Emerald Skulls review — A nose picking good time.

In the world of Ulos, there are two games that the goblins play in the prison. The first is a card game explored in Goblin Vaults and the second is a dice rolling, nose picking, betting game in the form of Emerald Skulls.

Back in 2024, we got a chance to look at a preview copy of Emerald Skulls from Thunderworks Games in advance of their crowdfunding campaign. Now in 2025, the game has been fulfilled to backers and we were able to check out a final copy. For a full breakdown of the rules, check out our preview here.

In essence, Emerald Skulls is craps for goblins. Each round, the active player will decide how many dice they want to roll in a round. As they roll, they will place their dice on a skull featured on the center board. As the active player rolls, the other players around the table are placing bet tokens on a variety of betting slips around the board. The bets will pay out depending on how the roller finishes their placement, decides to end their turn, or whether they bust. Payments come in the form of gears and the game continues until the supply is exhausted.

Overall Thoughts

The final production is the consistent high quality I have seen in other Thunderworks games. The gear tokens are high quality cardboard and can be upgraded to metal cogs on the website. The central board has a comic charm featuring a skull for placement of the dice and iconography for the roller’s payouts depending on what path they take. The individual betting tokens are a high quality wood with dynamic colors and an individual player symbol printed on each. The dice in the game feature scratched out numbers 1-5 and a printed skull where the six would be and are complimented by thick green booger cubes. All of this fits into a small portable box making it an easy game to slip into your bag.

The gameplay really shines the more players you have and once you move out of the beginner bets. The beginner betting cards can get a little lackluster and lose their steam halfway through a game as players pick up the flow of the game. The large variety of advanced betting cards included in the box and the different combinations that can make their way into the game adds a different flavor each time the game hits the table. For example, players can bet on how many ones and twos are placed in the teeth or specific patterns made by the roller in their placement before finishing the round. The variety adds life to the game that sticking to the basic bets can’t sustain. With this being the case, the solo mode is not something that gives me much enjoyment using only the basic cards. This is a social game that only works when you can chat with the people at the table.

Those interested in the game can get the base game, upgrades, and a 7-8 player expansion from the Thunderworks Games website. The Swindlers Chest, a combo of both goblin games, can be picked up as well.