SECTOR COMMAND ANNOUNCEMENT: The Imperial Sabacc League launches in the Star Wars Fan Zone
10 May 2026
There are many things to be found in a galaxy far, far away: lost Jedi temples, canteens full of shady characters, imperial establishments to maintain order… and tables at which the most important game in the sector is played. During this year’s Pyrkon in the Star Wars Fan Zone, in the shadow of imperial symbols, you will be able to sit at the Sabacc table and try your luck at this exciting game.
Players from different parts of the galaxy meet at the table, so of course there are bound to be people at Pyrkon who can talk about Star Wars for hours. As you probably already know, creators and commentators of the galaxy far, far away are set to appear in the Star Wars Fan Zone this year. However, before you start discussing the latest productions and your favorite characters… first it’s time for Sabacc.
Sabacc in the Imperial officers’ mess
The command agreed to create a recreation area with a table for Sabacc, at which you can not only make new friends, but also win a ship… or even a moon. All you need are cards, chips, and a little galactic luck. Each round is another opportunity to bluff, take risks and make spectacular wins. The most exciting duels are those in which silence is only disrupted by the characteristic sound of dice hitting the countertop.
During Pyrkon, you will be able to take a peek into a place that could just as well be in one of the imperial outposts on the outskirts of the galaxy. Cross the threshold of the officers’ mess and see for yourself. This is where the Imperial Sabacc League leads its games, and you have an opportunity to try your hand at Kessel Sabacc – a variant of this game known from Star Wars Outlaws. So if you’ve always wondered what the game looks like, this is the perfect opportunity to sit down at the table and see if fortune favors the bold.
However, do not forget that you are treading the Empire ground. The course of the game is supervised by a K2 guard droid, which monitors every player’s movement with disturbing accuracy. Also, remember that chip trading is monitored, and irregular enrichment will be treated as an act against the Empire.
Long live the Empire.
What exactly is this *gestures vaguely* Sabacc?
It’s a game where luck, cold blood, and a poker face matter. In the Star Wars world, it’s more than just entertainment at the canteen table. It is a game of smugglers, pilots, bargain hunters and all those who believe that sometimes one good move is enough to change their own fate. After all, it is at the Sabacc table that you can win not only a handful of credits, but also a ship that will later go down in the history of the galaxy.
The Kessel Sabacc, which you will get to know in the Star Wars Fan Zone, is a variant in which gameplay is based on cards, chips and decisions made under pressure. You need to observe your opponents, calculate risks, bluff when the situation requires it and know when to withdraw with honor or at least with some of the chips still to your name.
It is played using two decks, Sand and Blood, and each player tries to have the best hand of two cards possible, one card from each deck. The cards also have a value of 1 to 6, where the lower number wins. The most important rule? The smaller the difference between the card values, the better. The perfect hand is a Sabacc consisting of a pair of ones, i.e. a result equal to zero and the lowest possible value of cards.
There are also several special cards in the game, such as sylops, which assume the value of the second card in your hand, automatically forming a pair. You may also get your hands on an impostor card. In this case, at the end of the round, you roll two dice, and from the rolled results you choose one whose value the card will assume.
In subsequent rounds, players draw and discard cards, spending chips to do so. They can also use special shift tokens that allow them to rock the boat a little – get some of the chips back, make life difficult for their opponents or affect the way the cards are dealt. After revealing their hands, the losers lose their chips, and the goal of the whole game is to survive at the table as the last person who still has something to play with. So, it really is a classic mix of a little math, a little bluff and a lot of hope that the imperial droid is not looking at your chips.
However, you do not have to know the rules or have had countless games in the canteens of the Outer Rim to join the game. Once there, you’ll be able to learn the basics, get into the mood, and see if you have anything of the galactic gambler in you.
The Imperial Sabacc League awaits everyone who wants to get off the main trail for a little while and see what is going on at the table in the officers’ mess. Come, sit down, pick up your cards and see if you can keep your cool as the stakes start to rise.
And if the fortune turns out to be kind, who knows, maybe you will come out of this game with a ship, a decent blaster or at least a good Pyrkon story to tell at the canteen. According to our calculations, the chance of this is quite high, but don’t worry, we would never tell you the odds…
Wojciech Wenclik
Wieloletni MG i entuzjasta tradycyjnych RPGów oraz literatury G.R.R. Martina i H.P.Lovecrafta. Zawsze powtarza, że wyśpi się dopiero w trumnie. Ciężko stwierdzić, czy to założenie, czy raczej smutna konkluzja poparta doświadczeniem. Faktem jest jednak, że zwykle nie może usiedzieć za długo w miejscu i angażuje się w zbyt wiele projektów kosztujących go punkty poczytalności. Sytuacji nie poprawia również kibicowanie Pittsburgh Penguins, bo kto nie kocha meczów zaczynających się o 2 w nocy…