Chance
Yzan
The Jædðàri game of Yzan is played with four or more 6-sided dice. Each die is customized with six different symbols (eleven total) and each symbol has a meaning which interacts differently with the other symbols. Some symbols work well together; others do not. There are eleven symbols in total:
- Cat. A mischievous household cat. (chaos, gældàmdan1)
- Dog. A guard dog. (faith, loyalty)
- Door. A heavy door, usually depicted as barred and locked. (security, unknown)
- Maiden. A beautiful, young woman. (promise, virtue)
- Mouse. A timorous mouse. (cowardice, practicality)
- Rabbit. A long-eared rabbit, usually depicted running. (adaptability, wit)
- Ring. A golden ring. (acumen, success)
- Skull. A skull, with or without a lower jaw. (finality, mortality)
- Sword. A sword, sometimes broken into two or three pieces. (persistence, strength)
- Turtle. A turtle completely withdrawn into its shell. (endurance)
- Dragul. A curled Dragul, depictions vary greatly. (majesty, power)
1 gældàmdan is the folly of inviting trouble into one’s home or life
Traditionally, every die includes a Symbol of the Dragul. No single die can have more than one of the same symbol on it. Before the game starts, the tablemaster announces the minimum bets. Game play occurs in turns. Rolling order is managed clockwise, with first-roll moving to the next player every turn. There are two types of bets. Inside-bets are made against the tablemaster. Outside-bets are made against the other players. Play occurs in three stages. Stage One. The game begins when the tablemaster rolls a command die. After seeing the command die, all players make their first inside-bet; this is the ante. Stage Two. After all inside-bets are made, players roll their first die in an order beginning with the player who has first-roll. After the first player rolls have been made, players are able to see how their rolls compare to the rolls of everyone else. At this point, two bets are made. The first bet (i.e., inside-bet) is against the tablemaster (inside-pot). Any player unable or unwilling to make this inside-bet forfeits the turn. The second bet (i.e., outside-bet) is against the other players (outside-pot). Third Stage. After all bets are made, the tablemaster rolls his final command die and announces the “match”. A match is any two symbols that a person has in play. Starting at first-roll, each player rolls their final die and identifies their “match”. It is the tablemaster’s duty to then announce the match, i.e., explain what the match means relative to the other results on the table. All rolls are resolved in order. When all matches have been announced the tablemaster makes the payouts. Anyone who beats the tablemaster, gets an equal cut of the inside-pot. The tablemaster wins all ties. The inside-pot equals 80% of the money made by inside-betting. Finally, player matches are resolved. The first-roller is the challenger. The challenger is assumed to have the outside-pot at the onset. His match is compared to others in order. If his match beats the matches of all the other players, he keeps the outside-pot for himself. If anyone beats his match, he is eliminated and the next person in order becomes the new challenger. When the winner of the outside-pot is determined, the turn is over. The table does not get a cut of the outside-pot. If the final challenge is a tie, the tablemaster gets the outside-pot. There are many variations of Yzan. Understanding the interactions of the symbol-characters is part of the game’s fun, i.e., why do two mice beat a dog and a cat? In most areas where Yzan is played, tablemasters are treated with great respect. The knowledge and memorization required to master the game has been compared to that of Arcane studies. Additionally, the most popular and well-paid tablemasters are able to weave elaborate and entertaining stories during game play. It is said that a good tablemaster can make a man laugh while he is losing his house.
- Dragul-Dragul. Top match. Beats everything except Maiden and Sword. The Dragul and his mate are unhappy that you’ve discovered their lair. The fire consumes your body and spirit.