Post by Deleted on Jan 1, 2012 21:11:30 GMT -6
I've been looking for a relatively simple gambling game to put in my house-rules. I like this one, but I've had a hard time finding a set of rules I thought were easily understandable ... so I took a try for myself. If you aren't familiar with the game please give them a read and let me know what you think. Could you play this game after reading these rules?
Later: Okay ... here is a beta of the final version. I included some variants because I'm thinking that, though the game is played throughout the Realm, it changes a bit from place to place.The superstitions I just flat out made up.
Ship, Captain, Crew
On a six-sided die: Ship = 6, Captain = 5, Crew = 4
The first player is traditionally determined by a high roll on 5d6. Play proceeds to the first player's left (clockwise).
The object of the game is to roll 5d6, removing a result of ship, then captain, then crew from the dice pool. They must be removed in that order. One must, after all, have a ship before a captain is needed, and both are required before a crew can be hired. It is permissible to remove more than one die per roll, so long as the sequence 6-5-4 is maintained.
Each player gets up to three throws of the dice pool and once 6-5-4 have been rolled the sum of the remaining two dice form the ship's cargo. The highest cargo score wins the round, players with dice throws remaining may reroll the cargo dice. If the cargo is rolled again, however, both dice are rolled and the new result must be accepted. Players unable to obtain a 6-5-4 combination and therefore incapable of rolling a cargo get a score of zero for that round.
Though play proceeds clockwise, first throw proceeds counter-clockwise. Alternately, the winner of the previous round gets first roll.
Betting
The first player sets the ante for that round. If no player players score in a round, or if high score is tied, the kitty (also called the pot or ante) is not rewarded. It is instead carried over to the next round. Otherwise, the kitty is "winner-take-all".
Jargon
Hammer: last player in a round.
Point: current winning score.
Minimum: a cargo of two, the lowest possible score.
Midnight: a cargo of 12, the highest possible score.
Bitten by the Dream Spider: scoring twelve after a previous player has already posted a twelve and thus forcing a draw.
Example of Play
Borimir the Bold, our first player, rolls 5d6 with a result of 3-2-4-4-6
He removes the 6 (ship) from the die pool. Since he does not yet have a 5 (captain), the 4 is useless to him and cannot be removed. The dice pool now has four dice in it.
One his second throw Borimir gets 5-4-4-1. He removes the 5 (captain) and one of the 4's (crew) from the dice pool. Since he now has a 6-5-4 combo, Borimir sums the result of the final two dice for a "cargo" of 5.
Borimir has one throw remaining and five is a below average result for a 2d6 throw, so he chooses to roll again. Unfortunately, his luck fails and the dice yield a 1-3, giving him a cargo of 4. That was his third and final roll.
Borimir's final score is four, the dice pass to the player on his left.
Variant Names
Alternate names include: "Ship of Fools" "Man-o-War, Frigate, Cutter" and far inland the game is called "Caravan, Wagon, Ox."
Variant Rules
High Stakes: Each player takes one roll then passes the dice cup to his left. After every player has rolled one time the first roller then raises the ante and rolls again. Each player must either match the raise or "jump ship" and forfeit their bet. If the first player jumps ship the first player to his left to stay raises the bet. A limit on raises is often imposed.
No Ties: The tied players roll a new cargo, highest roll wins.
Low Dice: Instead of 6-5-4, the ship/captain/crew are represented by 1-2-3, respectively.
Limited Rolls: If the the first player rolls the dice pool less than three times, subsequent players may only roll that many times during that round.
Superstitions
In many regions it is considered bad luck to play without a dice cup.
Getting bit by the dream spider is an ill omen but not for the person rolling it. The misfortune is on the person whose winning 12 was negated by the tie.
Winning a game with a cargo of ten made by two 5's is considered a good omen.
Later: Okay ... here is a beta of the final version. I included some variants because I'm thinking that, though the game is played throughout the Realm, it changes a bit from place to place.The superstitions I just flat out made up.
Ship, Captain, Crew
On a six-sided die: Ship = 6, Captain = 5, Crew = 4
The first player is traditionally determined by a high roll on 5d6. Play proceeds to the first player's left (clockwise).
The object of the game is to roll 5d6, removing a result of ship, then captain, then crew from the dice pool. They must be removed in that order. One must, after all, have a ship before a captain is needed, and both are required before a crew can be hired. It is permissible to remove more than one die per roll, so long as the sequence 6-5-4 is maintained.
Each player gets up to three throws of the dice pool and once 6-5-4 have been rolled the sum of the remaining two dice form the ship's cargo. The highest cargo score wins the round, players with dice throws remaining may reroll the cargo dice. If the cargo is rolled again, however, both dice are rolled and the new result must be accepted. Players unable to obtain a 6-5-4 combination and therefore incapable of rolling a cargo get a score of zero for that round.
Though play proceeds clockwise, first throw proceeds counter-clockwise. Alternately, the winner of the previous round gets first roll.
Betting
The first player sets the ante for that round. If no player players score in a round, or if high score is tied, the kitty (also called the pot or ante) is not rewarded. It is instead carried over to the next round. Otherwise, the kitty is "winner-take-all".
Jargon
Hammer: last player in a round.
Point: current winning score.
Minimum: a cargo of two, the lowest possible score.
Midnight: a cargo of 12, the highest possible score.
Bitten by the Dream Spider: scoring twelve after a previous player has already posted a twelve and thus forcing a draw.
Example of Play
Borimir the Bold, our first player, rolls 5d6 with a result of 3-2-4-4-6
He removes the 6 (ship) from the die pool. Since he does not yet have a 5 (captain), the 4 is useless to him and cannot be removed. The dice pool now has four dice in it.
One his second throw Borimir gets 5-4-4-1. He removes the 5 (captain) and one of the 4's (crew) from the dice pool. Since he now has a 6-5-4 combo, Borimir sums the result of the final two dice for a "cargo" of 5.
Borimir has one throw remaining and five is a below average result for a 2d6 throw, so he chooses to roll again. Unfortunately, his luck fails and the dice yield a 1-3, giving him a cargo of 4. That was his third and final roll.
Borimir's final score is four, the dice pass to the player on his left.
Variant Names
Alternate names include: "Ship of Fools" "Man-o-War, Frigate, Cutter" and far inland the game is called "Caravan, Wagon, Ox."
Variant Rules
High Stakes: Each player takes one roll then passes the dice cup to his left. After every player has rolled one time the first roller then raises the ante and rolls again. Each player must either match the raise or "jump ship" and forfeit their bet. If the first player jumps ship the first player to his left to stay raises the bet. A limit on raises is often imposed.
No Ties: The tied players roll a new cargo, highest roll wins.
Low Dice: Instead of 6-5-4, the ship/captain/crew are represented by 1-2-3, respectively.
Limited Rolls: If the the first player rolls the dice pool less than three times, subsequent players may only roll that many times during that round.
Superstitions
In many regions it is considered bad luck to play without a dice cup.
Getting bit by the dream spider is an ill omen but not for the person rolling it. The misfortune is on the person whose winning 12 was negated by the tie.
Winning a game with a cargo of ten made by two 5's is considered a good omen.