CVG
PS--I didn't think the topic would merit it's own thread, so I'll ask here. Would it detract from the reality of the story to have them play poker, sort of as an inside joke? Or maybe a poker-like game, with sheep and goats, or something. (I can see it now: "I see your goats and raise you three cows." "Oooh. This is gonna be good. I can tell.")
Hmm.
Firstly, thou shouldst leave the end of the poker in yon fire till it hath a red-hot glow.
Then, ... Umm, maybe we shouldn't go there.
Anyway, for games, these are what I've found: drinking bouts at the local tavern, jousting tournaments, shotputting, cockfights, something called "club ball," which in the plate I've seen looks a bit like baseball, bowling, wrestling, and chess, which was favored by nobles. The latter "probably came from the East, as Muslims played it, using elephants instead of bishops and counselors instead of queens."
Lastly, though this isn't a game, it could lead to one... Think of the storytellers and minstrels. They captured the attention of wealthy patrons with their wit, their songs, their stories. Maybe you could create a vagabond sort of character who is charming, sneaky, out to protect his own interests, and he's very good at storytelling, plus creating a game of it...or maybe enticing others to begin dangerous games of their own within whatever court he happens to be at the moment. Maybe he's not actually a villain, but the things he incites lead to villainous acts, and he's the one who reaps the benefits, then off he goes to to the next village and the next, until what he's woven behind him becomes this huge/intricate thing with its own steam, and so the "game" is now a dangerous entity of its own and threatens a whole slew of characters. I don't know...maybe a verbal sort of poker. Something he's in control of when he starts it, but that soon spins *out* of control.
Yikes. Got off thread with the "what if" your question put in my head! I like your idea of poker for the medieval world!
And dice. I liked that, too (!), though didn't find it in my own notes 'till I got to my notes of later time periods though no doubt somebody somewhere was tossing some ivories. Actually, in my later-time-period notes, folks used human bone to carve dice. Or teeth. And those who did, liked to boast about how they got those teeth/bones. The untrustworthy characters would shave the dice, so they'd fall a certain way when rolled in a certain way.
Endless possibilities with games, yes? Fun question!
Any game that can be played with a board and pieces would be fair...game
If you're writing a strict historical piece, then there are obvious limits. Certain games are known to have been popular at various points in history, after all. But if you're talking about types of game, pretty much every type of boardgame has been in existance for thousands of years.
Haha.
What do the upgrades do? Oh, there's a help page. What an even more evil game!
That's a HARD game.
http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/w/x/wxk116/roma/tali.html
But 167...I personally was quite impressed with myself. I wouldn't guess I'll beat that score anytime soon.
I guess I'd better lay off the minesweeper for a while.
'sides, you think that's good? I beat beginner (wait, hear me out) in 8 seconds. One time. And then, never again. Now, best I can do is 11 or 12 seconds.
).I only play beginner and intermediate level when I'm dealing with a new computer and the scores are all set to 999 seconds. Now that I think about it, it would probably be more impressive to leave both those levels unplayed and just get a wacky low Expert score.
Seriously, how much fun is it possible to have playing beginner?
In the past 3 weeks I haven't been able to score better than 160.
Maybe I need to do a lot more FPS to put my clicking skills back up to par or something
As far as the subject matter at hand--more of a word on minstrels (though I don't know if it fits exactly what you're looking for), they may have had more political influence than on the surface it may appear. They had the power to create strife between kingdoms and peoples through their spreading of malicious gossip. After all, everyone welcomed a storyteller. And perhaps, if they didn't, they'd get a bad rep later on down the road at the next castle. "That Lord Bigcastle wouldn't let me in so I'll tell Baron von Towerbritches that Bigcastle is impotent."
Second, about Chess--it's an amazing game with a long history, but not as long as many authors make it seem. No, King Arthur would not have played Chess. King Henry probably would have. Chess did not reach Europe until about 900 AD. It dates back to Persia about 600 AD and may have roots even farther back than that in India.
Try looking into the history of lawn bowling (Bocci), or marbles. The Far East--China and India--are a common source for European derivatives. Look into GO, even Parcheesie, there's a modern board game called Pente that probably has ancient roots and is simple yet challenging strategically. I agree about the card thing--there wouldn't have been enough disposable paper-type products available to waste on something like cards, but the idea of using whatever was available--including daughters for marriage, cows, chickens, etc--as wagering on any sort of game is a valid one and money among the masses is a fairly recent development.
Any kind of races would be fair game.
There's an incredible game/sport that has probably been played for centuries by horse-culture tribesmen of the Near East or Mongol regions. It's an ancient form of polo in which the 'ball' is a headless calf that is carried back and forth across the field until one team can successfully place the ball in their goal--usually a circle drawn on the ground, sometimes a stone platform built at either end of the field. This is THE most dangerous sport in the world--makes rugby look like flag football. If I remember the name of it (which will probably happen at 2 a.m.) I'll let you know.
I'd also look into ancient Greek culture. Also, ancient Roman culture would have had a remarkable influence on gaming during Medieval times.
So, ah...who gets to eat the ball?
[This message has been edited by Monolith (edited June 03, 2004).]
You heard me.
Great one.
Just as an experiment. What could it hurt?
I lack the dedication to play for very long at a stretch. Once I beat 200 a couple of times I quit and do something else.
As for writing in a cafe, it is probably a good bit safer than songwriting (with a guitar) whilst riding a motorcycle along a switchback mountain road...but then, most things are safer than that. I can easily imagine getting truly jazzed up and writing numerous pages of fresh and innovative prose only to spill a hot, staining fluid over it all and render it totally illegible. You could also probably spend a small fortune in the process, even if you didn't end up by destroying your all-too-not-actually-immortal prose (and you could easily spend the fortune without managing to write a thing, worse luck).
But I'm going to assume that it was a rhetorical question and spare you any more thoughts on how it could hurt
It's called Buzkashi (rough translation: a goat to pull). It's played by Afghani tribesment and has probably changed little since being introduced (allegedly) by Genghis Khan seven centuries ago.
In the northern plains it is said the Mongols once used a live prisoner of war as the "ball." It is supposedly THE most dangerous sport in the world.
It is played more often with a calf than a goat--heavier and therefore more challenging; more MANLY! A single circle (the goal) is drawn on the field and a scrimmage that would make a rugby player faint takes place--more than a 130 men fighting (and I MEAN fighting) to be the first to get the calf. He then makes a break for it, hoping of course to still have possession of the calf, and speeds his horse toward one of two flags set at opposite ends of the field, all the time being whipped and jostled (gee, that word sounds WAY too polite) by the other contenders. He receives one point for circling the flag, two points for then returning the ball to the goal. The game begins at about noon and ends at sunset.
Quoting from The World of the Horse by Judith Campbell:
quote:
There is a referee who attempts to restrict the use of the whips, but as excitement grows and passions rise, the play gets roughter, rules are discarded. A knife may be slipped between a horse's belly and its girth to send saddle and rider crashing to the ground. When the game wheels, galloping into the crowd, then it is for the spectators to get out of the way, scattering like leaves before the gale. By the time the sun dips behind the savage peaks of the Hindu Kush and the session of buskashi ends, there will be many broken head and bloody gash among the players, but, insh'Allah, no injured horses.
So, anyone up for a game of Buzkashi?
There are similar games being sold today at craft fairs. Now they play with golf tees, but I've seen pictures of elaborately carved ivory pegs about 6 inches long. I guess the boards must have been bigger.
It's called hnefatafl and there's an extensive description of it at
http://user.tninet.se/~jgd996c/hnefatafl/hnefatafl.html
Okay, some mine sweeper hints
Begin each game with a "bombing run" just click open tiles at random until you pop open a good sized patch. Usually, a "good" board as about 70+ "free" squares (which are not ajacent to any bombs), so your chances of hitting popping open a patch rather than a mine are okay on a "good" board. And you don't get penalized for games that you lose, except by losing whatever personal time you've invested in it.
So, you've bombed a bit, and now you have an open patch. Now what?
Find numbered squares that touch only a few tiles. If your starting patch has lots of corners and stuff, then you get "1"s that only touch one tile. "3"s are always good for showing a wall of bombs. Stuff like that. Now since you're just trying to finish a level, not beat the all time score, carefully mark each tile that you are positive hides a bomb. Then rl click any number square that is already touching enough marked tiles.
Use this as your primary method of opening tiles. Remember, be careful, and if you ever hit a mine using this technique (you'll get the little crossed out flag to remind you), pay close attention and figure out what you did wrong.
While playing at this level you can try to break out of a dead end by bombing, which you've already learned. You'll never finish a game using only bombing and marking/rl clicking, but you'll get lots of practice at both.
After you've gotten to the point where you never mistakenly mark a tile when it's not a mine (and you can bomb quickly but stop the moment you pop open a clear patch), you can start working one "fuzzy" localization. For a simple example, often you have a patch that reaches the board edge. At the edge you have something that looks like this.
code:
EDGE
______
XX1
XX1
XX1
XX1
XX1
code:
EDGE
______
X*1
X*1
XO1
XX1
XX1
code:
EDGE
______
XX1
XX1
X11
XX1
XX1
code:
EDGE
______
XX1
O*1
O11
O*1
XX1
code:
EDGE
______
XX1
2X1
111
1X1
XX1
code:
EDGE
______
M*1
2*1
111
1*1
O*1
The final technique (and this is more of an endgame thing) is a refinement on bombing. When you have gotten your "Mine Counter" down to a fairly low number, and you have that many non-overlapping "fuzzy" locations, then you can safely click open any tile that is not part of a "fuzzy" location. Even if there are a few unaccounted mines remaining, you can probably bomb with a fairly certain idea of the odds of hitting a mine.
In the end, though, it is not uncommon to be forced to guess at a couple of 50-50s to finish the level. It happens. When you're sure that's happened, go ahead and bite the bullet. You won't be wrong every time. And after winning a few times, these methods will all be second nature to you and you'll be breaking two hundred on a regular basis!
But how on earth do you guys do it so fast? 200 regularly? I'm in the 300 range with half of the bombs yet to uncover and generally I lose by making mistakes trying to click too fast or by having to guess when I have no other way of determining whether a tile covers a bomb. Those times when no amount of 'fuzzy logic' can help.
I really should just give it up and spend my time writing. But since that's not the kind of person I am--remember? I'm anal!
[This message has been edited by djvdakota (edited July 08, 2004).]
What does all of this have to do with writing?
What does this have to do with writing, you ask? Let me tell you. Games are an essential part of every writer's routine--at least those I've met on this site. They help us wind down from the tortures of trying to put words to paper for hours on end. For me, a game is a necessary part of the winding down time between writing and sleeping since I most often write in the peaceful hours between my children's bedtime and my own utter exhaustion.
That said, I apologize to Kathleen for encouraging this thread to continue as such. But I gotta say just one more thing. I figured out how you guys do it. Your clocks start over after maxing out at 999. Right? Am I right? I've finally finished two, count 'em--1,2--games and maxed the clock on both. I now hang up my minesweeper hat--for a few days anyway.
The clocks do not start over, you fraud! You carpet-bagger!
Now, before you start ripping me for ripping you, you have to know the #1 rule for dakota. Never, under any circumstances, take anything that might possibly be intended as offensive, seriously. When I'm serious about offending someone, they know it. Without doubt.
My accusations are totally in jest and totally meant to try to make myself look better, cause I do not see how it is AT ALL possible to get a score of 149 on that horrid game.
But then, you guys are such geniuses!
Anyway, I was like "garh!" over my foolishness in playing minesweeper whilst surfing the internet (and watching some really weird show about ninjas), getting a new best score, and losing over four seconds to sitting there staring at the clock with a slack-jawed expression on my face.
But I wasn't quite literate enough to just restrain my comments to "garh" when I finally got a board done except for one tile, then waited most of 15 minutes for time to run out.
Garh! I say, Garh!
Ok, Minesweeper was getting out of hand (I personally suck, no, I won't tell you my score.)
For field events, the Aztecs had a basketball like game, played on a huge field surrounded by sloping walls. In midfield, on either side, a ring just berely bigger that the ball (a rock wrapped in leather)
The losing team was sacrficed to the gods.
(although some claim it was the winning team that got sacrificed--it was a great honor)
Board games. The Egyptians played Senet about 5,000 years ago. Although the rules have been lost, it is said to be similar to the african game of Mancala (also been around for a long long time) You can actually find Mancala baords, there is a revival of old non-western board games. It is played on a board with holes, four pebbles to a hole. Object is to gather the pieces and place them in your goal. Not going to post the entire set of rules here, hehe.
Chess, a stated above, began in India a couple thousand years ago. The modern version, as we know it, acheived its form in the early 1800's I believe, so if it was in Europe in the middle ages, probably was very different.
The Romans played dice, made out of bone or ivory.
That was my little bit, hope it helped
Yeah, right.
The game of buzkashi was a central theme for the book by Joseph Kessel (1898 - 1979), "Les Cavaliers". It was later made into a movie that premiered in 1970, called "The Horsemen" and starring Jack Palance in the best role of his life, with Omar Sharif for support.
It is interesting that the most riveting scene in the movie (for me, anyway, the aged Horseman putting himself together piece by piece, literally, first thing in the morning) is a faithful reproduction of that scene in the book. I wonder how hard that was to write?
Has anyone else read the book and also seen the movie? Did the scene I noted above also strike you as well done? How would you have written it differently?
It credits Orson Scott Card with writing.