Marlota is a dice game played with a single twenty sided die. Marlota is named for a wizard from Sasserine who was known for his gambling. It can be played by as few as two and as many as twenty.
Each round, a player becomes The Caster. The Caster rolls the die for each player, themselves included. The result is that player's "target" for the round. If the roll for the target matches a previous player's target, the Caster rerolls until a unique target is found. Once each player has a unique target, the Caster rolls the die again. If a player's target is rolled, that player wins the pot. If no player's target is rolled, the Caster rerolls until someone's target is rolled and that person wins the pot. Once someone wins the pot, the die is handed to the next player, making them The Caster.
A player who gets a 1 as their target number gets called 'The Devil'. If The Devil wins the pot, he is said to be "stealing souls". A player who gets a 20 as their target number gets called 'The Archon'. An Archon who wins the pot is said to be "calling the heavens". When you call the heavens, instead of taking your winnings, you leave them in the pot for the next round. Whoever wins the subsequent round is said to be "shopping in Arcadia".
Marlota is popular at the Drunken Morkoth Inn. Usually one table going in the evenings for fun, 1sp buy-in to play. The table at the Drunken Morkoth seats 8 players.
Statistically the odds are even over the course of a game. One can gain a slight advantage by only playing in rounds in which someone has called the heavens, although one would likely be thrown out of the game quickly. There is no skill involved in Marlota unless one is cheating.
Nobles tend to prefer the equally random but slightly more complex game Gemsnatcher.