Dice, Dominoes, and Cards--What Else?
Patrick
the ones that are very old and are still around being used widely
today.
I've read that dice may be the world's oldest gaming devices. That's
probably not quite true; I'm sure there were numerous experiments
leading up to dice. But those six-sided cubes certainly did catch on
and spread far and wide, and they've lasted through many centuries.
Dominoes are pretty obviously related to dice. In a standard 28-tile
set, all the possible combinations of two dice are represented.
I also read that dominoes and playing cards may have the same root.
That makes sense. Dominoes are basically just thick, heavy cards. Or
you could say cards are just thin, light dominoes. Some ancient
Chinese playing cards are marked with spots like dominoes.
What other gaming devices have survived through the ages? Certain
game boards, probably: e.g., checkers/chess, mancala/oware, the
merels games (e.g., nine men's morris), and backgammon, to name a few.
I guess I've been thinking about this because I've taken a recurrent
interest in dominoes. And being of a philosophical bent, every time I
get interested in something, I start wondering why. What's so special
about dominoes?
Well, for one thing, they have features of both dice and cards. And
like dice and cards, dominoes are self-contained; you don't need a
special board to play domino games. Yet, as you play a typical domino
game, the layout ends up looking and functioning something like a game
board.
From a practical standpoint, dominoes have certain advantages: e.g.,
they're durable and stand up well to various weather conditions (wind,
rain, humidity). But playing cards are probably much more
convenient: they fit in a shirt pocket, and it's easier to hold a
handful of them. Dice are more convenient than dominoes too--smaller
and usually fewer in number; but dice games tend to involve too much
randomness for some people's taste.
In a way, I'm surprised that dominoes have survived. I would think
they might have been rendered obsolete by playing cards. But they
haven't; dominoes remain popular in many places, among various groups
of people. Indeed, domino games have been proliferating lately; and
in recent years we've seen popular new domino games like Chickenfoot
and Mexican Train.
Some people take a liking to a certain game mainly because of its
physical components. I've met people who say they just fell in love
with chess due to the look of the pieces. Or who are infatuated with
mah-jongg simply because the tile set is so beautiful.
There's no accounting for taste, but I guess mine must run somewhat in
favor of dominoes. I like the look and feel of dice but don't care
for all the randomness or the kinetic aspect (i.e., having to throw or
roll the things, which seems inelegant). I like playing cards but
wish they were weightier and more durable instead of being made of
pasteboard (and sometimes it seems there are too many cards in a
deck). I like many board games, but the board itself always seems
like an odd thing to have to lug around or reproduce on the spot. The
mah-jongg set seems too big to me, nice as it is, and the game is too
much like rummy (which I like, but it seems limiting). Dominoes end
up seeming just about right in all respects.
Anyhow, I'm wondering: are there any other time-honored gaming
implements I'm overlooking? And what do you think about game
components in general? Do they matter to you? Do you have any
special appreciation for any of them?
--Patrick
Sukunai
old as the orient has a long history.
Another might also be Cribbage boards.
Patrick
> What is the history of Mahjong? I am assuming those tiles can be quite
> old as the orient has a long history.
think. Here's an article on it:
http://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/Mah-Jong.htm
> Another might also be Cribbage boards.
or so. But cribbage is based on an earlier game called noddy--and I
believe a pegboard was used for scoring in that game too.
John McLeod
>I've read that dice may be the world's oldest gaming devices. That's
>probably not quite true; I'm sure there were numerous experiments
>leading up to dice. But those six-sided cubes certainly did catch on
>and spread far and wide, and they've lasted through many centuries.
There are also games that involve throwing other things to see which way
up they land - cowrie shells and knuckle bones come to mind. Games using
both of these are still played in some places. Presumably manufactured
dice are a refinement of this idea.
>Dominoes are pretty obviously related to dice. In a standard 28-tile
>set, all the possible combinations of two dice are represented.
- and the earliest dominoes had no blanks, making them an exact
representations of the possible results of throwing two 6-sided dice.
Chinese dominoes are still like this, though in fact they come in sets
of 32, with 11 of the tiles duplicated.
>I also read that dominoes and playing cards may have the same root.
>That makes sense. Dominoes are basically just thick, heavy cards. Or
>you could say cards are just thin, light dominoes. Some ancient
>Chinese playing cards are marked with spots like dominoes.
Not only ancient ones - cards of this sort are still made and used in
some parts of China. But it's not quite clear whether they had the same
root or whether they converged. Domino tiles are older than cards, but
the first cards were based on denominations of money, not on dominoes.
Our suited cards are descended from these money cards (which also still
exist in the East). Dominoes in card form came later than money cards.
>Well, for one thing, they have features of both dice and cards. And
>like dice and cards, dominoes are self-contained; you don't need a
>special board to play domino games. Yet, as you play a typical domino
>game, the layout ends up looking and functioning something like a game
>board.
The earliest domino games did not involve a layout. The dominoes were
used more the way we now use playing-cards. I think the idea of building
a layout by matching the ends of the tiles came a few hundred years
later.
>In a way, I'm surprised that dominoes have survived. I would think
>they might have been rendered obsolete by playing cards.
Game players are very conservative about the equipment they use.
Dedicated players don't like to be distracted by unfamiliar designs.
These lead to mistakes which can be annoying and also expensive if money
is involved. That's also why so many different types of playing-cards
are still in use.
>I like the look and feel of dice but don't care
>for all the randomness or the kinetic aspect (i.e., having to throw or
>roll the things, which seems inelegant). I like playing cards but
>wish they were weightier and more durable instead of being made of
>pasteboard (and sometimes it seems there are too many cards in a
>deck).
You can actually obtain playing-cards in the form of tiles, but these
have never caught on widely, except in the modified form used for tile
rummy, where the suits become colours and the tiles of each colour are
labelled from 1 to 13. These rummy tiles are quite common in the Balkans
and in Turkey (Okey is a popular game there), and are known worldwide
through the efforts of Mr Hertzano, who promoted a tile rummy game under
the trade name Rummikub.
>I like many board games, but the board itself always seems
>like an odd thing to have to lug around or reproduce on the spot. The
>mah-jongg set seems too big to me, nice as it is, and the game is too
>much like rummy (which I like, but it seems limiting).
Mah Jong is another example of playing-cards in the form of tiles. Like
our suited playing-cards, Mah-Jong tiles are derived from money cards.
You can also get Mah Jong sets in card form if you prefer that.
>Anyhow, I'm wondering: are there any other time-honored gaming
>implements I'm overlooking? And what do you think about game
>components in general? Do they matter to you? Do you have any
>special appreciation for any of them?
I get some pleasure from playing games using the authentic components.
For example if we play an Italian card game we use Italian cards. It's
particularly satisfying if they seem a little exotic at first, but turn
out to be extremely practical for the game in question once you become
accustomed to them, which for traditional games is often the case.
I can't at the moment think of any major types of equipment you have
missed, unless you broaden your interest to include games with more of a
physical element, like skittles.
--
John McLeod For information on card games visit
jo...@pagat.com http://www.pagat.com/
John McLeod
>What is the history of Mahjong? I am assuming those tiles can be quite
>old as the orient has a long history.
Mah Jong was invented in the mid 19th century.