The Royal Game of Ur

Ever wondered what people were playing nearly 5,000 years ago? The Royal Game of Ur is exactly that: a time travel trip to Mesopotamia. If you enjoy Backgammon, you'll feel right at home, as the dynamics are very similar. It's a pure and simple race game, but with that layer of tension that only a fight for space can provide.

The goal is to move your 7 pieces from the outer track, cross the conflict zone in the central track, and exit the board before your opponent. But it's not just about moving forward; the real battle happens along the way. If you land on a single opponent's piece, you bump it all the way back to the start. However, be careful: if you try to do this where the opponent has two or more pieces, it's your own piece that gets sent back to square zero!

The movement system is quite curious. Instead of a standard die, you use four tetrahedral (four-sided) dice. Each die can result in a '1' or a '0'. This means you can roll anywhere from 0 to 4 points per turn. Pro tip: statistically, 2 is the most common result, so plan your moves with that in mind.

A crucial detail is the rosettes. These are special spaces: if you land on one, you are safe and cannot be bumped. Additionally, landing on any rosette allows you to roll the dice again, which can create incredible movement combos. Just remember that in each move, you must move only one single piece. The first player to bear off all 7 of their pieces wins. With rules updated based on guidance from the British Museum, this edition restores the essence of one of humanity's oldest games.