http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/ Latest News from Cyningstan en-gb Copyright (C) Cyningstan 2011 Board Games at Cyningstan http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=440 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.440 For some reason the booklet Reconstructing Hnefatafl never got added to this site before. This oversight has now been rectified, and the booklet is available in the Learn section, in the group of one-off documents. Reconstructing Hnefatafl is a booklet which has been in draft form since 2007, but has been referred to in that form by other researchers. The intention is to finish off this booklet eventually, perhaps amending it with more up-to-date research, but time has not allowed this in the past five years! http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=436 Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.436 Users of the Google+ social media site can now add Board Games at Cyningstan to their circles. We'll be sharing stories on there and monitoring the stream for replies and updates. So if you're on Google+, why not pop along and have a look? The page is at http://bit.ly/viEKaL - or can be accessed by searching for "Board Games at Cyningstan". http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=434 Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.434 This little hardback book was written by John Astrop, and published in 1980 by Kestrel Books. It contains fourteen games which are a mixture of traditional and invented games, but all are board games in the traditional style for two players. It is brightly illustrated and, while slightly too large for most pockets, it is still compact enough to be portable. It is aimed at a younger audience. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=432 Sun, 06 Nov 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.432 What attracted me to this book, written by Jeff and Jennie Loader and published in 1993 by Guild of Master Craftsman Publications, were two things. One, it contained a description of madelinette, the only one I have so far found in printed form. Two, the image on the cover depicts two other traditional board games, halma and four field kono, both being professional-looking sets and promising much for the "making" aspect of the book. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=430 Sun, 30 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.430 Robert Charles Bell (1917-2002) was a medical doctor by trade. But it is for his hobbies, as much as his profession, that he became widely known during his lifetime. He contributed articles to coin collectors' magazines. And he researched, played and wrote about traditional board games: one of his books is covered elsewhere on this site, and much of the gaming material here was taken from his works. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=428 Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.428 One of the first books to introduce me to traditional board games was The World of Games, by Jack Botermans, Tony Burrett, Pieter van Delft and Carla van Splunteren. Popular enough to be translated into several languages, this book gives details of about 100 board games, as well as card games, dominoes, dice and other types of game. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=417 Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.417 In 1892 Edward Falkener wrote the book Games Ancient and Oriental and How to Play Them. First published in the UK by Longmans, Green and Company, a paperback reprint by Dover Publications in 1961 has maintained the book's availability on the second-hand market. It is available on-line at very reasonable prices. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=423 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.423 Following on from The Traditional Board Game Series of leaflets is a piece of work which would have made those leaflets a whole lot easier to research! It's intended to make future research projects that much easier, and we've decided to share it with others. You can download it from the "Learn" section of the web site. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=415 Sun, 09 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.415 This week's book is a bit of a departure from the pattern set over the past few Sundays. Brain Games, by David Pritchard, was published in 1982 by Penguin Books. Unlike the three books investigated already, this one doesn't attempt to pack as many games as possible within the covers. It has a mere 33 games, of which just 13 are traditional board games of the kind covered on this site. But for each of these games it goes into much greater detail about play, and attempts to outline strategy or tactics for each one. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=419 Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.419 Our latest product, Alquerque, has gone on sale this morning. Like all our games, this one is handmade with a wooden board and glass pieces, the pieces coming in a black drawstring bag. An A5 booklet contains the game's history and rules. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=414 Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.414 Having made some sets of The Royal Game of Ur late last week, the first of them is now on sale on eBay. Two players, red and green, each have seven pieces to move from start to finish, with the aid of a set of casting sticks. You can concentrate on getting your own pieces ahead, or in trying to knock the opponent's pieces off the board to start their journey again. Tactics involve the use of safe spaces at various points, and in recognising and avoiding danger spots where your opponent can derail you. http://boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk/news.php?id=408 Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:00:00 +0000 News boardgames.cyningstan.org.uk.408 In the third of what's becoming a "Sunday Reads" series, I want to look at another of one of the "classic" books on traditional board games: R. C. Bell's "Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations". In contrast to the two books already covered, this one also covers games with dice and dominoes. But board games are by far the dominant type, making this a plentiful source of information for players.