Gambling in the Witcher: Exploring the Role of Gambling in Comics and Beyond
Ever since The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt video game came out, The Witcher franchise has exploded in popularity. While The Witcher 3 game by CD Projekt Red is best known, its basis is The Witcher books and stories by Andrzej Sapkowski. Along with the Witcher video games, the Polish author’s beloved fantasy series has been adapted into comic books, a film, and multiple TV series. There are also a rock opera, table top RPGs, board games and card games all based on The Witcher stories. No doubt, The Witcher franchise will continue to expand over the years ahead.
Gambling is a minor element in some of the comics as well as The Witcher 3 game. In this post, we are going to explore the role of gambling in The Witcher. If you are wanting to gamble for real, however, you are going to want to look further than the mini-games in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Thankfully, there are a lot of opportunities to gamble online these days, even if you have a really small bankroll to get started with. How can you get in on the action? We recommend signing up at a $5 deposit casino where you can play slots and table games.
Gambling in The Witcher: Fox Children
One prominent instance of gambling in The Witcher shows up in issue #3 of The Witcher: Fox Children comic book series by Paul Tobin. In this issue, Geralt needs to play a game called liar’s dice in order to gain information about a missing person.
With liar’s dice, players each shake a cup with dice in it, and then turn it over on the table. Each player can only see their own dice. They take turns betting on how many dice in total on the table have landed a particular way, “I.e. “two fours” or “five sixes.” As the name of the game implies, it involves bluffing and deception.
Mentions of Gambling in The Witcher Comics
While liar’s dice in issue #3 of The Witcher: Fox Children is one of the most prominent mentions of gambling in The Witcher comics, gambling and games of chance are mentioned in some other issues as well. In fact, gambling fits well with the overall themes of The Witcher.
In The Witcher Universe, there is something called the Law of Surprise. If one person saves another, and that person cannot repay the debt, the person who did the saving can receive payment via the “Law of Surprise.” What one receives through the “Law of Surprise” is a complete gamble, but is often something like a child. The role of chance extends no further, however, because destiny comes into play. The recipient of the Surprise and their Surprise will find that their fates are connected from there on out. Attempts to get out of this bargain will fail, and may even ensure that they end up together.
Comparison to Other Media in The Witcher Franchise
We have talked a bit about how gambling fits into the mythology of The Witcher. We also discussed the roles of luck and destiny in the original Witcher stories. We also talked about gambling in The Witcher comics. You probably are now wondering how gambling fits into some of the other adaptations.
While gambling is referenced in passing in the Netflix series, it doesn’t play a major role. But it is a big deal in The Witcher 3 video game. That should not be a surprise, given that there is a big overlap between the worlds of gambling and video games.
In the book Baptism of Fire, there is a card game played by the dwarves. The Polish edition refers to this game as “Gwint.” The English edition refers to it as “Barrel.” Although this game differs from the mini-game called “Gwent” that appears in The Witcher 3, it was its inspiration.
Gwent is a card game, and is the most iconic gambling mini-game in The Witcher 3. In fact, Gwent is so popular that it spawned its own digital collectible card game called Gwent; The Witcher Card Game. But it is not the only form of gambling that you can participate in when playing The Witcher 3. Players can also partake in dice poker, horse racing and fist-fighting.
As you can see, gambling in The Witcher plays a significant role whether you are reading the comics, playing The Witcher 3 video game, or enjoying other media in The Witcher franchise. It also plays an essential part in the mythology of The Witcher universe, since the Law of Surprise involves taking a gamble with destiny. Such a gamble changed Geralt’s life forever, since it bound him to Ciri. So, follow along with their adventures, and enjoy taking some gambles of your own while playing The Witcher 3.