Ludus latrunculorum

Sympkyn of the Moor

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 116BC

History

Ludus Latrunculorum is played on boards of varying sizes with 7×7, 8×8, 9×9, 7×8, and 9×10 boards having been found.

There are various reconstructions of the rules, here are the two I use

Rules

Museum Quintana reconstruction

These are the rules from the Museum Quintana in Künzing

  1. Two players have sixteen pieces each, which are arranged in two rows facing each other. The goal of the game is to capture all of the opponent’s pieces.
  2. The pieces move orthogonally any unobstructed distance. A piece is captured when it is caught between two opposing pieces on adjacent squares in a rank or file. The captured piece is removed from the board. Victory is by capturing more pieces than one’s opponent, or by hemming in the opponent’s pieces so that movement is impossible.

A more complex version of the rules from Gothic Green Oak Games

  1. In this game, there are two phases of play. The aim of the game is to capture as many men of the opposing army as possible.
  2. At the beginning of the game, the board is empty. In phase one the two players alternately introduce their men one at a time on any empty square on the board. No captures can be made during this phase.
  3. In the second phase the men are moved around the board in an attempt to capture enemy men. There are two types of move: either one square orthogonally, or by leaping over a single man, orthogonally, to a vacant position immediately beyond.A man can leap over a man form either army, captured or free.
  4. Capture is by custodianship – when a man is enclosed on two opposing sides by enemy men he is captured. The captured piece is not removed from the board straight away but is, instead, turned over to signify his status. The player of the captured man has the turn following to try to free the captured man by capturing one of the enemy men holding him. If he can then the captured man is set free, turned back over, and the newly captured man is of the other side is turned over.
  5. If a player captures a man and, in their opponent’s following turn, the captured man cannot be freed then the player removes the captured man before he makes his next move.
  6. Placing a man between two enemy men is allowed without fear of capture.
  7. The game is usually won by the player who captures the most enemy pieces. This may be when the whole of one army is captured or when both players decide that there are no more capturing moves possible. A win is also possible if one army places its men in such a position that the enemy army cannot make a legal move.