Simple Pazaak

[Nolan Kodd]

Stacked Deck Pazaak Club
Nar Shaddaa District 2244

Another eventless evening. Another walk around Nar Shaddaa. Another search for pastimes an opportunties. The feeling was becoming all too familiar. "Well, here goes nothing," Nolan mumbled as he walked into the Pazaak club.

The establishment wasn't much different from your average cantina: a dimly-lit room with a bar in the middle, and tables in the alcoves by the walls. The only difference that the tables were tailored for Pazaak games, with 18 slots for cards from the main deck (9 for each player), and the 8 slots for side deck cards (4 slots for each player). Naturally, there was some room for food and drinks as well, but the game took priority.

As Nolan occupied a free table, waiting for an opponent, he was surprised to find out that the club's standard rules were simpler than normal Pazaak. To prevent any cheating, the players would be using the establishment's deck. That entirely negated the risk of stacked decks (surprising, given the club's name).

First things first then: Nolan pulled the 4 cards for his hand that he'd be able to put on the table to alter the course of the game. There were 2 differences from the standard rules:

1. The slots for cards were arranged in a way that they'd be upwards; the opponent could clearly see what cards you had on hand. Nolan figured this rule was in place to help against any sort of cheating.

2. All cards played from a hand were always +/- cards. So, assuming Nolan had a "6" card in his hand, he'd be able to use it as +6 or -6 (his choice). This rule was probably in place to simplify things.

[dice]4d6[/dice]

 

[Nolan Kodd]

With his cards on the table, Nolan could draw a card from the main deck and put it into one of the 9 free slots on his side of the table. The goal was to draw random cards from the main deck in turn, until the total score of the cards was 20. After drawing a card from the main deck, the player could also use a card from hand, although that'd be reserved for emergencies, as the hand couldn't be replenished during the game. Except for the 2 peculiarities above, the rules were pretty standard.

[dice]1d10[/dice]

Having prepared for the game and taken the first turn in advance, Nolan took a sip from a bottle of the Tarisian ale that he had forethoughtfully ordered. Now it was only a matter of seeing who'd join him for a game.

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard didn't make a habit of travelling to Nar Shaddaa because it was a bit of a hell hole if you asked him. It was one of those places that there was seemingly never a good enough reason to visit if you didn't need to. Unfortunately for him, Allard had visited the planet because he needed to speak to a fence and get some illicit goods sold off quickly so hadn't had the time to go via his usual routes.

It was annoying but hey, he was in Nar Shaddaa's 'better' areas now so he might as well enjoy it.

Better in Nar Shaddaa terms was the gambling district, which was maintained and secured more than any of the other places on the planet because the Hutts were obsessed with not being cheated. Entering the gambling den, Allard decided he was going to enjoy a few rounds... let himself have some chill. He ordered some Alderaanian ale and sat down next to a young man at the table with a grin,

"Alright if I play you?"

Setting his drink down, Allard reached out and drew his cards.

[dice]4d6[/dice]

@Catbert

 

[Allard Keever]

Hmm.

That could be an interesting hand if he played it right... he would have to remember to play the game as cautiously as he could. But where would be the fun in that he supposed? Taking a sip of his ale, he watched as his first card was drawn for him.

[dice]d10[/dice]

Oh and yet the plot thickened! Allard smiled a little bit at his opponent, taking a drink of his ale before deciding to introduce himself,

"We've not introduced ourselves... shall we remedy that?" he gestured to himself, "I am Councillor Allard Keever of the Free Trade Guild. And you my friend?"

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

It didn't take long for an opponent to emerge. Good. Nolan was itching for some practice, as his astromech had proven to be less than a challenge in the past. Well, this time Nolan had found a challenge: the newcomer seemed about twice Nolan's age, and that could mean another lifetime of Pazaak experience. Somewhat intimidated at first, Nolan brushed his doubts off, deciding it was better that way. After all, where is fun without a challenge?

On the outside, the young man didn't even show this that he was wary of the new opponent. Instead he maintained the usual air of calm confidence, a habit he had picked up from his mentor. Nolan simply nodded to the stranger's request to join the game: "Sure."

With a wide gesture of his arm, the young man pointed at the free seat on the opposite side of the table. As the opponent took his place and drew cards for his hand, they turned out to be less diverse than Nolan's. Still, these cards would allow the stranger to make riskier moves. The first card drawn from the main deck by the opponent was also better, but not much. After all, Pazaak was never about how high the value of the cards was, but rather how good they stacked with each other.

Having listened to Allard's introduction, Nolan returned the smile and introduced himself too, but not before he pulled another card from the main deck, making his turn:

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

5

[dice]1d10[/dice]

"Nolan Kodd. I'm a pilot and a mechanic." At first he'd also want to say Captain; it would've made his ownership of a light freighter even more obvious, but could be deemed as showing off too much, especially since Nolan didn't have a crew, just his astromech. Satisfied with the introduction, Nolan let his smile smile get a little more noticeable. He didn't explicitly state what he did for a living, but gave Allard some room for guesswork and further questions. What's a better way to keep up the conversation?

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Oh so the kid had a bit of the old stone face going on now did he? Well that was fine - Allard wasn't really looking to try and read his opponent so much as he was trying to just play the game itself. Some people believed that you played your opponent but Allard was very much of the opinion that that was a lie and that it was far better to play the game since people lied and the game couldn't lie... especially with the way this place played the game it would seem.

He smiled a little bit as he sat down and enjoyed looking over his own cards. They were the kind of cards that you asked for when you wanted to make the big moves... which was a-okay with him.

6 +

Allard hummed a little bit and gestured to the dealer, being given another card.

[dice]d10[/dice]

Raising an eyebrow at the other man, he hummed appreciatively as he took a sip of his own drink. Considering they were both on Nar Shaddaa the likelihood of Nolan being a legitimate businessman were rather small... not like he could talk. CEO of a legitimate company he might very well be, he was still a smuggler.

"Good combination." he approved with a smile, "I'm a pilot myself as well... less piloting than I used to do now though but when you put down roots I guess that's just what happens."

He sipped his drink again,

"Ever make it out to Ord Mantell?"

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

The game was shaping up to be fun. Even though Allard was closer to 20 that would win him the first of free sets (assuming Nolan couldn't reach 20 himself afterwards), there was also a considerable risk of scoring higher, which would force Nolan's opponent to use the minus cards or yield the first set. Every next card drawn from the main deck could force either of the two to play cards from their hand, lest they wanted to give each other a head start. While pondering over the potential outcome of the game, the young man took a sip from his bottle of ale.

Keeping up the conversation with Allard was a good way to lower the suspense. For Nolan, that is; his opponent might have had another opinion, because the next couple of cards could decide the fate of the first set, and Nolan had "more room" for luck in this case.

"Hopefully won't happen to me any time soon," the young man replied to Allard's comment about putting down roots. It meant stagnation in a way; let alone the fact that space travels were far too interesting (and potentially-lucrative) for Nolan to give up on them just yet. Although he could see himself settling down eventually, the young man couldn't yet imagine what'd bring him to that point.

As Allard mentioned Ord Mantell, a thought occurred to Nolan: hadn't his Rutian Twi'lek customer from some time ago mentioned a guild of sorts with a base on Ord Mantell? He had even promised to mention Nolan to his contacts, got a discount for that, but left before they could exchange names. That memory made Nolan smirk slightly.

The hypothesis that his opponent belonged to the same guild sounded plausible, but it could just as well be just a coincidence, so for now Nolan chose not to bring this up yet: "Never been to Ord Mantell yet. I'm mostly an Outer Rim type, but there's nothing to stop me from visiting that place in the future... Or any other place, for that matter."

At this point, Nolan himself was curious about the luck of the draw. There was no need to postpone the inevitable:

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

5+8=13

[dice]1d10[/dice]

@Nefieslab

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Blasted 21! Just one point above of what Nolan needed to win the set or make it a draw (depending on whether Allard could hit 20 with his successive cards from hand and the main deck). Luckily, Nolan had just the thing: with a smirk, he put his +/- 1 card on the table, playing it as a minus card. Sure, the young man would now have only three cards on hand until the end of the whole game, but it was a good trade.

"Well," he tilted his head and shrugged slightly, as he looked at the opponent, who now had to be extremely lucky and get exactly 4 points in one or several consecutive turns, lest he'd have to use cards from his hand too. "Now that's getting interesting," Nolan said with an elusive, yet confident smile.

Spoiler: Nolan's 1st Set

5+8+8-1=20

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard had to admit that his own draw hadn't been too bad at all - he was already rather close to the 20 mark but he knew better than to rest on that. 16 was a decent number but it was also a bit of an annoying one since taking another card at this level was practically required. He chuckled,

"Putting down roots just means you get to send out other pilots to work for you." he admitted in the end, "And I only fly with them when I want or need to - it's rather enjoyable to be fair. Leaves me time to relax."

Grinning a little bit, he enjoyed some more of his drink as the younger man drew a good card and then followed it up with a use of his minus card that served him rather well. 20. Well, Allard was a man who preferred to take chances when he knew there was actually a chance of success so he tapped the table and passed his cards back - forfeiting the round since there was no way for him to win this hand.

At best he could get a draw at the cost of one of his modifiers and that wasn't worth it in his opinion.

"Well Nolan - one round to you." he agreed with a smirk, "Shall we bet on this next round? I'll start the betting at 50 credits."

Just enough to get it started as he had his first card drawn.

[dice]d10[/dice]

Hmm... that was a decent start.

He sipped at his drink again,

"So why are you hanging around here then Nolan? Between contracts currently?"

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

"It does sound better when you put it like that," Nolan chuckled, admitting that his opponent did have a point: it was nice to have people do work for you and to have some spare time. Not that Nolan would know what to do with it; after all, he had his fair share. Then again, Allard probably had more money to make better use of his free time too.

"I might've liked it myself. But," Nolan emphasized the "But", raising his bottle and tilting it slightly towards Allard before elaborating: "Kicking back also gets people soft." He shared it as an observation, not directed particularly at Allard, but as if they were discussing someone else, maybe even the speaker himself.

At first Nolan was surprised that his opponent had conceded the round; had Nolan been in Allard's shoes, he would've tried to draw a card or two. There was always a chance of getting lucky, and if not, a chance to get a draw on equal terms, with one card from the hand played, seemed to be preferable as well. But it wasn't Nolan's place to judge. He had to win 2 more rounds, and he had 3 more modifier cards to do that.

Allard's offer to place bets wasn't a surprising one, and the sum was reasonable; both men realized that each of them would've received way much more from a single trip. Not that Allard would even need that, seeing how he was probably rich enough. Even for Nolan it wouldn't have been much of a loss.

"Fine, 50 credits it is," the young man replied and watched his opponent's first card. The score wasn't high, so was too early to make any conclusions about this round and even assume how soon it would end. Only after Nolan's turn could it become somewhat more clear.

[dice]1d10[/dice]

"You could say that," the young man shrugged, replying to Allard's question about the reasons for spending time around here. "It's a good pastime, and sometimes people in this kind of places turn out to have work for a freighter pilot."

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Yeah it did - being the boss of something was something that you never got tired of. Naturally, you still had to watch yourself to make sure you weren't abusing your position. It was best not to become a bad boss. The Hutts had a damn monopoly on that kind of thing after all so the Galaxy really didn't need to have any more terrible bosses. Smirking a little bit, Allard hummed in agreement as he took another sip of his drink,

"Oh you're right - complacency is disease and stagnation is death." he agreed, "That's why you keep pushing yourself - keep finding new challenges, new goals."

He hummed as he added the credits to the pile on the table itself and checked over the card he had drawn before nodding as Nolan was allowed to get his own. Oh ho ho ho! Seemed like the kid had some kind of luck on him now didn't it? Allard's own was a little small but he could work with it.

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

3

[dice]d10[/dice]

He frowned a little bit at the second card both otherwise didn't pay it too much attention at this stage. Instead he merely smiled a little bit,

"I don't envy you for that." he admitted, "I always found the downtime between jobs... well, started fun? Got very boring, very quickly in my experience."

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

"Fair point," Nolan agreed than new challenges and goals were important for staying in shape, for Allard at least. In Nolan's case they were also important for earning his living.

The set was getting interesting: Allard had 13 and risked to lose the roll, should his next card be an 8 or higher. Nolan had 10, and had no risk of losing the set just yet; however, he'd only win if he were to get 10 more points (in one or a few cards).

"Well, I've got to earn my living and unwind somehow," the young man shrugged to Allard's comment. "Once I grow tired of this, I'll figure out something else." Nolan tilted his head, asking: "So, what's not boring from your angle?"

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

10

[dice]1d10[/dice]

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard was someone who had reached a stage in his life where, if he was honest with himself, he could probably retire and live a very comfortable life without ever having to worry about credits in the future. Not least of which because his wife was much younger than him and would continue to work. But... that was defeat, in his eyes and he refused to accept defeat into his life. If he slowed down too much he might actually become the old man some people said he was!

"What's not boring?" he grinned a little bit, "I always loved, still do now but for bigger jobs, putting together a good, old fashioned, heist. You get me?"

He grinned as he drew another card,

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

3 + 9 = 12

[dice]d10[/dice]

"I'm talking about flying in with you and your buddies, killing the guards before they can raise the alarm and timing it just right to avoid the gunship patrol, making off with big guns and bigger stacks of credits."

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Right, "the old man" turned out to be more inclined to action than Nolan had first assumed. Probably even more inclined to action than Nolan himself. Having grown up on Nar Shaddaa, the young man could get behind taking things from others; especially from the bad guys, and Nar Shaddaa had those in abundance. Defending yourself in the process of taking things from others was also logical (in fact, Nolan already had one thing like this planned). Still, all of it didn't necessarily make shooting at people right.

Even with Nolan's little plot in mind, what Allard was mentioning was slightly out of Nolan's league... Or maybe it wasn't. After all, piloting and driving was something he was good at. Nolan could totally imagine himself as the getaway guy, but then again, since it was Nar Shaddaa, there was no guarantee he wouldn't receive a blaster bolts from his "associates" afterwards.

On the outside, however, the man just smirked and nodded: "I see. Although I'd prefer a more subtle approach. Like, sneaking past the guards or giving them a reason to raise the alarm elsewhere, then grabbing what you want... The last part about timing it right to avoid a patrol works too."

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

10+2

[dice]1d10[/dice]

With another card on the table, Nolan continued with a wink: "The less noticeable the trail, the better. Even better when those guys don't realize they've been played."

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard wasn't usually the type of man that people associated with going in guns blazing but he had gotten rather talented at doing just that during his time as a smuggler. Naturally, he preferred to not get drawn into combat at all but hey - such was life, was it not? He chuckled a little bit as he took a drink of his ale,

"Oh I prefer the subtle approach too." he admitted with a small shrug, "One heist we were infiltrating a militia outpost. Made sure to slice into their network so that they had a weapons and armour shipment due to move on that day - the stuff we needed. We made sure our passes with authentic as they could possibly be and stole uniforms of the militia."

He grinned a little bit as he looked at the total he had currently and took one of his +6 cards, playing it alongside his previous cards to bring himself up to 20.

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

3 + 9 + 2 = 14

But the story wasn't over either.

"But, naturally, it all goes wrong." he joked with a small chuckle, "Over-eager supply officer and my parents shouts out that we've killed some people... in the middle of the base! Well - at that point you kind of have to blast your way out, which we did. Was a lovely plan but it re-affirmed something I always believed about planning a heist..."

He tapped his cards with a smile,

"The four rules of planning." he counted them off on his fingers, "Make the plan. Execute the plan. Expect the plan to go off the rails... throw away the plan."

Spoiler: Four Rules of Planning

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Nolan leaned forward, listening to Allard's story with great interest. Yes, plans going wrong were a common thing, and Nolan could relate to that. Then again, a plan A thrown away was best replaced by plan B; then C; then D, and so on. But wasn't it throwing away the plan A in a nutshell? And without plan B or C or D wouldn't the whole enterprise be doomed to fail anyway?

While thinking over what the man was telling him, Nolan didn't even notice that his opponent was already about to win the round. The card played from hand and brining Allard's score to 20 was a complete surprise, which was briefly visible on Nolan's face. Now he had to score exactly 7 points in consecutive turns, if he were to make this round a draw at least. Doable, right?

In the worst case, the young man could always play another card from hand. But now he could see why Allard had yielded the first round. After all, it was best to have a modifier card on hand when the outcome of a round could be determined by it; otherwise you'd be relying on simple luck. But then again, Nolan could push the game towards being determined by pure luck; he just needed to make sure Allard didn't have cards either.

The set was slipping away, but Nolan could still salvage it. Taking a quick glance at the cards again, he uttered: "Well played. But I think in a nutshell it is summarized as 'Come prepared, and the more you prepare for, the better.' That does require a plan or a few, despite how useless they might be." Nolan smirked, making his move; there was no point in postponing the inevitable.

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

10+2+1

[dice]1d10[/dice]

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

Allard was happy enough that his hand was going to win him the set that he didn't really want to pay too much attention to the rest of the set. Either Nolan would be able to force a draw, likely at the cost of one of his modifiers, or he would get incredibly lucky and be able to force the draw without the modifiers. Honestly, he hoped that the young man would use his modifiers if he was honest - he wanted the young man to use them up before they could be useful elsewhere.

Still, he grinned a little bit and enjoyed a little more of his ale as he waited for the cards to be dealt out for Nolan's plan to try and force a draw.

"Oh certainly - coming prepared is always going to be far superior to the idea of coming in half-cocked." he agreed before adding, "But no plan survives first contact with the enemy as I'm sure you know... there's always something that will go wrong and it's the mark of a truly great man, in my experience, to be capable of both planning for many eventualities and not falling into the trap of relying on them too much."

He chuckled a little bit,

"The man who believes he can plan for everything is totally blindsided when something new arrives." he declared before adding, "Or he survives because he has stalwart allies to assist him. Do you have any of those? Truly, Nolan?"

Spoiler: Allard's Hand

3 + 9 + 2 + 6 = 20

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Nolan could already play a modifier from hand and force a draw, but what would it gain him? The set would be for nothing, and Allard would still have 1 more card on hand. Between that, and a chance of randomly getting a draw, should he get 4 more points, Nolan preferred to rely on luck. It was an important part of Pazaak, after all.

He was inclined to agree with Allard's speech, nodding as his opponent spoke. But the question about allies could be an attempt of fishing for weakness. After all, if you don't have someone to watch your back on Nar Shaddaa, and people find out about that, you'll end up getting double-crossed sooner or later. It was important to keep up appearances in this lake of piranhas, no matter what.

"Yeah, I've got one or two people who could back me up. Why are you asking?" Nolan replied casually. He didn't add that they'd be backing him up on big projects only; he didn't add that one of them has only worked with him once so far, and the other was his missing mentor. Allard didn't need to know that yet. Nor did he need to know whether "one or two" was an overestimation or underestimation.

Now curious about his own luck, the man decided it was finally the time to draw another card. He had made up his mind: he wouldn't use the modifier card this set, whatever happens.

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

10+2+1+3

[dice]1d10[/dice]

@Nefieslab

 

[Allard Keever]

And the kid was still going but he had declined to use any modifiers - blast it.

Oh well, the game was fun and the round still looked like it was his since the kid now had to get a 1 to draw with him. If memory served, the other man had a +1 modifier he could use right now and bring this up in a draw. Or he could draw a card and he had a much greater chance of losing this hand outright.

It was decisions like this that would tell him if Nolan was a risk taking or if he was a cautious man - and to what extent he was either of them too.

"Because that's what my Guild does." he admitted honestly with a small smile, "You've heard of us, I know you have. You know what we do, who were are."

He chuckled a little bit, gesturing around the two of them at Nar Shaddaa as a whole,

"We're the Cartel but we actually care - we're the Cartel but without some of the seedier, nastier, elements of the whole thing if you get me?" he shrugged a little bit, "I guess I'm wondering if you've ever thought about joining up, even just for one mission or something similar."

Spoiler: Allard's Hand

3 + 9 + 2 + 6 = 20

@Catbert

 

[Nolan Kodd]

Nolan could've used the +4 modifier card before making the previous turn, but he decided to save it. So now a +1 was needed, and Nolan had played it to win himself the first set. Well, Pazaak was a game of chance as much as skill. And now Nolan was counting on chance alone to win this round.

Allard's story kind of matched the description of the organization by one of Nolan's customers. Perhaps it was as good time as any to bring it up: "Yeah, I think I heard about your enterprise a couple of times. I met a certain blue-skinned Twi'lek, and he mentioned a group from Ord Mantell who look out for their own."

The idea did appeal to Nolan: with the Hutts being at least partly to blame for his family ending up enslaved, and the general trend of betrayal, the idea of a tight-knit group of individuals who could rely on each other sounded almost too good to be true. Nolan continued: "If my hunch is correct, and if your group are indeed what you claim they are, I could definitely imagine making some sort of arrangement."

Business was business, after all; there was only so much that Nolan could do on his own. But now there were other concerns: drawing a 1. Nolan had made up his mind and wouldn't waste modifiers in this set. If he were to lose, he'd simply push the 50 credits his opponent had won towards him with a nod.

Spoiler: Previous Rolls

10+2+1+3+3

[dice]1d10[/dice]

@Nefieslab