Royal Game of Ur

Sympkyn of the Moor

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 2400BC+

The Royal Game of Ur is one of the oldest known board games in history, dating back over 4,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia. It is a two-player race and strategy game discovered in the Royal Tombs of Ur (modern-day Iraq) by Sir Leonard Woolley in the 1920s. The game combines elements of chance and tactics as players race their pieces along a distinctive track to be the first to bear all their tokens off the board.

History of the Royal Game of Ur

  • Origins: Circa 2600–2400 BCE in the Sumerian city of Ur.

  • Discovery: Excavated in 1920–1930 by Leonard Woolley, along with game boards and pieces.

  • Cultural Significance: Believed to have both recreational and possibly ritualistic purposes.

  • Ancient References: Cuneiform tablets describe the rules, allowing modern reconstructions.

  • Legacy: Inspired many later race games worldwide.

Traditional Equipment

  • Board: Rectangular with 20 squares arranged in a unique pattern: a 3x4 grid on one side connected to a 2x3 grid by a narrow bridge.

  • Pieces: Each player has 7 tokens (usually discs or cones).

  • Dice: Four-sided tetrahedral dice or four binary throw sticks (pyramidal dice) marked with two marked and two unmarked corners (resulting in 0–4 moves).

  • Markers: For scoring or indicating captures.

Objective

To be the first player to move all seven of your tokens along the board’s path and bear them off successfully.

Core Rules (Reconstructed)

Setup

  1. Each player places their seven pieces off the board.

  2. Players decide who goes first (by dice throw or agreement).

Movement

  1. Players roll the four-sided dice (or throw sticks) to determine how many squares to move a token (0 to 4).

  2. Moves must be made according to the dice roll; if no move is possible, the turn is lost.

  3. Tokens enter the board onto the player’s starting square.

  4. Tokens progress along a set path unique to each player, converging on the central “bridge” squares before diverging again.

  5. Tokens move forward according to dice roll but must follow the track’s route.

Capturing

  • Landing on a square occupied by an opponent’s token sends that token back off the board, restarting its journey.

  • Some squares (often marked specially) are safe spaces where tokens cannot be captured.

Bearing Off

  • Once a token reaches the final square on the track, it must be moved off the board by an exact dice roll.

  • The first player to bear off all seven tokens wins.

Optional and House Rules

1. Safe Squares

  • Some squares are marked (usually with rosettes or decorations) that grant safety from capture and may allow an extra turn.

2. Extra Turns

  • Landing on certain squares grants an additional roll immediately.

3. Blocked Moves

  • Players cannot move a token if the destination square is occupied by their own token.

4. Dice Variation

  • Use modern four-sided dice or substitute with playing cards to simulate dice throws.

Summary Table

Rule Area Details
Players 2
Equipment Ur board (20 squares), 7 tokens per player, 4 binary dice
Objective Race all tokens along the board and bear off first
Movement Dice-determined steps along a fixed path
Capturing Landing on opponent sends their token back off the board
Victory First to bear off all tokens
Play Style Race, chance, and tactical blocking