Virtues and Vices

## A way to settle things . . .

"Let me teach you a game I've picked up over the years." -Mtume

 "Some might say, it's to die for." -Zulu

Virtues and Vices is an intense game meant to settle disputes between two people. The game play relies on knowing your opponent well enough to predict their actions, and using this information to outsmart and beat them in a series of wager filled rounds.

## How to Play

### **Starting a game:**

To initiate a game of Virtues and Vices, one person challenges another to a match. Once the challenged party accepts the duel, an opening wage in tabs is decided on, and each player puts the discussed amount of tabs into the pot. Being challenged to a game is not to be taken lightly, for the wages are high, and it is a game of honor. The participants must live up to the outcomes or be frowned upon by all that consider themselves honorable.

### **How a round plays:**

The game is divided into rounds. Each round, there is a chance that the game will end, depending on the outcome. The game will continue until the game has ended in one of these ways.

Each round, the two challengers will pick one of the virtues or vices:

* Fear
* Joy
* Greed
* Honor
* Chaos
* Leadership

They will then simultaneously reveal which one they picked, according to the number of fingers they hold up. (Fear is a fist, Joy is one finger, Greed is two, etc.)

According to the combination of virtues and vices that were picked, there will be a consequence. This is where the game gets interesting.

### **Consequences:**

Depending on which virtues and vices are chosen, do the correct outcome:

If the two virtues/vices are adjacent to each other in the list (Fear & Joy, Honor & Chaos, Leadership & Fear, etc), the one earlier in the list wins.

* The Fearful cannot be Joyous
* The Joyful feel no Greed
* The Greedy have no Honor
* The Honorable persevere the Chaos
* The Chaotic plague the Leaders
* The Leaders rid their men of Fear

When a round is determined this way, the consequence depends on which vice (Fear, Greed, or Chaos) was used in that round.

* If the round was based around Fear, the winner immediately executes the loser, and the game is over. Resisting defeat, or stealing the pot after your opponent is dead is dishonorable.
* If the round was based around Greed, the winner immediately takes all the tabs in the pot, and the game is over. The players may choose to challenge each other again.
* If the round was based around Chaos, the loser must submit to being tied up and taken by the winner and the game is over. Any outside interference is considered dishonorable.

If the two chosen attributes are both vices (Fear, Greed, or Chaos), each player chooses to do **ONE** of these things:

* Immediately shoot, slice off, or otherwise remove one of the other player's limbs. Removing both of the player's arms so they cannot play any more is considered dishonorable, but allowed.
* Force the other player to put 5 more tabs into the pot. If they do not have 5 or more tabs to spare, they must put in all they have, and also have a limb removed like described above.

If the two chosen attributes are both virtues (Joy, Honor, Leadership), immediately:

* Both players must put 3 tabs into the pot.
* If a player does not have 3 or more tabs, they must put in all they have, and also have a limb removed as detailed in the above section.

If none of the other outcomes occurred, then the two chosen virtues/vices are opposite one another on the list (Fear & Honor, Joy & Chaos, Greed & Leadership).

* Players now duel to first contact. This means once one limb is hit by either player, or a player is slain from a body shot, the duel stops.
* Players sustain whatever damage they took, and the game continues. Unless, of course, a player dies in the duel. It is dishonorable to steal the pot when your opponent is dead.

### **The Pot:**

When a player "puts tabs into the pot," they put it into their own "sub-pot." If a player win's the pot, all the tabs in both sub-pots are given to them. In any outcome of the game that doesn't address the pot, the honorable thing to do would be to give each sub-pot to the player who has be depositing into it. A dishonorable player might steal the remainder of the pot while their opponent is helpless.

### **Summary:**

Players continue playing rounds, until one of the game ending conditions is met. The game is an honor based game, and breaking the rules is frowned upon. Patrons who watch two people duel will often interfere if the rules are being broken by the players, and thus it is usually a good idea to only duel someone when friendly faces are around.