Emerald Skulls: Roll the Bones & Gamble Your Gears

In the gritty depths of Kulbak Prison, a new game of wits and luck is unfolding. Cheers and jeers echo from the stone walls. Emerald Skulls invites your crew to a raucous game of dice and wagers. Your companions will soon be cheering you on… and betting against you!

Releasing this spring, Emerald Skulls is a fast-paced dice gambling game with a twist: it’s always your turn to play! This small-box game artfully blends strategic depth, push-your-luck, and real-time betting into a uniquely exciting addition to any game night. Whether you're a seasoned gambler or looking for a quick, fun game with friends, Emerald Skulls promises a delectably chaotic dice-centric experience.

Gather the Gang

What can you all enjoy together that still gives some brain-burning strategy? What if suddenly game night has more players than expected? Emerald Skulls offers 1-6 players a refreshingly quick yet satisfying game in under an hour, or a full night of “beer and pretzels” gambling with your crew.

While the object of the game is to win the most gears (which are both currency and victory points) from the pot, unlike poker there’s no player elimination. Though the feel is decidedly competitive rather than cooperative, everyone plays together, every round. Best of all, there’s virtually no down-time!

Quick Wits, Fast Hands, and a Skull Full of Dice

Each round, one player acts as the Tumbler, while everyone else takes on the role of Gamblers. The Tumbler rolls custom dice, pushing their luck with each roll as they place dice on tiers of the skull board to earn gears from the pot. Meanwhile, the Gamblers have a pair of betting markers to place on possible final outcomes, hoping to win a payout.

Gamblers are always invested in the Tumbler’s actions, and must move swiftly while gauging their odds with each die placed. Of course, there’s a trick to it beyond calculating the odds. Since Gamblers can only place bets between rolls (specifically, while the dice are in the Tumbler's hands) and the first to bet claims the biggest potential reward, quick thinking and gut reactions are essential to scoring big.

On your turns as Gambler, will you trust your instincts, or play to the odds? Will you race to bet before the first die is even placed, or hold back until you know more, risking others beating you to the punch? Do you cheer on the Tumbler and push for a big jackpot, or bet they’ll chicken out and try to shake their resolve with a little goblin table talk?

Pick Your Bets… And Your Nose?

Designer Steven Dast made sure to include loads of fascinating decisions to make in this deceptively tricky small-box game. For starters, Tumblers can only place dice on a single tier of the skull per roll, and in traditional ladder-climbing style, cannot place dice on lower tiers after that.

As the Tumbler, you’ll begin with just three dice, but can spend a few gears to purchase more dice for your battle against the tiers of the skull. More dice means better possible payout. Then again, more dice also means fewer placement options, and a higher chance of busting if you push your luck too far.

Of course, there are ways to mitigate the luck of the roll, like using rolled skulls (which replace the 6 value on the custom dice) as wilds. On the other hand, depending on your final result, you might not earn any gears for those wild skulls.

Plus, you can strategically pick your nose. Don’t worry, it’s not as disgusting as it sounds! If you’ve placed dice on the third tier of the skull, which happens to be the nose, you’ve gained a little protection against bad luck.

Remove (pick) one of the dice you’ve placed on the nose, add another die to your current pool, and roll them all again. Picking your nose can be a great way to add dice to your pool, without spending those precious gears. But pick with caution - more dice also means a higher chance to bust.

Moreover, if you leave dice placed on the nose, they'll reward you with Reroll Cubes. Reroll Cubes are safer (and less uncouth in human society) than picking your nose. Spend them anytime to reroll all the dice you just rolled. Mulligan!

Gamblers must not only balance speed against available information, but have tons of betting options to consider. Options for where to place those markers are presented as Betting Cards arranged around the board, each with potential results the Tumbler might achieve, or fail to achieve. And yes, you can bet on them failing entirely!

Some outcomes are tougher for the Tumbler to achieve, but carry juicier rewards for both parties. Some cards even include kicker bets and opportunities to counter-bet against your fellow Gamblers! A huge variety of these double-sided betting cards are included, from beginner to advanced, providing fresh and customizable variations for any group, each time you play.

The World of Ulos

The latest in Thunderworks’ award-winning line of “World of Ulos” games, Emerald Skulls is considered the companion game to 2023’s Goblin Vaults. Though set in the welcomingly familiar fantasy universe home to titles like Cartographers and Roll Player, this new release has a decidedly different play style, and no previous experience with these titles is needed for full enjoyment of the game.

Whether you’re a master gambler at the craps tables looking to spice up poker night, a casual dice-chucker who loves a Yahtzee afternoon, or a new gamer rolling bones for the first time, Emerald Skulls delivers an engaging, energetic experience with plenty of room for strategy, chance, and clever betting.