Crosshair
Nothing brings folk together and tears them apart like a good ol' game o' Crosshair.
~ Captain Rumkeg ~
~ Captain Rumkeg ~
Dreams of Coin
Outsiders of the collective might see ruffians tossing coin in games like poker and liar's dice. But, those of the islands know the sentiment of Crosshair, a widely famous gambling game that exists in every tavern at every seat. It is more than gambling; in many circles, it is politics. In a dispute or conflict, since the game's early beginnings, it has been settled over a round of it, with the victor making the final judgement. It is a game that was cemented through the escapades of a female pirate: Jane "Fox" Macker.
Before the Silver Rounds Guild dominated the employment opportunities for crime fighters — the most famous bounty hunter's guild in the islands — the act of bounty hunting was a disorganized dance of people finding anyone they could to take up their cry for help. Although, most masked their cries with promises of adventure and reward.
In the waterside roads of Scally Bay, a mysterious figure one day appeared wrapped in cloaks and robes on a ship by themselves, face obscured by a dark eagle's mask. They called out from their deck to everyone who gathered, testifying about a secret bounty that promised treasure and fortune unlike anything they had ever seen. But, only one select crew would join this person, decided at the dawn of next week when their ship would leave. This allotted to two days.
Many set out to form the best circles they could. Even those who were skeptical, who wished to sit out of it all, were roped into joining after being assured a greater percentage of whatever was rewarded.
It was a whole week of golden opportunities, but it was equally as terrifying. Duels between who'd get who happened every day, and the dead's numbers began to tally itself up. Bribes were made. Oaths were sworn and oaths were broken as sailors of all kinds turned from one side to another.
But one woman excelled above the rest. Jane "Fox" Macker was a thief. But unlike other thieves, who simply stole money and artifacts worth money, she stole loyalty. She knew the names of Scally Bay's best sailors. She knew they had already made their own promises, but she staked each one out knowing full well she could break those.
Jane understood there was something people always loved more than silver. She knew silver was the only thing keeping the promises of these hunters together. So she learned what they really wanted. Their own ship. A home for a child. To become a Pirate Lord. The unrequited love of another. Instead of promising money, Jane made her assurances for these other aspirations, and like lambs to the slaughter, they gathered to her.
But, she being a woman as a pirate, most doubted her ability and strength to lead them to what she promised. So, she did the impossible. She stole onto the very ship of the masked man and stole off with the bounty the man had kept secret, and she and her new crew left port far before everyone had even realized the bounty was gone. They became Jane's Foxes, and after that, they went on to make a name for themselves in daring ways.
The tale ends there, because nobody ever knew what the bounty was, and Jane's Foxes were never seen again, but her legend lived on. When the Silver Rounds Guild came around, the card game slowly began to trickle into its lifestyle until it became the game that fills the islands today.
Playing Crosshair
In Crosshair, you will be competing with up to four other players to either be the last one standing or form the first crew the masked man deems worthy to take the bounty. The crew deck consists of 28 cards, four of each value (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). The action deck consists of 6 action cards (Boot, Cloak, Coin, Eye, Fox, and Gun), and 1 Bounty card will move between players over the game.
Setup
Each player who wishes to play declares their ante in the form of at least 1 copper piece. A player is able to up their ante as much as they want, and other players do not have to equal your bid. This is over only when each player is done upping their ante. If more than five players wish to play, only the largest antes are allowed to play for the round. All antes are put into a pot between everyone. Afterward, shuffle the crew deck and deal a random card to each player face-down to be their Captain. The player who made the largest ante takes the Bounty card and is instead dealt two cards, choosing which one they want to keep to be their Captain. The other card is put on the bottom of the deck secretly. Next, shuffle the deck of action cards into a face-down draw pile. The player with the Bounty card will take the first turn.Playing the Game
The match is played until one of the three winning conditions are met by a player: they are the last Captain standing, they have a three-of-a-kind between their Crew and Captain (example: 3, 3, 3), or they have one of each rank between their Crew and Captain (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). On a player's turn, they will draw two cards from the action deck and play one of them. Both cards are discarded at the end of their turn. When the action deck is empty, it is reshuffled into a new deck. Instead of playing either card, a player may choose to Recruit instead, in which they draw the top card of the crew deck and place it in front of them as a Crew. Then, play passes to the next player clockwise. Note: A player can look at their Captain and Crew at any time, but not other players'. A player can have any number of Crew in front of them but only one Captain at a time.
The Fox (Steal)
The Fox is one of the six action cards. When you play the Fox you take the Steal action, in which you take the Bounty card, wherever it is, and place it face-up in front of you, ready for play, whether it was already exhausted or not.
The Steal action is the only action in the game that cannot be negated by the Bounty card.
The Coin (Bribe)
The Coin is one of the six action cards. When you play the Coin you take the Bribe action, in which you look at the top two cards of the crew deck, pick one to join your Crew, and put the other on the bottom of the deck.
The Gun (Duel)
The Gun is one of the six action cards. When you play the Gun you take the Duel action, in which you choose another player and secretly compare Captains with each other. The one with the lower rank is killed and eliminated from the round.
If both Captains are of the same value, both players are eliminated. As always, discarded cards go to the bottom of the crew deck secretly.
The Cloak (Turncoat)
The Cloak is one of the six action cards. When you play the Cloak you take the Turncoat action, in which you choose another player's Crew card. It joins your Crew.
The Boot (Mutiny)
The Boot is one of the six action cards. When you play the Boot you take the Mutiny action, in which you may choose one of your Crew and give it to another player. Afterward, choose a player. Swap their Captain with a Crew card they own so that each one becomes the other. If you gave a Crew to a player this way initially, you must choose the player you targeted.
Some players will mutiny themselves to get a stronger captain at the helm!
The Eye (Peek)
The Eye is one of the six action cards. When you play the Eye you take the Peek action, in which you may look at any two face-down cards anywhere in the game. This could be a player's Captain, a player's Crew, or the top card of the crew or action deck.
The Bounty
The Bounty card is a special card in the game. If you have it face-up in front of you when another player takes an action, you may use the Bounty to cancel that player's action. You then hand the player the Bounty card face-down. It is turned face-up and ready to be used again at the start of that player's next turn. If the Bounty card is used, it must be used before a player begins to resolve an action.
When using the Steal action, you automatically gain the Bounty face-up in front of you.
Ending the Game
The game continues until a player meets one of the three win conditions. The player who does ends the game and wins the entire pot. Afterward, a new game can be started with a new round of antes.
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