A Bitter Gambit

A Bitter Gambit is a dice-less swords & sorcery roleplaying game that can be played with just pen and paper, but is much more fun if you throw in a set of poker chips for the players & a suit of cards for the Storyteller. We use Tarot cards for extra fantastical flavour.

A Bitter Gambit replaces the traditional dice rolls with a series of bids against difficulties set by the Storyteller to check how the players’ characters advance through the story. Quick to learn but trickier to master, the system keeps stories – and the conflicts that power them – flowing in almost real time.

• 2 pages for players, including character creation & play advice
  

• 2 pages for GMs (Storytellers) including advice on how to build exciting sessions and run the game.
  

• 7 player character archetypes drawn from swords & sorcery fiction

• Quick conflict resolution that encourages teamwork and player engagement.

• Free-form magic cast from character sacrifice

• Written by tired gamers for lazy games – very easy to pick up & play

• Played & playtested since 2014.

Whatever inspires your interest in swords & sorcery gaming, try A Bitter Gambit today!