My interest in ancient games is a passionate combination of several areas -- board games, surface design, making and deploying textiles, and a creative spirit that is bursting to be shared. I have included here my favorite ancient games, links to their historical roots, and places where game boards and supplies may be acquired to keep these games alive. This may be a resource for teachers, homeschoolers, families and DIY nerds. One of the things I am most proud about is that these games can be made and played for a minimal amount of money -- making them cheap and fun.
Ancient Board Games I Love (in alphabetical order)
Alquerque
Ard Ri
Backgammon
Brandubh (Gaelic Tafl)
Canoga/Shut the Box/Fishhead
Carrom
Chess
Checkers/Draughts
Chinese Checkers
Codebreaker (Mastermind)/Wordle
Cribbage
Dominos
Enneadi
Fidchell/Gaelic Chess
Five Field Kono
Fox and Geese
Gluckhaus
Hnefatafl/Tafl
Konane
Mancala
Mehen
Michigan Rummy
Nim
Nine Men's Morris
Pachisi/Parcheesi
Rota
Senet
Siga
Surakarta
Tables (a variation of Backgammon)
Tak
The Game of the Goose
The Royal Game of Ur
Making your own board games is possible!
New! Additional Modern Games
Sequential (Sequence)
fabric game board