Game Spotlight — Skarlybones
Ahoy! Yer cutthroat crew has come ashore to honor a fallen mate the only way pirates know how—by rigging the odds, cursing the dead, and fighting for a chest full o’ stolen doubloons. Expect punishment for mutineers, plenty of backstabbing, and more sabotage than a rum-soaked rebellion.
Welcome to Skarlybones, a dice-betting game of immersive storytelling, high-stakes wagers, and pirate treachery that’s fun for the whole family!
Place yer bets, toss the skarlybones, and outwit your rivals with poisoned drinks, cursed relics, and the occasional well-timed gunshot. The richest survivor claims the prize — if there’s anyone left to collect it.
Components
Requirements
Fly Yer Colors with Pride
Skarlybones is more than a game, it's a game with attitude! Tell them landlubbers ye won't be drydocked, ye won't stop laughing at what life give ye, and most of all — they all had best watch their backs. Afterall, there's a pirate in their midst.
A Clear Map to Fun!
The rules for Skarlybones fit comfortably on the inside of the hook box the game comes in. Clearly illustrated with lots of examples, it's like havin' the path to the treasure painted on the beach for ye.
Watch Yer Back, Me Hardy
These Action cards are just a few examples of the bad things yer fellow pirates will do to ye if ye give 'em a chance. From cursed artifacts to poisoned grog to the occasional attempted murder, pirates stop at nothing when gold is on the line.
Rollin' Them 'Bones
It's the skarlybones that give the name to the game, and they're what the game is all about. These simple little skeleton meeples will land in all sorts of unpredictable ways...if luck is on yer side, maybe ye will wager right...and win!
Place Yer Wager, Matey
The Wager cards are how ye win gold in this game o' chance. If both of the positions on the card are found in the skarlybone roll, ye add that card to yer Haul. Them's that has the most gold in their Haul when cards run out is the winner of the game!
Fly Yer Colors with Pride
Skarlybones is more than a game, it's a game with attitude! Tell them landlubbers ye won't be drydocked, ye won't stop laughing at what life give ye, and most of all — they all had best watch their backs. Afterall, there's a pirate in their midst.
A Clear Map to Fun!
The rules for Skarlybones fit comfortably on the inside of the hook box the game comes in. Clearly illustrated with lots of examples, it's like havin' the path to the treasure painted on the beach for ye.
Watch Yer Back, Me Hardy
These Action cards are just a few examples of the bad things yer fellow pirates will do to ye if ye give 'em a chance. From cursed artifacts to poisoned grog to the occasional attempted murder, pirates stop at nothing when gold is on the line.
Rollin' Them 'Bones
It's the skarlybones that give the name to the game, and they're what the game is all about. These simple little skeleton meeples will land in all sorts of unpredictable ways...if luck is on yer side, maybe ye will wager right...and win!
Place Yer Wager, Matey
The Wager cards are how ye win gold in this game o' chance. If both of the positions on the card are found in the skarlybone roll, ye add that card to yer Haul. Them's that has the most gold in their Haul when cards run out is the winner of the game!
Skarlybones is a fast-paced dice betting game where sabotage is strategy — and every roll tells a story.
Each round, ye and yer crew place secret bets on how the skarlybones—the bones of old mutineers, lashed to five-point frames—will land after a wild toss down the hill. But this be no game for tea-sippin’ twits. Cursed totems change fate, poisoned rum silences rivals, and a pistol under the table can turn the tide. Play yer hand right, and ye’ll walk away with a haul of doubloons. Play it wrong, and ye might not walk away at all.
Fast to learn, cruel to master, and never the same tale twice, Skarlybones is the kind of game no true pirate plays without leavin’ blood on the table.
What’s in the Game, Ye Ask?
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Secret Bets, Big Hauls – Wager on how the skarlybones fall. Get it right, and rake in the gold—if no one ruins yer plans.
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Dirty Tricks & Dark Deeds – Use Action cards to hex, swap, steal, or straight-up shoot yer way to victory.
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Roll the 'Bones – Five custom Skarlies roll each round, each one tellin’ a tale the crew won't soon forget.
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Quick as a Cutlass – 10 to 20 minute playtime, no two rounds alike, and no honor among pirates.
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A Tale in Every Turn – Each card, each bet, each betrayal spins a richer yarn in the cursed world of Skarlybones.
How To Play
The Bizarre Story Behind Skarlybones
What if Skarlybones was more than just a game?
The game known today as Skarlybones may have begun as more than mere pastime. In the pages of a brittle sailing journal — an officer’s log from a British merchant vessel patrolling the Caribbean in the early 1800s — there lies a chilling account.
According to the entry, the journal's author encountered a castaway adrift on a splintered plank, half-starved and sun-seared. The survivor spoke of a doomed ship whose captain, once a devout Protestant, had descended into spiritual tyranny. Convinced his crew had fallen to the temptation of the spirit of a witch, the captain ruled with religious fervor, forcing prayer, flagellation, and ritual upon every soul aboard.
The crew eventually broke. A faction rose against him, not merely to depose but to sacrifice — offering him to the very force he claimed possessed them. The plot failed. Freed by a handful of loyalists, the captain turned to vengeance. But not vengeance alone. What followed, the castaway said, was something colder, something sacred.
Illustrations found in a book published in 1905 that shared the account taken from the original officer's journal.
The mutineers were taken one by one, subjected to long and brutal rites and rituals. Their bodies were flayed and boiled, their bones meticulously cleaned, then reassembled within five-sided wooden frames — pentagonal forms he called skarlies. The captain believed these structures could contain the corrupt soul, binding it, perhaps purifying it.
He and his loyal crew would roll the Skarlies down a hill on the island and place wagers on how the bones would land. Some say it was for sport. Others believe it was ritual. The castaway insisted the captain wasn’t trying to destroy the witch’s influence — but to speak with her. To understand her. To appease her.
The location of the island has never been confirmed. The name of the vessel has been stricken from official records. And yet, the game remains. Its rules, passed from hand to hand.
The bones, they say, never truly rest.
Games you don't just play — you wear them out!
Fly your colors with style, me hardy! These high-quality, ultra-comfy tees let you wear the Skarlybones spirit on your sleeve —whether you're betting big, talking trash, or just showing the world you take your fun seriously. Bold designs, wicked details, and just the right amount of mischief.
