Kessel Sabacc

How to Play Kessel Sabacc

Kessel Sabacc, as seen in Star Wars Outlaws, is a thrilling game of strategy and luck where players compete to achieve the best Sabacc hand while managing their chip stack.

Objective

The goal of Kessel Sabacc is to build the best Sabacc hand—one card from each of the two decks, Sand and Blood—with a value closest to zero. Players invest chips to improve their hand during three turns. The last player with chips wins the game and the credits in the pot!

Game Components

• Cards:

  • Each deck has number cards (1–6) and specialty cards.
  • Impostor Cards take a dice value during the reveal phase.
  • Sylop Cards match the value of the other card in hand, forming powerful combos.
  • There are 3 cards of each value per family and 2 Sylop cards, making 44 cards total.

• Chips:

  • Players start with 4–8 chips, depending on the buy-in. Chips are required for drawing cards. If you run out of chips, you're out of the game.

• Shift Tokens (Optional):

  • Add strategic depth by introducing unique effects like taxing opponents, drawing extra chips, or forcing hand swaps.

Setup

1. Buy-In: Players agree on a credit amount (e.g., 50–200 credits) and place it in the pot. Chips are distributed based on the buy-in.
2. Cards: Each player receives 2 cards (1 from each deck). The rest of the cards form the draw and discard piles.
3. Tokens: If using Shift Tokens, distribute them face down to each player.

Gameplay

1. Rounds and Turns:

   • The game consists of multiple rounds. Each round has three turns where players can:
     1. Play a Shift Token (if available).
     2. Draw a Card: Draw a card by paying 1 chip and discard a card from the matching deck.
     3. Stand: Keep your current hand and skip drawing.

2. Reveal Phase:

   • After three turns, players reveal their hands clockwise.
   • If a hand includes an Impostor card, roll two dice and assign one value to the card.
   • Winning hands:
     • Pure Sabacc: Two Sylop cards—the strongest hand.
     • Prime Sabacc: Two '1' cards—the next strongest hand.
     • Sylop Sabacc: A Sylop card + any other card.
     • Sabacc: Any pair of cards.
     • The closer to zero, the better the hand.

3. Chips Penalty:

   • Players without a Sabacc hand are taxed based on the difference between their card values. Losing Sabacc hands are taxed 1 chip.

Winning the Game

The last player with chips remaining wins, along with the credits in the pot.

Additional Notes

• This is a simplified summary of Kessel Sabacc.
• Optional: Add Shift Tokens for an exciting twist to gameplay.