GAMES of the GALAXY

by Mike Kelly


A Word from the Author

Every group of PCs seems to wind up in a casino at some time or another, and I wanted to offer some fun alternatives to the usual hand of Sabaac; games that were a little out of the ordinary, and that the players could actually play instead of just rolling their Gambling skills. If nothing else, it's a great way to burn off some of the credits they may have collected over the last few adventures.

"Knockout" is based on Countdown, a dice game that my old gaming group used to play during breaks in the action. It's unbelievably simple, yet weirdly addicting.

"Kajuka" is based on an interesting game called Moraff's Stones that I found on one of those 500-in-1 game CD-ROMs. At first it seems complicated, and perhaps a bit dull. But in fact, it turns out to be very quick-playing, and requiring quite a bit of game awareness and strategy. Just the sort of thing you'd expect to find merchants playing in some portside gambling house.

"Tavern's Squares" is based on an old German betting game called Gluckhaus, which literally means "House of Fortunes".


KNOCKOUT

Of the countless games played by starship crewers to pass the time during the long, grueling voyages between the stars, few are more simple yet more widespread than the game known as Knockout. Sometimes called "Blackout", "Blastoff", "Dropout" or simply "Knock", the game is great for both casual play as well as gambling, has all kinds of alternate rules to add variety, and never seems to get boring. In short, the perfect spacer's pasttime.

Players: 2 to 6

Set-Up: All you need to play is between seven and a dozen six-sided dice for each player, and large flat surface to roll on, preferably with something to use as a backstop (e.g. a bulkhead or cargo container).

Object: The object of the game is to be the first to get rid of all your dice.

Playing the Game: There are only five main rules to Knockout.

  1. You must throw at least one die per turn.
  2. If you throw a die and it does not match any of the ones already on the table, then leave it where it is. You can either choose to throw another die, or to end your turn.
  3. If you throw a die and it comes up as a 1, the die is removed from the table and is effectively out of the game. You can either choose to throw another die or to end your turn.
  4. If you throw a die and it comes up a number that is already on the table, you must pick up the die you just threw as well as the die that it matched. This ends your turn.
  5. Knock on the table to signal the end of your turn. Play progresses to the person on your right.

At the beginning of the game, each player must have the same number of dice (7 dice is usually optimal) in their hands. Players roll a pair of dice, and the person with the lowest number has the first turn (the players then put the dice back into their hands, obviously).

Play progresses according to the five rules, until someone runs out of dice. This player wins the game.

Betting: Players will often make friendly wagers on both the entire game and on individual rolls. Naturally, this varies from group to group.

Optional Rules: Many Knockout players will often create their own rules. Here are some of the common ones.

  • "Knocks" - If you throw a die and it knocks over another die that's already on the table, you have to pick up both dice.
  • "Flips" - Alternate of "Knocks". If you throw a die and it hits another die thats already on the table and the hit flips it to a different number, the new number is the one that counts. If the new number that flipped up matches another on the table, you have to pick up both. If it flips to a 1, it is removed.
  • "Baggage" - If you match a 6, not only do you have to pick up both dice, but you also have to pick up one of the dice that was removed as a 1.
  • "Mines" - Used in conjuction with "Knocks" or "Flips". If a die comes up a 1, it is left where it landed instead removing it from the table. However, if another 1 is rolled, the pair are still not removed. This leads to clutter on the table that the players have to be careful of.
  • "Drops" - Also called "Golden Gloves" or "Jedi Fingers". If a die rolls off the edge of the table and another player catches it before it hits the ground, he gets to give the die back to you along with a penalty die out of his own hand. If the die hits the ground, you take a penalty dice out of the pile of dice removed as 1s. This ends your turn.


KAJUKA

Kajuka is a fast-paced trading game invented by the Vaathkree, and played almost religiously by the members of that species, and which can also be found in many casinos across the Mid Rim. The name itself means "Stones", and as the name suggests, the game revolves around the trading on thumb-sized polished stones of differing colors and values. Though the game seems like a somewhat expensive pasttime at first (it costs 75 credits at the very least simply to buy into a single hand), a lot of skill and a little luck can earn a player quite a bit of profit. However, beware getting involved in a Kajuka match with any Vaathkree gambler; the natural-born traders can seperate a player from his credits in quite a hurry, and they don't at all appreciate losing, especially to opponents of "lesser" species (e.g. humans).

Players: 4

Set-up: Kajuka is played on a specially-designed square table, which seats the 4 players facing each other, one on each side. Directly in front of each player is a recessed area which is shielded from the other three players so that only the player may see what's there; this is called the "Crate". In front of each player's Crate (toward the middle of the table), there is a smaller raised rectangle, which is open for all to see; this is called the "Stand". To the left of the Stand is a place for the player to stack the money he/she/it has wagered on the game, and in the very center of the table is a wide square made out of a nearly frictionless material, which the players use when trading stones.

A Kajuka set is made up of 30 stones, 9 of which are colored Blue, 10 of which are Gold, and 11 that are Silver. Blue stones have a value of 12 credits. Gold stones have a value of 6 credits. Silver stones have a value of 1 credit.

The stones are stored underneath the table, and are distributed automatically by a complex dealing mechanism.

Object: The object of Kajuka is to gain the hand's most complete set of one kind of stone, of the highest possible value.

The Play: Once all four players have bought into the hand by placing the required amount of credits on the table, the hand begins. For a normal game, the required price to buy into a hand is 75 credits. For high-stakes games, this price may be doubled, tripled or even squared (in these games, the payoffs are naturally increased by the same factor. See below).

The person operating the table need only to press a button to begin the game, at which time each player's wager is collected and deposited in front of the operator and the stones are randomly dealt to each player, which slide up from under the surface of the table. 3 stones are dealt into each player's Stand (visible to all), and 4 more are dealt into each player's Crate (visible only to the player). Note: Every hand there are two stones out of the set that remain unused. This added bit of randomness can subtly but significantly change a player's strategy.

For the first hand, the player that receives the opening trade is chosen at random. For subsequent hands, the first trade passes clockwise. A light on the table in front of the player designates whose turn it is to trade.

Trading: First, a player must choose one of the other three players to trade with. Second, the player picks up one of his stones, and offers it in exchange for a stone belonging to the other chosen player (e.g. "I offer you a Gold for a Silver."). Third, the opposing player may choose whether they want to accept or deny the suggested trade. If the opponent accepts, the stones are passed across the table. If the opponent denies the trade, the exchange does not take place (unless it is a "Force", see below).

Note: If the opponent does not have a stone of the kind that the player specifies, he need only to deny the trade. The opponent does not need to reveal that he does not have the stone. Fourth, it is now the chosen opponent's turn to offer a trade. The process repeats, accept that this player is not allowed to offer a trade to the player they have just traded with.

Forcing: Also, each player is offered one "Force" over the course of a hand. A Force is a trade that cannot be denied by the other player, and must be declared before the trade is offered (meaning, you can't wait until after your opponent has denied a trade and then say that it is a Force.) Forces can only be declared for one of the stones in the opponent's Stand.

Passing: If a player does not wish to use they're turn to make a trade, they can simply pass to another player. However, the player must specify which person the want to pass to, which still cannot be the person that just offered them a trade. Also note that a Pass still counts as a turn.

A hand ends after 12 turns have been played. At the end of the hand, the shield that blocks view of each player's Crate slides down, and all 7 stones are tallied.

Each player is paid the face value of the stones in their hand. An additional 120 credits is given to the player that has acquired the most complete set of stones. If two players have a set of the same number of stones, then the bonus goes to the player with the set of the highest value (for instance, if one player has a set of 7 Silvers, and another has 7 Golds, the player with the Golds recieves the extra 120 credits). Whatever credits are left over after the hand (about 15, on average) are pocketed by the House. Note If the price of buying into the hand was doubled (150 credits), then the hand's payoffs are also doubled. If the price was tripled, then the payoffs are tripled, and so on...

If any of the players decide that they don't want to buy into the next hand, they are eliminated, and another player has to replace them before the next hand can begin.


Notes On Playing The Game for Real: This game can be played with poker chips to represent the stones, however it can a bit difficult to figure out a way to deal out the chips randomly and at the same time make sure that the other players can't see the stones in your Crate.

Instead, I recommend using playing cards for stones. It doesn't have quite the same feel to it, but it is much easier, since the Crate 'stones' can simply be turned face down on the table or held in the person's hand. You could use 9 Diamonds for Blues, 10 Hearts for Golds, and 11 Spades for Silvers (or whichever order you'd prefer). Just ignore the numbers on the cards, and you're all set.


TAVERN'S SQUARES

Tavern's Squares is a very simple gambling game that can be found throughout the galaxy, though mainly in traditional spaceport taverns. It is a very old game, probably invented by the Corellians, which can be won only by pure chance. Interestingly, the game has over the centuries become tied-up in legend and superstitution, which almost all spacers and tavern-goers recognize as the game's true mystique. It isn't just a game, it's a permanent part of the tavern and its atmosphere. While most only view the traditions of the game as part of the fun, some take it very seriously; smugglers have been known to change their entire run-plans after a bad roll of the dice. Spacers also will often use the Tavern's Squares to settle arguements and make decisions in the same way that others would flip a coin, and normally what the dice say goes. After all, it's bad luck to go against the Squares.

Players: 1

Set-Up: The game is played on a game table, usually found on the end of the bar or on a table nearby it. On the table are 11 squares (10 of which are numbered 12-2 excluding 4, and one marked with a star) a pair of dice, a box for rolling the dice, and various coins and other valuables stacked on the numbered squares.

Object: The object of the game is to roll the number of the square which gains you the most money.

Playing the Game: The player of the game steps up, and places something of value in the Star Square (the one decorated with a star, usually on the lower right). He then picks up the dice and casts them into the rolling box. Then he adds the two dice together, which determines number of the square he's to look to.

If there is something in the square, the player wins, and can take back what he bet and also take out from that number's square anything up to the value of what he placed in the Star Square. If the square is empty, the player loses, and must take whatever he wagered in the Star Square and leave it in the number's square. If a 7 is rolled, the player must place his wager in the Seven Square, regardless of whether there is something there or not (the pile on the Seven Square can sometimes grow quite large. The only way to win it is to roll a 12, see below). If the player rolls a 2, and he wins [meaning, the square isn't empty], he not only takes everything in the Two Square, but also from the Six, the Eight and the Ten.

If a player wins on the Twelve Square, he not only takes everything in the Twelve Square, but also everything in the Three, the Five, the Seven, the Nine, and the Eleven. If a player rolls a 4, he neither wins nor loses, and can keep the money he placed on the Star Square.

If a player rolls a 4, they are usually given another chance. Otherwise, it is considered very bad luck to wager the same amount or item more than once a day.

(Note: If the only thing in the numbered square is something more valuable than what you wagered [for instance, if you bet 25 credits, and the only thing in the square you rolled is a 50 cred coin], you should ask the bartender what the tavern's rule is. Some will give you change, others will simply let you keep the difference.)


This one I particularly like, because it can also be used as part of the story. After all, there can be almost anything sitting in the Tavern's Squares, not just money.

Perhaps...

  • A spy, on the run from enemy agents, placed a top-secret microchip on the Tavern's Squares, "hidden in plain sight". However, he was apprehended by the Empire before he was able to return to retrieve it.
  • A forlorn and frustrated lover wagered an engagement ring, letting the dice decide whether he should pop the question. He lost, and leaves, convinced that it "wasn't meant to be". However, he later changes his mind, and wants the ring back -- just when a PC has won it. Turns out the guy is outlandishly rich, and will give anything if the PCs will help him get back together with his beloved.
  • A down-on-his-luck explorer bet an ancient medallion on the Squares, convinced that its the source of his bad karma. As a matter of fact, it was. And the PCs have just won it!
  • A spacer, wracked with indecision, placed a datacard on the Squares for some other person to find. On it is a cryptic message, an unusual map, or a simple set of coordinates. Can the PCs unravel the mystery?



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