The Sedlec OssuaryThe Sedlec Ossuary is located in Kutná Hora, in the Czech Republic. It is one of the most fascinating and macabre places in the world.The chronology of its history, summarized, is as follows:- The Holy Land (1278): The abbot of the Sedlec Monastery traveled to Jerusalem and brought with him a small amount of soil from the Calvary, spreading it throughout the Sedlec cemetery. This made the site an extremely desirable sacred ground for burials throughout Central Europe;- Plague and Wars (14th-15th Centuries): Due to the Black Death and the Hussite Wars, thousands of bodies were buried there. The cemetery grew so much that there was no more physical space;- The Gothic Chapel (Circa 1400): A Gothic church was built in the center of the cemetery, and its lower chapel came to serve as an ossuary, that is, a place to store the bones removed from old graves to make room for new ones.The ChapelThis is where history intertwines with the boardgame:- The Blind Monk (1511): according to legend, the task of exhuming and stacking the bones into pyramids was given to a blind monk of the Cistercian order;- The Schwarzenberg Family (1870): after centuries of neglect, the noble Schwarzenberg family bought the property and hired a wood carver named František Rint to arrange the bones;- The Macabre Art: Rint not only stacked the bones, he transformed them into decoration. He created the famous chandelier (which contains at least one of each bone in the human body), the Schwarzenberg family coat of arms, and chalices, all made entirely from human remains.The Bone ChandelierCurrently, it is estimated that the ossuary contains the skeletons of 40,000 to 70,000 people, serving as a Memento Mori (“Remember that you will die”), a reminder of everyone's equality before death.There's even an online tour through the graveyard and chapel in this link.Crazy, right? Well, now it's our turn to take on the role of a novice monk, competing with other monks to create the most artistic and "dignified" arrangement with the skulls in the crypt.Welcome to Skulls of Sedlec.Let's play!Skulls of Sedlec - Game InfoSkulls of Sedlec is a 2-to-3 players game, with expansions that allow 1-to-4 players, age 14+, by designer Dustin Dobson. Art by Marty Cobb.Game BoxSkulls of Sedlec was released in 2020 by Button Shy Games. Its mechanics include: collecting sets and pattern recognition.Game ComponentsThe brazilian release of the game, by Across the Board, had not only the base game but also 10 expansions:- Merchants- Zealots- Champions- Ultimate Champions- Executioners- Castle Guards- Poets- Jesters- Monstrance (solo mode)- Crown of Bones (solo mode)Playing the GameWe are novice monks competing to create the best arrangement of skulls within the crypt. To do this, we will have to unearth graves in the graveyard, collect the skulls and arrange them, respecting the last wishes of the deceased so that they may find rest. Then, the Bone Collector, a nearly blind monk, will judge who best respected and honored the dead.This is the setting of Skulls of Sedlec!In Skulls of Sedlec, beyond the historical and factual aspects, the designer created an extra flavor: fulfill the "wishes of the dead." To symbolize the "wishes" of the deceased, the game depicts as if, during the exhumation, "something" identified them and/or their social position, their labor, etc.Based on this, the skulls must be classified and organized in the best way so that they may have their proper eternal rest. In the game, during the exhumation, it is noted that among their "wishes," some seek eternal love, redemption, absolution, and others seek to show their power or status.In short, Skulls of Sedlec mixes a real historical setting (the ossuary) with a layer of thematic fiction. I find that amazing!For a better understanding, let's go over some of the game's terminology:- Ossuary: a pyramid-shaped arrangement that each player creates during the game;- Line: a horizontal line of cards;- Level: a vertical line of skulls;- Adjacent: two skulls connected by an edge (not by the corners) are considered adjacent;- Paired: two skulls side by side on the same Level.The image below shows, with examples, the terminology:- the shape of the Ossuary pyramid;- the 3 rows of cards;- the 6 levels;- the adjacency around the skull (marked with a check sign);- the pairing on Level 2 (below the skull, marked with 2 check signs).Example of the game's terminologyIt is also important to know the "characters" from the base game that will be exhumed:- Royals;- Peasants;- Priests;- Romantics;- Criminals.Base Game CharactersEach of them scores in a different way. The Nobles desire status and power, and to achieve this they want to look down on others. Each Noble scores 1 point for each Noble and Peasant at Levels lower than him.Example of points awarded from NoblesThe Peasants represent the common people, who seek collective rest; they simply want to be seen, no matter where. Each Peasant scores 1 point.Example of points awarded from PeasantsClerics, on the other hand, seek spiritual redemption, desiring to be surrounded by sinners in order to guide them, and want to be represented at all levels. Clerics score 2 points for each Level in which at least one Cleric is present.Example of points awarded from PriestsThe Romantics want to rest together, side by side, united even in death; that is, they want to be with their significant other. Two paired Romantics score 6 points, but each Romantic can only score once.Example of points awarded from RomanticsFinally, there are the Criminals, who seek absolution, redemption in the afterlife, and wish to be adjacent to Clerics. A Criminal scores 2 points if adjacent to a Cleric. Otherwise, the Criminal scores no points.Example of points awarded from CriminalsNow, it's time for the setup. Shuffle the 18 cards of the base game. Create a Graveyard of 6 piles of 3 cards each, face down and arranged in a 2 x 3 grid. Choose a pile and reveal the top card. The player who last visited a Graveyard starts.Game SetupIn a turn, there are 3 possible actions, and the active player can only choose one of the 3:- Dig;- Collect;- Stack.If you choose to Dig, simply reveal the top card of any 2 piles in the Graveyard. If there is only 1 card face down, reveal it. Then, choose one of the cards you revealed and put it into your hand.Example: DigIf at the start of your turn there are no face-down top cards in the Graveyard, you cannot Dig.The Collect action is even simpler: put a revealed card from the top of one of the Graveyard piles into your hand. If at the start of your turn there are no face-up top cards in the Graveyard, you cannot Collect.There is an important detail regarding Collect: the hand limit is 2 cards. If a player has 2 cards in their hand at the start of their turn, they must perform the Stack action to play a card.Hand Limit: 2 CardsFinally, Stack is simply placing a card from your hand into your ossuary following the placement rules. If you start your turn with no cards in your hand, you cannot Stack.A full ossuary will have 9/6 cards in a game with 2/3 players. A full ossuary will look like this:Example: Stacks in 2 and 3 player gamesRegarding the rules for placing cards during stacking:- The first card in the ossuary can be placed anywhere to start the bottom row;- Other cards can be added to the bottom row, to the left or right of previously placed cards, up to a limit of 4 or 3 cards in a 2 or 3 player game, respectively;- The ossuary is always built from the bottom row, but you don't need to finish building a row to start the top one;- A card can be placed in top rows as long as it is directly centered on two cards in a bottom row;- Cards cannot be rotated;- All cards placed in an ossuary must be oriented vertically, with their owner (the player) as a reference point.After the player chooses and executes one of the 3 possible actions, it is now the next player's turn.That's how a turn of Sedlec's Skulls goes!Ending the GameThe game ends when all players have finished their ossuaries.2-Players Game EndNow, the points are counted, as explained above. Just to recap:- Nobles: 1 point per Noble/Peasant below;- Peasants: 1 point each;- Clerics: 2 points, once per Level;- Romantics: 3 points, if Paired;- Criminals: 2 points, if Adjacent to a Cleric.The player with the most points wins the game!In a tie, the tied players compare the scores of their highest-scoring type of skulls to determine the winner. If they are still tied, they compare the scores of their next highest-scoring type, and so on, until a winner is determined.Strategy TipsSedlec's Skulls is very strategic and also requires good timing, because during "exhumation" you never know what kind of skull you'll find when you dig, so it's good to be prepared.When I say prepared, I mean being aware of your hand limit, because if your opponent doesn't pick up the skull card you're interested in, you can only pick it up if you don't already have 2 cards in your hand; otherwise, you'll have no choice but to stack. Be prepared!The tip here is to try to keep only one card in hand, so you can take advantage of it in two situations:- to Collect when the perfect timing appears;- to Stack when there's a good opportunity to place a card Adjacent or Paired with another.I only recommend Dig when you really have "nothing better" to do. I know that Dig is how we discover skulls, but it gives a feeling of "wasted time," because you free up skulls for yourself and your opponent, so it's not one of the best actions, even if it's necessary.Really, Collect and Stack are the most "satisfying," after all, it's you acting on your strategy, without "favoring" anyone.For the heavy gamers out there, knowing that each card contains 2 skulls, it's just doing the math: there are 18 cards (in the base game) with 2 skulls each, giving a total of 36 skulls distributed as follows:- 4 skulls of Nobles;- 8 skulls of Peasants;- 8 skulls of Clerics;- 6 skulls of Romantics;- 10 skulls of Criminals.It's all about counting and being happy with your strategy. I prefer, for fun, not to get into counting, but with more competitive players, that will happen. I've played with people who ask beforehand how many skulls of each type the game has. It's part of the game.Furthermore, pay attention to the opportunities the game presents, develop your best strategy, and win in Skulls of Sedlec.Unboxing, Rules, and Gameplay VideosUnboxing:Rules:Gameplay:Pedagogical TipsIf you're looking for a game that's really easy to explain and teach, with artwork that will capture children's attention, Sedlec's Skulls is the game for you! I know you might find the game's overall theme a bit "morbid," but the images are so cool that they don't let that feeling show.Culturally, tell the story of the Sedlec Ossuary - it will trigger the children to "want" to play Sedlec's Skulls. Take advantage of this and tell the whole story.Regarding the stimuli the game provides, namely:- resource management: managing the cards in hand;- strategy: planning which characters to place adjacent and/or paired;- spatial orientation: knowing where to place to maximize the score;- decision-making: deciding which action to take and when to take it;- logical-mathematical reasoning: calculating points and/or how much can be scored with a given card.Pedagogically, Sedlec's Skulls offers a rich story, addresses resource management, stimulates strategy, spatial coordination, decision-making, logical-mathematical reasoning, and on top of that, it's fun!I recommend Sedlec's Skulls for your collection!
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