Victorian Vice-Hazard

Every night, countless thousands of pounds switch owners at gambling halls and gentlemen’s clubs over games of Hazard. In the 1700s and early 1800s, the perilous game’s name turned into a synonym for dangerous obstacles. An appropriate appropriation, considering the many well-heeled sons of well-bred families left impoverished after a night’s play. Bored crusaders may have invented the game while besieging the Arabian castle “Asart”, or it may have been named after the Spanish word for an unlucky roll of the dice, “Azar”. Hazard was the staple game for displays of status and wealth at Crockford’s fashionable gambling house. It remains popular in golden halls catering to fun seekers of independent means.

Hazard may only require two six-sided dice to play, but that doesn’t mean it’s a simple game. Its finicky rules require memorization, an understanding of odds, and a personal fortune large enough to absorb sudden losses. Any number of players may gather around a Hazard table. One player at a time takes turns as the caster. The caster names a number between 5 and 9 (known as the main). If the dice roll the main, the caster wins a payout equaling his wager. If the dice roll a 2 or 3, the castor loses. An 11 or 12 on the dice means the caster either won or lost depending on their main number.

                -5 or 9 loses on an 11 or 12

                -6 or 8 loses on an 11 but wins on a 12

                -7 wins on an 11 but loses on a 12

Any other number rolled by the dice is called the chance. The caster rolls again. If the caster rolls their chance number a second time, they win back their stake plus a little more derived from a complicated set of odds based on their main and chance numbers. If they roll the main (their original number) the caster loses their stake. If the dice roll any other number the caster keeps rolling until they roll the main or the chance.

Casters play rounds of Hazard until three loses or they quit. Then the next player takes over as caster. If played outside a gambling hall, the other players act as the bank covering the caster’s winnings and sharing their losses among the group. Impatient for their turn as caster, players often make private side bets over the next number rolled, whether it will be even or odd, and the size of the next caster’s wager.

No matter the main or chance, the quick changing and complex odds of Hazard never favor the caster. Despite the handicap, cheating at hazard is rare. In games among the nobility, most of the caster’s know each other. Any hint of a scandal pulls the accused out of society. All castors share the same two dice and any alteration to make the dice roll a certain way would equally improve the odds for everyone provided they were not serendipitously swapped back out.

Hazard in Play

To play an entire game of Hazard in one roll, the caster makes a Gambling test with 6 black dice. On a success, the caster wins an amount equal to double their wager. For each net success, the castor wins another amount equal to their wager. On a partial success, the caster may roll again. On a failure, the castor loses their wager and must give up the dice to the next castor.

For a side bet, the player rolls an opposed Gambling test against their opponents with no black dice. This may be done while the player is the caster or just waiting their turn. To cheat at Hazard, the cheater rolls a Sleight of Hand test with 6 black dice to affect the caster’s outcome.