Bizaare Gambling Games

[Indigo Veil]

Just browsing the archives and found this. You likely don't need this anymore, but the first thing that popped into my head with the card game is losing fingers and toes as a consequence of losing a hand. The player will instantly react viscerally to the thought of losing something physical as well as so deeply personal. Even if the loss is small enough not to matter in the greater scheme of things (like a pinkie toe or a ring finger), it's definitely a reminder of a lost bet or a costly lapse in judgment that will make him cringe at every memory of it. Even the phrase "losing a hand" takes on a much more ominous meaning, and will make your players pause and think twice before doing anything rashly.

 

[papa_laz]

An excellent idea I must say. Perhaps the players would have the option of staying in the game after losing all their money if they sacrifice a finger. Though I guess trolls would have an unfair advantage, aside from their poor intelligence.

 

[Indigo Veil]

Yeah, that's true.

My gm did that to me once to mark my character's total enslavement and to underscore the fact that my character's physical and emotional wellbeing rested entirely in the hands of my captor. (I was playing a version of myself at the time, which made it doubly memorable.) Needless to say, it was something I've never forgotten, so I'd say it's pretty effective, trolls notwithstanding.

 

[Leif]

It would be even be more effective if the other gambler's regeneration ability was more covert, say perhaps, due to a spell, potion, or wondrous item. Everybody knows that trolls regenerate. Of course, this could cause some friction, especially if you disfigured a player's favorite character, so I would think there might need to be some way to regrow the lost member upon successful completion of the adventure.