This page is devoted to the fun stuff - various sorts of games and past-times. It contains articles, information, and links for the games of chess and go. Also presented are rules and information on various other board games played around the world, in cultures both modern and ancient. Some of these will be accompanied by a web version of the game that will allow two or more persons to play the game on one web browser. The latter are programmed with JavaScript, and require Netscape 3.0 or better to run. Finally, some adventure "role-playing" games are discussed.
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I've always had a fascination with board games, especially those associated with particular eras and cultures. The playing of board games has been a facet of human life since the beginning of recorded history, and probably beyond. Gaming boards dating from 3,000 BC were discovered in the royal tombs at Ur. Similar boards were found in Egyptian tombs 1,500 years later. Games have been continually created (or evolved from older games) througout human history. Such games often represent facets of life in miniature of the cultures that produced them.
The particular aspect of life most often modeled is warfare. The most complex games in the world, chess and go, are examples of this. Chess, for instance, is a game of personal conflict; the object is to capture the person of the monarch. By contrast, the oriental game of wei-ch'i (or go, as it is most often known in Japan and the West) focuses on the acquisition of territory. Simpler games, such as draughts and go-moku, have been derived from both of these.
There are also many games that do not, at least overtly, model warfare. Most of these contain an element of chance, in which a player's skill may or may not have a significant bearing on the outcome. Games like backgammon and ma-jong require skill to play with consistent success. The random element is usually introduced by the roll of dice, or shuffling of the game pieces. Many other games involving dice, particularly "race" games, require little or no skill to play, with the outcome determined by chance.
There are also a number of more active games that rely on manual dexterity, rather than planning or luck. I'll describe a few of these later in the page.
My major sources for most of these games include RC Bell's excellent reference Board and Table Games from Many Civilisations (2 vols, published in 1960 and 1969, and revised in 1979), and Edward Falkener's Games Ancient and Oriental and How to Play Them (originally published in 1892). Both have been reprinted by Dover Publications.
This page discusses the origin of chess, and some of the past and present variants as they are played in different parts of the world. Also provided are links to other chess pages, and to servers that provide a means of playing chess with other players all over the world.
Go (wei-ch'i) is an intricate game with deceptively simple rules that originated in China, and is widely played in China, Korea, and Japan. A description and history of the game of go is included on this page, along with links to other pages, and to servers that allow play over the internet.
The origins of this interesting and amusing game are unknown. It is speculated that it originated from China. If anyone has more definite information on the origin of the game, I'd appreciate hearing about it.
Description & Rules
The Jungle Chess Web Board (needs Netscape 3.0 or better)
Tablut is the cousin of a number of games originating in Scandinavia, and formerly played throughout northwestern Europe, Britain, Ireland, Iceland, and various North Sea Islands. They are collectively known as "tafl" games.
Description & Rules
Tafl: The Game of the Vikings
The Tablut Web Board (needs Netscape 3.0 or better)
Tim the Enchanter's "Quest for the Hidden Grail"