Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 14th Century BC

Nine Mans Morris Also called 9 Men’s Morris, Mill, Merels, or Mühle, this is the most famous and widely played variant of the Morris family of games. It combines simplicity and strategic depth, with roots in ancient history and a legacy across cultures.

History of Nine Men’s Morris

• Ancient Origins: Nine Men’s Morris may trace its roots to ancient Egypt, with boards dating back to around 1400 BCE. The Romans popularised it across Europe, and it spread through military and cultural contact.

• Mediaeval Fame: In mediaeval England and Europe, it became a staple game. Carved boards on church pews and castle walls show how ingrained it was in both peasant and noble life.

• Enduring Popularity: It has remained in casual and traditional play into the modern era, often taught as a folk game or used as a portable pastime due to its simple equipment.

Number of players: 2+
Type of game: Cards
Period: 15th Century

One and Thirty (also written 31 or Trente-et-un) is one of the oldest card games we know of. Each player holds three cards and swaps them one at a time, trying to build a hand of one suit worth as close to 31 as possible. It is one of the many ancestors of modern Blackjack.

History of One and Thirty

• Earliest Mention: One and Thirty is among the games condemned by Bernardine of Siena in an anti-gambling sermon of 1440.

• Family: It is one of the many ancestors of modern Blackjack, alongside Bone Ace and the third stake of Bragg.

• Later History: The game was still popular in Spain and Ireland in the 18th century, and it developed into Twenty-one.

• Rules Source: These rules are adapted from the card games booklet published by MacGregor Historic Games (historicgames.com).

Number of players: 2-4 Type of game: Boardgame
Period: Period-esq (2006)

Herkle is an adaption of Qwirkle, a modern abstract strategy game for 2 to 4 players, involving matching tiles by colour and shape in a grid. Created by Susan McKinley Ross and published in 2006, the game has won numerous awards, including the Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) in 2011. It is easy to learn and well-suited for families, combining elements of dominoes, Scrabble, and set collection.

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: Period-esq (2010)

History

Mijnlieff is a period-esq game designed by Andy Hopwood in 2010.

The standard game is played on a 4 x 4 square grid. Each Player has eight pieces with two of four different symbols. Each piece when played determines where your opponent can play their next piece.

In Mijnlieff each piece you play instructs your opponent to play in a straight line (either orthogonally or diagonally) from the piece just played, to play away from, or to play adjacent to the piece just played. The aim is to form lines of 3 but with your opponent controlling where you can play this is harder than it sounds. If you can play so your opponent is unable to go you get a free play anywhere on the board.

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: Period-esq (1996)

Stonewall is a strategic board game released in 1996 by Stonewall Developments, a New Zealand-based publisher. Designed by Grant Bullot, Mark McGregor, and Roger Bullot, the game accommodates 2 to 4 players

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Dice / Gambling
Period: Period-esq (1971)

Tablero de Jesús is a gambling game for two players, played with two dice, a seven by seven board and a stake of coins. The players take turns moving coins up and down the columns of the board, trying to line up two or more coins side by side so they can take them. For many years it was played in the SCA as a 15th century Spanish game, but it is now known to be a modern invention. It is still a well loved game, especially in its drinking form, Tablero da Gucci.

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: Period-esq (2016)

Tak is a two-player abstract strategy game inspired by the fictional game described in Patrick Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s Fear (from the Kingkiller Chronicle series). It was later developed into a real-world playable game by James Ernest and Rothfuss, first published in 2016. Tak is elegant in design, with simple rules but deep strategy, and shares a lineage with classic games like Go and chess.

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 4th – 12th centuries

Hnefatafl (pronounced roughly NEF-uh-tah-full, Old Norse for “King’s Table”) is a member of the family of the Tafl family of ancient Germanic and Norse strategy board games, popular in northern Europe before the spread of chess. It features asymmetric gameplay, with one side defending a king attempting escape, while the other side attacks with superior numbers.

History of Hnefatafl

• Origins: Dates back to at least the 4th century CE, likely originating in Iron Age Scandinavia or Germanic Europe.

• Viking Spread: Widely played by the Vikings and found across Norse settlements in Ireland, Britain, Iceland, Greenland, and beyond.

• Superseded by Chess: Largely faded in the 12th century as chess gained dominance in Europe.

• Archaeological Finds: Game boards and pieces have been found in Norse graves, often carved from bone, wood, or stone.

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 1283

Alquerque (also spelled El-Quirkat, Alquirkat, or Quirkat) is an ancient two-player strategy game from the Middle East. It is the direct ancestor of modern draughts (checkers) and was widely played throughout the Islamic world and later in mediaeval Europe.

History of Alquerque

• Ancient Origins: Alquerque dates back to at least 1400 BCE, with early boards found carved into stones in Egypt and throughout the Middle East.

• Arabic Name & Spread: The game became known as al-qirq or al-qirkat in Arabic. It was introduced to Europe during the Moorish occupation of Spain, described in the 13th-century Libro de los Juegos (Book of Games) commissioned by Alfonso X of Castile in 1283.

• Precursor to Draughts: Alquerque’s mechanics were later adapted onto the chessboard (8×8) in France around the 12th–14th centuries, giving rise to modern checkers or draughts.

• Lasting Legacy: Though largely supplanted by checkers, Alquerque remains studied and playable, with rules preserved from historical sources.