Games in the Sanctuary

Between runs there's more to the Sanctuary than trading. Most games can be played with your party or against skeletons, for banked gold or for nothing.

#The Ivory Pocket

A pool and snooker hall through an arch in the courtyard wall: two 9 ft pool tables and a full-size 12 ft snooker table under green glass lamps, with a bar and a fireplace.

• Real ball physics: balls slide, grip and roll; screw, stun and side behave as they should.
• 8-ball and snooker with proper rules: groups, fouls and ball in hand; 6, 10 or 15 reds and re-spotted colours.
• The cue-cam puts you behind the cue ball, with a guide showing where both balls go. Hold to draw the cue back: the further, the harder.
• Skeleton hustlers: Rattlebones, Old Knuckles and The Marker, from nervous novice to unbeaten since the plague.
• Stakes come from your banked gold, up to 1,000. The winner takes both.

#Poker

No-limit Texas hold'em in the Gilded Ossuary for up to six, against your party or skeleton card sharps in waistcoats and top hats.

#The casino tables

Roulette and blackjack with skeleton dealers in bow ties, and the Moon's Maw slot hall with eight machines and a Grand jackpot. The tables have their own screens so the whole party can follow the game.

#Chess

A stone chessboard in the courtyard with carved gothic pieces. Play a friend, or one of four skeleton opponents, each with a rating:

• Full rules: castling, en passant, promotion, check, stalemate and the draw rules.
• Stakes from nothing to 1,000 gold; the winner is paid double, and a draw refunds both.
• Your rating starts at 1000 and moves with every game, per character.

#The Climb

Eight rocks spiral up round a summit stone east of the fire, each a running jump from the last. Step off the start stone (with the rune ring) and the clock runs; reach the pennant on the summit to stop it. Touch the ground and the attempt is off. Your best time is kept. Sprinting overshoots: run, don't sprint.

#The training yard

A straw-stuffed training dummy in a kettle helm, with a weapon rack and a tally board, and an archery butt with a scoreboard. Hits here train your Skills at a quarter of the usual rate.