A Book for a Rainy Day

Monday, 20th June 2016

Here in Hull, as in many parts of Britain, we've had a dismal midsummer.  It's definitely been board game weather over the past couple of weeks!  But board games aren't just an indoor pursuit, especially the type of traditional board games I write about here.  With boards that can be drawn on a pavement, and pieces made of sticks and stones, these games can be played by those lucky enough to enjoy a proper summer.

When writing A Book of Historic Board Games, I found that lots of the games have a distinctly outdoor history.  From the grand pachisi boards laid out in palace courtyards, to the humble games of wari played with pebble stones under the shade of a tree, many took the opportunity to enjoy both gaming and good weather at the same time.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be focussing on the games in my book.  The midnight game posts, usually picked at random, will be drawn instead from the book, and if time allows I'll put up a brief post on the blog explaining how and why I chose the game for the book.

I hope that you enjoy these blog posts over the next fortnight.  If they arouse your curiosity about the games, then please explore the site further and maybe consider buying the book.