An interesting card filler about laying out skulls in the crypt of the Church of All Saints in Sedlice. This fast abstract game is ideal for family gatherings or for experienced players to relax between games of complex games.
Pyramid of Skulls in the Church of All Saints
The Ossuary in Sedlice, 16th century AD. The Black Death and the Hussite Wars led to a lack of space in the cemetery. Help the half-blind monk dig up human remains from graves and arrange the skulls in the crypt.
The game uses 18 cards. Each card depicts 2 skulls of the following types - nobles, peasants, priests, lovers and/or criminals. During the game, players lay out the cards in a pyramid-shaped figure. At the end of the game, they receive points for certain skulls in their pyramids.
Gameplay
Players go clockwise, performing one of three actions:
- Dig. Turn over the top two cards in any two face-down piles in the graveyard and take one card into your hand.
- Take. Choose one card from the face-up pile in the graveyard and take it into your hand.
- Place. Add one card from your hand to your pyramid according to the placement rules. The new card is placed to the right or left of the card already laid out in the bottom row. You can place a card higher in the row if there are two adjacent cards below it in the row.
End of the game
The game ends when all players have completed their pyramids (4 cards in the bottom row in a two-player game, 9 cards in total, 3 cards in the bottom row in a three-player or four-player game, 6 cards in total). They then count the points to determine the winner.
Each type of skull gives points according to the deceased`s last wish:
- Nobles would like to have as many other nobles or peasants under them as possible. Each noble gives 1 point for each noble and each peasant on a lower level.
- Peasants would like their skulls to be in the pyramid – no matter where. Each peasant brings 1 point.
- Priests would like to be with their followers on every level of the pyramid. You gain 2 points for each individual level where at least 1 priest is.
- Lovers want to have a partner. Each pair of adjacent lovers gives 6 points.
- Criminals want to atone for their sins, so they try to be as close to the priests as possible. The criminal scores 2 points if he is adjacent to at least one priest.
The player with the most points wins.
The Defenders, Merchants, and Fanatics Expansions
The full edition of the game contains 3 expansions, each of which allows four players to play and includes cards with a new type of skull:
- Defenders would like to be with their supporters. Each defender scores 1 point for each connected (adjacent to one or a group of adjacent skulls of the same type) skull of the specified type.
- Merchants would like to be near the villagers, but not near the criminals. Each merchant scores 2 points for each adjacent peasant. For each criminal adjacent to the merchant, the player loses 2 points.
- Fanatics would like to have as many priests above or below them as possible. Each fanatic gives 1 point for each priest at any level above or 1 point for each priest at any level below. Choose one option before calculating points.
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