Daylight Initiative

This lead suit’ varies according to the type of pack, and also according to whether the game is played during the day (between sunrise and sunset) or during the night. With a Moghul pack the lead suits are zar-e zorkh (red gold coins, or figuratively suns’) by day, and zar-e safid (white gold coins or figuratively moons’) by night.

Ganjifa on Wikipedia

A painting of two men in heavy travel dress looking out at a dim yellow sunset, or perhaps moon as the title implies, from a hillside studded with rocks and roots and stumps.Caspar David Friedrich, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Suppose a game meets in-person regularly. Let’s also say that it’s an evening game, usually 4-8:00.

In combat, we use side initiative, randomized. Which is to say, each round, each side rolls 1d6 and high roll goes first. In the event of a tie, we look out the window. If the sun has set, the players lose the tie. Otherwise, they win it.

Thoughts

  • This discourages risk-taking in the latter half of a session, perhaps ideal for old-school style play where players will want to end the session in a place of safety.
  • It’s thematic. The players are implicitly bright, warm, and heroic; their enemies lurking, cold, and frightening.
  • Games vary seasonally. In the summer, players have the upper hand.
  • Randomized side initiative is more likely to produce ties than e.g. back-and-forth side initiative.
  • If players aren’t in the same time zone, they may end up staggered. I’m not sure what this means.
  • If the game doesn’t break across sunset, we’re still reminded to look out the window, still reminded that the circumstances are only for now.

Thanks to The Maniculum Podcast for highlighting this rule of Ganjifa and suggesting its adaptation. Thanks to Dan D. for suggesting the podcast.



Date
June 3, 2025


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