The Tower (Game of Chance)
Summary
The Tower is a popular gambling game that has been played throughout the west coast for over a hundred years. In the last few generations, it has become a popular game along the southwestern coast as well, especially in the larger communities within the Jungles of Mijhail. Many bar-goers and gamblers play this fanciful game of chance every day. It is a very simple game of luck. One place where it is particularly popular at the moment is Jhidgros’ Palace of Gold and More. Where it is common to see a dozen or more instances of the game being played at any given moment.
How is it Played?
The Tower is a betting game of chance, where a small ball is placed into the open top of a hollow miniature replica of a wooden tower. Within the tower are a series of wooden knobs and pins, which spin and whack the ball in random directions before spitting it out through an empty or false bottom into a multi-grooved tray below. Each of the trays grooves has a different colour and value attached to it. Before the ball is dropped into the top of the tower the player will choose one of theses numbers and colours. The closer the ball is to the chosen value and whether or not it lands on the selected colour determines how more the player wins. For example, if the player chooses Yellow Twelve, and they land exactly on that number and colour they receive double their bet back. But if they land on Red One, on the opposite end of the board they receive nothing and their bet either goes to the dealer or the pot. If they land somewhere in between those two they would receive a portion of their bet back.Who Plays and Why?
Anyone can play The Tower, it is a very simple game and it can be played by those of any skill, experience, or intoxication level. It is a popular game amongst bar-goers and gamblers since it requires such little effort and can be played competently throughout a heavy night of drinking. If a night of drinking starts with a calculated game of strategic card games, it will likely end with the inebriated shouts of various drunkards playing round after round of The Tower. The Tower, while it seems innocent has eaten up the dwindling wages of many a drunken gambler. The Tower is a game of chance and is usually played for the chance at making some easy coin. On occasion though, it is used to decide the outcome of a problem or bet. For example, if two parties disagree on the outcome of a particular argument they will play a game of The Tower. They each choose a number on the tray and they each drop their own ball into the replica tower. Often at the same time to dissuade any potential cheating. The balls plink down the inside of the tower and plop onto the tray. Whomever’s ball is closest to their chosen number wins and gets to decide the outcome of the argument.What do you need to Play?
There are three components to The Tower, a small set of balls, a custom wooden tray, and a tiny replica of a tower. All of which are typically made from wood.
The tower piece usually stands at roughly a foot or two in height. Both the top and bottom of the tower are open to allow for the entry and exit of the ball. Inside the tower is hollow, with a series of wooden knobs and pins; the pins having been designed to spin and whack the ball around in various random directions. This is done so that when the ball falls out of the bottom of the tower it drops out at completely random directions and angles. Making where it may land in the tray a mystery.
A custom tray is placed underneath the tower piece. The tray has a number of grooved sections, each with a different colour and number. The size and variety of these grooves depend on the version of the game being played. A small tray would consist of twelve numbers divided between four different colours. While larger versions can have up to forty-eight numbers divided between eight different colours.
The tray is often attached directly to the tower as one piece. Though this version is much harder to travel with and is usually only found in permanent establishments where the game is often daily.
The balls used for the game are made to be lightweight so they can be easily tossed around within the tower. While many cheaper versions of the game come with basic plain wooden balls more expensive balls come designed with intricate images and carvings. With images of dancing women, snarling dragons, and seaside waves being the most popular.
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