6 HN users recommended this demo5 months2019–2025score 6
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
Recommended in threads on ancient games and cuneiform as a charming match with an enthusiastic expert.
Tom Scott plays the Royal Game of Ur against British Museum curator Irving Finkel, who deciphered its rules from a cuneiform tablet. Finkel teaches the game and explains its history as the oldest playable board game.
“he also did a fantastic video on with Tom Scott” (HN, 2025)
He really is. He's got two incredible videos with Tom Scott where the two of them play what could be considered the worlds oldest game[0] and he introduces Tom and Matt to "writing" cuneiform[1]. He's so sharp in both, I love seeing him anywhere else now. [0]: [this video] [1]: [link]
Irving Finkel teaches Tom Scott the Royal Game of Ur
I was lucky enough to meet Irving Finkel a couple of times and he is as eccentric in person as he is in his brilliant lectures, talks, and videos. When I met him all the shelves, and even the floor, in his office was covered with different books, papers, and artifacts. He has amassed quite a collection of interesting things. I met him through my work related to the Royal Game of Ur, which he also did a fantastic video on with Tom Scott: [this video]
Finkel's fantastic video on the Royal Game of Ur with Tom Scott
I've gotten into ancient games recently, and I've tried Senet with various rule variations- I think it's kind of boring. I like much better the Royal Game of Ur- [this video] I've also been playing with Indian Pachisi, two player is kind of boring, but I still need to try four player / doubles.
You might be thinking of Ur, which is roughly 4,500 years old. This is an interesting video from Dr. Irving Finkel on it and its playing rules.[0] [0]: [this video]
Irving Finkel made a video with Tom Scott, playing the game of Ur. I enjoyed the interaction. [this video] I'm sure he has many other even better videos, but I will have to yet get to them.
I've been trying other non-roman dice: Indian four-sided dice: [link] Two-sided dice (cowry shells) for Indian Pachisi- they are terrible! [link] More binary dice for the Royal Game of Ur: [this video]
Example of binary dice used for the Royal Game of Ur
He also taught Tom to play The Royal Game of Ur [1], a Middle-Eastern precursor to Backgammon that was the Chess of that era in terms of popularity. Irving was the one to decipher the rules from a cuneiform tablet. 1. [this video]
"Okay, so I buy a card I can actually afford on eBay, put it in my machine, buy a game, and get my account permabanned." One would have to prove they are a different person/account-location to IT admin support. It is rare, but some companies will simply watch your game-play for a bit to see what you are up to compared to the prior ban details. Note one will likely have to gamble on the compassion of each firms IT admins. "What refund am I asking for that makes this okay?" These sellers are almost always knowingly trying to evade the consequences of their behavior, and trying to recoup their money to buy un-flagged hardware. This is pointless, as there are several anti-cheat queries companies can run, and like any antisocial behavior they usually just make the situation worse for themselves by contaminating the market with more flagged hardware. Eventually their sellers reputation score will warn buyers what they are doing. Getting a refund for the "broken" equipment is a standard ebay RMA process, and Craigslist/meta-Marketplace returns can be a bit more complex. Keep in mind a ban may eventually lift after 12 months, but IT admins may be less convinced of your intent if a user keeps popping up as a problem. "This reads as condescending" It is not my call what companies do with problematic users. And MTG events also bans cheats for marked decks, and pulling unfair tricks that violate the rules. The difference is people will be upset with such antics at the same table. Persona
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