Sabacc?
Perhaps you've heard of it. If not, it's a quasi-fictional card game within the Star Wars universe. Think of it as space-math poker mixed with blackjack. Or read up on it in one of my other posts.
But despite the game being one of the most popular in-universe Star Wars card games, it has yet to receive a wide release of any note. Or at all.
You might be thinking "Yo dude, you're wrong. I've bought it and own it. I'm even playing it right now!".
While there have been a handful of attempts to release the game, it has never been widely available under the name of "Sabacc". And that's what I'm going to cover today.
THE ODD HISTORY OF SABACC
The first mention of Sabacc (or what would become Sabacc) was in the 2nd draft of The Empire Strikes Back. Then called "Sabacca" (my favorite Sabacc joke ever), it was left on the cutting room floor and mostly forgotten. That is until 1983 with the release of a series of Lando Calrissian novels.
No longer named after our favorite co-pilot, the name of the game was changed to "Sabacc". 'Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu' featured the first ever mention of Sabacc and a bit of its gameplay/rules. But as the title of the book will tell you, it's not "Lando Calrissian Just Plays Sabacc the Whole Time" (although he kinda does). So it was likely disregarded as a story element by most.
Fast forward to the year 1989.
The 80's were almost over, Batman hit theaters, and Star Wars Crisis on Cloud City was released. The Star Wars RPG (by West End Games) finally gave dozens of fans the chance to experience a Crisis on Cloud City. But what makes this title significant is that it featured the first and basically *only* physical release of the little SW game that could, Sabacc.
Because it was only a book, the Sabacc cards were paper and had to be torn out. Which was no small feat as there were 76 of them. The book also included rules and everything else needed to start playing.
And then...
Not much happened. As popular as the Star Wars RPG series undoubtedly was, the game of Sabacc never really broke into the mainstream. It's hard to imagine a time when there wasn't new Star Wars content every week. But the mid-80s to early 90s was like operating a moisture farm on Tatooine when it came to Star Wars content.
So aside from assorted Geocites Star Wars pages detailing the rules of Sabacc. The game as it functions in our universe went into relative obscurity.
A New Era Begins
It would take nearly 30 years from managing Crisis's on Cloud City to see another release of Sabacc. In 2018 the Solo movie was released. If we're measuring the impact a 'Star Wars' has on the popularity of fictional card games. The 1989 SW RPG rates at about 1 Ewok. The Solo movie rates about 30 Ewoks. (please note that my Ewok scale isn't real, yet)
But gone would be what I call "Traditional Sabacc", and in its place is a "variant" called Corellian Spike. While outwardly very different from the older game, it inevitably inherited most of the gameplay mechanics. Instead of the objective being to get to 23, Corellian Spike has the goal be to get to zero. Which I honestly like better.
We literally got Sabacc on screen. And not just a throwaway scene either. It was a big part of the movie. They even had a "Sabacc Trainer" to teach the cast. So it would make sense that a game would inevitably be released.
Kinda sorta
Around this same time there was a fairly significant legal battle between a mobile game company and Lucas Film. Without going into detail, the implications of this lawsuit left the game of Sabacc in a weird limbo. How does one get around this?
Just name your product "Solo Card Game".
Remember that guy from the beginning that said I was wrong? Well I dare you to find the word "Sabacc" anywhere on the packaging or instructions. Go on, I'll wait.
Unfortunately the "Solo Card Game" didn't find its audience and was discontinued. Throughout 2019 it wasn't uncommon to find them at liquidation outlets and the like. It can still be found online for under $10.
Galaxy's Edge
If the Solo Card Game wins the award for "the widest release of a card game like Sabacc but not called Sabacc". The aptly titled "Sabacc" found at Galaxy's Edge wins for the "only game literally called Sabacc".
BUT
You can only get it at Galaxy's Edge (Disney World & Disneyland). And yes, I know it can be found online from second hand dealers, but it's 100% exclusive to Disney Parks.
For those curious, the version sold at Galaxy's Edge is nearly identical to the Solo Card Game. There are some minor and major differences. But the overall product is the same (except throw away the Solo Card Game rules, they are horrible). And for what it's worth, Hasbro no longer has the rights to the game.
Galaxy's Edge-ish
In a bleak year such as 2020, even a capitalistic merchandising gimmick seemed like a ray of hope. So when Disney decided to release Galaxy's Edge inspired products outside of the park, we were all stoked.
I mean, kinda.
Instead of releasing a slimmed down version of the game that's sold at the parks, we got "Sabacc shaped playing cards". Which to be fair isn't false advertising. They are indeed playing cards, and do resemble Sabacc cards. So if you know nothing about Sabacc, and only a little about playing cards--- you are in luck.
Someone on Reddit put it best. "It's like buying those Mickey Mouse ice cream treats at the grocery store. No it's not the same, but it still provides that unique experience at home." --- or something like that.
My main issue with this product is that it fails on several levels. It's not Sabacc, and they aren't great playing cards, The latter is especially true if you are familiar with the game, as several of the design choices directly contradict the product they sell at the park.
And what's even more frustrating is that this could've been the best overall release of Sabacc. The design and quality of the cards are pretty good (at least better than the Solo card game). The packaging and roll out would've been ideal to introduce people to the game. But instead it's a half-baked deck of cards that actually cost less than the Mandalorian playing cards.
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| My Sabacc Collection |
I'm not certain what the future of Sabacc holds. But for an imaginary card game that started out as a scrapped story idea, its trajectory has been pretty strange.
Honorable Mention
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