Gambling is a big part of fiction and can be part of your game, too. It might not appear in high fantasy stories often, but it’s a staple of pulp, low fantasy, swords and sorcery, Westerns, and spy fiction, all of which can be mined for ideas for your campaign. It’s no wonder: Both stories and roleplaying thrive on conflict. Gambling is an opportunity for structured conflict among characters that isn’t combat, though it can certainly lead that way depending on how the chips fall!
This document provides system mechanics to incorporate games of chance in your campaign. The rules make use of a simplified card game based on 21. Rules are provided to make use of character skills. A dice-only version is also provided which could be used to simulate races, athletic contests, gladiatorial combats, or any other structured interaction that does not involve combat.
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