Sabacc

By Arkitan, in Star Wars: Edge of the Empire RPG

Posted at

Anyone have a good way to incorporate sabacc into this game?

This is what I came up with, without printing off a bunch of cards.

Anyone have a better system? Or see holes in mine? I cobbled it together from reading other systems for faking sabacc and the rules for sabacc on wookiepedia.

Normal deck of cards


Black cards are positive

Red cards are negative


Goal, get closest to but not exceeding 23 or -23 OR get a Joker (idiot) and a two and a three


Exceeding +23 or -23 or having exactly 0 is bombing out and you match the hand pot.


Gameplay


  1. Ante 100 sabacc pot 200 credits Hand pot

  2. Two cards dealt to each player

  3. Hand totals declared

  4. Play Round - Draw/Trade/Stand/Place cards in disruption field (one per turn, in and out)

  5. Sabacc Shift (roll boost dice)

  6. Betting Round (Call/Raise/Bluff) (deceit check) vs (perception check)

  7. Sabbac Shift (roll boost dice)

  8. Hand can only be called after the third betting round.

  9. Sabacc Shift (roll boost dice)

  10. Show hands

Sabacc shift: Roll two boost dice. If they don't show a symbol AND they match, a shift occus, all players hand in cards that aren't in the disruption field and get the same number of new cards out.

Posted at

That's a cool way of incorporating it. I especially like the way you handled the Shift aspect.

Obviously, everyone's game is different, but I wonder if that's too involved? I guess if everyone around the table is into it, you could run a session based around that, but I know for my players it would only interest one or two for a small period of time.

I'd probably have to handle it more simpler for my group, maybe get them to declare an ante amount. Have them do a number of checks (say 5-10) that are basically just opposed skill checks (deceit/perception/coerce/charm/cool etc). I'd then take the net successes/failures after all the checks and for each net success/failure they'd win or lose that number x the ante amount.

For example: Ante of 100 credits. 10 Total checks. 7 checks succeed, 3 checks fail. PC ends up winning 400 credits total.

Could then take any net Triumph/Despair (tally total triumph/despair across all checks, then have them cancel) into account and make narrative out of it. Net Despair, they could get accused of cheating by an npc at the table and a fight/argument breaks out. Net Triumph, and they might manage to buddy up with an npc at the table and then they get tied into the greater story as a friend or patron.

I'm actually starting to like this idea…

Posted at

This is what I was planning on doing with the system.

The Sabacc tournament

You have been playing for what seems like weeks, even though you know it has only been 3 days. Many players have fallen to your seemingly never-ending streak of luck.


Room Description


As you have claimed victory at each table you know you’re getting closer to what you came here for. THINGYOUWANT is just within your reach. Now, in a sea of empty tables only you and two others remain with the dealer droid. You’ve been at this table for about about 3 hours, in that much time as many players have bottomed out.


You have amassed an impressive stack of credits but that isn’t why you’re really here. Sitting across the table from you is BADGUYNAME (DESCRIPTION), he’s the whole reason you’re here, he’s got the THINGYOUWANT, and you have to get him to bet it.

Have the players play through a few hands

After 3 hands have been played read the following


  1. You’ve been playing for a few more hours and eliminated another player. Now its down to you and BADGUYNAME. You’ve got more credits than he does but he is confident in his hand. He’s gone all in. You are also confident in your hand, you might want to see if he’s bluffing. Roll a streetwise check vs his cool check to see if he is bluffing.


    1. Check passes - There is little doubt in your mind that he has a strong hand.

    2. Check fails - You can’t tell if he’s bluffing


  1. You need to convince him to add THINGYOUWANT to the hand pot, before you’ll go all in. roll an opposing negotiation check. (What do you say to him?) If the player says something that may rattle him add a bonus die to the roll.

    1. If the check passes - he adds THINGYOUWANT to the hand pot, go to the next section.

      1. BADGUY name has pure sabac at +23 The only thing that can beat him is the idiots array which is the Idiot a two and a three.

      2. Roll to see if you won.

        1. Player won - You got THINGYOUWANT move onto the next adventure

        2. Players lost - go to b.i.

    2. If the check fails - he refuses, BUT, he says that you can trade your winnings to him for THINGYOUWANT, and quit the tournament. What do you do?

      1. Players refuse his offer - Go To C

      2. Player accepts his offer - You got THINGYOUWANT move onto C

    3. Six CORSEC forces break in, they have been tracking him down for weeks. He quickly tells you that he has a small ship stationed outside the balcony only a few hundred meters away. If you can get him there he says he’ll give you THINGYOUWANT and a ride to the spaceport. You have little reason to believe that he’ll live up to his end of the bargain, but if CORSEC sees THINGYOUWANT they will start asking questions you don’t want to answer. What do you do?

        1. Accept (Combat begins verses 6 Corsec agents)

        2. Refuse (Corsec agents arrest him, and take all the winnings. Roll a skullduggery check vs vigilance of an agent to see if you can steal THINGYOUWANT before they notice it’s there.

          1. Check passes , You got THINGYOUWANT move to the next adventure.

          2. Check fails , CORSEC agent tells you to back off but before he can take THINGYOUWANT blaster fire erupts from the next room, BADGUYNAME had a small holdout blaster on him. As the agent runs to help his comrades you grab THINGYOUWANT, and leave through the kitchen exit. Move to the next adventure.

          3. I've never written a module or anything like this before, any gaping holes in this that you see where the players can break this?

Posted at

I think there was one of the old adventures that came with a Sabbac deck…..can't really remember…

Posted at

You are correct. It is Crisis on Cloud City by WEG. It incudes a Sabacc card deck and rules. The deck has 84 cards.

Posted at

the deck from the WEG version was great and had rules for the randamiser as well.