Variant Design & Playtesting:
D. Nelson Murray, Abby Carrasco, Daniel Stevenson and Shane Holloway
RULES FOR GALAXY SERIES SPIKE
Galaxy Series is a modification of Corellian Spike, which developed out of common frustrations with the idiosyncrasies of the game in its traditional form. Chief among these critiques are the imbalances in the system of hand rankings in Spike, which reward certain hands over others even though they are statistically easier to achieve, and the divergent systems for ranking and tiebreaking hands according to whether they are ranked or unranked. These features disincentivise building higher-value hands, and encourage players to fold early unless they aredealt a Sabacc pair in the first round.
While traditionalists vociferously defend these 'flaws' as ineluctable features of the form, others regarded them as aggravating distractions—particularly members of mathematically exacting species such as the Givin, Bith, Siniteen, and Arkanians, for whom such asymmetries are considered an affront.
The divergence between these two camps resulted in the creation of the Galaxy Series — a rounded and balanced Spike variant designed to reward hand-building, risk taking and strategic card trading. Galaxy Series has spread as a popular alternative to the Standard Rules of Corellian Spike on the galactic casino circuit, but it’s success is a point of abiding greivance for Corellians who view it as a distortion of their cultural heritage.
GOAL
In Corellian Spike Sabacc, the objective is to assemble a hand with a total value of zero or as close to zero as possible. The game incorporates both positive and negative cards, and involves strategic betting and card selection to achieve the optimal hand.
THE SETUP
THE CARDS
The deck comprises 62 cards divided into three suits: Circles, Triangles, and Squares. Each suit contains:
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10 positive cards: valued from +1 to +10.
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10 negative cards: valued from -1 to -10.
Additionally, there are 2 special Sylop cards with a value of zero.
SPIKE DICE
The game utilizes two six-sided dice known as Spike Dice. These dice are rolled during the game to introduce an element of unpredictability. If the dice display matching symbols, a Sabacc Shift occurs, causing all players to discard their hands and draw an amount of cards equal to the previous hand size.
PLAYER STOCK
Each player begins the game with a stock of credits or chips which they use to pay the Ante and make bets. The goal of the game is to win all or as much of the chips on the table and from other players. Typically, chips or credits will come in different values. In Sabacc, these values are often represented by a selection of bronze/copper, silver and gold chips (or credits).
A typical buy-in for a lay game of Sabacc is 500 credits:
20 Bronzium Chips/Credits worth 5 credits (100)
8 Argentium Chips/Credits worth 50 credits (200)
4 Aurodium Chips/Credits worth 100 credits (200)
A typical buy-in for a tournament game is 1000 credits:
20 Bronzium Chips/Credits worth 10 credits (200)
8 Argentium Chips/Credits worth 50 credits (400)
4 Aurodium Chips/Credits worth 100 credits (400)
PLAYING THE GAME
Each player has a stock of credits or credit chips.
Players compete in successive hands to win a portion of these credits.
Each Hand opens with an Ante and Card Deal, followed by 3 Rounds of play.
Each Round has three phases: the Draw phase, Card phase, and the betting phase.
In the third and final round there is an extra phase at the beginning of the round: the Dice Phase.
After three rounds, the hands are revealed to determine the winner.
The game is played until someone takes everyone’s credits, or players cash out of the game.
THE HAND
1. Determine starting player: The starting player rotates clockwise each round.
2. Ante: Each player contributes an ante to the hand pot and the Sabacc pot.
3. Deal: Each player is dealt two cards face down.
4. Draw and Discard Piles: The remaining cards form the draw pile. The top card is placed face up to start the discard pile.
THE ROUND
Each round consists of three phases:
1. DRAW PHASE
The Dealer draws a card from the Deck and adds it to the Array.
Round 1 - The Pilot Card
Round 2 - The Wing Card
Round 3 - The Gunner Card
The Array cards move to the right every time a card is drawn. If a player buys or swaps from the Array, the remaining cards move one position to the right and the Pilot card is replaced from the Draw Deck.
2. CARD PHASE
Players can choose to take one of the following actions:
Gain from Draw Deck — Draw a new card from the deck (Free Action)
Discard & Gain from Draw Deck — Discard a card from your hand and draw a new card from the deck (Free Action)
Gain from the Array — Buy a card in the Array (at a cost, see below).
Swap with Array — Swap one card in your hand with a card in the Array (at a cost, see below).
Stand — Keep your current hand
If a player buys or swaps from the Array, they must pay the following costs:
The Pilot Card — 1 chip
The Wing Card — 2 chips
The Gunner Card — 3 chips
If a player buys or swaps from the Array, the remaining cards move one position to the right and the Pilot card is replaced from the Draw Deck.
3. BETTING PHASE
Players bet based on the strength of their hands, with options to check, bet, call, raise, or fold.
FINAL ROUND
SPIKE DICE PHASE — In Galaxy Series Spike, the Dice Phase occurs only once, at the beginning of Round 3. The dealer rolls the spike dice. If the symbols match, a Sabacc Shift occurs, and all players discard their hands and draw new ones.
WINNING THE ROUND
After three rounds, remaining players reveal their hands. The player with a hand total closest to zero wins the hand pot. If a player achieves a hand total of exactly zero, they win both the hand pot and the Sabacc pot.
In case of a tie, there are several special winning hands which are ranked in order of strength. Since there are many variations of the hand rankings depending on which part of the galaxy you are playing in, the game host can select the preferred ranking order.
WINNING THE GAME
The game continues for a predetermined number of rounds or until players decide to conclude. The player with the most credits at the end of the game is declared the winner.
HAND HIERARCHY
Corellian Spike has many variations, each with its own twist on the rules and strategies. To allow for more variation, the game host can select different options to customize the game: