Perhaps the most authoritative work on the subject, this encyclopedic volume is a basic reference to board and table games from around the world. It provides the rules and methods of play for more than 180 different games: Ma-jong, Hazard, Wei-ch'i (go), Backgammon, Pachisi, and many others. Over 300 photographs and line drawings.

This encyclopedic volume provides the rules and methods of play for more than 180 different games: Ma-jong, Hazard, Wei-ch'i (Go), Backgammon, Pachisi, and many others. Over 300 photographs and line drawings.

Discover and Delight in Old-Fashioned Board Games from the Past Discover the world of old-fashioned board games from Wall Street Journal acclaimed Adrian Seville, an international expert on the cultural history of printed board games. The golden age of board games. Explore the world of vintage board games in this lavishly illustrated book that traces their evolution and cultural significance. From geography and moral lessons to just fun, discover the diverse array of old-fashioned board games from a bygone era. Step back in time. Delve into a bygone era of gaming with this remarkable illustrated board game book. It showcases the exquisite artistry and ingenuity of these games, which covered themes ranging from educational to gambling to simply pure entertainment. Learn all about the moral board games that aimed to instill proper behavior or immerse yourself in the excitement of lottery board games, all while gaining insights into the cultural influences that shaped these games. The Book of Vintage Board Games offers a glimpse into where games started in Europe and the emergence of board games in America. Inside explore: The history of geography board games and more Distant lands through war or journey board games A treasure trove of beautifully designed boards each reflecting its unique historical context If you enjoyed board game books such as Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations, Oxford History of Board Games, or Seven Games: A Human History, then you will love Adrian Seville’s The Book of Vintage Board Games.

This book presents novel and interesting ways of teaching archaeological concepts and processes to college and university students. Seeking alternatives to the formal lecture format, the various contributions seek better ways of communicating the complexities of human behavior and of engaging students in active learning about the past. This collection of imaginative exercises designed by 20 master instructors on three continents includes role-playing, games, simulations, activities, and performance, all designed to teach archaeological concepts in interesting and engaging ways.

Jan Huizinga and Roger Caillois have already taught us to realize how important games and play have been for pre-modern civilization. Recent research has begun to acknowledge the fundamental importance of these aspects in cultural, religious, philosophical, and literary terms. This volume expands on the traditional approach still very much focused on the materiality of game (toys, cards, dice, falcons, dolls, etc.) and acknowledges that game constituted also a form of coming to terms with human existence in an unstable and volatile world determined by universal randomness and fortune. Whether considering blessings or horse fighting, falconry or card games, playing with dice or dolls, we can gain a much deeper understanding of medieval and early modern society when we consider how people pursued pleasure and how they structured their leisure time. The contributions examine a wide gamut of approaches to pleasure, considering health issues, eroticism, tournaments, playing music, reading and listening, drinking alcohol, gambling and throwing dice. This large issue was also relevant, of course, in non-Christian societies, and constitutes a critical concern both for the past and the present because we are all homines ludentes.

While board games can appear almost primitive in the digital age, eurogames--also known as German-style board games--have increased in popularity nearly concurrently with the rise of video games. Eurogames have simple rules and short playing times and emphasize strategy over luck and conflict. This book examines the form of eurogames, the hobbyist culture that surrounds them, and the way that hobbyists experience the play of such games. It chronicles the evolution of tabletop hobby gaming and explores why hobbyists play them, how players balance competitive play with the demands of an intimate social gathering, and to what extent the social context of the game encounter shapes the playing experience. Combining history, cultural studies, leisure studies, ludology, and play theory, this innovative work highlights a popular alternative trend in the gaming community.