Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Synjin Nov 18, 2014 8:12:20	I'm trying to come up with different games for betting that the characters can partake in, but have hit a roadblock in how to create it.   One style I'm trying to figure out is some sort of "dog racing" style game. Where the players can roll dice 6 times (one for each corner, and two for the straightaways), and depending on the rolls, their "dog" will speed up or slow down. I'm assuming the favored "dog" would have lesser odds, and therefore more dice to roll (greater chance of higher numbers, therefore the win), while the longshots would have less dice and chance to win, but bigger payoff if they happen to.   Another is arena/gladiator style, incorporating creature CR's and using them as the basis for odds making. Would a CR5 monster going up against a CR7 be at 3:1 (e.g. Betting $100 would win you $300 on the win) odds? How would you determine that?   Thoughts?   Another is the Liar's Dice game (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar's_dice), as seen in Pirates of the Carribbean 2.   What gambling games have you come up with?
#2 bawylie Nov 18, 2014 9:13:43	I use board games and tabletop games (anything that can be completed in under 15 min). But I don't get into complicated wager systems. 1:2 is all I need.    Some I use include Liars Dice, Jenga, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Simon, Taboo, Pictionary, Mazes, etc   Once you have a few, you just have to determine what winning means. "Whoever has the most marbles has won, 2nd place, 3rd, etc."
#3 iserith Nov 18, 2014 9:24:48	I generally use gambling and whatnot as a backdrop to an interaction scene. So maybe the adventurers are playing baccarat with the villain, Gnomefinger, and in the doing sussing out his plans for world domination or trying to psyche him out with skill. The stakes of the game aren't really money but something else. The money's just a bonus (or a cost).   How about a fight between two dogs (wolf stat block) and a black bear? From the sidelines, PCs can modify the animals' chances of success with actions that might call for Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks.   Another option is to look into Three Dragon Ante. It takes a little more time than I prefer but I'm sure that can be cut down. What's more, there are rules (for 3.X that could be converted to 5e) for using characters' trained skills to do little tricks to cheat or the like during play.
#4 Kalani Nov 18, 2014 9:35:46	I have gambling come up semi-frequently in Encounters. Rather than roleplay out each exchange, I simply handwaive the entire night based on the following formula.   PCs make their wagers. Each player rolls 1d20 and adds their proficiency bonus in cards or dice to the result. Highest check result wins, and earns their wager. I am in the process of creating some more advanced rules for gambling which will use a combination of Deception, Insight, and Sleight of Hand. Characters with proficiency in cards and/or dice would also gain additional options. I will keep you posted once I have developed the system which would act as a kind of social challenge (kind of like in 4E).
#5 Timborama Nov 18, 2014 13:01:31	There's a Dragon magazine that had some dice games. You could even do roulette and roll percentile die! Other ideas are watching clips of races with Japanese World Cup (a horse racing game that's friggin' bonkers) on youtube and have them bet on horses. If that's too silly for you, you can find randomizer programs that simulate horse or dog races, giving your PCs something to watch! And, possibly, something to yell at while they go bankrupt...I think the idea of interactivity while "gambling" in games prevents it from being boring or just being another dice-roll mechanic. Other simulationist "game-within-a-game" can include the ball-in-a-cup game, a quick round of poker, connect 4, checkers, stuff like that.   One of my favorite in-game games, though, is called Red Rogue (or, if you're fancy, le Rogue Rouge). Kinda like Black Jack, with dice:   Roll 2d6, and a secret 1d6. Keep your secret die hidden at all times. The goal is to get as close to 18 without going over. If you "hit" you roll another die, but if that die's face shows a number one of your (non-secret) die are showing, you MUST hit and repeat this process. So if you roll two 5's and a secret 2, you could probably safely "hit" and roll 1 more die, since you aren't likely to go over unless you roll another 5 (putting you at 17, and forcing you to roll another die!).   Play this with either a bunch of players together, or with a "house."   (all this being said, this depends on players. Some like getting into the nitty-gritty of gambling in character, and have fun. Others figure "If I wanted to play video poker instead of DnD, I'd just play video poker..." so try to gauge your players and adjust accordingly. Maybe the gamblers gamble while the non-gambler goes off and has a fun encounter, or watches out for his buddies as they win a lot of money and attract some unscrupulous attention!)
#6 sleypy Nov 18, 2014 13:21:38	Timborama wrote: