The Game of Chak

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  7. The Game of Chak

  

  

 

  

Introduction

Chak is a card strategy game quite common in the Dominion and played in both organised gaming venues and informally.

A standard Chak deck consists of 64 cards divided into eight types, which are unevenly distributed in their number. Each player plays with their own deck. 

The game has two or more players, theoretically an unlimited number, but the more players that join the more unwieldy the game; six is a big game, more than eight is very uncommon. 

Game mechanics are a rock-paper-scissors type, with all cards having strengths and weaknesses.

To play Chak, a player must know the structure of the phases and the seven basic rules that define how to construct card combinations from the basic card types and determine which combinations beat which other combinations. 

Those who play Chak for money will also need to understand the betting rules.

  

Chak In Dominion Culture

The game has infused popular culture, for example:

  • a ‘No-Chak Bet’ is to attempt something extremely difficult or skilled
  • a ‘No-Chak Victory’ is to win only because your opponent was even more clueless or unskilled than you are (cf ‘pulling a Bradbury‘)
  • a ‘Chak Setup’ is an unknown situation where the outcome is likely to depend on whether things go well or poorly early on – sometimes used in place of the 7 P’s.  
  • to ‘play one’s Pocket Card’ is to pull a surprise maneuver or trick 
  • ‘Rare as a Wooden Cow’ is an item that does not exist, as this combination of Rank and Suit does not occur in a Standard Chak Deck
  • ‘Dragons and Dogs know better’ equivalent to the idea that ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing and you should listen to experts’ – see Card Precedence for an explanation

  

Chak gaming and gambling is regulated by the Cultural Bureau and Chak as an organised activity is overseen by the Chak Championship Board within the same Bureau.  The Championship Board runs the Dominion Chak Championship every kiloCycle and maintains the Chak Ranking Database of Registered Players.

  

The Chak Deck

As noted above, a standard Chak Deck comprises 64 cards of eight types or Ranks.  The cards are split into three suits.

  

Suits

The three Suits are Metal, Wood and Rock, which are stronger and weaker than each other as per the following mnemonic:

  • Metal cuts Wood
  • Wood splits Rock
  • Rock blunts Metal

  

In play, card combinations will be assigned a Suit based on the cards that comprise them, and in comparison to another card combination will be considered ‘Strong’ (eg Metal vs Wood), ‘Weak’ (eg Wood vs Metal) or ‘Same’ (eg Metal vs Metal)

  

Ranks

The eight card Ranks are named after mythical beasts,and each is assigned a point value.

The Ranks are Distributed across the Suits as per the following table.

  

Chak Standard Deck Card Distributions by Rank and Suit
Rank Point Value Number in Deck Point Value in Deck
 Wood   Metal   Rock   Total   Wood   Metal   Rock   Total 
Horned-horse 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 3
Swan 1 2 2 2 6 2 2 2 6
Horse 2 3 4 6 13 6 8 12 26
Predator Bird 3 3 4 6 13 9 12 18 39
Dog 5 6 4 3 13 30 20 15 65
Elephant 8 4 2 3 9 32 16 24 72
Dragon 13 2 2 1 5 26 26 13 65
Cow 21 0 1 1 2 0 21 21 42
Total  na 21 20 23 64 106 106 106 318

  

Points

In play, a card combination wins or loses against another as follows:

  • A Strong Combination can defeat a Weak Combination up to double its value in Points 
  • A Weak Combination can defeat a Strong Combination of half its value in Points or fewer
  • A Same Combination can defeat a Same Combination of less than its value in points

  

Card Precedence

The cards in a Chak Deck are also considered to have an order of precedence that can be used, for example, to randomly select an order (eg Draw a card each, lowest card has to tell the Chief Engineer that your maintenance squad accidentally vented the new load of liquid oxygen to space.) When used in this way, cards have precedence in their point values from highest to lowest, and within ranks suits have precedence as based first on rarity within the rank and then rarity of suit. For example:
  • A Wood Predator Bird is higher than Rock Predator Bird because there are only three Wood Predator Birds but Six Rock Predator Birds
  • A Metal Swan is higher than a Rock Swan because there are equal numbers of those cards but fewer Metal than Rock cards in the deck
  • The Highest card in the deck is the Metal Cow and the lowest the Rock Horned-horse.

  

It has been said that the most common argument in the Dominion is between people who think that Metal always beats Rock and those that know that doesn’t apply to Dragons and Dogs.   

Simulation In Role Play

For authentic Dominion flavour, simulate this in role play by rolling 2d8 in the same way you would roll d100, and consult the following table.   
Chak Random Card Draw Table (2d8 as d64)
2nd Roll: 1st Roll:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
1 Rock Horned Horse Metal Swan Metal Horse Rock Predator Bird Wood Predator Bird Wood Dog Wood Elephant Metal Elephant
2 Wood Horned Horse Rock Horse Metal Horse Rock Predator Bird Wood Predator Bird Metal Dog Wood Elephant Wood Dragon
3 Metal Horned Horse Rock Horse Metal Horse Rock Predator Bird Wood Predator Bird Metal Dog Wood Elephant Wood Dragon
4 Rock Swan Rock Horse Wood Horse Rock Predator Bird Wood Dog Metal Dog Wood Elephant Metal Dragon
5 Rock Swan Rock Horse Wood Horse Metal Predator Bird Wood Dog Metal Dog Rock Elephant Metal Dragon
6 Wood Swan Rock Horse Wood Horse Metal Predator Bird Wood Dog Rock Dog Rock Elephant Rock Dragon
7 Wood Swan Rock Horse Rock Predator Bird Metal Predator Bird Wood Dog Rock Dog Rock Elephant Rock Cow
8 Metal Swan Metal Horse Rock Predator Bird Metal Predator Bird Wood Dog Rock Dog Metal Elephant Metal Cow

  

Chak Minigame

The phase rules are detailed below, characters can easily learn the seven basic card-building rules, although mastering them will take some effort.

The object of the game is to win the End-game Phase by applying the seven rules of combination construction within the phase rules. The rules below detail a small mini-game that can be played within the world, relating GURPS rules to the Card game.  Alternately a single quick contest of skill can resolve a whole game or match, with a greater margin of success or failure indicating increased winnings or losses.

  

Game Part At the Card Table  Betting  GURPS Mechanics 
 General
  • In a casual game players will sometimes swap decks to avoid cheating.
  • Most games have a set Ante, to which players contribute before play begins
  • Some games have minimum and maximum Raise Limits 
  • Each stage is resolved as a quick contest of skill between players.
  • Players will have modifiers to their rolls in different phases based on performance in earlier phases.
  • Players can test against Gambling (if betting) or Games(Chak) or IQ-4 or Mathematics(Statistics)-5 
    • Playing with Gambling Skill and having Games(Chak) allows you to roll on Games(Chak) and add +1 to your Gambling rolls for the game if you succeed (it doesn’t work the other way around)
 1. Setup
  • Players select four cards from the deck to put in their hand
  • Players shuffle the deck and draw four more cards randomly
  • One card from the hand is put aside as the player’s Pocket Card
    • This card may be played at any time in the match at which point it joins play like any other card
  • Players all play three cards face down
  • Once these are played, they are turned over
    • The combination revealed determines the order of play for the remainder of the match
    • The order is important and advantages or disadvantages players, particularly if betting
  • After the setup, in play order, any player may raise. 
  • Players lower in the order must either match the raise or drop out, and may raise further.
    • In some games, players higher in the order then have the option of raising again
  • The winner(s) of the Setup modify the remaining quick contest rolls by +2
    • A player who critically succeeds doubles the modifier
  • Any player who fails (including the winner, if applicable) has a -1 modifier for the remaining stages
    • A player who critically fails doubles the modifier
  • A player who succeeds but loses has no modifier
 2. Opening
  • Players choose one of the three cards to discard, one to remain in play and one to return to their hand
  • They then draw two more cards to add to their hand, the remainder of the game is played with seven cards in hand
  • They then play three rounds which may involve variable numbers of cards
  • At the end of the three rounds one or more of the players may be in a superior position and are said to have Won the Opening
  • After the opening, in order of Opening winner then Setup Winner, any player may raise. 
  • Players lower in the order must either match the raise or drop out, and may raise further.
    • In some games, players higher in the order then have the option of raising again
  • A player who plays their Pocket Card adds +1 to their roll (declare before rolling)
  • The winner(s) of the Opening modify the remaining quick contest rolls by +1 (cumulative with any bonus from the setup)
    • A player who critically succeeds doubles the modifier to +2
  • Any player who fails (including the winner, if applicable) has a -1 modifier for the remaining stages
    • A player who critically fails doubles the modifier
  • A player who succeeds but loses has no modifier
  • If all players draw there is no modifier, except for players who played their bonus card, who get to add +1
 
 3. Mid-game
  • Players play the mid game until a specific point in play is reached – as determined by the state of the cards on the table, which takes as many rounds as it has to
    • If a player’s deck is used up, any discarded cards are reshuffled and play continues
  •  Each turn in the Mid-game, players play one card per turn
  • If betting, in order of Midgame winner then Setup Winner, any player may raise. 
  • Players lower in the order must either match the raise or drop out, and may raise further.
    • In some games, players higher in the order then have the option of raising again
  • Some rules allow players to buy extra raises at the end of the Mid-game by sacrificing a card combination in play 
    • Raises are usually bought in play order after the initial betting round.
  • Some games allow betting contracts to be made at the end of the Mid-game (or even earlier) – see End-game for details
  
  • A player who plays their Pocket Card adds +1 to their roll (declare before rolling)
  • The winner(s) of the Mid-game modify the remaining quick contest roll by +1, cumulative with any modifiers from previous rounds
    • A player who critically succeeds doubles the modifier to +2
  • Any player who fails (including the winner, if applicable) has a -1 modifier for the remaining stages
    • A player who critically fails doubles the modifier to -2
  • A player who succeeds but loses has no modifier
  • If all players draw there is no modifier, except for players who played their bonus card, who get to add +1
  • If a player buys raises they can sacrifice a +1 modifier earned to raise the stakes, and perhaps force other players out. 
    • They must have +1 bonuses available to do this
  • Players with Eidetic Memory or other methods of counting cards (eg a successful roll on Mathematics(Statistics) may add +1 to their quick contest in this phase 
 4. End-game
  • On reaching the End-game, players are no longer permitted to replenish their hands, as such the maximum the end game can go for is seven rounds
  • Otherwise, play is similar to what happens in the mid game
  • Victory can be attained by achieving a Double Chack, a Chak, No Chak
 
  •  Victory conditions can sometimes affect betting
    • eg1:  Pay double on a Double Chak
    • eg2:  A popular equivalent to ‘Misere’ is to bet that you can beat your opponent with a No Chak (ie to beat them so skillfully that you can prevent them making a Chak while deliberately not making one yourself.
  • The winner takes the pot, multiple winners can agree to divide the pot evenly or enter match play rules and let the pot jackpot
    • Rules vary as to whether players who dropped out can (or must) re-enter play if this happens
  • The player who wins the quick contest for the End-game wins the game
  • Winning levels:
    • Double Chak – critical success
    • Chak – Win with success on roll
    • No Chak win with failure on roll
  • A player who plays their Pocket Card adds +1 to their roll (declare before rolling)
  • Players with Eidetic Memory or other methods of counting cards may add +1 to their quick contest in this phase 
 
 Match Play
  • Sometimes, a series of games may be organised into a Match
    • Usually there are five games to a match, but other conditions can apply (more or fewer games, first player to win N number of Chaks, etc.) 
    • Match winning conditions vary, usually it is the one with the most games won at the end of the set number of games, but sometimes it is the winner of the last End-game.
      • Other conditions are possible
  • In match play, players who won their games get to select an extra card rather than drawing randomly in the setup phase for every game they have won
      
  • A common arrangement in match play is for the winner of a game to take half that game’s pot and the other half jackpots, going to the match winner at the end 
    • Other arrangements are possible, with ‘Match winner takes all’ being the most common
 
  • In Match Play, players get an extra +1 modifier to use in the Setup phase of subsequent rounds for every game won
 
 
 Casino rules
  • Generally if playing in a gambling venue, one or both of the following rules will be in place
    • If gambling against the house, stages and games cannot be won with a ‘No Chak’
    • The house wins on a draw
  • Some venues take part of the ante each game; these venues are less likely to have in-game rules that favour the house 
  • If No ‘No Chak’ Wins are in place a player must succeed on their End-game roll to win
  • If ‘House wins on a draw’ is in place the house wins if the quick contest is a draw
 

  

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