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The Archives => Meta (Archived) => Topic started by: Velox on August 27, 2009, 01:13:55 AM

Title: Gambling
Post by: Velox on August 27, 2009, 01:13:55 AM
What are some simple and quick games of chance that can be used at the game table? My group is going to a city full of casinos and gambling dens. I want more than just "pick a number and roll a die" (which is like roulette), but less than craps.

What are some simple games? Dice or cards...
Title: Gambling
Post by: Nomadic on August 27, 2009, 02:54:08 AM
Blackjack is a good one.
Title: Gambling
Post by: Tillumni on August 27, 2009, 07:25:44 AM
allright, no idea what it's called but there's one played in vietnam that's fairoly simple really.

players puts thier money on 6 different field, each of them with the image of a type of food or drink.
the host rolls 3 six-sided dices under a bowl on a plate then reveals the result.

players get the amounth of money back, equal to the number of time the food they betted on shows up on the dices.
Title: Gambling
Post by: Lmns Crn on August 27, 2009, 12:34:37 PM
I think your best approach really has a lot to do with what you want to do. It's easy for a gambling game-within-a-game to become either a distraction or a really obvious gimmick (or both). I really think that if I were looking for a change of pace, I'd abandon all pretense to the contrary and actually cancel gaming night in favor of poker night for a week.

I think incorporating gambling into roleplaying games can be a great plot hook, used sparingly. It can give social-focused characters a great chance to flex their muscle, if you're setting up games that involve a lot of bluffing and reading people's inscrutable poker faces.

I really would do as much of this as possible within the boundaries of whatever mechanics you're already working with, though. (Bluff rolls and whatnot.)
Title: Gambling
Post by: Mason on August 27, 2009, 01:17:10 PM
Here are some examples I've used. Pretty sure they are both from wizards publications:

 Gauntlets. Two people sit in chairs at a table. They are restrained by the crowd, or with ropes or whatever. They both put on big heavy gauntlets and are allowed one smack a round. A coinflip determines who goes first. Vivid descriptions of each hit are a must.
 
 The other is a dice game played by elves. You use one black d20 and three green d6's. The black die is Gruumsh and the three green dice are valiant elvish archers. I think the point was to beat the d20 three times or somthing like that.
 My two cents.
Title: Gambling
Post by: sparkletwist on August 28, 2009, 02:11:10 PM
Quote from: Luminous CrayonI think your best approach really has a lot to do with what you want to do. It's easy for a gambling game-within-a-game to become either a distraction or a really obvious gimmick (or both).
I'd agree with this, to a degree. Sometimes an obvious gimmick can be fun, though. If, for example, you've developed a gambling game quite unlike anything on Earth, and the PCs wouldn't be expected to know anything about it either, it can be a fun roleplaying experience to play a few rounds of it and have them learn. Once they're familiar with it, you could probably skip over a lot of the gritty details.

That said, I did have a very fun session once (granted, I was much younger, but still) where the entire thing took place in a sort of medieval Vegas. The characters wandered about the town, visiting pubs and playing games of chance. It might have almost been "let's cancel gaming night and have poker night," but the table talk and bluffing and such were IC, which was actually really fun.