Eh!? *Blinks.* That's really wierd. It's the NWN Suggestions forum... But, hey, I've got a Copy/Paste macro for a reason.
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Games of Layonara.
There are a number of fairly captivating games that have spread their ways across the lands of Layonara... Games played with cards, dice, and even simple gestures, many of which even the simplest and poorest of commoners can play.
*Creatures. (Currently in-game.)
This game is by all measures an involved one, which requires a not inconsiderable intellect to truly master. Strategy takes a greater role than chance in this complex game of collected cards, and the composition of one's deck is surely the most important aspect in the determination of victory or defeat. The better cards are expensive, as well; another impediment to the majority of commonfolk. Still, for those able and wealthy enough to master the game, large sums of money can be won at tournaments, and even from the wagers almost universally made over each game.
The basics of this game involve a deck of cards of varying descriptions, the primary mechanic involving Magic Generators. These Generators, shockingly enough, generate magic. With the power from these generators, the player is allowed to "summon" creatures or "cast" spells, with the cost listed on each card. Typically, the greater the effect of the card, the more Magic Generators it requires to be played. The object of the game is to slay your opponent's Avatar, or to force your opponent to expend all the cards in his or her deck before yours have been.
*Queens, also known as Kings, Knights, Thieves, and a host of other names, as suit the current players. (Not currently in-game. Implementation: Unneeded, intended only for RP. Simulate with d4; Cups = 1, Keys = 2, Coins = 3, Swords = 4.)
A far simpler card game than Creatures, the object of the game is to collect one card of each "suit" without collecting more than three of any one, in a sort of gathering game. There are four "suits," a common number among card games of this sort: Cups, Keys, Coins, and Swords. The deck is typically composed of forty-eight cards (twelve of each suit), though larger decks may be used when there are are significantly more players than three or four. Each player draws a card from the deck, without showing it to the other players, in turn, until they wish to "Hold" their cards. If a player draws four cards of a given suit, they "Break," and are out of the game. When the last player Holds or Breaks, the players who Held reveal their cards. The player with the hand closest to the "ideal" hand (that is, one of each suit and no more) wins.
The hierarchy of "not-quite-ideal" hands is widely disputed, and the lack of formal rules has led to the game being banned in most taverns, as fights over the wagers made on the games are common.
*Barmy. (Not currently in-game. Implementation: Simple to Moderate.)
This game has gone by many names in the past, but the planescant word "Barmy" has recently gained popularity in the cities of more varied population. The game uses a similar deck to Queens, except that the cards of each suit are numbered one through twelve (many decks are used for both games). In Barmy, the suits do not matter; the game is entirely centered around the numbers. This means that while most can play easily, some of the poorer-educated find the game complicated.
The object is to draw cards with a total value of twenty, though the number is sometimes raised to twenty-four to make no dealt hand an immediate Barmy hand. Players are dealt two cards, face down, and are allowed to request more if they wish, after looking at their hand. If a player draws four cards, and still does not exceed twenty (or twenty-four), the player is automatically the winner. If any player does exceed twenty (or twenty-four), the hand is declared "Barmy," and the player loses. Like in Queens, a player can choose to Hold. If all other players "go barmy," the player left Holding is the winner. In the case where more than one player Holds, the one closest to twenty (or twenty-four) wins. In the case of a tie, a draw is declared, and whatever winnings are to be had are split.
//Roll 2d12 and pretend noone else knows what you "drew". *Chuckles.* In the case of rolling more than four of the same number for a given hand, reroll.
*Stars. (Not currently in-game. Implementation: Simple to moderate.)
The dicing game of the more canny tavern-dwellers, Stars is indeed very similar to Queens. However, unlike Queens, the rules were standardized by a now-deceased thieves' guild decades ago. Why the very-similar rules have not likewise been extended to Queens is uncertain, but probably has to do with the fact that the dicing game is considered a complicated dicing game, while Queens is considered a simple card game.
There are six faces to each cubical die, in the following rank (from highest-valued to lowest): Stars, Moons, Swords, Coins, Keys, and Cups. Note that Stars can also be played with Pips dice (as described below).
Each player places a bet, then rolls. The player with the most valuable roll wins the round, and the bets. For this reason, Stars, like other dicing games, can be very lucrative for a lucky player. The value of rolls is as follows, from greatest to least.
Five of a face.
Four of a face.
Collection (either a Star, a Moon, a Sword, a Coin, and a Key, or a Moon, a Sword, a Coin, a Key, and a Cup)
Threes and twos (three of a face combined with a pair).
Three of a face.
Two pairs.
One pair.
In the case of similar rolls, (two players rolling Three of a Face, for example,) the value of the faces comes in to play. The highest-valued roll wins. In the case of Threes and Twos, the Threes face counts. In the case of Two Pairs, the higher pair's face counts.
Cheating with weighted dice is common, especially when onlookers will bet whether or not a given roll will be higher or lower than a certain value, without rolling themselves.
//Roll 5d6. 6 = Star, 5 = Moon, 4 = Sword, 3 = Coin, 2 = Key, 1 = Cup.
*Pips. (Not currently in-game. Implementation: Simple.)
By far the simplest game for those who can count to thirty, Pips is easy and common, especially among sailors. Five cubic dice are rolled, and the total value of the faces determines the winner; highest roll wins. The game has its name from the fact that dice of this type are typically not inscribed with numbers, but instead with "pips;" little dots or dimples in the faces of the die. Each face has between one and six pips.
//Roll 5d6. Rinse. Repeat.
- Playing Stars with Pips dice (or "Simpler Stars" )
Instead of using dice with the pictographic faces of Stars, one can simply use Pips dice, with the higher-numbered faces being worth more than the lower. However, this is typically frowned upon by those who play dice regularly, especially those who garner a significant proportion of their income from dicing.
//As one plays Stars, but without the IC conversion.
*Hundreds. (Currently in-game enough. *Chuckles*)
An incredibly simple game from the deserts of Dregar, Hundreds is popular among commoners, adventurers, and even several giant tribes. The game involves rolling two ten-sided dice (something said to have been invented by a regular at the Flaming Phoenix in Saudiria) of different colours. The two dice are then combined, rather than added, to make a number between one and one hundred, with two rolls of O (as the dice are numbered 0 through 9) being one hundred; highest wins. One colour die is designated beforehand as the "tens" place, while the other is the "ones." Typically these are a light colour and a dark colour, respectively.
The game is typically played in stages, with a "two out of three" or similar agreement being made. Often, due to the sheer simplicity of the game, and the distinctly even odds for rolling a total of fifty as compared to a one or one hundred, very little is bet on these, even when playing to six wins out of thirteen.
//Rolling d100 is lame.
