Games with high stakes can be a thrilling affair standing as a metaphor for the interplay between factions or individuals, as seen in Casino Royale's poker match between Bond and Le Chiffre, the ultimate Mahjong game between Rachel and Eleanor in Crazy Rich Asians, and the apocryphal tale of playing dice against Death himself for your life. Sadly, in a D&D game, this usually comes down to one player being told "roll your gaming set proficiency plus ... uh, Charisma, no, probably Intelligence?"
Here are some ways you can make a game (within your game) exciting, memorable, and something around which you can base a story or adventure. - Dangerous Game. A warlord or monster accepts a challenge by combat- and the weapons are game pieces. With the fate of the city of kingdom resting on two NPCs over a single game (or the best of three, for dramatic purposes), can the players defend their own champion from interference, and perhaps subtly influence the game? - Send a Message. At an extremely diplomatic event, where the PCs have strict orders not to cause any tension, one of the ways of sending a message to a spymaster, wicked lord, evil cardinal, or other villain, is to make a point with a game- whether that be Three-Dragon Ante, Gambit of Ord, Wicked Grace, Regicide, or something else that allows you to cleverly demonstrate your luck, strategic thinking, and ability. For bonus points, the villain's minions might be represented by specific game pieces (and even carry customized pieces with them, allowing the PCs to prove their point handily by 'capturing' a piece in-game and then revealing their loot). - Magical/Clockwork Puzzle. Like the chess puzzle in the first HP book, a dungeon might hold some kind of puzzle to prevent intruders without particular skills from entering a room. This might be a life-size Dragonchess board, or require you to slot wooden or stone cards into a door to make the winning hand. This might give one of your players who has spent a valuable tool proficiency slot on a gaming set feel useful and able to contribute. - Themed Quest. In a more subtle way, you might theme an adventure after a particular game- perhaps a mad mage recreated their passion in life size, or perhaps this dungeon inspired the game? Facing rows of slow-moving golemlike defenders, bolstered by agile knights and limitedly-mobile defender units might give it away quickly, or perhaps your players won't pick up the hints. You could theme it on Snakes and Ladders instead, Mousetrap, or an in-world game. - Shared Culture. Backgammon is played across the world, but especially around the area it came from - the remains of the Persian Empire. All around the Indo-Persian region, Backgammon can be played a cultural touchstone and pastime. In a similar way, particular games might be popular along the Sword Coast, the Moonsea region, and recognizing an NPC playing a familiar game at a coffee-house or game table may give a PC a way to make a new contact, check in with their homeland, and/or find a new quest. Comments are closed.
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AuthorI'm Luke. He/him pronouns. Archives
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