Three Dragon Ante - any good?

[Klaus]

Hey, I can design fantasy-inspired poker cards easily enough. Anyone wanna hire me?

 

[Ghoti]

For a game that PCs might play, I would lean towards Tonk from the Black Company Novels. It is a form of knock rummy. The rules can be found on the internet, just do a google search for tonk.

 

[Kunimatyu]

I can also testify that if you think the rules are too complex, try playing 3DA when mildly inebriated. My players and I decided very quickly that there's no way your average tavern-goer could handle this one.

 

[ssampier]

Hey, I can design fantasy-inspired poker cards easily enough. Anyone wanna hire me?

Maybe it's just me, but I always thought the card game in The Finder's Stone Trilogy book "Finder's Stone" would be interesting. I vaguely remember being played with pseudo playing cards with cards labeled such as Moon, Jester, and number cards such as four of winds.

If you're serious, it'd be interesting to see. Some people believe the modern playing cards originated from the original Tarot deck, so I'd aim for a hybrid (the World, the Jester, etc) Plus, it'd be extra neat if there were variant "fantasy RPG" style card games in it (as mentioned something a merchant or guard could pickup in an hour or two).

 

[Klaus]

Maybe it's just me, but I always thought the card game in The Finder's Stone Trilogy book "Finder's Stone" would be interesting. I vaguely remember being played with pseudo playing cards with cards labeled such as Moon, Jester, and number cards such as four of winds.

If you're serious, it'd be interesting to see. Some people believe the modern playing cards originated from the original Tarot deck, so I'd aim for a hybrid (the World, the Jester, etc) Plus, it'd be extra neat if there were variant "fantasy RPG" style card games in it (as mentioned something a merchant or guard could pickup in an hour or two).

I'd use stuff like Goblins or Kobolds for 2, so you could say "I got a pair of goblins". "HA! My three orcs beat your pair of goblins to a pulp!".

For a mix of tarot and DnD, the Tarokka deck from Ravenloft (specially the 2E one, done by Stephen Fabian) is supreme.

 

[theRogueRooster]

I have 3DA and have played several 2 player games of it so far. I really like it so far, although I agree that the more players the better. The reason is that some cards (I'm looking at you Druid!) are potentially more powerful with fewer players.

I like the look and feel of the art. Obviously it depends on the campaign, but the artwork would fit in quite naturally in a stock D&D world full of magic shops and mastercraft items. I also disagree that the rules are too complex (even for tipsy tavernfolk). 3DA hasn't been out for even a week yet, so naturally everyone is still learning the rules. Folks need more time to become familiar with the game.

I can't comment on the game's length since my 2 player games went rather quickly, but I think this would be a great game to pull out while waiting on the rest of the D&D group (since you can stop at any point), or if the party splits up and some of you are waiting around for your turn in the spotlight.

All in all it's a nice solid game. I'm happy with my purchase.
-tRR

 

[Ambrus]

What do those of you who have played think of these limits? How many gambits is most fun?

Ten gambits probably makes for a reasonable length game on its own (perhaps an hour or an hour and a half for larger groups). If playing it at the game table to simulate the PCs' playing I'd probably limit it to a short five gambit game.

Maybe it's just me, but I always thought the card game in The Finder's Stone Trilogy book "Finder's Stone" would be interesting. I vaguely remember being played with pseudo playing cards with cards labeled such as Moon, Jester, and number cards such as four of winds.

I'm not certain if it's the same game or not, but the typical tavern card game in the Forgotten Realms is called "Elemental Empires" and is played with a deck called a "Talis" deck divided into element based suits (much like a real deck of cards I suppose). I would have been more interested in seeing a version of this card game for PCs to play rather than 3DA.

For a game that PCs might play, I would lean towards Tonk from the Black Company Novels. It is a form of knock rummy. The rules can be found on the internet, just do a google search for tonk.

I myself would lean towards playing the classic card game that the tarot deck is believed to have been originally designed for called "Triumph" or "Trumps". One could simply buy a medieval tarot deck reproduction and download the rules online.