Gambling in the Pact Worlds

[theelcorspectre]

I was wondering if their is any setting information to say how gambling works in the Pact Worlds setting? If not, what is it like in your campaigns? Do you simulate it with simple dice rolls or do you have more in depth options.

Personally, with the knowledge that the Harrow Deck has survived into the future, that should mean that games using the cards could have as well. I'm especially fond of the idea of making the game Last Azlant (introduced in The Harrow Handbook) the most popular gambling card game in my setting. This is primarily because the rules are simple and the idea that it's just fantasy UNO amuses me. I do feel like I should change the name.

Any thoughts or information?

[The Artificer]

My first thought was to ponder the nature of gambling in the cosmic Order of Things and I think gambling is more lawful than chaotic.. but the numbers are never in your favor. other than that my players Gamble by placing risky Investments during downtime, at the end of the next session I roll on a table and determine what happens and describe the payout of the gambit.
And one time they had a breath holding contest between all the players that had a big pot worth 50K...

[The Ragi]

There is some information on gambling places on the Pact Worlds book, but almost nothing on the games themselves in these places:

Page 16 - The Sun
"Pleasure Domes
A number of pleasure domes—
buildings ranging from high-end spas to casinos—are located
in Verdeon. Small crime families who skulked their way onto
the Archipelago when it was first being settled run more of
these domes, including the Vestrani Gaming  Complex, than
the senate would care to admit...

Page 46 - Absalom Station
"King Curney’s Kasbah
A combination casino, drug den, and brothel, King Curney’s
Kasbah consists of an ungainly amalgamation of several large
freighters and assorted smaller ships permanently welded
together, their engines only barely able to keep them in orbit
around the station...lose fortunes gambling in his “scrupulously
fair” orbits games...

Page 54 - Akiton
"Five Tines Fortress
With the site considered safe, entrepreneurs moved in
and transformed Five Tines Fortress into a touring
attraction that boasts a carnival, rides, and luxury gambling...

Page 82 - The Diaspora
Broken Rock
This city has continued to grow over
the centuries, and it remains a haven
for Free Captains and their crews, offering merchants who
purchase their illicit goods, mechanics who can repair their
starships, and gambling halls where they can throw away
their credits...

Signal of Screams starts on a luxury resort in the Diaspora, maybe there's some information on gambling there...

[Kishmo]

As far as mechanical rules go, Profession (Gambler) is a thing tied to Wisdom, so at minimum PCs can just make that check, or a plain ol' Wisdom check. You can get pretty fancy if you want, though - the Pathfinder gambling stuff from the Game Mastery Guide might be of help!

There's some light gambling potential in AP8 Escape from the Prison Moon, but as far as rules go it's just "make an Int check," which sort of makes sense (as opposed to a Wis check) given the context of the circumstances in the AP.

I haven't read it, but I understand that AP15 Sun Divers has a bit of plot about dealing with some "Business people" on Verdeon which an NPC is "indebted to," which sure sounds like gambling to me - could be more there!

[theelcorspectre]

You've all given me a lot of help and I greatly appreciate it.

I've actually been working on a version of poker using the Harrow deck that I might end up using if given the opportunity. The hand ranks are just like in poker except instead of straights there are crosses, which are when you have five cards that make up one row and one column on the alignment grid. For example: if you had a LG, NG, CG, CN, and CE in your hand, you would have a CG cross.

What do you guys think?

[Malach the Merciless]

True Gambling is hard to recreate in a RPG as characters skills are general so good to make Gambling based on skill checks pretty easy. Gambling is almost always set up so the house bring in 90%+ of what is wagered so the odds are stacked against the gambler.

Some gambling of course has some skill in it, especially card games, a good card player can play all night without losing much.

You could always do quick games of actual games of chance with dice, cards, and chips within your game, but they you are relying on the player skill and not their characters skill.

Of course too if you need to advance a plot by the character winning or losing . . you could just do some dice roles, role playing, and handwave for the result you need.

[Metaphysician]

In terms of the games played in Starfinder, I imagine the answer is "yes". Starfinder is a setting with hundreds of sentient races, there are probably gambling games beyond count. Even just counting the popular ones, there's probably considerable variety beyond the real world.

As for doing gambling in game? I see there being two scenarios:

1. Skill Based, Head to Head: you are playing a game like Poker, where what matters is a direct contest of skill vs skill. Opposed roll of Profession ( Gambler ), though I would also allow Culture to substitute at -2. However, that isn't the only way to play the game; before making the actual Gamble check, both sides can make other skill checks, generally opposed, like Sense Motive or Bluff or Sleight of Hand. Success generally gives you a +2 for the final Gamble check, or +4 if you are "cheating". Failing a skill check to cheat means you get caught cheating. Thus, a game of cards is both parties trying to queue up as many bonuses as they can before revealing their cards.

2. Playing Against The House: the typical casino game like Craps or Roulette. The odds are against you, fundamentally. A single game is basically a random roll; Profession ( Gambler ) or a similar skill could be rolled, but only to understand the odds of the game and whether its fair or not. However, a gambler can make Profession ( Gamble ) checks to represent their overall time playing in a casino. They can't effect the outcome of a single game, but sufficient skill can allow the player to pick the right games, know when to fold, and eek out a margin of victory, depending on the casino. Note that the payday isn't that great.

[Joe Pasini]

The Ragi wrote:

Page 16 - The Sun
"Pleasure Domes
A number of pleasure domes—
buildings ranging from high-end spas to casinos—are located
in Verdeon. Small crime families who skulked their way onto
the Archipelago when it was first being settled run more of
these domes, including the Vestrani Gaming  Complex, than
the senate would care to admit...

My friends, look no further than Starfinder Adventure Path #15: Sun Divers, which details rules for not one, not two, but four futuristic casino games in the Vestrani Gaming Complex, from meteorite roulette to enercycle betting! The latter is probably my favorite, and great fun around the table, with everyone rolling a bunch of dice together.

[theelcorspectre]

Joe Pasini wrote:

The Ragi wrote:

Page 16 - The Sun
"Pleasure Domes
A number of pleasure domes—
buildings ranging from high-end spas to casinos—are located
in Verdeon. Small crime families who skulked their way onto
the Archipelago when it was first being settled run more of
these domes, including the Vestrani Gaming  Complex, than
the senate would care to admit...

My friends, look no further than Starfinder Adventure Path #15: Sun Divers, which details rules for not one, not two, but four futuristic casino games in the Vestrani Gaming Complex, from meteorite roulette to enercycle betting! The latter is probably my favorite, and great fun around the table, with everyone rolling a bunch of dice together.

Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention.

[Driftbourne]

There's a gambling encounter in Drift Hackers - A light in the Dark.

gambling:

A lot of it evolves around researching how the hover drone races work to cheat it.

I'm all for finding uses for harrow cards in Starfinder

[Zefira Lachlan]

I'd like to thank everyone for this info, too. My very first Starfinder Society character is a gambler in her downtime, so being able to pepper her speech with some setting-appropriate details would be lovely.

[BloodKiss]

When it comes to gambling in the Pact Worlds setting, there might not be specific setting information available. However, in my campaigns, we like to get creative and simulate gambling with different options.

[Jenny Jarzabski]

Joe Pasini wrote:

My friends, look no further than Starfinder Adventure Path #15: Sun Divers, which details rules for not one, not two, but four futuristic casino games in the Vestrani Gaming Complex, from meteorite roulette to enercycle betting! The latter is probably my favorite, and great fun around the table, with everyone rolling a bunch of dice together.

Hmm, sounds like an excuse for Joe to make us an in-universe Starfinder gambling card game! ;)

[Hisaingenis]

I thoroughly enjoy the creative aspect of crafting unique gambling games in the Pact Worlds setting. It adds an exciting layer of immersion and intrigue to our campaigns. Adapting real-world games or inventing new ones allows us to explore the diverse cultures and races of the Starfinder universe while indulging in thrilling bouts of chance and skill.

[edwardkgill]

theelcorspectre wrote:

Joe Pasini wrote:

The Ragi wrote:

Page 16 - The Sun
"Pleasure Domes
A number of pleasure domes—
buildings ranging from high-end spas to casinos—are located
in Verdeon. Small crime families who skulked their way onto
the Archipelago when it was first being settled run more of
these domes, including the Vestrani Gaming  Complex, than
the senate would care to admit...

My friends, look no further than Starfinder Adventure Path #15:

Dive into the allure of vintage-inspired casino games on our modern, user-friendly platform. Find some info here and enjoy a nostalgic gambling experience. Sun Divers, which details rules for not one, not two, but four futuristic casino games in the Vestrani Gaming Complex, from meteorite roulette to enercycle betting! The latter is probably my favorite, and great fun around the table, with everyone rolling a bunch of dice together.

Thank you very much for bringing this to my attention.

Thank you very much for the information. The idea of exploring four futuristic casino games, especially energy betting, excites me. Imagining the fun and camaraderie around the table, with everyone rolling dice together, sounds like an absolute blast. I'll definitely be checking this out!