You can know the rules to a dozen ancient games, but knowing how to win them is another matter entirely. Beyond the movement of the pieces and the layout of the board lies the true heart of a game: its strategy. The great games of history are not just pastimes; they are training grounds for the mind, teaching fundamental tactics that are as relevant today as they were a thousand years ago.
Inspired by the work of historians and strategists who have analyzed these incredible games, let’s look past the rules and explore the core strategic concepts that define a master player.
The Race: Balancing Speed and Safety
In race games like the Egyptian Aseb or Senet, the objective is simple: be the first to get all your pieces off the board. But the strategy is a constant, tense negotiation of risk.
The core dilemma is one of tempo. Do you pour all your good throws into a single “runner” piece, hoping it can race to the finish line untouched? This is a high-risk, high-reward strategy; your lone piece is fast but incredibly vulnerable. The alternative is to advance your pieces as a group, creating a defensive wall that is harder for your opponent to attack. This is safer, but much slower. A master player doesn’t just see the finish line; they constantly evaluate the board, managing risk and knowing exactly when to run and when to hide.
The Siege: Mastering Asymmetrical Warfare
Games like the Viking Hnefatafl are masterpieces of asymmetrical conflict. The two sides have different pieces, different starting positions, and different goals. Winning requires you to embrace a completely different mindset depending on which side you’re on.
For the attacking player, the strategy is one of containment and strangulation. You must use your superior numbers to build an inescapable cage, slowly tightening the net around the king without leaving any gaps. For the defending player, the strategy is about breakouts and sacrifice. You cannot win a war of attrition. You must identify a weak point in the enemy line and be willing to sacrifice your own defenders to create an escape lane for your king. Hnefatafl teaches the art of area control and the crucial skill of fighting for completely different objectives than your opponent.
The Formation: The Power of Pattern Building
In alignment games like Nine Men’s Morris or capture games like Seega, individual moves are secondary to the structures you build. The goal is to create powerful formations that threaten your opponent on multiple fronts. In Nine Men’s Morris, this is the art of setting up a “double mill”—a formation where you can open one mill to create another on your next turn, giving you a relentless engine for removing enemy pieces. In Seega, it’s about arranging your pieces so that any move your opponent makes will lead them into one of your capture traps. This is the strategy of pattern recognition and forcing moves. You aren’t just reacting to the board; you are shaping it, forcing your opponent to dance to your tune.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Gamers
These ancient strategic concepts are timeless. The balance of risk and tempo in Senet is alive in every racing game today. The asymmetrical siege of Hnefatafl can be seen in modern video games with “protect the VIP” missions. The pattern-building of Nine Men’s Morris is the foundation of countless abstract strategy puzzles. These games teach us to think critically, to plan ahead, and to understand an opponent’s motivations. So the next time you play one of these ancient treasures, don’t just follow the rules. Think about the strategy. Are you in a race, a siege, or a battle of formations? Mastering that question is the first step to playing like a true ancient gamer.