Egyptian game senet rules

As the rules have varied over time, it is difficult to highlight objectively how the game should be played, however, if you want to give it a go yourself here are some core facets of the gameplay:. And here, for those who really want to walk and play like an Ancient Egyptian, are the special rules that have been deciphered and compiled by Egyptologists:.

Good luck! And remember: information extracted from Old Kingdom tombs suggests that, although Senet was a game of strategy, it was aided by a bit of luck. Any good luck experienced playing the game was considered to be a blessing from the gods…. UC A Senet board fragment. The Petrie Museum houses an estimated 80, objects, making it one of the greatest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology in the world. It illustrates life in the Nile Valley from prehistory through the time of the pharaohs, the Ptolemaic, Roman and Coptic periods to the Islamic period.

The entire…. Post The cache of old railway photos found in the back of a wardrobe The cache of old railway photos found in the back of a wardrobe The cache of old railway photos found in the back of a wardrobe.

In a typical set-up the game is played with four sticks having two sides marked and unmarked and the values of a roll can be between 1 to 5 depending upon which side sticks land on. In each turn one pawn can be moved according to the roll. Pawns are moved from their starting house to the last house moving in S shape and can be borne off the board once it reaches one of the four special houses. All Rights Reserved. Toggle navigation. Login Section Register Log in. Egyptian Senet Game Rules How to Play Egyptian Senet Objective Senet is an ancient two-player Egyptian game which is similar to Backgammon and is considered one of the earliest board games in human history.

Gameplay Senet is played on a board which consists three rows of 10 squares. Rules for moving pawns Pawns are moved according to the rules below In each turn one pawn can be moved according to the rolled value. Pawns can jump over other pawns. Once you reach the end the piece moves off the board.

As we discussed above turns are decided using the Senet Sticks. The board will also need to be set up carefully. Despite its simple design setting up a game of Senet can be a little complicated. At the start of the game, players will need to decide who player one and player two are. The game then begins and you can start to move your pieces around the board. While Senet is perfectly playable with just the basic rules, you can add a further level of strategy to it with more advanced rules.

These symbol squares are an important feature in more advanced games of Senet. To find out how you play with each symbol check out the list below. The House of Happiness: All players will need to pass through this house in order to move their piece off the board. This means they will need to land on it directly during one of their turns. If you land on this house, you will have to move your piece directly back to the House of Rebirth.

The House of Three Truths: This is a lucky square to land on. If you land on it you can then throw your sticks again and if you get three colors then that piece can be moved directly off the board. If you get two sticks color-side up then the piece can be removed from the board. So, this is how you have a game of Senet! Because the game is very historic there are a number of ways to play as you can see from this guide.

Like Shogi , Senet is well-worth playing if you want to experience an older game as well. Bar Games is a website devoted to helping you learn about the best games to play with your friends. We review the games, research the rules, and uncover helpful tips and strategies.