Who goes first in Dead Man's Cabal?
Pandasaurus Games English edition, 2019

The last player to have raised the dead becomes the first Active Player and takes the Skull Draw Bag. If no one has performed necromantic magic recently, choose the first Active Player by another method.
Rule details
The Active Player takes the first Private Action.
The bag passes left to the next Active Player after each round; public actions proceed clockwise from the Active Player.
Source & edition
- Dead Man's Cabal: English rulebookPandasaurus Games · Setup, step 10; Gameplay steps 1–2 · Checked 2026-09-24Printed page references: 4–6
Image: © Pandasaurus Games and credited artists · Pandasaurus Games English rulebook archived by University of Waterloo
If your rules call for a random choice, use the player picker.
If there’s a tie
The rulebook doesn’t say. If you need a tie-break, pick a player at random.
More starting rules
Browse available game rulesGames with a similar starting rule
Oh My Goods!The person who most recently worked the hardest becomes the first active player, or choose a player at random.
YokohamaThe player who most recently visited Yokohama starts; if that does not determine a player, choose one by any preferred method.
Tiny Epic DinosaursThe person who most recently visited a natural history museum starts. The rules also allow your group to choose another method.
That's It!Whoever most recently played tag becomes the Reader for round one.
Black GoldWhoever most recently filled their car with gas takes the market price die and starts the first round. If players cannot remember or prefer another method, the rules say to choose randomly.
Free game-night tools: score keeper · turn timer · dice roller · all tools
Found a different instruction in your edition? Send a correction with the game, edition, and source.