Ancient Games History & Stories

A Roman bone gaming counter, a small round playing disc of the kind used in ludus latrunculorum.
How to Play Latrunculi (Ludus Latrunculorum): The History and Lost Rules of Rome's Game of Soldiers
Ludus latrunculorum was the Roman Empire's favorite strategy game: two armies, a gridded board, and no dice. Here's its real history, what the ancient sources do and don't tell us,... Read more...
Ancient Roman fresco from Pompeii showing men playing a dice game in a tavern
How to Play Tabula: The Roman Ancestor of Backgammon (History and Rules)
Tabula and its older relative, ludus duodecim scriptorum, were Rome's answer to backgammon. Here's what we honestly know about the Roman tables games — and a faithful reconstruction you can... Read more...
Handcrafted Fidchell board and pieces, an ancient Celtic Irish board game, from Ancient.Games
How to Play Fidchell: The History and Lost Rules of the Ancient Celtic Board Game
Fidchell was the celebrated board game of Celtic gods, kings, and heroes — but its real rules were lost centuries ago. Here's what the Irish and Welsh sources actually tell... Read more...
A medieval Persian manuscript painting of the vizier Buzurgmihr demonstrating chess at the Sasanian court, from a Shahnama (Book of Kings).
How to Play Shatranj: The Medieval Ancestor of Chess (History and Rules)
Shatranj is the medieval Arabic-Persian game that modern chess grew out of — same 8×8 board, familiar-looking army, but slower, subtler pieces. Here's where it came from and how to... Read more...
A medieval illustration of two players at an alquerque board from Alfonso X's Libro de los juegos, 1283
How to Play Alquerque: The Medieval Game That Became Checkers
Alquerque is a five-by-five leaping-and-capturing game documented in Alfonso X's 1283 Libro de los juegos and widely regarded as the ancestor of checkers. Here is its real history and a... Read more...
Tang dynasty painting of a woman playing Go (weiqi), from the Astana Tombs, Xinjiang, c. 744 CE.
How to Play Go (Weiqi): The History and Rules of the Ancient Chinese Board Game
Go — known as weiqi in China and baduk in Korea — is one of the world's oldest board games still played today, documented for roughly 2,500 years. Here's where... Read more...
Handcrafted wooden Yut Nori (Yutnori) Korean board game set with board, throwing sticks, and playing pieces
How to Play Yut Nori: The History and Rules of Korea's New Year Game
Yut Nori is the throwing-stick race game that fills Korean homes every Lunar New Year. Here's its history and a clear, step-by-step guide to playing it: four sticks, a cross-shaped... Read more...
Handcrafted Patolli board — a live-edge wood slice with a UV-printed cross-shaped Aztec race track and colored stone markers, made in-house at Ancient.Games.
How to Play Patolli: The History and Rules of the Aztec Betting Game
Patolli was the Aztec world's favorite gambling game — a cross-shaped race so beloved that players wagered their goods, and even their freedom, on the throw of the beans. Here's... Read more...
Handcrafted wooden Fox and Geese board game with playing pieces
How to Play Fox and Geese: The History and Rules of a Medieval Hunt Game
Fox and Geese is a lopsided medieval strategy game: one lone fox hunts a flock of geese, while the geese try to hem it in. Here's where the game comes... Read more...
Handcrafted wooden Viking Daldos board game with bone four-sided dice
How to Play Daldøs: The History and Rules of Scandinavia's Almost-Forgotten Chase Game
Daldøs is a fast Scandinavian race-and-capture game played with two four-sided bone dice. Here's its honest, sometimes-disputed history — and clear, step-by-step rules for playing it yourself. Read more...
Handcrafted solid bamboo Shut the Box dice game with numbered tiles and two dice
Dice and Knucklebones: The Ancient History of Games of Chance (and How to Play Them)
Long before six-sided dice, people cast the ankle bones of sheep to gamble, divine, and pass the time. Here is the real history of dice and knucklebones — plus how... Read more...
Handcrafted wooden backgammon board with checkers, made by Ancient Games
How to Play Backgammon: The Ancient Roots and Rules of the Classic Race Game
Backgammon descends from ancient Roman and Persian race games, but the version on your table took its modern shape more recently. Here's the honest history — plus a clear, beginner-friendly... Read more...