Freelance Traveller Contest 2008-06A: Games People Play

[FreeTrav]

We've chosen to use 2008-06A for this contest rather than 2008-07, because we expect it to be the sixth contest that runs to completion - but we didn't want to remove all evidence of the previous try.

This contest is about GAMES. Games that people in your Traveller universe play. All sorts of games - casino games, sports, table games, party games, ...

There are several categories of games for the purposes of this contest; each category will be considered separately.

There will be at least one winner for each category (provided that the number of entries in the category is nonzero); the number of winners in a category will be increased based on the number of entries in a category, such that at most 25% of the entries will be winners.

Send your entries to contest@freelancetraveller.com. Indicate that it is an entry for this contest, and for which category. You may enter as often as you like, in as many categories as you like, but send each entry separately.

(Some games may legitimately be valid ideas for multiple categories. Such games may be submitted multiple times, but only once (obviously) for each valid category, and must be sent in separately for each category.)

Your entry should contain enough information to make an interesting article - complete rules (sufficient for the reader to be able to play) are not necessary, though for categories other than SPORTS, they may be desirable. In any case, if complete rules are not included, sufficient detail should be included to allow a spectator to understand in general terms what the goal and play of the game is, and perhaps how decisions are made.

The categories are as follows:

CASINO GAMES: Casino games have a significant random element, and are strongly oriented toward gambling. Physical or mental acuity may or may not be required, depending on the specific game. Examples of casino games would include (but are not limited to) slot machines, poker, baccarat, roulette, and dhe (http://www.freelancetraveller.com/features/culture/games/dhe.html).

PARTY GAMES: Party games are most focussed on social interaction, and do not necessarily require any game aids such as dice, boards, note cards, and so on (though specific games may benefit from or require such). Physical or mental acuity may be advantageous, depending on the specific game. Examples include but are not limited to Charades, Twister(tm), Telephone, and the various "How to host a ..." activities.

SPORTS: Sports are competitive activities with emphasis on physical capability. They may be person-against-person, team-against-team, or person-or-team-against-objective-standard. Some examples are football (soccer), cricket, football (gridiron), distance racing, sprint racing, tennis, baseball, rugby, lacrosse, hockey, archery, et cetera. Other examples abound; check your local newspaper, or look at the events in the Olympics, Friendship Games, and other similar exhibitions.

TABLE GAMES: Table games are not physically demanding; more often, they require some level of mental acuity. There may or may not be an element of chance. Some such games may be wagered on, but the focus is on the play and the score; the game may be played without wagering, and not be rendered largely meaningless in doing so. Accessories such as dice, cards, notes, boards and playing pieces, and so on are normally required. There are probably more examples of this category than in any of the others; Some of the best known include chess, checkers (draughts), go, bridge, yahtzee, Traveller, Scrabble, and Monopoly.


The deadline for entries is 23:59:59 EDT SAT 1 NOV 2008.

This contest is open to participants in any and all Traveller forums.

 

[FreeTrav]

There's little more than a week left, and we've only gotten three submissions, all from the same person, and in three different categories. That will mean automatic wins if we don't get more games, so send in your favorite creations, even if you found them elsewhere, filed off the serial numbers, and twisted them a bit (but at least tell us what they were inspired by - credit where due, and all that). The submission deadline is still 23:59:59 EDT 1 NOV 2008 EDT, and entries should still be sent to contest@freelancetraveller.com.

 

[FreeTrav]

Because we've felt unwell for most of the past week, we missed our own "post 'em for voting" deadline. You benefit from that, because we've decided to extend the submission deadline another week, to 8 Nov 2008 Sat 23:59:59 EST. As of now, all three categories have sufficient entries to be competitive, but the more the merrier, so write up those games and send them in!

 

[FreeTrav]

There will be four messages accompanying this one. Each message will
contain all of the entries for ONE of the four categories of games that
were covered in this contest. If you are voting, we would like to see
FOUR ballots from you: One ballot for each category, considered
independently. Rate each game independently on a 1-to-5 scale, with
higher ratings indicating that the game in question meets your criteria
for interesting, adds flavor to a session, good background - whatever
you feel is appropriate.

You may include all four ballots in a single e-mail message; just mark
clearly which ballot is for which category.

Ballots should be sent to contest@freelancetraveller.com, and must be
received no later than 23:59:59 EST 15 Nov 2008 SAT. Each category will
have one winner, and the person submitting the winner for the category
will be asked for an idea for a future contest. The winning entry in
each category will be posted to Freelance Traveller shortly after the
winners are tabulated and announced. After this contest, we are going
to be temporarily suspending further contests pending a rethinking of
how future contests will be handled - but don't worry; they won't be
gone forever!

 

[FreeTrav]

These are the entries in the SPORTS category. You may use the portion above the ======= as a cut-and-paste ballot. Descriptions appear below the ======.


_____ Robo Herding



_____ Wrestling Box/Exercise System



_____ Hellball



_____ 50/50



_____ Po-arbaee-pa



======================================================================

***Robo herding. ***

A large family of games with many variations, robo-herding sports are
emulations and exaggerations of the low tech professions of sheep or
goat herding and task likes cowboys animal driving or elephant wrangler.
Robo herding is often run along with its cousins of robo rodeo where artificial animals are ridden, roped and marked.

Re-invented multiple times, robo herding has roots both in practical training with animal simulations and pure sport
variations some derived from computer games but focused on physical ability as well as mental.

The robots to be herded range from mm sized bugs to hundred ton faux megadonts and whales. Objectives are almost
always to direct the robot into a specific location, but variations include those with a specific course (rally and maze contexts) and with elaborations such leading (running ahead of the animals once they are on track), dancing the beasts. Often the variations used for rodeo like entertainment increase the risk to players by giving the bots dangerous attributes like horns, claws, burrs and such. There are variations which introduce robotic predators, both to make the directing of critters harder and to add risk and drama to the herding players tasks.

No equipment is needed for basic forms of the sport, and in fact naked herding is a popular variation in some locals. Crooks, staffs, wands, ropes, whips and other traditional gear are used at another level, and complex, symbolic costumes are also a requirement in some venues. Beyond that, specialized goad signal devices, remote controllers (almost like our TV remotes today) also are used.

Games can also be held with flying and swimming robots and various transport modes from being afoot to gravity harness's and small vehicles such as jet boats and high power tricycles.

Robo herding also comes in multi player and contesting team variations.
A couple specific variations:

Bug wand chasing, the robots consist of about 100 flying insect sized units. Players have a stick wand or fan used to chase the robs(sic) In typical form this is not strenuous or risky but some skill is needed to flick the controller enough to direct but not disrupt the swarm. Extreme variations add complex terrain and vegetation to the course.

Mega Robo Dino Herding. As the title indicates, the robots are large, and often intentionally stupid. Herding is done with a prod, requiring the wranglers to be at point blank range and at risk of being crushed or trampled. Herding zones for the most common form is about 10 miles square requiring very good cardiac-vascular health.

Freefall, competitive team chase. Robots are spherical 50 cm diameter and typically 10 are deployed between two player teams of 5. Players compete wearing spacesuits with 2 G thrusters. Court is about 1000 meters cubic, and robots are re-released after a short pause. Player control units only work with in 2 meters of the robots, and robots which have slightly higher maneuver capability are programmed to try to get away from the control units.

Hopefully with these examples you can generate variations as either a spectator sport or as events for player characters to join in.




***Gravity/Magnetic wrestling box and all purpose exercise systems.***

One of the TL 10 and above technology exercise and sports training devices is the so
called wrestling box. These devices, most a standard 3 meters square and full deck space high (2.25 to 3 meters tall)
can emulate a full range of exercise, rowing and running machines but also have a variety of martial arts training programs.
Higher technology systems may use materializing holodeck like technology but at TL 10 the systems include ghost uniforms or dummies
with embedded force elements. The foe dummies, with power and control integral to the box have been found over the centuries to be more cost effective than robots and acceptable in some cultures where robotics are frowned upon or banned.
The systems also allow for adjustment of local gravity, from zero/floating to 2 Gee's. Units can be customized to higher G ratings, up to 4.5 but risk of injuries in untrained users was found to be excessive even at 2 G.
As a necessary element of most starship facilities, part of the health and commons equipment, a variety of challenge routines, with carefully rated levels are present on most units. These include several varieties of wrestling, over 25 stylized martial arts and with in the limits of the space allow for staff's and blunted practice edged weapons (knives, swords)
Shipboard competitions and demonstrations are a common aspect of passenger and troop ships.

Larger units are available for ships with more space and are also found on most worlds as part of gym and sports training facilities. , up to about 12 meter square combat arena's. Standard units, generally can present, manage one foe but may have an option for a second decoy or lower powered dummy. Larger units maybe able to drive multiple opponents, allowing advanced multi-attack kata's and drills.



***HELLBALL***

inspired directly by Pat Mills comic "Hellball"
and the Mean Arena comic strip from 2000AD amongst
other media such as Rollerball etc.

Basically, a team sport played for the edification of the masses on
certain high populus/high law level worlds.

The basic premise is that two teams of 10 men fight over a steel ball within an
evacuated (or, in the case of Balkanised planets, most often war torn and ruined)
city, they must carry the ball from the starting point (at a central point within the city)
to the exit point (of which there are only two) on the edge of the city.

The first team to reach their particular exit point (one for each team) is the winner.
There is only one rule, that is: There are no rules

Each team of 10 men are allocated a set amount of equipment each and may place 5
of their men at preselected points throughout the city prior to the game commencing, the remaining 5 players
are positioned freely within a 2 mile central radius of the ball itself. When play commences the ball is released from a
low powered aircannon and the players must fight over possession, cameras follow their every move.

The game is particularly bloody and lethal as one player on each team is designated as a sniper and given an advanced rifle with 10 rounds, he
is with the elimination of the opposing teams players (although often the result of this weapons placement is a long drawn out sniper duel between
the oppossing teams, this never helps the ratings and the sport's governing body generally tries to prevent such activity).

Players are given only rudimentary sporting body armour and helmets and a choice of either
spiked leather gloves, metal bats or similar items as personal weapons and are free to use them
as they please (ratings tend to go up when the games become more violent, there is usually a high body count by
the end of play)

The Players themselves are all convicted criminals, (usually for crimes of violence) who have been sentenced to serve out their
time as Hellball players, they play until they serve their sentence or they fall in the game, to date only a handfull of players have
survived to earn their freedom (and those individuals are hailed as heroes by Hellball fans)

There is an active League throughout the Spinward Marches but many planetary governments
abhor what is essentially a brutal and murderous blood sport.

To date Hellball is only growing ever more popular.




***50/50***

Background:

Originally created on a Corporate world with a very low law-level, the game
has grown in popularity in a number of other worlds.

Lore has it that a professional athlete borrowed some money from a loan
shark and was unable to repay the loan. Seems he bet on his own sporting
event and tried to throw the game to win a huge amount of money. His
failure was compounded by criminal charges at Games Fixing.

The Loan Shark made him an offer - "Make your way through my obstacle course
and you're debt is erased." Only thing was, the obstacle course was filled
with landmines, tripwires, hidden cameras, with clues to the exit buried
deep in logic puzzles planted along the course.

Today the game has changed very little. Contestants enter the contest
hoping to win a grand prize. Gamblers wager on the game, hoping to inject
some life back into their dreary existance.

The value of the grand prize varies depending upon the complexity and danger
level of the course, with some purses offered up to one million credits.

Did the original athlete win? Did he beat the course and earn his freedom
from his huge debt? Rumours have it that he's living off-world in a palace
fit for a king. But no one ever remembers seeing him...



***po-arbaee-pa***

While not the most physically competitive of species in the galaxy, the
Bwaps nonetheless do engage in what some observers view as a sport on
occasion. While competitive swimming and diving competitions are
popular, as are displays of cooking prowess ala Iron Chef, none really
capture the Bwap outlook and mindset as well as po-arbaee-pa (roughly
"scaling the tree in a cost-effective and mutually beneficial manner").

Bwaps will come from all around to watch their favorite oba-wa (roughly
"ad-hoc sporting collective") compete. A typical po-arbaee-pa league
will consist of ten teams who play against each other during a
three-month season until only two teams remain who then face off against
each other in a week long tournament coinciding with the end of the Bwap
kelp harvest.

As Bwaps do not really understand the concept of professional athletes,
these teams are composed of Bwaps who wish to sharpen their
administrative skills and achieve the sort of notoriety that Bwaps
crave: good business sense. Each team has twenty-four players, all of
whom tend to be young, unmarried Bwaps with low incomes and relatively
no financial security.

When the teams assemble for the first time on the field, the
referees/auditors establish the parameters of the game; including, but
not limited to, appropriate business models, financial goals, accounting
practices and initial capital investments. The first round then begins
with the senior Bwap on each team organizing his team into their proper
roles based on a combination of knowledge of his team's strengths and
weaknesses as well as the business model he deems most appropriate for
the competition (subject to a vote from the rest of his team and
approval by the referees/auditors). This is followed by initial strategy
meetings, cost-benefit analyses and review by the team members assigned
as oversight committee members. The first round lasts four hours and is
judged by the referees/auditors and the game officials who award points
based on goals accomplished, style and financial liquidity. Points are
awarded in the form of more capital as well as profits earned (if any).

The second round begins in earnest with direct competition between the
two teams; each attempting to maximize their market share while
maintaining strict accountability and ethical practices. This round
again lasts four hours and is subject to the same final judgment by the
officials. During this second round, however, team members may be let go
due to bad business decisions, or the need to recoup financial losses.
Teams with particularly poor performance may take a two-hour time out at
this point to reorganize if necessary, usually replacing the team leader
and making adjustments to their business plan (again, subject to rulings
by the officials).

By the third and final round (the Bwap fiscal year breaks into thirds,
not quarters), things really heat up. The referees/auditors at this time
introduce an assortment of randomized market scenarios that complicate
business for both teams; combined with fierce competition between the
teams, the third period really tests the skills of the competitors.
Unlike the previous periods, the third round ends when the losing team
declares bankruptcy, is acquired by the opposing team or secures a
lesser share of the market than the winning team.

Final rulings are made by the referees/auditors and the officials, which
in hotly contested games can take anywhere between another hour and two
to three days in some extreme situations! The winners are awarded a
minor but lucrative business contract which they may use to establish a
small venture if they so choose; some members may be cherry-picked by
Bwap corporations and administrators for key low-level positions within
their organizations. The losing team is usually dissolved.

The thirteen volume set of competitive rules complete with annotation
and a further twenty-three volumes of strategy, guidelines and
interpretations can be daunting to non-Bwaps (Administration skill of
18+ to read the whole thing, as well as a high Will and lots of
stimulants), as a result the game has never really caught on beyond Bwap
circles.

Rules: Po-arbaee-pa requires players to have high skill levels in
Administration, Accounting, Computer Operation, Finance, Public Speaking
and Savoir-Faire (Business). The rules themselves are mind-numbingly
complex for non-Bwaps and subject to interpretation by the officials.
The best way to simulate this in GURPS terms is to have the Bwap players
make several long-task rolls during each period for each business
discipline, with the modifiers imposed by the referees/auditors during
the audit phase of the game.

 

[FreeTrav]

These are the entries in the TABLE GAMES category. You may use the portion above the ======= as a cut-and-paste ballot. Descriptions appear below the ======.

_____ TravFuda


_____ Fog-of-War Variants

==============================================================

***TravFuda***

***NOTE: THIS GAME WAS SUBMITTED IN PDF FORM. THE COMPLETE PDF IS AVAILABLE FROM THE AUTHOR, AND INCLUDES CARD IMAGES AND VARIANT RULES. THE TEXT DESCRIPTION OF THE DECK WAS ADDED BY THE CONTEST EDITOR; THE TABULAR DECK DATA IS AN EDITED CUT/PASTE FROM THE PDF.***

The Deck:

The deck consists of sixty-two (62) cards, six cards in each of ten suits. Each suit has its own distinct graphic image; a card may have ONLY the suit graphic ("Plain"), or it may be modified with any of three symbols in any of five colors. Certain cards have no symbols, but the suit graphic appears on the card twice, instead of only once ("Double Plain"). The table below shows which cards are marked with symbols. Symbol identification in the table is as follows:

R=Red; Y=Yellow; G=Green; B=Blue; P=Purple
C=Cutlass; F=Flag/Banner; S=Starburst
--=Plain; 2X=Double Plain; J=Joker

10 Suits           C1  C2  C3  C4  C5  C6 
------------------------------------------
01 Scoutship       RC  GF  PF  --  --  -- 
02 Asteroid Belt   RS  YF  --  --  --  -- 
03 Free Trader     PC  RF  2X  --  --  -- 
04 Comet           BS  2X  --  --  --  -- 
05 Fat Trader      YC  RF  BF  PF  2X  -- 
06 Rockball        GS  BC  PC  RF  --  -- 
07 Patrol Ship     GC  BF  YF  --  --  -- 
08 Gas Giant       PS  YC  GF  --  --  -- 
09 Troopship       BC  YF  GF  --  --  -- 
10 Terran World    YS  RC  GC  BF  PF  2X 
*  Joker            J   J

Starting the Game:

Draw to see who goes first. Lowest numbered card plays
first; Starbursts before Cutlasses before Banners before
Doubles before plain. If players tied, they are excluded.
If all players are tied, draw again.

Players sit around the table, deal by lowest player, who
also plays first.

In a 2 player game, each gets 12 cards, and 12 go to the
middle.
3 players: each gets 8, and the table gets 12.
4 player: each gets 6, and the table gets 12
5 player: each gets 5, and the table gets 10
6 player: each gets 4, and the table gets 10
7+ is not recommended.
Cards dealt to the table are face up.
Play begins once the dealer takes his first turn.

On Your turn:

play one from hand. if match, lay on top.

Draw one from deck. If match, lay on top of match, even
if it makes a threesome. if no match, play card to
table.

Take any piles with an even number of cards on table,
and lay face up in your capture area. Captured cards
may not be hidden.

next turn

Play ends when a turn begins with no cards in anyone’s
hand. Note that using the jokers can wind up with dead
cards.

You never get to play more than one card from your hand
in the regular game. All matches must be bby suit
(numerical), not by type of card (SB, C, F, D, —)

Scoring

Points are scored for cards in caputure areas only. Cards
left on the table are no value.

Starbursts are worth 20, Cutlasses 10, Flags 5, doubles
2, and others 1 point. Jokers are worth 1 point each, but
are NOT plain cards; doubles and unlabelled cards are
plain.

Combinations can score extra points:
Whole Suit: 1point. All 6 cards in numbered suit
Guidon Set: 2 points. All three flags of the same color
Uniform Set: 3points. Starburst,Cutlass, and Flag of the
same color
Hero: 5points. three starbursts
Major Hero. 10points. Four Starbursts
Grand Hero: 15 points. All 5 starbursts
5+ Flags: 1 point, plus 1 for each extra flag
5+ Cutlasses: 2 points, plus 1 for each extra cutlass
20+ Plain: 2 points, plus 1 for each extra. Note that
doubles count as two plain.
Double Trouble: -10 points all four doubles but not 20plain
Double Good: x2 hand All four doubles and 20+ plain
Emperor: 10 points. Start with 3 starbursts, revealing
them before play, and end with 5 starbursts. -20 if
attempted but not completed.
Archduke: 10 points. reveal 3 doubles before play, and
end with 20+ plain. -20 if attempted but not
completed.



***FOG OF WAR VARIANTS***

There are many games that in some way represent a romanticised version of warfare. Among Solomani-derived cultures, three prominent games from this category are Chess, Shogi, and Xiang-Qi; other cultures have their own conceptually similar games and variants. The "Fog-Of-War" variants appear to trace their origins to the Solomani game of Chess; they are most popular in areas of heavy Solomani cultural influence - but are not unknown elsewhere.

Each player has a complete game board, plus a complete set of pieces of their own color. There is also a third person, acting as a referee, who will have a board and a complete set of pieces of both colors. The players should be seated so that they cannot see the other player or the referee; the referee should be able to see both players and their boards. Note that where technology allows, players may be seated at linked computer consoles, and the referee replaced by a monitor program, but see below on invalid moves.

The players set up only the pieces of their own color. Play procedes normally. When a player makes a legal move, the referee announces e.g., "White has moved". If the move results in a capture, the capture location is announced, but not the type of either piece, e.g., "White has captured on square e6". If there are any other conditions that the player must know about, e.g., "check" in Chess, the referee will announce the existence and nature of the check, e.g., "Black is in check on the row". Only the minimum necessary information will be given by the referee (but what that information is will depend on the particular game that is being played in this manner).

If the player attempts an invalid move, the referee says 'no', and the player must try a different move. If the player attempts a series of invalid moves, and the referee believes that the player knows that these moves are invalid, i.e., the player is attempting to use the referee's response to derive information about the opponent's position, the referee may say "illegal", and if the player's next move attempt is invalid, the referee may declare a forfeit. This is left to the referee's discretion, however, and is generally seen only in the highest levels of tournament play. Where computer-based refereeing is used, there is often a set number of invalid move attempts, usually no more than three, allowed in sequence before a forfeit is automatically declared.

Notes:

In games where pieces are permitted to promote or demote, such promotion or demotion is not announced. For example, in Chess, the White player capturing with a pawn on c8 (exposing the Black king on h7 to check on the row) and promoting that pawn to a queen, would be announced "White has captured on square c8, and Black is in check on the row."

In games where a capturing player is permitted to use the captured piece, the announcement of the capture should provide only the information that the capturing player needs to know. For example, in Shogi, if a player captures a promoted piece, the piece that he has the use of is the UNPROMOTED version of the piece, so if the player captures a Promoted Silver General, the referee would announce "White has captured on square e6, and has the use of a Silver General". If the player's move is to re-enter a captured piece, no special note of this is made.

In all cases, minimal information is given to the players by the referee. Some variations permit the players to make simple formalized general queries of the referee, pertaining to moves that are in some way 'special' or 'unusual', as for example in Chess, where some variations permit the player to ask "Any?", meaning "Are there any captures-with-a-pawn possible for me?". An affirmative answer compels the player to attempt to move in conformance with the query (in this example, a player asking "Any?" must try a capture with a pawn if the referee indicates that there are such captures possible).

 

[FreeTrav]

These are the entries in the CASINO GAMES category. You may use the portion above the ======= as a cut-and-paste ballot. Descriptions appear below the ======.


_____ Universe


_____ 50/50


_____ Fiddler Crab Sekhoma

====================================================================

***Universe***

Introduced in casinos at TTL 12 with the advent of large
holodisplays Universe requires the players to pilot spaceships,
typically with limited delta v, in either random scenarios or set games. Physical constants typically apply but can be ignored in some scenarios. There may or may not be space combat with missiles or beams and action
can be fleet or single ship. Up to ten people can play in casino games,
typically in teams of two. Although the actual payoff on the game is
tends to be low side bets have been taken in MCr increment.
Universe began as a video game during the Ramshackle Empire which
became popular among starship crews. Played on ships through the Long
Night the game enjoyed a resurgence during the early days of the Seylean Empire and began to be played in tournaments in sector wide leagues as
the Third Empire was established. As computer power and displays become
cheaper it becomes a table game and even a party game for those that
enjoy it. Most spacer bars have at least a small 2D Universe game tucked into a corner.


***50/50***

Background:

Originally created on a Corporate world with a very low law-level, the game
has grown in popularity in a number of other worlds.

Lore has it that a professional athlete borrowed some money from a loan
shark and was unable to repay the loan. Seems he bet on his own sporting
event and tried to throw the game to win a huge amount of money. His
failure was compounded by criminal charges at Games Fixing.

The Loan Shark made him an offer - "Make your way through my obstacle course
and you're debt is erased." Only thing was, the obstacle course was filled
with landmines, tripwires, hidden cameras, with clues to the exit buried
deep in logic puzzles planted along the course.

Today the game has changed very little. Contestants enter the contest
hoping to win a grand prize. Gamblers wager on the game, hoping to inject
some life back into their dreary existance.

The value of the grand prize varies depending upon the complexity and danger
level of the course, with some purses offered up to one million credits.

Did the original athlete win? Did he beat the course and earn his freedom
from his huge debt? Rumours have it that he's living off-world in a palace
fit for a king. But no one ever remembers seeing him...



***Fiddler Crab Sekhoma***

In areas where Sekhoma is popular, many casinos offer this game based on
it.

Play is generally one-on-one, player vs. house. The player offers the
bet, and nine cards are dealt to each. Each then divides the nine cards
into a "Large Hand" of six cards, and a "Small Hand" of three cards.
After both player and dealer have divided their hands, both show both
hands. The Large Hand is compared to the Large Hand; the Small Hand is
compared to the Small Hand. The player wins only if both of his hands
outrank the corresponding dealer hand; if both dealer hands equal or
outrank the player hand, the house wins. If one of the player's hands
outranks the corresponding dealer hand, but the other does not, the hand
is declared a 'push', and, depending on house rules, the bet may be
withdrawn without penalty, or the player may be required to 'let it
ride' on another hand.

Hands are compared on the basis of the Sekhoma hand ranking; all Sekhoma
hands are possible in the Large Hand, but only Pair and Three-of-a-Kind
are possible for the Small Hand. Unlike standard Sekhoma, the showdown
does not take into account the rank of cards making up a hand; if the
two hands are of the same type (e.g., both are four-and-a-pair, or both
are Sekhomas), the dealer wins.

The payoff for a win is twice the offered bet, that is, if the player
offers a 10Cr bet, and both of his hands outrank the dealer's, the
player receives 20Cr, plus retaining his original 10Cr bet.

 

[FreeTrav]

These are the entries in the PARTY GAMES category. You may use the
portion above the ======= as a cut-and-paste ballot. Descriptions
appear below the ======.


_____ Mutamask


_____ Zouguekha


=====================================================================

***Mutamask games***

In several places, there have been developed face masks that can be programmed on the fly
to show different aspects, consider a rubber Halloween or stage monster mask that at the press
of a control switche changes from princess to frog, noble to tattooed savage, elfin to trog.
Now instead of each individual having control, there is a game system that changes the masks according
to the game rules.

Games generally involve activities to determine what mask form a person is showing (and mirrors are a cheat), speeches, skits or songs to show off the traits of the mask and forfeits and contests used to determine what face will be assigned to a player next, Games can be very silly, or socially ugly and cruel.

Key requirement here is a set of muta-masks and a control computer. Like many party activities, mutamasks run in fads and fashions, in Imperial society about 40 years apart, which means that many old ships have a set stored in the stewards locker. Even TL 9 masks can be fairly realistic and beside the playing aspects of the technology, a mask may become part of a scam, assault or murder, used to disguise an evil doer.



***ZOUGUEKHA***

A rather disturbing Vargr party game especially popular with the
adolescent set both among Vargr and even some humans, although many of
the subtleties are lost on the nasally underprivileged humans. Zouguekha
is a type of endurance drinking game, requiring at least three players,
a blender and a stocked kitchen (or ready access to a waste disposal
system's pre-recycling hopper). Play begins with one Vargr in the
kitchen concocting a steady stream of ever more repulsive and odorous
beverages. The resulting concoctions are then passed out to the players
(not counting the bartender), each player choosing to drink or to pass.
Each time a player passes, that player loses status in the eyes of the
other players. When a player inevitably can no longer stomach the drinks
and must purge, the player does so in a bowl specifically meant for that
purpose, zouguekha the "coward's bowl" and is then out of the game (the
bowl and its contents are retained and added to by other players as the
rounds continue). Victory occurs when one of two conditions is met;
either all players pass or only one player drinks. The victor then
claims the zouguekha and has one of two options; the player may either
dump the contents on the first player who passed (the zoug) or if the
player wishes to prove their dominance (and literal intestinal
fortitude) the player may choose to chug the zouguekha.

Rules (GURPS): The rules for Zouguekha are dismayingly simple; the
bartender makes a simple IQ roll to concoct the drinks, with every point
of success being a penalty to the players' rolls to stomach the
concoction. The players' each make three rolls per drinking round, the
first is a Smell roll, with the Vargr's Acute Sense of Smell/Taste
providing a penalty, not a bonus. Success adds a bonus to offset the
drink's modifier; a failure adds the amount by which it was missed to
the modifier. The next roll is a Will roll to actually bring oneself to
imbibe the concoction; if the player fails this roll they must pass. The
final roll is a HT roll to see if the player can control the gag reflex
long enough to choke down the bartender's grotesque cocktail, failure
leads to regurgitation and much howling laughter from the remaining
players. Drinking from the zouguekha bowl requires a very strong
stomach, as the penalty modifier can be quite high by that point (GM's
discretion). Anyone who unceremoniously receives the zouguekha ends up
with the Bad Smell disadvantage until they can get themselves some
industrial strength soap or a good nanocleanser.



Notes: A human variant; called okiksung by the Vargr ("weak tongues");
substitutes somewhat less revolting concoctions made of various
alcoholic beverages instead of the traditional Vargr blend of spoiled
rations and garbage. While less heroic by Vargr standards, it also
avoids the problems of food poisoning that humans tend to be more
susceptible to.