to position them on the highest Levels of your Ossuary. Cleric Synergy: Try to distribute Clerics across different Levels to maximize the "presence on all levels" score and simultaneously use them to give points to Criminals. ## FAQ ### Is Skulls of Sedlec a complex game? Not at all, it's quite light! With a weight of 1.24/5 on BGG, it's super easy to learn, but offers surprising strategic depth for such a small game. Perfect for beginners or those looking for something quick. ### How many players can participate? The base game is for 2 to 3 players. There are expansions that can change this count, including adding a solo mode, but for the main box, it's ideal for duels or a trio. ### How long does a game last? A game of Skulls of Sedlec is quick, taking about 20 minutes. It's the kind of game you can pull out of your wallet, play once or twice, and put away again without committing to the whole evening. ### What are the main components of the game? Being a micro card game, it's very minimalist! You'll have a deck of cards representing skulls and excavation sites. That's all you need for the fun! ### Who is Skulls of Sedlec best suited for? It's ideal for those who enjoy card games with set collection and pattern building mechanics, who value portability and a quick strategic experience. If you like slightly darker and unusual themes, you'll love it! ### Does the game have much player interaction? Interaction is more indirect, through open drafting of cards. You'll observe what your opponent needs and try to 'snatch' that essential card, or leave something that doesn't help them. It's subtle but important interaction. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 11.40 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=3158894&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 14.62 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=2624085&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 15.00 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7033373&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 19.99 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=7033374&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 22.91 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6662254&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/38212/skulls-of-sedlec?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com