Sabacc

[DougRed4]

Has anybody played around with a way of doing Sabacc in-game?

The only thing I was able to discover online for d6 is this variant on RPG.net. It seems solid, but I'm wondering if anybody else has tried anything?
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[DougRed4]

FWIW, that last site's info is duplicated on this one, which also includes a way of doing Roulette.

Interestingly, here's a way of making actual Cloud City Sabacc cards, which might be fun. I'm tempted to print some of these up using cardstock, for actual cards.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[Naaman]

Real cards would be cool, except that it could render the Gambling skill inert.

[jmanski]

Not necessarily. Gambling is for other games of chance, too.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[garhkal]

Our sparks group has rules for playing both Sabbac and another 'card game' called Pazzak (uses uno cards), and you're gambling skill still gets used. Let me see if i can get it.

I will post them if/when i get them.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[garhkal]

The basics for the Sabbac rules are as follows.
You have the full 64 card deck, and each player has 4 phases. Drawing, betting, shifting and calling.
Each player draws one card in order of first to the left of the dealer.
Each player is dealt 2 cards. Then you shift to the betting phase. First on the left of the dealer starts. If he bets, all others must either call, bet higher or fold. If they fold, coin(s) go into the hand pot.
Once all betting is done, then it goes to the shifting phase. The player who's turn it is rolls a D. on a 1-3, a shift occurs (to simulate the electronic randomization that would happen) where each player picks one card at random from the hand to his RIGHT, and puts them into a 'discard' pile. This pile is shuffled up, then everyone picks one from that pile starting with the person to the left of the dealer.
This is one of the spots Your gambling skill can work for you.
You can roll your gambling against ANY Player and if your roll beats his you get to look at HIS full hand (so you can pick what card you want to take lets say).
You can also 'cheat' by rolling your gambling skill against everyone's Search/perception and if you win, you can actually ignore the 'switching phase'.

After the shifting phase is done, the player who's turn it is can ask if anyone want's to CALL the hand. If so, everyone shows their hand as is.
Closest to 23 without going over wins (even if its negative 23).

For Passak
1. Start with a deck of Uno cards. Two Pazaak decks can be made out of one Uno deck.
2. Sort all the cards by color. Use the yellow and blue cards for one Pazaak deck. Use the green and red cards for a second Pazaak deck. [from this point forward, do each step with each Pazaak deck]
3. Create your 38-card main deck by taking all the numbered cards (four each of 1-9, and two “zero” cards). In the Pazaak game, the zero cards will have the value of “10.”
4. Create your 14-card side deck by using the reverse, skip and draw two cards (there should be four of each of these), and ONE wild card and ONE wild plus 4 card. The in-game card values are:

Yellow and green decks are positive, while Red and blue are negative. Skip cards are +/-4, Reverse cards are +/-3, draw 2 and wild/draw +4 are worth that in value (so a draw 2 red is -2). Wild card on its own is worth one D6 for that match (roll 1d and that is the # it is valued at for now, so a green wild could be +1 to +6.)
Preparation:
Before beginning a match, randomly choose 4 cards from your side deck. These 4 cards are your HAND and must last for the entire match (each HAND card can only be used once/match). You may look at your HAND.
Shuffle your main deck and place it face down to your side. Opponents cut each other’s decks.
When using your gambling skill those who roll get
0-10 - no effect
11-20, once in the current match after drawing from your main deck, you can discard that for a 2nd draw (but that draw stands).
21-25, as above but you get to pick which card you keep.
26-30, you get 2 chances to do the above, but the 2nd usage is as with 11-20 in that you must keep the 2nd draw)
31-35, when creating your hand, after drawing from your main deck, you may discard that card and draw the next one, but the next one stands.
36-40 when creating your hand, first remove the wild card (roll the D still) and place it in your hand. Shuffle the side deck and draw 3 cards at random to fill it out.
41-45. do the action listed for 31-35, byt you get to modify a wild card you get by + or - 1.
46 and above, use the actions listed for a roll of 36-40, but you also get a 4th card making a 5 hand pack.

When starting game play, the player with the lowest gambling skill begins the first 'set'. THe player with the lowest POINT total begins subsequent sets.
Players alternate turns, with each player completing the following actions:
1. Draw the first card drawn from your main deck and place it face up on the table.
2. You have the option to play (face-up) a single card from your hand; add this to the number on the main deck card you played to obtain your current total score. If the total is over 20 after the draw and there is a negative card in your hand, you can play it to bring your total back under 20. You may only play one hand card per turn. You may never play more than 9 cards in a set. You automatically win if you have played 9 cards and your total is still under 20.
3. Stand or end turn
The set ends when both players choose to stand, or when one player ends a turn with a total greater than 20 (a “bust”).
Ties: If both players stand at the same point total, the tie is broken by counting the number of cards each player has played in the set. The player with the most cards on the table wins. If both players have played the same number of cards that is a "true tie" and the set doesn't count. In case of a “true tie” reshuffle main decks and play another set.
Winning a match: A player must win 2 out of 3 sets to win the match. Shuffle main deck between sets.

Betting: Players may always bet on the outcome of the match. This bet must always be made prior to the first player drawing the first card from the main card deck. At the end of the match, the loser must pay the winner the amount that was bet. Players may also place optional bets on individual sets within a match.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[DougRed4]

[garhkal]

No sweat.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[atgxtg]

I did up a couple of ways to handle Sabbac. One of the PCs was playing a gambler in my campaign and I needed to expand the gambling rules a bit so that we could have some excitement gambling.

How detailed do you want? I got a few different levels of complexity.

[DougRed4]

I'd love to see whatever you've got, at.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[atgxtg]

I'll dig out my notes. I got a few different methods. There is also a PDF Guide to Sabacc that somebody did that I have on my computer.

Here is some stuff I threw together. It has a few different options, variations and some examples.


The Basics Rule: Each character makes a gambling roll, and notes the results. The high roll has the best hand, or the best position, or whatever depending on just what type of game is being played. This is exactly the same as in the core rules.




The Draw: Players can use the Draw Table below to simulate the effect of discarding and drawing new cards. It can also be use to represent positional play over time, such as in a game like holochess. To use the table make a gambling skill roll and look up the result on the table to find a modifier that is added to the character's original roll.




While some games might limit the characters to one draw, other games (such as Sabbacc) could conceivably allow the characters to keep drawing (and betting) until somebody calls for a showdown




````````Draw Table

Gambling Roll General Modifier Variable Modifier Increasing Modifier

Very Easy (2-5) -10 +2D +1D

Easy (6-10) -5 -1D +2D

Moderate (11-15) None None +3D

Difficult (16-20) +5 +1D +4D

Very Difficult(21-30) +10 +2D +5D

Heroic (31+) +15 +3D +6D










Gambling Roll: This is the skill roll the character makes when he attempts to draw. The higher the level of his roll the greater the modifier.




General Modifier: This is the amount that the character adjusts his first gambling roll by to get his new total. This is the dimpliest method, but might not be the best method for every game.




Variable Modifier: This is the amount that the character adjusts his first gambling roll by to get his new total. The difference between this method and the first is that the modfier is a variable roll, making gameplay more unpredictable, and giving lower skilled characters a better chance against higher skilled ones.

Note that if you really want to give the underdogs a chance of winning, use the variable roll for all gambling rolls, including the first roll.




Increasing Modifier: This is the amount that the character adjusts his first gambling roll by to get his new total. This method is for games like Blackjack, where the value of a hand can oly go up, not down. The randomness here helps the underdog a bit, and also allows for variable results when drawing to see if a character gets blackjack or goes bust. .










Example: Let's say Mobie has a 9D Gambling skill and is playing Sabbacc. On the first turn he rolls a 27, and records it as his total. On the second turn he draws to try and improve his hand and gets a 24. Checking on the Draw Table, we see that a 24 is a Very Difficult result and is worth a +10 modifier to Mobie's score, bringing his total up to 37.


Single Draw Games: For games with a single Draw, such as Poker, that's all there is too it.




Multiple Draw Games: For games that allow for multiple draws, such as Sabbacc, you can let the character roll each turn and keep a running total of his score.

Reach a Goal Games: Some games have a certain objective or gaol that if a character reaches he has won the game. For instance, a holochess game is won when one player captures all of his opponent's pieces. Blackjack is won if somebody gets a card total of exactly 21, and so on. To simulate this is a game, just come up with a target number than a character must reach to win the game. A good target number is 31, since it requires a heroic rolls to achieve. When a character hits the target number he wins. If multiple character hit the target number at the same time, the one with the higher total wins.

Some games would have to be played until the goal is reached, while other can be stopped after each round when one character or another calls for a showdown. During the showdown the higher total wins.

It is possible that some game might have a middle range score that beats a higher score (Sabbacc does that). For such a game set the option score and then run as a multipel draw game. Characters can opt to roll fewer dice than their die code in order to try and lower a hand that is too high.




Win or Bust Games: Some games are won with a certain total is reached, but lost if that total is exceeded. In Blackjack, for instance, a player wins if he gets a 21, but busts if he exceeds 21. TO simulate such a game, use the running total method, with a few adjustments.

First off allow a character drop some of his dice after the initial roll. That prevents a character with a high die code from going bust just because of his high skill. If using the variable modifiers, the character can opt to drop some of his dice for his initial hand after they are rolled.

Since the characters are keeping a cumulative total of their cards, a characters' total score cannot go down, but must go up with each draw. The GM should bump up any skill rolls to ensure a increase in the hand total.

During the draw, the character can opt to roll fewer dice than his die coder try and avoid busting.




Example: Mobie and C'Sar decide to play some Blackjack while in Hyperpace. Mobie has a Gambling skill of (D, C'Sar has a skill of 3D. M-TD 92 is acting as a neutral dealer. The GM decides to use the Increasing Modfiers on the draw table for all die rolls in order to make the game more interesting, and give C'Sar some chance of winning a hand.


C'Sar is going first and gets a 10 for his gambling roll. Looking on the Draw Table he sees that he got a Very Easy result and he starts with a hand total of 2D. He rolls a 5 on 2D for his two cards. Realizing that he can't win in Blackjack with a 5, C'Sar opts to draw another card. He makes another gambling roll and gets another 10, adding 2D to the value of his hand. He rolls and 8 on 2D, and gets a 13. C'Sar is still not satisfied with his hand, and opts to draw a fourth card. His gambling roll is a 9 this turn, adding another 2D to the value of his hand. He rolls a 5 on 2D and raises his hand to an 18. Note that if he had rolled an 8 he would have gotten a 21, and if he had rolled higher than an 8 he would have gone bust. But he just got a five and now has an 18. C'Sar ponders his 18 for a moment. He decides to draw one more card, but not wanting to bust, he opts to roll only 1D for his gambling skill. This practically ensure that he will only add 1D to his hand. C'Sar rolls a 2, and adds 1D to his hand, rolling a 2, and getting a 20! C'Sar happily freezes his hand with a 20.

Now it's Mobie's turn. He has to beat a 20. He rolls his 9D gambling skill and gets a 33, for a heroic result. Checking on the Draw Table we see that Mobie starts with a hand size of 6D. Mobie can roll 6D and decide to drop some if he would go bust. His hand rolls are 6, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, for a total of 17. A 17 is a good hand in Blackjack, but since C'Sar has a 20 Mobie has no option but to draw another card. Not wanting to go bust, Mobie also decides to use only 1D of Gambling skill. Mobie rolls a 6 on the wild die though and ends up with a total roll of 9! That's a easy result and means he will be adding 2D to his 17. He rolls a 5, and this gives him a total of 22. Mobie busts!

See how this method really helps the underdog win a hand or two? With straight skill rolls C'Sar has next to no chance against Mobie, but with the variable die rolls, C'Sar's chances of winning are much improved. Just as in more like in real life he can win if he draws a good hand. . C'Sar pushed his luck when he had an 18 and got lucky.




Positional Play Games: In some games, what one side does affects the other. Games such as Holochess work that way. As one side position improves the other side's position weakens. To simulate these types of games, set a target number as in a reach a goal game, but just track one number. To do that simply treat the gambling rolls as opposed, and use the difference as the result on the Increase Modifier column on the draw table. The winner shifts the game score in his favor by that amount. When one side reaches the target number it wins.

Furthermore, in such games as one side's position strengthens, it becomes easier for that side to win. TO reflect this the winning side can add +1D to it Gambling skill rolls per 5 points the game score is in his favor.




Example: Mobie and M-TD 92 are playing Djenark. Mobie has a score if 6D, and the droid has a score of 13D. The GM decides to set the target number for the game at 31, and will use the variable modifiers for all skill rolls.

On the first turn Mobie rolls a 22 for his skill roll, but M-TD 92 now rolls a 44! M-TD 92 is winning the game and has a 22 point advantage. Looking on the Increase Modifier column on the Draw Table we see that M-TD 92 has a 5D advantage. The droid rolls a 13, and is nearly half way to victory. Because he had a 13 point advantage, the droid adds +3D to his skill, not that it needs it.

On the second turn Mobie gets lucky with the wild die and ends up with a 37. M-TD 92 rolls a lot of ones and “only” gets a 30. Mobie wins by 7, and that is worth a 2D shift in his favor. Mobie rolls a 3, reducing M-TD 92s advantage down to ten points. The droid only gets to add an extra 2D to his skill rolls. Things don't look good for Mobie.

On turn three Mobie again rolls good and gets a 33. M-TD 92 rolls a 48, beating Mobie by 15 and increasing his advantage by 3D. The droid rolls a 17 on 3D! This bumps his advantage up to 27. The game is nearly won. M-TD 92 has a 27 point advatage, so he adds an extra 6D to his skill. Mobie hasn't a chance.

On turn five, Mobie makes a valiant effort, getting a 27, but the droid beats him with a 55! This is a 28 point difference and means another 5D to the droid's advantage. The droid rolls 19, bumping his advantage up to 46, way past the 31 needed to win. The droid easily trashes Mobie, but then it does have a 13D skill.

[DougRed4]

atgxtg, I've been going over your rules. Can you let me know what the word "dimpliest" means, in the context?
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[atgxtg]

[DougRed4]

Ah, got it!

I played around with things last night some. I printed out (and cut out) a full sabacc deck, then two of my kids sat down with me and we tested things out.

I tried the different versions, sometimes incorporating different elements from each one, and I'm still not sure which way to go. I'll most likely come up with my own, perhaps borrowing elements from each.
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Currently Running: Villains & Vigilantes (a 32-year-old campaign with multiple groups) and D6 Star Wars; mostly on hiatus are Adventures in Middle-earth and Delta Green

[atgxtg]

Mixing and matching and/or coming up with your own rules is pretty much what we did. The various levels of complexity and variant games developed because of what we were trying to do with gambling.

When we just needed it for background color we went with something simple, typically a single roll against the "house" with the amount won or lost based upon the margin of difference and the stakes. When we used gambling as a center point for a scene or adventure we needed something that allowed us to build up tension and drama.

Of course the credit flow can be a problem, too. The gambling in our campaign frequently ends up making more credits at the tables than the freighter captain does buying and selling cargo.