Senet

Sympkyn of the Moor

Number of players: 2
Type of game: Boardgame
Period: 2686 B.C. + Senet is one of the oldest known board games, originating in ancient Egypt around 3100 BCE. Played by pharaohs and commoners alike, Senet was both a pastime and a spiritual symbol, representing the soul’s journey through the afterlife. The game is a race of strategy and chance where players aim to move their pieces across a grid-shaped board and off the playing field first.

History of Senet

  • Origins: Dates back over 5,000 years, making it one of the earliest known board games.

  • Cultural Significance: Seen in tomb paintings and artifacts, Senet was believed to have religious significance, symbolising passage through the underworld.

  • Evolution: Its rules evolved over millennia, but the core race mechanic remained.

  • Survival: Fragments of boards and pieces have been found in tombs and archaeological sites across Egypt.

  • Legacy: Influenced later race and strategy games worldwide.

Traditional Equipment

  • Board: Rectangular grid of 30 squares arranged in 3 rows of 10.

  • Pieces: Each player has 5 pieces (sometimes 7 in some variants).

  • Throwing Sticks or Dice: Usually four two-sided sticks or bones marked to yield 0 to 4 moves per throw.

  • Markers: For tracking progress or special squares.

Objective

To move all your pieces from the start of the board to the end, navigating obstacles, blockades, and special squares before your opponent does.

Basic Rules

Setup

  1. Each player places their pieces off the board or on starting squares as agreed.

  2. Players decide who goes first by throwing the sticks or dice.

Movement

  1. On a turn, a player throws the four sticks, the number of “marked” sides facing up determines how many spaces they move a piece (0–4).

  2. Pieces move along the board in a snaking path: left to right on the first row, right to left on the second, and left to right on the third.

  3. Players can only move pieces forward the exact number rolled.

  4. If no moves are possible, the turn is lost.

Capturing and Blocking

  • Landing on a square occupied by an opponent’s piece sends that piece back to the start or off the board.

  • Some squares are considered safe or holy and cannot be landed on by opponents.

  • Players can form blockades with two or more pieces on adjacent squares to prevent opponents from passing.

Special Squares

  • Certain squares are marked with religious or symbolic significance (e.g., House of Water, House of Happiness).

  • Square 15 is the ‘House of Life’. This is a safe square; a piece cannot be swapped off it.

  • You must land on Square 26, the ‘House of Happiness’ in order to progress further. This is a safe square.

  • Square 27 is the ‘House of Water’. Landing on this square sends the piece back to Square 15, the ‘House of Life’.

  • Pieces can leave the board from Squares 26 (‘House of Happiness’), Square 28 (three ba-birds), Square 29 (two men), and Square 30 (‘House of Ra-Horakhty’) if the correct number of spaces is thrown. These are all safe squares.

Winning

The first player to successfully move all their pieces off the board by exact roll wins the game.

Optional & Historical Variants

1. Special Square Effects

  • Some squares grant extra turns or immunity from capture.

  • Others force a piece to return to start.

2. Number of Pieces

  • Variants exist with 5 or 7 pieces per player.

3. Blocking Rules

  • Some versions allow only one piece per square, others permit stack blockades.

4. Dice Variation

  • Substitute throwing sticks with tetrahedral dice or modern dice for convenience.

Summary Table

Rule Area Details
Players 2
Board 30 squares, 3 rows of 10
Pieces 5 pieces per player (sometimes 7)
Objective Race all pieces off the board first
Movement Dice or sticks determining 0–4 moves
Capturing Land on opponent’s piece to send it back to start
Specials Marked squares grant extra turns, immunity, or penalties
Play Style Mix of chance, strategy, blocking, and capture