Great game - Just for flavor points in my campaign, I gave each of the results names and drew simple symbols on a blank die instead of using numbers. These are, in number order, the Rogue, the Serf, the Fool, the Knight, the Noble, and the King. This makes the four "scoring" rolls (2, 4, 5, and 6) mirror the simplified four-segment heirarchy of feudalism (King, Nobles, Knights, and Serfs), a common government in medieval fantasy. The Rogue is the mischeivous swindler who eliminates you, and the Fool is a fool because the 3 roll forces you to bet more and can never be a King score. Also, it makes sense with the game's name (6 is the King), and 2 being the Serf goes alongside the "peasants can overthrow the king" concept.
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Thanks for sharing the game yourself! Honestly I can't help but mention that I was so inspired by this video. I hadn't even considered using a betting game at the D&D table, but then I stumbled across the video and I'm already drawing up a tavern and the scenery for where King will be played! You really set the scene well in your explaination, too. It's amazing how just the idea of such a simple yet amazing betting game can add so much to a D&D world. I can't thank you enough for the inspiration.
@@SillySyrup that really means a lot, thank you so much for the kind words! I know I draw inspiration for my games from a lot of places, so knowing I could do that for you is awesome! Thanks again!
I'm sure it's already a game, but I call the game I play Doker. Poker but dice. You roll 2d12, and that's your hand. Make your bets. Then dealer rolles 3d12, next rounds of bets, 1d12, bet, 1d12 final round of betting. Then normal poker rules, there are no flushes, but you can get straights, pairs, and of course high roll of everyone bluffed thier ass off, or you need a tie breaker.
When playing this, the order of some combinations actually change! Here it goes: 5 of a kind (i like to call this a flush) large street (five on a row) 4 of a kind full house small street (four on a row) 3 of a kind 2 pair 1 pair high dice The order stays the same when played with d6 and d8. Source (i did the probability calculations for my own games :)❤)
So I am back to do a correction on my calculations😅 A street is more common than a 4-of-a-kind, so they should be swapped around. Anyways, thanks for the love!
@@hoegoebaboe If you're looking to add another valuation; if you're using 5d12 you could add a "Skips" combination, which is functionally a straight but it skips a number, like: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. It has a probability of 0.0000241 or 1 in 41,493 - placing it below 5 of a Kind.
The 2 besting a 6 is really neat and could lead to cycles of players becoming king and stealing it back. Im definitely going to try this with my players.
@@Avenrod Already explained, but to reiterate: If the only thing that beats a 6 is another 6 - and only if you win a duel - there's never any reason to claim the crown! It also increases the odds that the game becomes one player passing every turn while the rest roll over and over with barely a chance of winning. So it helps with balance!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I like this rule, but I'm scouring the attached pdf and the fact that a 2 can equal a 6 isn't clear? This video and the rules seem to skirt over this imo.
A nice, simple game that can be very easily added. Sounds nice, and the mention of "house rules" makes me think that there also can be variants. Like, imagine the players discover this in a human town. They find out about it in a tavern, and its played as mentioned here. Lets say they win and make some coin, but the game ends and they continue. They find a dwarven town, see a gambling place, and see some familiar activity. They ask to join, bringing out their D6, and the dwarf laughs and say "oh you poor child, we play by dwarven rules here" and shows a D8. Would be fun to see/come up with new results for the additional side and have the dwarf explain it to the party.
That would be really cool! I like the idea of the name of the game changing between cultures, too - so maybe it's King for humans, but Emperor for dwarves if they have a different government. Would love to hear any "home rules" you come up with!
That would be awesome! I've also allowed players in other dice games to get "advantage" on one roll if they have proficiency with dice. Love the creativity!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I am trying to find the old black-&-white illustration of Ao playing a board game with Tiamat; the board is unusual & I can't figure out which edition\book it was in!
@@trollge3712 I'll check that out but no, I'm designing a campaign that uses the pubs from the Twisted Taverns book and introduces an ongoing murder mystery.
That's awesome, I'm glad they had fun! One of my original ideas for it that didn't make it in the video was that the game could change names depending on the culture, so I love that you thought of that, too! Thanks for letting me know how it went!
I’m fond of these games: Pig: on your turn, you can choose to roll or hold. If you roll, roll the die and add it to your previous rolls. If you hold, add all the rolls from this turn to your total. But if you roll a 1, you don’t get any points this round. Win at a predetermined number. A basic push-your-luck game. Hazard: it’s basically a faster version of craps Dice Poker: poker with dice it’s not that hard. Drop Dead: everyone starts with the same number of dice. Each round everyone rolls. Add all your dice to your sum, but then remove any die that landed on 5 or 2. Once all dice are eliminated (or the last person standing gets the highest total), the game ends. Highest total wins. Ce-lo: a game of basically pure chance, but is great because it can handle a lot of players. Not enough room to explain. House has the advantage, too. Snakes: basically just farkle but faster.
This is absolutely wonderful. I was struggling to think of ideas for non-combat encounters during a long journey, and somehow never thought of gambling in one of the many taverns we’ll end up in!
I’m glad I could help! If you’re looking for more inspiration, I have a video about travel tips you might find helpful. Thanks for watching and for the kind words, I hope your players love the game!
Imagining a player heist where they are gathering intel on the casino they plan to rob, so the better at this they are, the more intel they can eavesdrop on.
That would be awesome! And if they run out of money, better hope the bouncers don't notice the sending stones that have been listening in the whole time...
I ran a reverse heist style adventure today and used this game as one of the games being played in the casino. The party had to win enough money to bribe a retired lounge singer into revealing some secret information about the casino boss. We played with 5 gold stakes and the pot got into the hundreds. The final round was super tense! The party was able to successfully bribe the singer and was able to switch out the casino boss's lucky charm with a cursed version. After the switch my players wanted to go back into the casino and keep playing King until the place closed. Thanks so much for this great game!
Loving this. Implementing a world game that everyone knows is a great game tool! Like others I love the idea of some RPG cheating in the midst of real world strategy. “Goblin as King goes for the winning roll, chuckling over the 60 coin pot!” (Half orc player rolls for intimidation) “However, looking across the barroom table at the olive skinned monstrosity cracking their knuckles and boring a hole through them with a death stare, Goblin suddenly decides that passing may be the best option for their own health and safety”
I’m glad you like the game! And I agree, giving them a chance to roleplay a bit and use some of their skills to have a better shot at winning will only make it more fun! Thanks for watching!
I love the idea of adding a mini game, especially since I'm running my first game as a DM and I chose Stormwreck Isle. There's no real way to spend money on that island, and this is a great way to utilize all the gold they'll acquire. Thanks for sharing!
My players are headed to a dwarven city in our next session, which includes a tavern district because...well, dwarves. I gave the party a map and brief description of all the landmarks in the city, including 13 different taverns. One tavern is a known gambling hall, so this will be a perfect game to throw in should they head that direction. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’ve been looking for something just like this! Fairly simple but creative and lots of wiggle room Love it Subscribed Quick question, apologies if I missed it in the video, if you run out of money do you get to stay in for your share or are you just out?
You didn’t miss it, I didn’t address it! If you run out of money you’re out of the game - if you can’t bet, you can’t play. But that’s one part of the game that could be better defined, so I think others’ interpretations of what could happen in that scenario would be cool to see! Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for the support!
Random idea that may or may not be fun: having a character with a loaded die could mean they get to roll sleight of hand, and if they pass they get advantage on every subsequent roll until they replace them with the original die before a character whos perceptive enough can pick it up and realize, effectively making you op in this game and any orher dice based gambling unless you get cocky with it
Ooooooo I like this idea! I developed a dice game named Knucklebones which is similar to Yahtzee for my campaigns but I am definitely going to incorporate this into my games. Great idea thanks!!!
You said that there's no folding, but what if you run out of money to bet? Or what if the player just doesn't want to sink in more money? The presentation of the video was still great, by the way. I like your style a lot
Thank you! I suppose it would make sense for there to be folding, no reason to lose ALL your money if you don’t want to! Definitely something that could be refined, thanks for the feedback!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTI personally prefer the idea of no folding. Makes it have a more sinister feel to it, like a devil's contract. Plus, free plot hooks once someone has to fold. Oh, you can't afford to keep playing? Looks like you work for me now. I got a troll I need taken care of.
RULES for King: Rule #0: Players take turns rolling 1d6, betting a set amount into the pot whenever they roll (oldest character rolls first). Rule #1: If a player rolls a 1, that player loses and is out of the game. Rule #2: If a player rolls a 3, that player must reroll (and bet again). Rule #3: Highest roll becomes king and the number rolled is the king's number. Rule #4: If a player rolls higher than the king's number, that player becomes the new king. Rule #5: If a player rolls a 2 while the king's number is 6 then that player becomes the new king (with 2 as the king's number). Rule #6: The king can choose to pass (and can win if all other players lose by rolling 1's). There is no bet when passing. Rule #7: If the king chooses to roll and successfully rolls the king's number, this wins the game for the king. Rule #8: If another player rolls the king's number then that player duels the king. Rule #9: A duel is resolved by both players rolling simultaneously, with no additional betting, until one player rolls higher than the other (rolling a 3 still triggers a reroll and rolling a 1 still loses the game for that player). The winner of the duel is the king and the high roll from the duel is the king's number. Rule #10: The only exception to Rule #1 is when ONLY two players are left in the game and they both roll a 1 in a duel. In this case they continue rolling. Otherwise both duelers are out. I wrote these out to help myself learn the game and hope it helps others. I think I covered everything!
What value is the new King's value after a duel? Suppose Dwarf was King and his value was 5. Orc rolls a 5, initiating a duel. In the duel, Dwarf rolls 4 and Orc rolls 2. Dwarf wins, but is his value now 5, because he was previously sitting on a 5, or is his value 4, because that was the number he rolled at the end of the duel?
Idea: If there are 2 people standing and they have a duel, in case they both roll a 1, the house takes it all. This obviously only works in a more formal setting, like in a casino, at a table operated by the inn's owner or maybe in a thieves' camp. If they think about refusing to roll, I am sure the half-orc bouncers will convince them of doing otherwise c: I think this could give that extra spice to the game that will make your players bite their nails.
What happens in a duel if one player rolls a 1 and the other rolls a 3? 3 wins, but would they reroll and use the new value (assuming it's not a 1), or would they keep the old King's value?
I made a whole poker-derived card game entitled Lords and Fools for a short campaign at one point that had a rule stating that if you manage to collect all 4 of the worst cards in the game, you win in an uprising, so the 2 beating 6 rule tickled me. Love the concept of King and will absolutely keep it in my notes!
This would be fun with custom d6's. You would just need two and they would be: 1: Death 2: Serf/Peasant 3: Tax Collector 4: Soldier 5: Bishop (or other religious leader) 6: King Use simplified colored shapes (skull, man, coin, sword, holy symbol, crown). The current king keeps their side face up for keeping track. Everyone else rolls the second die. Duels will always resolve with either one die as king or no king if they both roll a 1.
I did slots with my players using d8s. I said you can either roll 3d8 and win by matching 2 or more numbers. Or, I had a flow chart where one roll based on the 1st number you got would determine the other 2 numbers. My players went to the chart at first, but then they realized it was rigged and would never land on all 7s for the jackpot. It took 5 minutes after that for someone to win big with the 3d8 method.
Was frantically searching for D&D gambling games for my next session because of course one of my players asked the shady tavern's barkeep about such a thing 😄 I'm usually the type who can't grasp dice or card games for the life of me (ESPECIALLY card games 😅), but this sounds doable. Thanks in advance man, you might've saved my butt!
If the King rolls a 1, then the next person up becomes King IF they don't roll a 1 themselves. Whatever they roll is the new score to beat. Hope that clears it up!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTThank you! I also want to mention that I like the balance of King, as there is an advantage both to going first and last. Going first means that a player can claim King (and, if they're lucky, victory) more quickly, while going last means they lose less money and have a lesser chance of elimination. Also, if the last player gets *really* lucky, they could win without even taking a turn!
I saw someone put their own flavorful names for dice rolls heres my take Rolling 1: Death, outa the game, outa luck, outa time, an appropriate name for the worst roll, died of starvation or simply disease, doesnt matter death is death Rolling a 2 on anything but 6: Peasant, while your not dead your definately not a king Rolling 3: War, your drafted into war and when its over you may come out dead, a peasant or the war goes on, or maybe youll get lucky and come out as the next few rolls Rolling 4: Knight, your efforts didnt go unnoticed in life and your service and tact is well cared about, however your still under the next 2 Rolling 5. Lord, you have taken control of the board and only a truely worthy king can dethrone you Rolling 6. Emperor, you have conquered and claimed your spot at the top, best hope the lower class doesnt rise up Rolling 2 on a 6: Revolution, the peasants rise up storm the castle and takes control, but once a new knights army, powerful lord or newly crowned emporer come to topple their fiddly structured post revolution government its over (Finally some flavorful ones) Rolling 2 after a war against a 6, the peasants got tired of the constant war and took out the man in charge of throwing their lives away out Rolling 2 out fo war: Injured, you came out alive but not unscathed. Rolling a 4 put of a war: War Hero knighted, surviving the war you have a pretty nice station Rolling a 6 out of a war, God Emporer your nation beat the other players nation and you take over their throne Rolling 5 out of a war: Warlord you did so well in battle you claimrd your own lands for yourself only an empire coukd take it back Rolling 1 out of a war, died in war Rolling double 2s to win on king somehow (possible): Communism Rolling Double 4s: Martial Law Rolling double 5s: Dukedom Rolling Double 6s: Empire Dual Names possibly) 2 v 2, Tribal Battle 4 v 4, Honor dual 5 v 5, skirmish 6 v 6, All out Warfare
King's Dice The oldest Rolls First. Each participant antes into the pot at the start of the game and before rolling. Roll a 1d6 to see your rank. 1 - Assassination Anytime a 1 is rolled the character is eliminated and taken out of the game. 2 - Commoner The lowest Rank but can beat a King. 3 - Solider You must pay and roll again. 4 - Knight 5 - Noble 6 - King For the last Ranks you must roll a higher Rank than your opponent, if they are the same Rank you must win a Duel by seeing who rolls higher again. If you have the Leading Ranked roll you may pass instead of rolling again. If you are the current Leader of the game when it comes back to your turn if you roll the same number as your current Rank again you win the game. The Monster Variant adds more ranks and higher dice to the game. The Commoner Rank becomes the Adventurer and can defeat any rank 7 or higher. 7 - Shade 8 - Elemental 9 - Giant 10 - Lich 11 - Demon 12 - Dragon
I like the added Monster variant, it would probably lead to some very long games though! You might have to add in another win condition. Thanks for giving your ideas!
I've posted a description of the game with the rules (basically the video script) on the subreddit r/DnDBehindTheScreen. Once the post is approved I'll link it in the description!
TOTALLY starting my next Convention game "In Media Res" with this game... Not ONLY are you in a tavern... But you are playing KING! So my question is, do you have any cheat rules for slight of hand or rigged tool boxes and such?
That’s awesome, I’d love to hear how it goes! My go-to for cheating/dice proficiency is I give them “advantage” on one roll. So once per game they can choose to re-roll. I feel like that’s a good compromise!
Great Game! I just used this in a campaign last week! The party came into room with dragon cultists playing games and drinking. Cultists drew their swords but the party wanted to persuade them to join the game! The Ranger rolled a Nat 20, so I’m like “I guess we are playing a game”. I hadn’t prepared for this but I remembered seeing this video! I pulled it up on my iPad and added closed captions to quickly refresh myself on the mechanics, then voila! We dove in and played. Game was fun! When the first Cultist rolled a 1 and was out, a newbie player said “so do we kill them now?”… we were like “no, they were just eliminated!” After a good game with lots of duels the dragon cultist ended up winning! Overall, loved the game. I’ll definitely incorporate it into my games in the future. Thanks!
That’s awesome, I can’t tell you how happy that made me! I’m glad my game could help you out, and that sounds like a really fun session! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it and I hope you and your players keep having a great time!
I'm about to start running a Weird-West style campaign and I was going to look for simple but fun gambling games I could add to the taverns and lo and behold, here's a video before I even started looking! How fortuitous! The rules for this are fast and easy, but the example showing just how fast that pot could grow is wild. This is definitely going to be fun to watch happen in real time.
Hey Bard, thanks for this, I absolutely love the game! I don't think I understood one small detail though: A 2 trumps a 6, but does a 6 still trump a 2?
Glad you like it! That's a great question, and one I should've put more thought into! I'd rule a 2 only trumps a 6 when it's specifically to overthrow a King, so a 6 would still beat a King sitting on a 2. But feel free to rule it the other way around if you think that makes more sense!
Without having play-tested this it sounds like it could go on maybe longer than wanted? A player that is king has a 1-3 chance of ending the game but can also decide to pass (I guess hoping other players roll a 1, but also risking to lose their crown). Maybe this is a non-issue though, I'd love to know what people's experience is. If it does go on too long too often I'd suggest adding a rule where a king that sits for 2 rounds also wins. This would make passing a little more strategic, and prevents an awkward line where the king (6) keeps rolling 2-5 and the other player(s) keep missing (rolling 3,4,5). Again don't know if it's an issue, if it's not this might actually make the game less interesting because kings will pass more often.
When I played it at my table, games went by pretty quick as players rolled 1's and were knocked out. That said, it's possible you could have a game where 1's just aren't being rolled and it goes on for a while. It definitely needs more play-testing, so I'd love to hear if this is a problem for folks as well!
What happens if a player runs out of money during play? You said they can't step away from the table because there's no folding. And the pot can in theory keep increasing indefinitely, especially if the King decides to keep passing. Does the broke player just get forced to drop out? If so, how is that mechanically different from folding? The other player's don't necessarily know how much gold you have in your purse - unless you enter the table with a maximum, but that kills the appeal of the ever-growing pot.
If you run out of money, you’re out - can’t bet if you can’t play. In my mind, folding is a choice to step away, while being forced out is different. But definitely similar, I could’ve put more thought into that part of it!
Great game, will definitely use this in my upcoming campaign! Quick rules clarification question: is it correct that your previous roll only matters if you're currently the king? Asking bc in your example game, goblin was already sitting on a 2 when dwarf rolls a 6 in the duel against human and becomes king.
That’s correct, only your current roll matters unless you’re King. So the 2 they rolled before doesn’t help in that situation, only the 2 they rolled afterwards! Hope your campaign goes well, it’s always exciting when you’re in that planning phase thinking up all the cool possibilities!
stadistically speaking is never a good option to try to end the game if you are the king, you have a 1/5th of winning but so for losing, and a 1/6 of just increasing the pot (which it's your own money so it doesn't make you win more just lose more). so using the example from the video, if goblin was sitting on a 2 king he shouldn't have took the chance and let the dwarf roll, he had a 2/5 of winning, a 1/5 of duel, a 1/5 of doing nothing and a 1/5 of losing. The strategy is to roll as few times as possible and no, im not meta, im just stadistics nerd.
It’s definitely not the optimal play numbers-wise, but I think if you’re sitting on a 2 or 4, you’re likely to lose out on being King eventually, so I can see the appeal of taking the risk and going for it. But I’m always open to ideas on how to improve it, maybe there’s a way to make going for it more enticing!
I've got a Vampire campaign coming up set in Las Vegas and this would be SUPER fun... except that money is a merit and not tracked by actual dollar amounts in that system. An absolute shame.
I used this in our session last week while burning rubber waiting for our third player to show up. It was a great way to spend 20-40 minutes in a low stakes fun environment, and the players got into some goofy shenanigans around the casino too. Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely be using this again.
I ran this for some of my pathfinder players, 2 players and 2 npcs. one player and one npc both rolled a 1 instantly. Then the last party member and npc kept rolling over and over and my players won the pot of 11 gold. My players had fun. But I think compared to craps, it's just a bit too complicated for casual play. Still it was much more narritively interesting to have a new game to play, instead of the same old same old at other gambling environments.
Nice game - one I'll be sure to use! I noticed in your play example that after a duel, the number to beat changes to the number rolled by whoever won the duel. This wasn't mentioned when you explained the rules earlier (or in your Reddit post). I recommend adding a line about that in the rules proper for clarity.
So someone could become King based off of the current King being involved in a roll-off? Like if I'm sitting on a 5 and the king is a 6, but then another player rolls a 6 and they and the King roll off resulting in the challenger getting a 1 and the King getting a 4, suddenly I'm the new king? If so, do I need to wait for turns to go around the table fully before I can attempt to instantly win, or can I try as soon as it's my next turn?
You wouldn’t become King - the only rolls that are relevant are the most recent. So in this scenario, the King is at 6, you a roll a 5 which is lower, so they stay King. Next player rolls a 6, they go to a duel and the original King wins with a 4. It’s your turn again - the 5 is irrelevant, you roll again and now need to beat 4. The only roll that ever sticks is the King’s! Hope that clears it up!
Just so I understand the 2 rule, if the current King is a 6, a 2 will take its place (but naturally is easy to beat). But a 2 can only unseat a 6, right? Not a 4 or 5. And how about in a duel? Since that's a one shot, does a 2 always beat a 6 in a duel, even if it was rolled first?
This reminds me of multiple kinds of card games, mainly President and a little bit Kaiserspiel, but scaled down to dice. Pretty perfect for a simple game within a game, might keep this one even for a quick travel game!
Only for a quick reference, do you have the rules written anywhere, or a compilation of tavern games available as a print off? When I’m in game it’s hard for me to remember the rules to games on top of everything else for a campaign.
In the description there’s a link to a Reddit post where the rules are written out! You can copy and paste them into a document and edit to your heart’s content!
Thanks for the feedback, I’m definitely trying to fix the audio issues! Hopefully on newer videos (for the most part) it shouldn’t be as big of a problem!
Question, what incentive does the King have to roll as opposed to passing? If they roll they have to toss up 2 more gold and run the risk of rolling a 1, as opposed to passing and not paying any gold and letting the rest of the players rack up the pot and potentially get themselves out too. Not sure why I'd ever not pass if I was in the position of the King.
If you’re a King sitting on a 2 or 4, your odds of staying King very long are slim. There’s only a 1 in 6 chance you knock yourself out, so it could be worth going for it when you know you’re very likely to be dethroned. But that’s an aspect of the game that could probably use refinement!
I don't like that when you are the king and roll, there's an equal chance of winning and being eliminated. I'll house rule it that you either has to repeat the number, or roll a six to win, and eliminate the "pass" rule.
Thanks for playing! I wanted it to be something you could play quickly and a few of, so the pot not getting TOO big with fewer players would allow you to play quite a few games. Thanks for the testing!
running this tonight in my darksun setting campaign where the world is ruled by sorceror kings so very appropriate and hoping players will like it as much as I do!
Technically yes, but because a 6 beats a 5 head-to-head I’d consider it better. But that could be an area where maybe the game could be improved, finding a way to make a 6 a bit stronger!
Thanks Bard. Timely introduction as my players' characters are at the casino tables aboard the Grand Dame in Yartar. Recently came across your channel. Subscribed.
@TheBardsCollegeYT I have a question regarding rolling 3: so if I rolled a 3, I have to roll and bet again, that is pretty clear to me. However, at playtesting it happened that 3 players got a 3. Does they start dueling? Or 3 is designed to be a way to get PC 'deeper' into the game, without moving them closer to the win? Hope my question makes sense. At playtesting session we just decided that such situation is sort of 'filler-turn' to grow bank and moved with it.
Thanks for the question! A player should never end their turn on a 3 - they always have to re-roll if they get a 3, even if it happens multiple times in a row. So there should never be a King sitting on a 3, meaning there will never be a duel of 3’s. The 3, like you said, is just a way to help increase the pot a bit more. And as one more thing, only the King can get into duels with other players, if they match the number the King is on. So non-kings don’t have to duel if they roll the same thing (unless you want that as a home rule, of course!). Hope that helps!
Sorry you found it distracting, I definitely talk a lot with my hands! Thanks for watching and sharing your feedback, hopefully if you check out my other videos you won’t find it as distracting in those!
As regras escritas para este jogo de dados estão na descrição, você pode traduzir o texto a partir daí! Sorry if that Portuguese is bad, I used Google translate. Good luck!
Question: When you roll for final success while you're king (trying to roll your current number), can you just keep repeating until you succeed (or run out of money, or roll a 1 ofc)? Or do you get one roll, then the dueling goes on? (I assume it's once every time it's the King's turn, not sure tho)
Also, is it only yourself that needs to bet on your own King's Roll? Or does everyone have to add to the pile? (Edit: Misunderstood the betting, sorry! Cleared up after slowly watching again :) )
When you roll to “claim the crown” as King (win), you can only try once! The only exception would be if you roll a 3, since then you always have to roll again!
That’s definitely up for interpretation (I.e. I overlooked it!) but I would say it only beats a 6 when the 6 is King or during a duel. If the King was 2 and a 6 is rolled, I’d honor the 6. But I could see the argument for the other interpretation, too!
Mostly for balance! If a 6 can only be beat in a duel, it means you can always pass on a 6 and are almost guaranteed a win! The 2 gives the other players a chance!
Great game - Just for flavor points in my campaign, I gave each of the results names and drew simple symbols on a blank die instead of using numbers. These are, in number order, the Rogue, the Serf, the Fool, the Knight, the Noble, and the King. This makes the four "scoring" rolls (2, 4, 5, and 6) mirror the simplified four-segment heirarchy of feudalism (King, Nobles, Knights, and Serfs), a common government in medieval fantasy. The Rogue is the mischeivous swindler who eliminates you, and the Fool is a fool because the 3 roll forces you to bet more and can never be a King score. Also, it makes sense with the game's name (6 is the King), and 2 being the Serf goes alongside the "peasants can overthrow the king" concept.
That is PHENOMENAL! Such a cool change that really makes it feel like part of world, thanks for sharing that! Glad you enjoyed the game!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Thanks for sharing the game yourself! Honestly I can't help but mention that I was so inspired by this video. I hadn't even considered using a betting game at the D&D table, but then I stumbled across the video and I'm already drawing up a tavern and the scenery for where King will be played! You really set the scene well in your explaination, too. It's amazing how just the idea of such a simple yet amazing betting game can add so much to a D&D world. I can't thank you enough for the inspiration.
@@SillySyrup that really means a lot, thank you so much for the kind words! I know I draw inspiration for my games from a lot of places, so knowing I could do that for you is awesome! Thanks again!
I also hadn't considered a betting game, I'm gonna be adding this to my game as soon as I can.
@@codyhoney9101 that’s awesome! I’d love to hear how it goes!
the thought of the party intervening when the paladin develops a gambling addiction makes me cry.
When the paladin is the one going rogue, you know there's a serious problem. Glad I could help facilitate that thought!
I know, it’s just so sad that they’d hold him back
@@potatospud9471 Oath or no oath, let them gamble!
If this were played with a d20, there'd be so many features used to reroll...
@@prophetzarquon1922 I don’t even want to think about how hard that would be to keep track of!
I'm sure it's already a game, but I call the game I play Doker. Poker but dice. You roll 2d12, and that's your hand. Make your bets. Then dealer rolles 3d12, next rounds of bets, 1d12, bet, 1d12 final round of betting. Then normal poker rules, there are no flushes, but you can get straights, pairs, and of course high roll of everyone bluffed thier ass off, or you need a tie breaker.
Very cool way to play poker with dice! Doker sounds like a lot of fun!
When playing this, the order of some combinations actually change! Here it goes:
5 of a kind (i like to call this a flush)
large street (five on a row)
4 of a kind
full house
small street (four on a row)
3 of a kind
2 pair
1 pair
high dice
The order stays the same when played with d6 and d8. Source (i did the probability calculations for my own games :)❤)
@@hoegoebaboe you are far better at math than I could ever hope to be! Very cool, thanks for sharing these!
So I am back to do a correction on my calculations😅 A street is more common than a 4-of-a-kind, so they should be swapped around. Anyways, thanks for the love!
@@hoegoebaboe If you're looking to add another valuation; if you're using 5d12 you could add a "Skips" combination, which is functionally a straight but it skips a number, like: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10.
It has a probability of 0.0000241 or 1 in 41,493 - placing it below 5 of a Kind.
The 2 besting a 6 is really neat and could lead to cycles of players becoming king and stealing it back. Im definitely going to try this with my players.
Glad you like it! Definitely let me know how it goes, I hope your party loves it!
I have a problem with that rule. I don't get it. Why 2 beats 6?
@@Avenrod Because otherwise a 6 is unbeatable.
@@Avenrod Already explained, but to reiterate: If the only thing that beats a 6 is another 6 - and only if you win a duel - there's never any reason to claim the crown! It also increases the odds that the game becomes one player passing every turn while the rest roll over and over with barely a chance of winning. So it helps with balance!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I like this rule, but I'm scouring the attached pdf and the fact that a 2 can equal a 6 isn't clear? This video and the rules seem to skirt over this imo.
A nice, simple game that can be very easily added. Sounds nice, and the mention of "house rules" makes me think that there also can be variants.
Like, imagine the players discover this in a human town. They find out about it in a tavern, and its played as mentioned here. Lets say they win and make some coin, but the game ends and they continue. They find a dwarven town, see a gambling place, and see some familiar activity. They ask to join, bringing out their D6, and the dwarf laughs and say "oh you poor child, we play by dwarven rules here" and shows a D8. Would be fun to see/come up with new results for the additional side and have the dwarf explain it to the party.
That would be really cool! I like the idea of the name of the game changing between cultures, too - so maybe it's King for humans, but Emperor for dwarves if they have a different government. Would love to hear any "home rules" you come up with!
That's a great concept! Especially if the rule changes specifically involve the lore/culture of the area. World building plus gambling!
The elves call it "Monarch" but dragons just call it "Crown".
I love that a player could make a skill check to cheat, and describe exactly how (choosing a number).
That would be awesome! I've also allowed players in other dice games to get "advantage" on one roll if they have proficiency with dice. Love the creativity!
Sorry I'm a bit late.
Upvote number 42 it is.
@@prophetzarquon1922 right on time! Thanks for watching!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT I am trying to find the old black-&-white illustration of Ao playing a board game with Tiamat; the board is unusual & I can't figure out which edition\book it was in!
@@prophetzarquon1922 I'm not familiar, but that sounds like a crazy picture!
This is fantastic. I'm setting up a pub crawl campaign and will definitely be including a Kings table. Thanks for the great game!
Let me know how you like it! Glad my video could help!
Is it barkeep on the borderlands? if not i highly recommend it for inspiration
@@trollge3712 I'll check that out but no, I'm designing a campaign that uses the pubs from the Twisted Taverns book and introduces an ongoing murder mystery.
So I took this idea, added some chip buy-in rules and ran it by my players. They love it. I called it Sultan (more in-game accurate for my world)
That's awesome, I'm glad they had fun! One of my original ideas for it that didn't make it in the video was that the game could change names depending on the culture, so I love that you thought of that, too! Thanks for letting me know how it went!
I’m fond of these games:
Pig: on your turn, you can choose to roll or hold. If you roll, roll the die and add it to your previous rolls. If you hold, add all the rolls from this turn to your total. But if you roll a 1, you don’t get any points this round. Win at a predetermined number. A basic push-your-luck game.
Hazard: it’s basically a faster version of craps
Dice Poker: poker with dice it’s not that hard.
Drop Dead: everyone starts with the same number of dice. Each round everyone rolls. Add all your dice to your sum, but then remove any die that landed on 5 or 2. Once all dice are eliminated (or the last person standing gets the highest total), the game ends. Highest total wins.
Ce-lo: a game of basically pure chance, but is great because it can handle a lot of players. Not enough room to explain. House has the advantage, too.
Snakes: basically just farkle but faster.
Thanks for sharing all of these, I’d heard of some but some are new! I always love learning about new dice games, so much appreciated!
This is absolutely wonderful. I was struggling to think of ideas for non-combat encounters during a long journey, and somehow never thought of gambling in one of the many taverns we’ll end up in!
I’m glad I could help! If you’re looking for more inspiration, I have a video about travel tips you might find helpful. Thanks for watching and for the kind words, I hope your players love the game!
Imagining a player heist where they are gathering intel on the casino they plan to rob, so the better at this they are, the more intel they can eavesdrop on.
That would be awesome! And if they run out of money, better hope the bouncers don't notice the sending stones that have been listening in the whole time...
This seems like it would be a huge hit at my table. Can't wait to get to a place to run it, I love having minigames like this.
That's great! Definitely let me know how it goes, and any changes you think would make it more fun!
Great game. Interesting and that pot can rise quickly
Yeah, definitely a game where the players have to be willing to risk some coin! Glad you like it!
Awesome idea, thanks for sharing!! I might play a few rounds of this completely unconnected to a d&d session c:
I mean, a gambling game for DnD is STILL a gambling game, after all! Just don't lose too many coins!
Great game! Just started a campaign and will definitely be using this!! Also love the shirt! Who Dey! 🐅
Who Dey! Glad you like it, I hope your players do, too!
I’m running Kingmaker right now and this is perfect for setting a theme during downtime.
That’s great, I hope your players like it!
I ran a reverse heist style adventure today and used this game as one of the games being played in the casino. The party had to win enough money to bribe a retired lounge singer into revealing some secret information about the casino boss. We played with 5 gold stakes and the pot got into the hundreds. The final round was super tense! The party was able to successfully bribe the singer and was able to switch out the casino boss's lucky charm with a cursed version. After the switch my players wanted to go back into the casino and keep playing King until the place closed. Thanks so much for this great game!
That’s awesome, the reverse heist sounds really fun and tense! I’m glad my game could help, and thanks for letting me know they had fun!
Loving this. Implementing a world game that everyone knows is a great game tool! Like others I love the idea of some RPG cheating in the midst of real world strategy. “Goblin as King goes for the winning roll, chuckling over the 60 coin pot!” (Half orc player rolls for intimidation) “However, looking across the barroom table at the olive skinned monstrosity cracking their knuckles and boring a hole through them with a death stare, Goblin suddenly decides that passing may be the best option for their own health and safety”
I’m glad you like the game! And I agree, giving them a chance to roleplay a bit and use some of their skills to have a better shot at winning will only make it more fun! Thanks for watching!
I love the idea of adding a mini game, especially since I'm running my first game as a DM and I chose Stormwreck Isle. There's no real way to spend money on that island, and this is a great way to utilize all the gold they'll acquire.
Thanks for sharing!
Very cool to see you’re running your first game, I’m glad my video could help! Have fun!
This looks like a lot of fun! Our go to for gambling at the table is Cee-lo, but we’ll have to try this one out 😄
I’d never heard of Cee-lo before, but I just looked it up and it sounds like fun! Glad we can swap games!
Gambling has come up so much recently in my campaign and it’s been boring to just roll deception or slight of hand. Thanks!
Glad I could help! If you're looking for another fun and simple game for variety's sake, check out Pig, too. One of my faves!
My players are headed to a dwarven city in our next session, which includes a tavern district because...well, dwarves. I gave the party a map and brief description of all the landmarks in the city, including 13 different taverns. One tavern is a known gambling hall, so this will be a perfect game to throw in should they head that direction. Thanks for the inspiration!
13 taverns, your players are spoiled! Glad I could help fill out one of them!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Just to reiterate...it's a dwarven city, lol.
@@davidwatches Point heard, point accepted!
This is awesome - I am going to give this a shot this weekend!
Definitely let me know how it goes, I hope you and your party enjoy it!
This is fantastic!
Thank you! Glad you like it!
I’ve been looking for something just like this! Fairly simple but creative and lots of wiggle room
Love it
Subscribed
Quick question, apologies if I missed it in the video, if you run out of money do you get to stay in for your share or are you just out?
You didn’t miss it, I didn’t address it! If you run out of money you’re out of the game - if you can’t bet, you can’t play. But that’s one part of the game that could be better defined, so I think others’ interpretations of what could happen in that scenario would be cool to see! Glad you enjoyed the video, and thanks for the support!
Random idea that may or may not be fun: having a character with a loaded die could mean they get to roll sleight of hand, and if they pass they get advantage on every subsequent roll until they replace them with the original die before a character whos perceptive enough can pick it up and realize, effectively making you op in this game and any orher dice based gambling unless you get cocky with it
I really like that! Any time you can let players use their character skills to get an advantage is cool in my book! Thanks for the idea!
Really glad this video fell in my recommended! Love the concept will try this out the next session I have! Will sub and stick around for more
Always appreciated! I hope you and your party enjoy playing!
Great explanation! Definitely will give it a try with my group.
Thank you! Have fun, I'd love to hear how it goes!
Ooooooo I like this idea! I developed a dice game named Knucklebones which is similar to Yahtzee for my campaigns but I am definitely going to incorporate this into my games. Great idea thanks!!!
Glad you like it! Knucklebones is a sweet name for a dice game, sounds like a lot of fun!
How does one play Knucklebones?
@@AshenshuguraI can send you the PDF if you want.
@@TheTroopersCorner That would be helpful.
-and then the orc came back later and mugged the dwarf for that 26 gold coins.
That’s the part you don’t see!
You said that there's no folding, but what if you run out of money to bet? Or what if the player just doesn't want to sink in more money?
The presentation of the video was still great, by the way. I like your style a lot
Thank you! I suppose it would make sense for there to be folding, no reason to lose ALL your money if you don’t want to! Definitely something that could be refined, thanks for the feedback!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTI personally prefer the idea of no folding. Makes it have a more sinister feel to it, like a devil's contract. Plus, free plot hooks once someone has to fold. Oh, you can't afford to keep playing? Looks like you work for me now. I got a troll I need taken care of.
@@jaycobobob that’s awesome! I love the idea of the game becoming a plot hook!
@@jaycobobobImagine the noble who gets enslaved to a goblin just because they ran out of pocket change after a few 3 rolls
RULES for King:
Rule #0: Players take turns rolling 1d6, betting a set amount into the pot whenever they roll (oldest character rolls first).
Rule #1: If a player rolls a 1, that player loses and is out of the game.
Rule #2: If a player rolls a 3, that player must reroll (and bet again).
Rule #3: Highest roll becomes king and the number rolled is the king's number.
Rule #4: If a player rolls higher than the king's number, that player becomes the new king.
Rule #5: If a player rolls a 2 while the king's number is 6 then that player becomes the new king (with 2 as the king's number).
Rule #6: The king can choose to pass (and can win if all other players lose by rolling 1's). There is no bet when passing.
Rule #7: If the king chooses to roll and successfully rolls the king's number, this wins the game for the king.
Rule #8: If another player rolls the king's number then that player duels the king.
Rule #9: A duel is resolved by both players rolling simultaneously, with no additional betting, until one player rolls higher than the other (rolling a 3 still triggers a reroll and rolling a 1 still loses the game for that player). The winner of the duel is the king and the high roll from the duel is the king's number.
Rule #10: The only exception to Rule #1 is when ONLY two players are left in the game and they both roll a 1 in a duel. In this case they continue rolling. Otherwise both duelers are out.
I wrote these out to help myself learn the game and hope it helps others. I think I covered everything!
That’s awesome, thanks for compiling them all in a way that’s easy to read! I hope you enjoy the game!
What value is the new King's value after a duel? Suppose Dwarf was King and his value was 5. Orc rolls a 5, initiating a duel. In the duel, Dwarf rolls 4 and Orc rolls 2. Dwarf wins, but is his value now 5, because he was previously sitting on a 5, or is his value 4, because that was the number he rolled at the end of the duel?
His value is whatever he got in the duel - so in this case, Dwarf would be King with a 4. I think it’s a little easier to remember that way!
Idea: If there are 2 people standing and they have a duel, in case they both roll a 1, the house takes it all. This obviously only works in a more formal setting, like in a casino, at a table operated by the inn's owner or maybe in a thieves' camp. If they think about refusing to roll, I am sure the half-orc bouncers will convince them of doing otherwise c:
I think this could give that extra spice to the game that will make your players bite their nails.
Ooh, I like that as a rule for casinos and other controlled settings! Great addition, I think that’s really cool!
Awesome idea!
Thanks, I’m glad you like it!
What happens in a duel if one player rolls a 1 and the other rolls a 3? 3 wins, but would they reroll and use the new value (assuming it's not a 1), or would they keep the old King's value?
Great question! I’d say they should re-roll: Just because their opponent rolled a one doesn’t change the rules for them, they still have to go again!
I made a whole poker-derived card game entitled Lords and Fools for a short campaign at one point that had a rule stating that if you manage to collect all 4 of the worst cards in the game, you win in an uprising, so the 2 beating 6 rule tickled me. Love the concept of King and will absolutely keep it in my notes!
That’s awesome, Lords and Fools is such a good name! Thanks for sharing, and glad you like the game!
Awesome video. Thanks for the great game idea!
Of course, thanks for watching!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Really dig the channel! Hope it sticks around
This would be fun with custom d6's. You would just need two and they would be:
1: Death
2: Serf/Peasant
3: Tax Collector
4: Soldier
5: Bishop (or other religious leader)
6: King
Use simplified colored shapes (skull, man, coin, sword, holy symbol, crown). The current king keeps their side face up for keeping track. Everyone else rolls the second die. Duels will always resolve with either one die as king or no king if they both roll a 1.
That would be awesome! I think someone else in the comments suggested something similar, great minds think alike!
For 2/Peasant, I was thinking more of a scythe, for its meaning as both the harvesting tool and the reaper (killing the king)
I did slots with my players using d8s. I said you can either roll 3d8 and win by matching 2 or more numbers. Or, I had a flow chart where one roll based on the 1st number you got would determine the other 2 numbers. My players went to the chart at first, but then they realized it was rigged and would never land on all 7s for the jackpot. It took 5 minutes after that for someone to win big with the 3d8 method.
The house always wins! Until the players get smart, anyway! That's really cool, thanks for sharing!
You’re a great speaker, super engaging!
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Was frantically searching for D&D gambling games for my next session because of course one of my players asked the shady tavern's barkeep about such a thing 😄
I'm usually the type who can't grasp dice or card games for the life of me (ESPECIALLY card games 😅), but this sounds doable. Thanks in advance man, you might've saved my butt!
Glad I could help! That’s truly how it always goes: The players find the one thing you didn’t prep for! Have fun!
This is so fun! 🎉
My players are heading to a Pirate City soon so this will be perfect 😍
That’s awesome! I love anything pirate-themed, I hope they enjoy it!
Who becomes King if the King rolls a 1 and becomes eliminated while attempting to end the game?
If the King rolls a 1, then the next person up becomes King IF they don't roll a 1 themselves. Whatever they roll is the new score to beat. Hope that clears it up!
@@TheBardsCollegeYTThank you! I also want to mention that I like the balance of King, as there is an advantage both to going first and last. Going first means that a player can claim King (and, if they're lucky, victory) more quickly, while going last means they lose less money and have a lesser chance of elimination. Also, if the last player gets *really* lucky, they could win without even taking a turn!
@@SillySyrup so true! I’m really happy with the balance of it all, but I’m sure there are improvements that can be made, too!
I really like the dice game from kcd
I don’t know if I’m familiar, I’ll have to look it up!
Very cool game love how random it is
Definitely a lot of luck involved! Glad you like it!
The forced betting makes this a nice quick game that soon forces players to keep committing money. It’s good!
Thanks, I’m glad you like it! Definitely the type of game that’s easy to drop into a campaign!
Ran this for my players last game and they really seemed to click with it. Thanks for the great and simple game suggestion!
subbing for the bengals shirt...who dey
Who dey! Here’s to better injury luck next season!
Always a qb injury for Cincinnati. Like, wtf? 😂
@@hothog8261 honestly! We need to get a brick wall in front of Joey B!
Follow up - I introduced this game in my campaign thanks to a gambling addicted NPC. Was a smashing success!
@@JadeWanzer thanks for the update! I’m really glad you and they enjoyed it!
I saw someone put their own flavorful names for dice rolls heres my take
Rolling 1: Death, outa the game, outa luck, outa time, an appropriate name for the worst roll, died of starvation or simply disease, doesnt matter death is death
Rolling a 2 on anything but 6: Peasant, while your not dead your definately not a king
Rolling 3: War, your drafted into war and when its over you may come out dead, a peasant or the war goes on, or maybe youll get lucky and come out as the next few rolls
Rolling 4: Knight, your efforts didnt go unnoticed in life and your service and tact is well cared about, however your still under the next 2
Rolling 5. Lord, you have taken control of the board and only a truely worthy king can dethrone you
Rolling 6. Emperor, you have conquered and claimed your spot at the top, best hope the lower class doesnt rise up
Rolling 2 on a 6: Revolution, the peasants rise up storm the castle and takes control, but once a new knights army, powerful lord or newly crowned emporer come to topple their fiddly structured post revolution government its over
(Finally some flavorful ones)
Rolling 2 after a war against a 6, the peasants got tired of the constant war and took out the man in charge of throwing their lives away out
Rolling 2 out fo war: Injured, you came out alive but not unscathed.
Rolling a 4 put of a war: War Hero knighted, surviving the war you have a pretty nice station
Rolling a 6 out of a war, God Emporer your nation beat the other players nation and you take over their throne
Rolling 5 out of a war: Warlord you did so well in battle you claimrd your own lands for yourself only an empire coukd take it back
Rolling 1 out of a war, died in war
Rolling double 2s to win on king somehow (possible): Communism
Rolling Double 4s: Martial Law
Rolling double 5s: Dukedom
Rolling Double 6s: Empire
Dual Names possibly)
2 v 2, Tribal Battle
4 v 4, Honor dual
5 v 5, skirmish
6 v 6, All out Warfare
I love how creative you got with these! Thanks for sharing your takes, I like that it tells a story the whole way through!
King's Dice
The oldest Rolls First.
Each participant antes into the pot at the start of the game and before rolling.
Roll a 1d6 to see your rank.
1 - Assassination
Anytime a 1 is rolled the character is eliminated and taken out of the game.
2 - Commoner
The lowest Rank but can beat a King.
3 - Solider
You must pay and roll again.
4 - Knight
5 - Noble
6 - King
For the last Ranks you must roll a higher Rank than your opponent, if they are the same Rank you must win a Duel by seeing who rolls higher again.
If you have the Leading Ranked roll you may pass instead of rolling again.
If you are the current Leader of the game when it comes back to your turn if you roll the same number as your current Rank again you win the game.
The Monster Variant adds more ranks and higher dice to the game.
The Commoner Rank becomes the Adventurer and can defeat any rank 7 or higher.
7 - Shade
8 - Elemental
9 - Giant
10 - Lich
11 - Demon
12 - Dragon
I like the added Monster variant, it would probably lead to some very long games though! You might have to add in another win condition. Thanks for giving your ideas!
Interesting
Are there written rules somewhere?
I've posted a description of the game with the rules (basically the video script) on the subreddit r/DnDBehindTheScreen. Once the post is approved I'll link it in the description!
TOTALLY starting my next Convention game "In Media Res" with this game... Not ONLY are you in a tavern... But you are playing KING! So my question is, do you have any cheat rules for slight of hand or rigged tool boxes and such?
That’s awesome, I’d love to hear how it goes! My go-to for cheating/dice proficiency is I give them “advantage” on one roll. So once per game they can choose to re-roll. I feel like that’s a good compromise!
Great Game! I just used this in a campaign last week! The party came into room with dragon cultists playing games and drinking. Cultists drew their swords but the party wanted to persuade them to join the game! The Ranger rolled a Nat 20, so I’m like “I guess we are playing a game”. I hadn’t prepared for this but I remembered seeing this video! I pulled it up on my iPad and added closed captions to quickly refresh myself on the mechanics, then voila! We dove in and played. Game was fun! When the first Cultist rolled a 1 and was out, a newbie player said “so do we kill them now?”… we were like “no, they were just eliminated!” After a good game with lots of duels the dragon cultist ended up winning! Overall, loved the game. I’ll definitely incorporate it into my games in the future. Thanks!
That’s awesome, I can’t tell you how happy that made me! I’m glad my game could help you out, and that sounds like a really fun session! Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it and I hope you and your players keep having a great time!
I'm about to start running a Weird-West style campaign and I was going to look for simple but fun gambling games I could add to the taverns and lo and behold, here's a video before I even started looking! How fortuitous!
The rules for this are fast and easy, but the example showing just how fast that pot could grow is wild. This is definitely going to be fun to watch happen in real time.
Definitely not a game for the faint of heart! Weird-west is such a fun setting, have fun with the campaign!
Hey Bard, thanks for this, I absolutely love the game! I don't think I understood one small detail though: A 2 trumps a 6, but does a 6 still trump a 2?
Glad you like it! That's a great question, and one I should've put more thought into! I'd rule a 2 only trumps a 6 when it's specifically to overthrow a King, so a 6 would still beat a King sitting on a 2. But feel free to rule it the other way around if you think that makes more sense!
@@TheBardsCollegeYT Makes total sense! Can't wait to drain all my players hard earned cash with this game lol
@@guilhudo Good luck! Hopefully they buried some gold somewhere for safe keeping!
Without having play-tested this it sounds like it could go on maybe longer than wanted? A player that is king has a 1-3 chance of ending the game but can also decide to pass (I guess hoping other players roll a 1, but also risking to lose their crown). Maybe this is a non-issue though, I'd love to know what people's experience is. If it does go on too long too often I'd suggest adding a rule where a king that sits for 2 rounds also wins. This would make passing a little more strategic, and prevents an awkward line where the king (6) keeps rolling 2-5 and the other player(s) keep missing (rolling 3,4,5).
Again don't know if it's an issue, if it's not this might actually make the game less interesting because kings will pass more often.
When I played it at my table, games went by pretty quick as players rolled 1's and were knocked out. That said, it's possible you could have a game where 1's just aren't being rolled and it goes on for a while. It definitely needs more play-testing, so I'd love to hear if this is a problem for folks as well!
What happens if a player runs out of money during play? You said they can't step away from the table because there's no folding. And the pot can in theory keep increasing indefinitely, especially if the King decides to keep passing.
Does the broke player just get forced to drop out? If so, how is that mechanically different from folding? The other player's don't necessarily know how much gold you have in your purse - unless you enter the table with a maximum, but that kills the appeal of the ever-growing pot.
If you run out of money, you’re out - can’t bet if you can’t play. In my mind, folding is a choice to step away, while being forced out is different. But definitely similar, I could’ve put more thought into that part of it!
Great game, will definitely use this in my upcoming campaign! Quick rules clarification question: is it correct that your previous roll only matters if you're currently the king? Asking bc in your example game, goblin was already sitting on a 2 when dwarf rolls a 6 in the duel against human and becomes king.
That’s correct, only your current roll matters unless you’re King. So the 2 they rolled before doesn’t help in that situation, only the 2 they rolled afterwards! Hope your campaign goes well, it’s always exciting when you’re in that planning phase thinking up all the cool possibilities!
stadistically speaking is never a good option to try to end the game if you are the king, you have a 1/5th of winning but so for losing, and a 1/6 of just increasing the pot (which it's your own money so it doesn't make you win more just lose more). so using the example from the video, if goblin was sitting on a 2 king he shouldn't have took the chance and let the dwarf roll, he had a 2/5 of winning, a 1/5 of duel, a 1/5 of doing nothing and a 1/5 of losing. The strategy is to roll as few times as possible and no, im not meta, im just stadistics nerd.
It’s definitely not the optimal play numbers-wise, but I think if you’re sitting on a 2 or 4, you’re likely to lose out on being King eventually, so I can see the appeal of taking the risk and going for it. But I’m always open to ideas on how to improve it, maybe there’s a way to make going for it more enticing!
I've got a Vampire campaign coming up set in Las Vegas and this would be SUPER fun... except that money is a merit and not tracked by actual dollar amounts in that system. An absolute shame.
Maybe they're betting quarts of blood instead! (Mostly kidding) Hopefully you can test it out in a different game then, I'm glad you like it!
I used this in our session last week while burning rubber waiting for our third player to show up. It was a great way to spend 20-40 minutes in a low stakes fun environment, and the players got into some goofy shenanigans around the casino too. Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely be using this again.
That’s awesome, I’m really glad they liked it! Thanks for letting me know, it makes my day getting updates like these!
I ran this for some of my pathfinder players, 2 players and 2 npcs. one player and one npc both rolled a 1 instantly. Then the last party member and npc kept rolling over and over and my players won the pot of 11 gold. My players had fun. But I think compared to craps, it's just a bit too complicated for casual play. Still it was much more narritively interesting to have a new game to play, instead of the same old same old at other gambling environments.
Glad they had fun! It’s definitely a little more involved than a game like craps, but I’m glad it was simple enough that they still enjoyed it!
Nice game - one I'll be sure to use! I noticed in your play example that after a duel, the number to beat changes to the number rolled by whoever won the duel. This wasn't mentioned when you explained the rules earlier (or in your Reddit post). I recommend adding a line about that in the rules proper for clarity.
Thanks for the heads up! That was actually a change I made between running it at my table and sharing the rules here, so I’ll make that edit!
So someone could become King based off of the current King being involved in a roll-off? Like if I'm sitting on a 5 and the king is a 6, but then another player rolls a 6 and they and the King roll off resulting in the challenger getting a 1 and the King getting a 4, suddenly I'm the new king? If so, do I need to wait for turns to go around the table fully before I can attempt to instantly win, or can I try as soon as it's my next turn?
You wouldn’t become King - the only rolls that are relevant are the most recent. So in this scenario, the King is at 6, you a roll a 5 which is lower, so they stay King. Next player rolls a 6, they go to a duel and the original King wins with a 4. It’s your turn again - the 5 is irrelevant, you roll again and now need to beat 4. The only roll that ever sticks is the King’s! Hope that clears it up!
Great idea for a game..... But the players are dealing with pirates, you gotta go with the old classic, Liar's Dice
For sure! One of my favorites!
Just so I understand the 2 rule, if the current King is a 6, a 2 will take its place (but naturally is easy to beat). But a 2 can only unseat a 6, right? Not a 4 or 5.
And how about in a duel? Since that's a one shot, does a 2 always beat a 6 in a duel, even if it was rolled first?
You understand correctly! Both those interpretations are correctly - standard roll or duel, a 2 always beats a 6, and nothing else!
This reminds me of multiple kinds of card games, mainly President and a little bit Kaiserspiel, but scaled down to dice. Pretty perfect for a simple game within a game, might keep this one even for a quick travel game!
I love President! Definitely part of the inspiration, glad you like it!
so cool!
Thank you!
Only for a quick reference, do you have the rules written anywhere, or a compilation of tavern games available as a print off?
When I’m in game it’s hard for me to remember the rules to games on top of everything else for a campaign.
In the description there’s a link to a Reddit post where the rules are written out! You can copy and paste them into a document and edit to your heart’s content!
Thank you man ❤❤❤
Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed it!
Please, please, please get a mic with better volume levels or figure that out. Something is up here and it's holding you back. You're awesome.
Thanks for the feedback, I’m definitely trying to fix the audio issues! Hopefully on newer videos (for the most part) it shouldn’t be as big of a problem!
wow this rules! totally going to use this
Glad you like it! I'd love to hear what you think!
Question, what incentive does the King have to roll as opposed to passing? If they roll they have to toss up 2 more gold and run the risk of rolling a 1, as opposed to passing and not paying any gold and letting the rest of the players rack up the pot and potentially get themselves out too. Not sure why I'd ever not pass if I was in the position of the King.
If you’re a King sitting on a 2 or 4, your odds of staying King very long are slim. There’s only a 1 in 6 chance you knock yourself out, so it could be worth going for it when you know you’re very likely to be dethroned. But that’s an aspect of the game that could probably use refinement!
I don't like that when you are the king and roll, there's an equal chance of winning and being eliminated. I'll house rule it that you either has to repeat the number, or roll a six to win, and eliminate the "pass" rule.
That’s fair, I definitely think that rule could be improved so they could be one way to do it! Thanks for sharing!
Ran 20 of these, would work really well for a large group of players (10 would be fine), average was triple the pot with 4 players.
Thanks for playing! I wanted it to be something you could play quickly and a few of, so the pot not getting TOO big with fewer players would allow you to play quite a few games. Thanks for the testing!
running this tonight in my darksun setting campaign where the world is ruled by sorceror kings so very appropriate and hoping players will like it as much as I do!
A perfect title then! Good luck, I hope you and your players have a great time!
Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t 5 and 6 equally strong? A 5 is either beaten by a 6 or tied, while a 6 is either beaten by a 2 or tied.
Technically yes, but because a 6 beats a 5 head-to-head I’d consider it better. But that could be an area where maybe the game could be improved, finding a way to make a 6 a bit stronger!
what happens if someone runs out of funds during a game? Do you have a general rule, or is it more dealers choice?
Dealer’s choice, but I would rule they’re out. Can’t keep playing if you run out of money!
Definitely using this later. Was rooting for goblin, my heart is shattered
They tried their best! Hope you enjoy the game!
This is a novel little game. Thank you so much for sharing! Looking forward to trying it out my own table soon.
Glad you like it! I’d love to hear how it goes!
Thanks Bard. Timely introduction as my players' characters are at the casino tables aboard the Grand Dame in Yartar. Recently came across your channel. Subscribed.
Glad I could help, I'd love to hear how it goes! Thanks for the support!
I have a player that is a gambling addict. He will love this lol (he is also way too lucky, so he is quite rich)
Hopefully they don’t lose ALL their money on King - and they don’t get even richer, either!
Killing the others and stealing the pot seems like the most likely outcome for my group.
Bet it would lead to a wild session, though!
nahnahnah, if they're in a casino, and the last two roll a 1, that money is the casino's now. Sucks to suck.
100%! I was referencing casual games more with that one, but the house always wins!
What do you think of a character that has proficiency in dice? Do they get a single reroll per game or something else?
Yeah, in the past I’ve given a re-roll in dice games as a buff for that!
so 2 beats 6 but it makes it way easier to beat it next time around? That's the only thing I didn't understand.
Yeah, that’s exactly correct. 2 is basically useless EXCEPT for beating 6. Gives it a purpose and keeps the game a bit more balanced!
@TheBardsCollegeYT I have a question regarding rolling 3: so if I rolled a 3, I have to roll and bet again, that is pretty clear to me. However, at playtesting it happened that 3 players got a 3. Does they start dueling? Or 3 is designed to be a way to get PC 'deeper' into the game, without moving them closer to the win? Hope my question makes sense.
At playtesting session we just decided that such situation is sort of 'filler-turn' to grow bank and moved with it.
Thanks for the question! A player should never end their turn on a 3 - they always have to re-roll if they get a 3, even if it happens multiple times in a row. So there should never be a King sitting on a 3, meaning there will never be a duel of 3’s. The 3, like you said, is just a way to help increase the pot a bit more. And as one more thing, only the King can get into duels with other players, if they match the number the King is on. So non-kings don’t have to duel if they roll the same thing (unless you want that as a home rule, of course!). Hope that helps!
Good video though the hand signs were really distracting had a hard time listening and looking at the same time
Sorry you found it distracting, I definitely talk a lot with my hands! Thanks for watching and sharing your feedback, hopefully if you check out my other videos you won’t find it as distracting in those!
Alguém para traduzir o que o comparsa aí disse? Entendi pouco...hehe
As regras escritas para este jogo de dados estão na descrição, você pode traduzir o texto a partir daí!
Sorry if that Portuguese is bad, I used Google translate. Good luck!
Question: When you roll for final success while you're king (trying to roll your current number), can you just keep repeating until you succeed (or run out of money, or roll a 1 ofc)? Or do you get one roll, then the dueling goes on? (I assume it's once every time it's the King's turn, not sure tho)
Also, is it only yourself that needs to bet on your own King's Roll? Or does everyone have to add to the pile? (Edit: Misunderstood the betting, sorry! Cleared up after slowly watching again :) )
When you roll to “claim the crown” as King (win), you can only try once! The only exception would be if you roll a 3, since then you always have to roll again!
Yeah I'm pretty excited to put this in my game! Also subscribed, you have such a captivating way of presenting information. Keep it up, fella!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed the video, and I hope your party has fun!
Kind of reminds me of pig, bit this might be a little faster to resolve.
Pig is one of my favorites, it was absolutely part of the inspiration for King! Good eye!
I think that if both players roll 1s in a dual house should get the pot
In a casino setting, I agree! In a more casual game, they can follow the rule in the video. But the house always wins!
Really cool. You should increase the volume though.
Thanks for the feedback! I've been working on it for my new videos, hopefully the changes will help!
Oh this is gonna be fun, can't wait for our sorcerer to become addicted.
Good luck! Hopefully they don't lose ALL their coins (just most of them)!
So, some clarification on the 2's rule.
Does a 2 win any time, or just when the king is a 6?
That’s definitely up for interpretation (I.e. I overlooked it!) but I would say it only beats a 6 when the 6 is King or during a duel. If the King was 2 and a 6 is rolled, I’d honor the 6. But I could see the argument for the other interpretation, too!
That makes perfect sense! Thank you for the clarification!
amazing storyteller and I'll certainly be adding King into my game this weekend!
Thank you so much! Definitely let me know how it goes, I hope your party has as much fun as mine did!
Jogo legal, mas não consegui entender porque 2 ganha de 6. 🤔
Mostly for balance! If a 6 can only be beat in a duel, it means you can always pass on a 6 and are almost guaranteed a win! The 2 gives the other players a chance!
Very cool game! I'll def save this video
Thanks, I hope you and your players like it if you give it a try!