So, I’m running a Campaign that will feature a very large city (population of ~500,000) with lots of adventures and mini quests within it. But I’m also keeping it alive with smaller interactions, and one thing I wanted to include was gambling. Like a gajillion others, I loved Gwent in the Witcher 3, but emulating a card game with skilled opponents when I myself am NOT a good gambler seems like a daunting task. Running dice games as The House should be relatively easy, but cards much less so. Does anyone have suggestions or ideas on how to create a good card game for Players, either one they’ve used or heard about? I don’t mind blatant plagiarism from video games or books (it’s not like this Campaign is for anyone besides me and my players) so long as it’s fun.
Edit: I also don’t mind if I have to pay for it, preferably if it’s a one time cost or a low subscription cost. So long as my players are not forced to pay to join.
I usually like to play a version of 21 with d12s instead of cards, since it's such a simple game but does still involve significant chance/risk. Basically, each player rolls 2d12, and then you go around in a circle raising antes and rolling additional dice to see who can get closest to 21 without going over.
Pure fun in the side, and yes not really necessary - possibly not even used - but it’s a fun thing to consider. If there was a digital copy of Munchkin I’d include that.
But If I’m understanding you, @Pantagruel666, your recommendation would be to skip it.
Pure fun in the side, and yes not really necessary - possibly not even used - but it’s a fun thing to consider. If there was a digital copy of Munchkin I’d include that.
But If I’m understanding you, @Pantagruel666, your recommendation would be to skip it.
At least as part of an RPG. If you want to play a card game, just play it as its own thing.
No way, really? I don’t own it currently. It didn’t draw me for whatever reason though I intended to pick it up if only for some weird completionist sense. Now I have a better reason. (side comment, but for books like Candlekeep Mysteries and Keys from the Golden Vault, wouldn’t it be nice if you could buy those one shots individually? I wonder if it would help the books sell better or not).
Since you can be proficient in specific gaming sets, I'd just treat it as a skill check. An opposed one if you want the opponent to be important, or a fixed DC if you just want to get through it. Maybe a wisdom check? If they want to cheat, a Sleight of Hand (Dex) check first will give advantage on that wisdom roll.
That might not be too satisfying, but it can help move things along, which could be important if only one or two of the characters are gambling. Otherwise, everyone else would just need to sit there and watch you all play cards.
Since you can be proficient in specific gaming sets, I'd just treat it as a skill check. An opposed one if you want the opponent to be important, or a fixed DC if you just want to get through it. Maybe a wisdom check? If they want to cheat, a Sleight of Hand (Dex) check first will give advantage on that wisdom roll.
That might not be too satisfying, but it can help move things along, which could be important if only one or two of the characters are gambling. Otherwise, everyone else would just need to sit there and watch you all play cards.
That’s a good point: what does everyone else get to do while Player One is gambling? I think you and Pantagruel are right, it’s best to just skip it. Better saved for single player computer games.
There is a game called 3 dragon ante that is an official dnd game and can be played in game of DND and can also be cheated. It is fairly basic and quite fun, with an expansion available that makes it a much quicker game. It is enjoyable and a good investment even outside of dnd as it is a fun game by itself. Hope this helped!
one gambling game we often use is Baldur's Bone a popular dice game in the taverns of Baldur's Gate. Each player requires several six-sided dice. The rules are as follows:
• Each player puts the agreed ante in the pot.
• Each player rolls three dice. Play then proceeds clockwise around the table, with the host of the game going last.
• On their turn, a player can choose to "stand .. or "roll." If the player stands, the next player can take a turn. A player who rolls takes an additional die and rolls it. If the total of their dice exceeds 21, they "bust" and are out of the game. Otherwise they can keep rolling additional dice until they either stand or break.
• After everyone has had a turn, the highest point total (excluding players who busted) wins the game and takes the pot.
in my campaign for gambling i added a homebrew luck stat where the player makes a luck role that would adjust the outcome of the gambling the luck stat formula i use is: add charisma x2 add intelligence and add wisdom then divide by 4 and you get luck. you would then figure out the modifier with every 2 points over 10 equals one.
I had a DM once just ask us to roll a die, and bet on even or odd. It was simple, but we bet everything we had on a few rolls and made ridiculous amounts of gold. As a player it was fun because we got a lot, lol. Something simple that can be rewarding works best, imo.
If you just wanted to simulate multiple games at once then I'd create a d100 table of outcomes and have each PC gambler roll on it. To simulate cheating have them make a Deception check, success they can https://omegle****/ roll a 2nd time and take the higher roll, failure results in them getting caught.
So, I’m running a Campaign that will feature a very large city (population of ~500,000) with lots of adventures and mini quests within it. But I’m also keeping it alive with smaller interactions, and one thing I wanted to include was gambling. Like a gajillion others, I loved Gwent in the Witcher 3, but emulating a card game with skilled opponents when I myself am NOT a good gambler seems like a daunting task. Running dice games as The House should be relatively easy, but cards much less so. Does anyone have suggestions or ideas on how to create a good card game for Players, either one they’ve used or heard about? I don’t mind blatant plagiarism from video games or books (it’s not like this Campaign is for anyone besides me and my players) so long as it’s fun.
Edit: I also don’t mind if I have to pay for it, preferably if it’s a one time cost or a low subscription cost. So long as my players are not forced to pay to join.
I usually like to play a version of 21 with d12s instead of cards, since it's such a simple game but does still involve significant chance/risk. Basically, each player rolls 2d12, and then you go around in a circle raising antes and rolling additional dice to see who can get closest to 21 without going over.
What are you trying to do with gambling? Simple gaming is... pretty much a background activity. Plot-interesting gaming usually involves cheating.
Pure fun in the side, and yes not really necessary - possibly not even used - but it’s a fun thing to consider. If there was a digital copy of Munchkin I’d include that.
But If I’m understanding you, @Pantagruel666, your recommendation would be to skip it.
At least as part of an RPG. If you want to play a card game, just play it as its own thing.
Keys from the Golden Vault has a casino setting that includes some examples of how to handle gambling.
The Stygian Gambit
No way, really? I don’t own it currently. It didn’t draw me for whatever reason though I intended to pick it up if only for some weird completionist sense. Now I have a better reason. (side comment, but for books like Candlekeep Mysteries and Keys from the Golden Vault, wouldn’t it be nice if you could buy those one shots individually? I wonder if it would help the books sell better or not).
There's also rules for gambling in XGTE, though they're pretty bare bones.
Since you can be proficient in specific gaming sets, I'd just treat it as a skill check. An opposed one if you want the opponent to be important, or a fixed DC if you just want to get through it. Maybe a wisdom check? If they want to cheat, a Sleight of Hand (Dex) check first will give advantage on that wisdom roll.
That might not be too satisfying, but it can help move things along, which could be important if only one or two of the characters are gambling. Otherwise, everyone else would just need to sit there and watch you all play cards.
That’s a good point: what does everyone else get to do while Player One is gambling? I think you and Pantagruel are right, it’s best to just skip it. Better saved for single player computer games.
There is a game called 3 dragon ante that is an official dnd game and can be played in game of DND and can also be cheated. It is fairly basic and quite fun, with an expansion available that makes it a much quicker game. It is enjoyable and a good investment even outside of dnd as it is a fun game by itself. Hope this helped!
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Fans of Critical Role might enjoy Marquet's casino games from the first campaign.
Thank you all for the recommendations, we will definitely look at the proposals at our leisure.
one gambling game we often use is Baldur's Bone a popular dice game in the taverns of Baldur's Gate. Each player requires several six-sided dice. The rules are as follows:
I like dice roulette for its simplicity. Roll 1d30. House wins on 1 or 30. Even or Odd pays 1:1. Single number pays 25:1.
in my campaign for gambling i added a homebrew luck stat where the player makes a luck role that would adjust the outcome of the gambling the luck stat formula i use is: add charisma x2 add intelligence and add wisdom then divide by 4 and you get luck. you would then figure out the modifier with every 2 points over 10 equals one.
There’s excellent rules for several tavern games in Durnan’s Guide to Tavernkeeping if you can get your hands on a copy of that.
I had a DM once just ask us to roll a die, and bet on even or odd. It was simple, but we bet everything we had on a few rolls and made ridiculous amounts of gold. As a player it was fun because we got a lot, lol. Something simple that can be rewarding works best, imo.
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"Fear is the weight we carry, love is the treasure we bury."
If you just wanted to simulate multiple games at once then I'd create a d100 table of outcomes and have each PC gambler roll on it. To simulate cheating have them make a Deception check, success they can https://omegle****/ roll a 2nd time and take the higher roll, failure results in them getting caught.