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FleaStiff
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April 27th, 2017 at 4:38:38 AM permalink
International Tabletop Day is April 29th.

Anyone plan to celebrate it by playing The Royal Game of Ur, the oldest known tabletop game?

Note: The 1995 Sci-Fi cult movie briefly featured the game being played.

Since the stone tablet found by archeologists only contained a major portion of the rules, but not all of them, there can be several variations of this Royal Game of Ur a/k/a Game of Twenty Squares.
Wizard
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April 27th, 2017 at 6:47:18 AM permalink
Quote: FleaStiff

Anyone plan to celebrate it by playing The Royal Game of Ur, the oldest known tabletop game?



I used to have that game when I was a kid. Parker Brothers, or one of their competitors, made a board game version out of it. They admitted in the rules they were just making an educated guess based on the original pieces. Must have played it hundreds of times. I haven't thought of that game in decades. I'd celebrate by playing it but my dad probably threw it away 35 years ago.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
FleaStiff
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April 27th, 2017 at 7:17:27 AM permalink
There are several sites at which you can play online and I believe that The British Museum will host an online charitable exposition game on the International Tabletop Day.
TumblingBones
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April 27th, 2017 at 1:30:57 PM permalink
According to Wikipedia, the Egyptian game Senet is older by 900 years. I've never played either but my daughter and I used to play Nine Man Morris, which supposedly dates back to 1400 BC. One nice thing about Morris is you can play it anywhere. We used to play while waiting to be served in restaurants. We would draw the board on a place mat then use sugar packets and Sweet and Low packets as the pieces.
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
Ayecarumba
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April 27th, 2017 at 3:58:41 PM permalink
Quote: Wizard

...I'd celebrate by playing it but my dad probably threw it away 35 years ago.

Hehe... Klaus knows the missing rules, but the first one is "Don't tell anyone the missing rules".
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
Wizard
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April 27th, 2017 at 4:32:52 PM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

Hehe... Klaus knows the missing rules, but the first one is "Don't tell anyone the missing rules".



Logic Puzzle Time!

That reminds of this riddle:

You are sentenced to death. You are sent before the king, who will decide how it will be carried out. The king says to you, "You may make one statement before I choose your method of death. If you make a true statement, you will be killed by lions. If you make a false statement, you will be killed by wild dogs."

What should your statement be?

As always, please put answers in spoiler tags.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
beachbumbabs
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April 27th, 2017 at 4:52:39 PM permalink


" I will not be killed by lions."

If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
Dalex64
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April 27th, 2017 at 4:55:05 PM permalink
This statement is a lie.
TumblingBones
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April 27th, 2017 at 4:59:06 PM permalink

I will be killed by wild dogs
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
MrV
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April 27th, 2017 at 5:01:49 PM permalink
Were I to play a tabletop game, I'd opt for a very, very simple one we played when I was a kid.

Opponents sit facing themselves across a table top: typically kitchen table, or table in a restaurant: make certain the surface is clean and not wet.

The only playing piece is a penny.

The rules are simple: each player gets three successive attempts to tap/nudge the penny with their fingenails pressed against the tabletop; a point is scored if by the third tap the penny has a portion of its body hanging over the edge on the opposite side, without first falling off.

Each tap must be quick and not a slow, controlling push: that's cheating.
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Ayecarumba
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April 27th, 2017 at 5:48:26 PM permalink
Quote: Wizard

Logic Puzzle Time!



In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
DiscreteMaths2
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April 27th, 2017 at 6:03:17 PM permalink
Quote: MrV

Were I to play a tabletop game, I'd opt for a very, very simple one we played when I was a kid.

Opponents sit facing themselves across a table top: typically kitchen table, or table in a restaurant: make certain the surface is clean and not wet.

The only playing piece is a penny.

The rules are simple: each player gets three successive attempts to tap/nudge the penny with their fingenails pressed against the tabletop; a point is scored if by the third tap the penny has a portion of its body hanging over the edge on the opposite side, without first falling off.

Each tap must be quick and not a slow, controlling push: that's cheating.



Classic lunchroom game. More advanced version is taking a sheet of paper and folding it into football. You then play as described with now the ability to kick extra points and go for field goals with your opponent making the uprights with their fingers for you to kick through.
Assume the worst, believe no one, and make your move only when you are certain that you are unbeatable or have, at worst, exceptionally good odds in your favor.
Ayecarumba
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April 28th, 2017 at 9:13:09 AM permalink
Quote: DiscreteMaths2

Classic lunchroom game. More advanced version is taking a sheet of paper and folding it into football. You then play as described with now the ability to kick extra points and go for field goals with your opponent making the uprights with their fingers for you to kick through.



I wonder if this game predates the actual game of American Football?
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
TumblingBones
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April 28th, 2017 at 10:24:24 AM permalink
Quote: Ayecarumba

I wonder if this game predates the actual game of American Football?


There was an episode of The Big Bang Theory where Amy hosts a "Victorian Christmas" that included playing games from that era. One game was pretty similar but used a ball of wool instead of a wad of paper or a penny. I wouldn't be surprised if there are even older versions of this type of game.
My goal of being well informed conflicts with my goal of remaining sane.
Ayecarumba
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April 28th, 2017 at 10:46:32 AM permalink
Back in the day, we would fold the paper into a triangle shape. Extra points were attempted by standing the "ball" on the table on one tip with on finger, then flicking it airborne with a finger from the other hand. I recall making it through the "uprights" from two or three lunch tables away.... Good times.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
MrV
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April 28th, 2017 at 12:38:43 PM permalink
Not much of a "game" really, but just to annoy The Man we'd take a paper match out of a book of matches and put the non-tip end in our mouth, chew it slightly so it gets gooey and begins to come apart, then flick it up onto the school's acoustic tile ceiling were it would stick like a true abomination.

We had a bald teacher: we amused ourselves by using hand mirrors to project the sun's reflection onto his forehead and make it dance.

Used to lock a kick into his school locker.

Ah, those were fun times.
"What, me worry?"
Wizard
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May 1st, 2017 at 8:02:08 PM permalink
Quote: beachbumbabs



" I will not be killed by lions."



Quote: Dalex64

This statement is a lie.



Congratulations! Both these answers are correct. Since Babs was first, by three minutes, she wins a beer.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
Dalex64
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May 1st, 2017 at 8:22:57 PM permalink
I like her answer better. It is more specific and applicable to the puzzle.
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