I'm an amateur, but I have a pretty good grip on the shell game. I have the Al Lamfers' Mr. Peanut shell game set and love the bottom ridge design, but his set of skulls ($115) wasn't to my taste. When I saw Roscoe and RoseRed's three skull game, I had to get a set. There are two versions available: Eye-Gore ($68), which look more realistic, and Marie Antoinette ($63), which is slightly smaller and covered in intricate designs. I bought the Eye-Gore set from Stevens Magic, but they're also available directly from the creators at 3skullgame.com.

*From what I can see in the videos, most of what I say about the Eye-Gore set is probably also true for the Marie Antoinette skulls. But I only own Eye-Gore, so I'm not 100% sure.*

How do they look and feel? The Eye-Gore skulls look amazing. They're a larger than typical walnut shells--each one is about 1 3/8 inches wide and 2 5/16 inches long--and I think people will be impressed when they see these things. The skulls are made of resin, not plastic, and it gives them a nice heft. It feels like they'll last a long time. They've been colored/stained to bring out the details and to look like you'd expect skulls to look. I'm surprised how identical the three of them look, giving how natural they appear from the top. The stain colored them a bit differently on the bottom, but that doesn't matter for a performance.

How well do they handle the moves? Yhe skulls use a modified Beaumont Grip (taught by the included material) and the Chanin D** to faciliate the steal, and it works. The Eye-Gore skulls have another feature for a strong sucker flash (the Marie Antoinette skulls lack this feature). The sets come with two white Perfect Peas from the School for Scoundrels, and if you're not familiar with them, they're a quality product. The peas are a good size for sticking in Eye-Gore's eye sockets, which makes for a nice presentation.

I want to point out that the D** is a bit more apparent than I feel it needs to be, although I'm sure it was designed with great care. In a normal performance, no one would notice, but in a context where someone could get a good look, I think it might give the game away a bit. Roscoe does provide instructions on how to smooth it out if you'd like.

Teaching materials: the teaching material seems to be the same whether you buy Eye-Gore or Marie Antoinette. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the videos and pdf--there is enough meat here to keep me going for awhile. The DVD provides a nice visual compliment to the written material. There's plenty of material for routines and teaching on the shell game in general. I should point out that Roscoe seems to assume you know the basics of the shell game going in, and doesn't spend as much time on the basics as someone new to the work might require. However, he makes up for skimming through the basics by including a very complete four-act routine and extra material that can be added at the operator's discretion. The pdf includes pages of original rhyming patter specifically for the skulls and "the little blind eye," which is great fun.

My set arrived well-packaged, with the skulls individually wrapped in bubble wrap. It had a nice presentation out of the box. A white cloth bag held a wooden coffin which the skulls can fit inside, a smaller drawstring bag, a DVD, and a CD. The DVD has videos and the CD a single PDF. They could have put the pdf on the DVD, but it might have confused some folks. If you buy directly from their website, you can save a little money by giving up the coffin and physical discs. In that case, they provide links to the videos and pdf.

The wooden coffin is nice enough--it's like the plain wooden boxes you'd find at a hobby store, with hinges and a little clasp. I think I'll end up staining or painting mine.

There's a DIY feel to the packaging, which I don't mind but is worth mentioning. The discs have very simple home-printed labels, and the larger bag and coffin are have been stamped by hand with a skull, the name of the set, and the website. It all looks very nice, and considering the affordable price and the high quality of the shells themselves, I'm fine with it.

The only other high-quality shell game I have to compare the skulls to are Lamfers' resin peanuts. I prefer Lamfer's bottom ridge design to the D**, but the appearance and quality of Roscoe and RoseRed's skulls is phenomenal, and the teaching material and routines that came with the three skull game was much more comprehensive than what I got from Lamfer.

Verdict:

If you're looking to put a bizarre or macabre twist to your three shell routine, these skulls are exactly what you need. I feel like they're a steal at the price, and I look forward to seeing what Roscoe and RoseRed decide to release in the future.

(image taken from 3skullgame.com)

Click here to view attached image.

I forgot to mention that I got a fast reply from RoseRed when I asked for access to the private instructional YouTube videos on the site. They're currently the same as what is on the DVD, but she said they'll be adding more.

I have the Marie Antoinette skulls purchased from the School for Scoundrels and I agree with Ryans review. I do like the way the Marie Antoinette skulls look.

Hi. I'm ROSCOE of ROSCOE & RoseRed, and this is my very first post at Magic Café. RoseRed and I just want you guys to know we're delighted you're enjoying your 3skullgame.com sets, and thank you for your business. I enjoy my sets as well, and last night I switched from EYE-Gore to Marie Antoinette several times at Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum's Halloween event. I played the game with attendees for 3 1/2 hours straight beginning at 4 pm, and I was literally surrounded by fluid, laughing audiences the entire time. I finally had to fold up my coffin-lid table and shut down at 7:30 because I could no longer see the Little Blind Eye. It's amazing how much attention those skulls attract. Fun night, and I'm enjoying having my feet up this morning.

Roscoe,

They really are a great product. Just got myself a brass bell as you recommended in the videos. Looking forward to performing for some folks soon.

I thought you guys might like to see a video one of my players took of my 3skullgame during the Delano Ghost Tour here in Wichita on October 2, 2014. It was around 9 pm, and I was working in front of Amria's Dance Studio, reputedly one of the most haunted buildings in Delano. At the nine-second mark, watch the ghostly orb escape from the nearest skull. I saw nothing at the time. I hope the link to FB works here. Like I said, I'm new at the Café. Happy Halloween! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=682......&theater

I picked up my set from Harry Allen at this Daytona convention. I have not had the time to play with them much but they seem to handle very nicely and they are gorgeous.

I picked up my set from Harry Allen at this Daytona convention. I have not had the time to play with them much but they seem to handle very nicely and they are gorgeous.