3 Dragon Ante in actual play?
- Thread starter Xath
- Start date
theRogueRooster
First Post
When I read the description of the game and purchased it, I had the assumption that a PC could pick up a game of 3DA with multiple NPCs, which turned out not to be the case. It's not designed for the DM to run several NPCs in the game -- at least not easily.
So if your adventuring group wants to play a tavern game among themselves (with perhaps a single NPC) then 3DA works fine. If the rogue wants to strike up a game with the three shady figures over in the corner while the rest of the party is elsewhere, not so much. At least not without help from the other players (and assuming you have as many players as NPCs).
The game itself is fun enough though a bit long for what it is. It seems too easy for a player low on money to jump back into the game. My only disappointment is what I described above. I'm not sure I would have bought the game otherwise.
-Kyle
So if your adventuring group wants to play a tavern game among themselves (with perhaps a single NPC) then 3DA works fine. If the rogue wants to strike up a game with the three shady figures over in the corner while the rest of the party is elsewhere, not so much. At least not without help from the other players (and assuming you have as many players as NPCs).
The game itself is fun enough though a bit long for what it is. It seems too easy for a player low on money to jump back into the game. My only disappointment is what I described above. I'm not sure I would have bought the game otherwise.
-Kyle
Echohawk
Shirokinukatsukami fan
The standard staring pot is 50 gold. A smaller starting pot usually means a shorter game. A much smaller starting pot -- say 20 gold -- could mean a very short game, since the ante could be as much a 13 gold in any one gambit, and a player might have additional gold stolen during a gambit.
Three Dragon Ante can be played by two people, but it works much better if you have 4-6 players. I suppose you could play with more than six, although the box says "2-6 players".
Three Dragon Ante can be played by two people, but it works much better if you have 4-6 players. I suppose you could play with more than six, although the box says "2-6 players".
Majoru Oakheart
Adventurer
Echohawk said:
We played with 7 during our last session of our Eberron group, 6 players and 1 NPC. It worked alright other than it was hard to see and keep track of everyones cards.
Justin D. Jacobson
First Post
I haven't picked up the WotC game yet. Been meaning to, as I'm a strategy game designer in addition to my rpg work.
Might I humbly suggest Witch Stones and/or Golem. The former is a two-player game in the same vein as Pente but with more of a fantasy bent (and includes rules for incorporating it into D&D). The latter is for 2-4 players and also has a strong fantasy feel that could easily serve a similar function as 3DA.
Might I humbly suggest Witch Stones and/or Golem. The former is a two-player game in the same vein as Pente but with more of a fantasy bent (and includes rules for incorporating it into D&D). The latter is for 2-4 players and also has a strong fantasy feel that could easily serve a similar function as 3DA.
Xath
Moder-gator
So I picked it up and played it tonight. While it can be played with 2 players, it doesn't take advantage of the full strategy of the game. All in all, it's probably about as complicated as some forms of poker. I could see the rules being relatively well known by all. You wouldn't need the text if you played often enough.
Imperialus
Explorer
the best "prop" games imo are games like Rook, Trappola, Jass or Kaiser, they have a close enough resembalance to north american card games that they arn't too alien to players, but are each different enough from the other that they have their own character. They also all evolved organically in early modern Europe so it would make sence that they would have evolved simmilarly in a fantasy world.
*edit* if you are feeling praticulary ambitious you could try and track down a proper tarot deck (one that doesn't have the magician and the boogyman and all that rubbish) and play a tarot based game.
*edit* if you are feeling praticulary ambitious you could try and track down a proper tarot deck (one that doesn't have the magician and the boogyman and all that rubbish) and play a tarot based game.
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Cheiromancer
Adventurer
Imperialus said:
That's just what I was going to suggest. Although there is no harm in using a Rider-Waite deck, older decks like the Marseilles deck would be less distracting.
Here's a good link for the rules: http://www.tarothermit.com/game.htm
(although honestly, I don't understand the variant ranking of the cards for cups and coins vs swords and batons. They don't affect how the court cards are won, and I'd drop the distinction.)
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