Games are a big part of any culture, and the nations of Aorthe are no different. Tavern games, schoolyard games, and sports are a part of daily life. Here is a list of just some of the more unique games you may find.

Awae

Awae is a sport similar to soccer. The idea being getting the ball from the center to the goals on either side of the field depending on the team you are part of. The difference is the game is not played on the ground. Instead the field is an area filled with massive trees and you must travel through the trees with acrobatics and gliding while you hold the ball and throw it from team mate to team mate. If the ball hits the ground or leaves the play zone it is a foul to the team who last touched the ball. So you could hit hit an opponent with the ball so it ricochets off of them and out of bounce to get a better advantage. Nets at near ground level for safety and people watch via perches at higher points in the trees.

Fredo’s Bluff

This is a gambling game of sorts, but one where the skill is not in the dice, but in the player. The object of the game is to out-bluff your opponent. Each player (at least two) rolls one dice per round in secret. The player is allowed to look at the result of their roll, but do not reveal it to anyone. The players then take turns betting and raising the stakes until all players at the table have called. A player may choose to fold if they wish. Once all bets are called, the numbers are revealed and the player with the higher number wins the pot. It is split in the event of a tie. Round one, each rolls a d100. The second round, each rolls a d20, then d12, then d10 and so on until the final round. On the final round, each player flips a coin. They then place bets on whether their opponents coins are heads or tails. Each player earns the bet from each player they guess correctly, and splits the bets with those they didn’t.

Word Dirk

Word Dirk is a word contest in which bets are laid on the ability of another person to correctly spell a challenge word forward or backward. If even a single letter is wrong, the competitor loses. There is only one rule to Word Dirk (for both characters and players): No writing of any kind, whether on paper or in the air. Success must come from the mind alone! Each player can make an additional attempt at spelling a word after a first incorrect letter by succeeding on a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw. A player can do this only once. To begin the game, the challenger asks the challenged “Forward or backward?” The challenged chooses one or the other, and the challenger picks a word to be spelled. The challenged then spells the word according to their choice – forward or backward.

Satyr’s Bluff

Believed to have begun as a bastardization of the game Fredo’s Bluff, this game has a couple important rule changes. Everyone antes in, rolls a secret d20, then does a round of bets with raises, calls, and folds like poker. The next round, everyone rolls a secret d12, and repeat the betting. Last round, everyone rolls a secret d6, then a final round of betting before the reveal. Unlike Fredo’s Bluff, the player’s numbers are not shown until all dice have been rolled. The players with the most valuable hand wins, according to the following hierarchy:

• A 38 beats everything (20, 12, and 6).
• A 3 beats everything else (1, 1, and 1).
• Straights: 8, 7, 6 – 7, 6, 5 – 6, 5, 4 – 5, 4, 3 – 4, 3, 2 – 3, 2, 1
• Three of a kind (3 identical digits.)
• After that, highest number wins.

A tie is settled with a roll off of a d4.

Spakoinya

4 dice & cups game. Everyone puts a d6, d8, d10 and d12 in a plastic cup. Then every one place the cup face down with the now jumbled up dice inside it. Then the dealer rolls 3d4s and adds them up. The dealer asks if anyone would like to reroll their d12 but this roll will be by the dealer and will be show to everyone. Then the dealer rolls 3d4s and adds them up. The dealer asks if anyone would like to reroll their d10 but this roll will be by the dealer and will be show to everyone. Then the dealer rolls 3d4s and adds them up.
The dealer asks if anyone would like to reroll their d8 but this roll will be by the dealer and will be show to everyone. Then whoever has the closet number to the all the d4s added together will win. If people have the same then the dealer will make them re-roll their d6 until a winner is presented. If there are more than two that tied, then the number (person) most far out will be taken out.

Avandra’s Favor

Dice game, 25 gold pieces minimum buy-in. This dice game is deceptively simple and an easy way to lose gold in a hurry. “Roll the dice and may Avandra be with you!” Rules: Players roll 2d6. If they add to a 7 or 12, the player wins. Gamblers can double the bet to add 1d6 to the total.

Gambit of Ord

Card game, 50 gold pieces initial buy-in. Rules: Each card player rolls 1d8, keeping the die hidden. Each player has the chance to raise the bet, call the bet (meet it), or fold. It continues when all bets are equal. Then each player rolls a 1d6, keeping it secret as well. A final chance to raise, call, or fold. Each remaining player rolls 1d4. They all reveal the 1d8, 1d6, and 1d4, adding them all together. Winner takes 80% of the pot (the other 20% goes to the casino). Ties split the 80%. Sleight of Hand can give a reroll; Deception can force a fold.

Quon a Drensal, “Run of Luck” / Rat Race

Racing lizards game, 25 gold pieces minimum buy-in. Five small desert lizards are released in a small maze-like track that rests upon the table. The lizards themselves are in separate cages at the end of a table until released to race. Gamblers can bet as much as they’d like on one particular lizard, with a 25 gold minimum. Rules: Roll 1d4 for each lizard three times, describing the stages of the race at each round of rolls. The lizard with the highest roll total wins, and those who bet on it double their bet as winnings. Second place bet gets half of their bet back. In other places this is played with rats instead, and is called Rat Race.

Darts

Each character gets 3 darts to play with for the round. Each character takes turns throwing a dart at the board. Throwing a dart is a dexterity check, except that 2d10 is used rather than 1d20. Any character with proficiency with darts as a weapon may add their proficiency bonus to this check. Players score points equal to the result of this check. At the end of the round, the players add together the scores from all three turns they took. Players score wins equal to the number of players they bested in a round. A short game is 1 round, an average game is 3 rounds, and a long game is 5 rounds. The winner of the game is whoever scored the most wins across all rounds.