Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur | PLAYTHROUGH | International Tabletop Day 2017

This board

game

is at least four and a half thousand years old and was played in the Middle East by the Sumerians who probably invented it and the thing is, you might think it's so old that it's unrecoverable for us who have no idea. what it was like to play it, what the rules were or if people had fun, but all kinds of evidence has come to light so that we know how this

game

was played and we can play it now with a lot of emotion, sometimes this highlights Violence sometimes brings out to bring out the savagery and I have to say that this happens occasionally, so we have decided to bring in a member of the public.

I don't remember the cat's name. I'm Tom Scott. I make videos about science, technology in the world. Who has played this game before? I have never played this game before. I'm going to give you a very quick overview of the wolf world, hopefully of Marxism, and then I'm going to play a course and I'm going to play very gently at first because I don't want to do it because of illness, but if I have interesting information, I've mastered it, I'm going to clean up the floor with you, it wouldn't do me any good to find out these rules and, after all, it's my game and I work in MIDI rich and I have to win, so there won't be any fun business with some kind of sleight of hand or any kind of stuff like that, just follow closely and you will see who is the superior player from the beginning.

I think we have to start there. I think shake it. That's always Darwin, the urban mascot. I have to tell you a few things about this game. I can afford. We start first. This is a replica. I was going to ask. Otherwise, we could. I don't even look at him later, he's not a snob and he's a little worried about the gloves on his feet, but it doesn't matter, it's okay, that's the first thing. The second thing is that the original was made around 2500 BC. C., four thousand five hundred years ago or more yes, very intelligent object when they discovered it, they found pieces and types and for a long time nobody had a real idea how to play it, but they invented things and invented things and then something interesting appeared, which is this thing here.

It is a clay tablet written in Knable script. You obviously know that this was written in the 2nd century BC. C., very gently, then by a Babylonian astronomer whose best friends were Greek astronomers and he wrote this tablet, including the rules on how to play in his time. that time later, to see the oldest rule book in the world, the second thing is that we can see that in this latest version it is a very complicated game and we are not going to do that now because if you can put it this way, you are really going to Being a beginner, we don't want to confuse you on the screen too quickly, so I thought what we'd do is start with simple, straightforward gameplay stripped down to the bare minimum.

I'm a little amazed, there's something just sitting there that's quite remarkable. I agree that this tablet was written to explain a complicated version of the game that everyone already knew, it's the old familiar game with new rules with bets and things like that. It's a drink and win other interesting matters, so they don't tell you here the route because everyone already knows it, however, based on this, has anyone played in a game like Ludo or something, it's pretty obvious that you should be like Actually, this can't be anything else, so if you make that assumption, you can make a really good friendly normal game like that, but you can also transpose that under these rules and also play the more complicated game.

Well, what this is is the following. It's a Raceway, okay, you've got seven, I've got a Devon PD, so this is your route, you come in here, you go around the corner, you go that way, you go out and you're out, okay, obviously I do the same thing on my side, yeah, and this is The idea is to place all your pieces on the board, really go around the track and see the end before it does. What makes it interesting is this: look here we are at war, so if you travel through here, harmony and peace will be you get a piece here, I'm lucky walking through that square, you have to go out again and I'm on that, okay, the next thing is that these squares here give you a second shot and you're also guarding this square here, so if you sit there, no one can land on it or knock you down and if you roll there you just don't get along, try to jump on it but you can't land on that square, ok why did someone bite you?

You know if they're something else, look, people always say they're pyramids, but they're actually tetrahedra, there's a little triangle based on the basic episode and they have two of the four corners marked with a white spot, yeah, so when you throw four of them, it's a random number. of white spots sticking out and that's how you get your score and if you roll four without a white mark then you lose then there's the other one so the thing is this is pretty exciting. I hope you are prepared for it because it is like a window or an antique because this is a two player fee scheme and before chess came and before that gammon came to the world, everyone played this game, it lasted 3,000 years and for that reason you imagine that it must have been a good game and it is a good game and how do we know because you never know who is going to win until the last minute, so you can go out here and think that you are going to be left out of the end, to be the winner, the long icon when you start again, that's really excellence and all the games are different, they're really exciting, so someone who has never played, if you fall against someone, it says that for about forty-seven years , there is no disadvantage of Elephant Island, it is completely random, it is a roll of the dice and of course we have to play by talking.

Sumerian so your throat sounds 0:04 before once was a great sight to pick up like normal dice those are good one two excellent so I start so I keep doing it with one one throw two places , yeah, okay, yeah, you can subdivide the score now no. I don't think 1-1 is ideal, bring it oh you'll see so far nothing to get too excited about the same magician, okay, okay, no. I'm trying the math snail and calculating what the probability of getting each number is because presumably it's most likely three, uh, now, yeah, I put another one on the board because then I'm not in conflict with you yet, that's good, Of course we will.

You could do it if you already want to venture onto the main runway and see how to get them all out, that Piper strategy I could, but then you get even if you go out first, you have a chance to land, so this is actually kind of interesting because it's not just a game of luck, there is no Tavares to strike again. You are absolutely right. I said it was completely random before yes, deities, there is a session issue. I went into the sink, it was going to be mostly random and it's really not, it's like backgammon, it's like a door, it's like there are a series of strategic decisions it's the kind of game I love because you can explain the rules in five minutes and then you have to make some pretty serious decisions that affect the game and you know, for example, backgammon, everyone plays backgammon today and the balance between luck, control and skill is about 50/50, yeah , and this game already had some kind of balance, it's not exactly the same, so backgammon is kind of a better version of this game, but it never reaches the point where you understand exactly what sunbaes comes out. as one of my best, you decide to do that, let's move on.

The thing about backgammon is that how to pick up those dice is complicated. What I have done with backgammon is that it becomes much more interesting by doubling the dice. Yes, at that time. where you start betting what I can't get that out so okay let's make salad they post it good so I need to know who can land. I have to be okay, so I go here, get another phone. the rejected one is one of the ones who said this is the railing to get it oh I should have moved the other one because another frog is the moment three three unlucky so I can't go here because one is here so I'm going to have to do it go one, two , three, which in fact, if you're in a room, yes, then I need a one now, ideally, but any number is good, that's a three, it's not ideal, nothing will do it, um yalla, rosette, so let's keep it one, two, three, that one right there, okay, it means you can.

Look, I have two stones about to hit me too, okay, I'm going home. I hope I don't take this personally or anything, no, no, I'd be doing exactly the same thing if I expected you to pick these up. cut to Larry, he is formed, wasted, using for such idle means that they want to fall under the rosette and you roll again. Oh, now, Oh, master, pretty good, I'm choking on that too, okay, literally, I have the only possible move I could make. Often there is no choice since three I'm going to make one, two, three, which leaves you out of where you can possibly do it.

I know if you get a double in Miami, so I stopped by this earlier. I was trying to figure out what the disaster was why didn't I put another one on the board that, um, what was the mass in probabilities because you're basically throwing four coins in there, yeah, statistically, zeroes and fours are going to be unlikely and two, like that. They're going to Most likely I think I'll leave this to you the same way. I can re-marry shapes, but math is completely out of my week. I immediately look at stats and numbers when I play something like this because I will write. until Tuesday is the most common, so I don't want to have my piece there because I will most likely get knocked down, which seems like no match for someone who literally decided that they also surrendered and rather includes you finding out that my opponent , who seems like a fairly civilized person who loses math skills because none of my friends can count beyond two hands or fingers.

I am among them when I went to school, the teacher wrote to my parents saying that she needed me to be sedated before class because she behaved well. so bad and I've never been able to count more than ten on my own one two three it really was a terrible move I wasn't even thinking about that call 1 2 3 could you get some water or three now I'm in trouble? I'll have to do my best and that was really bad okay I'm from the Middle East okay usually the difference between the colors is clearly yes one I guess is a boring boring gray and the other is a boring gray and boring darker.

I was wondering if that was historically accurate. that's just because the stones faded over time it's just because they didn't write comments no, not a moment for that really very reckless move very very soon ah, despite making some pretty poor moves, I'm understanding when I'm pretty damn lucky in the side of the basic scenes I really have a good job 112 points uncertain a lot off the board that's back here, right? That's one way you can see it at school. Yes, you are playing with an innocent. I'm a little bit about how many ways you assume Lee knows how to cheat in this game, well, you know, some, actually, there are a lot of games where, if you can deal properly, people's minds are soft on me, No, you mean knocking you down, yes, in fact, I did at the time.

I'm just looking at what would be appropriate, you know, because it's not really fair if you can just breeze through the game and think you're cheating or something, when in reality, of course, or you're just really good at it, so I'm all rosette, so it really bothers me a little that you go easy on me there. I realize that I am going to lose probably one of the happiest. I want one again. Let's get that out of the way. Now I keep it there, strategically. It's the best square on the board because if I go up here, you bid for the end, yeah, every time I catch up to you, I'm vulnerable to you knocking me down and behind us, the higher up you are, the more irritating you'll be alpha Lila.

Bond is definitely on board definitely three I keep watching even though despite you know it's not easy with me I keep watching I won't leave you right? I know this amount of times you throw it just escaped through the frying pan II, literally, look, keep a generation, yeah, you would have wasted technique on this dumb house. I myself am playing a silent domestic strategy because I don't think it would be fair to be violent, as one should be, we are aggressive and shoot for the At the end of this initial stage I am just testing the mettle of my opponent.

He's doing well in the world to begin with. I'm confident that maybe in a few years he'll strap himself in or something. Oh right, three young bombs that came off the board here yeah, you, I was real, Bahrain has a contempt, despicable, finger wag for no, although I need to write that down in Taiwan too, let's get to the board, one, two, three , okay, I'll put it here for the ball. it fills up pretty quickly I can do it I guess the numbers are set up non-geographic I'm sitting down the numbers are set up so we'll inevitably move towards the end yeah I think you should do it before your parents get together That's you yeah that wasn't At all, they have what she is not, that is not her, right?

I just moved it contact your mom, stay off the board until now here, let's get that out of range, it's unlikely you're going to roll a four. or two clues, I'm going to try to take that one home. BelieveThat sounds like a challenge mm-hm, well this doesn't look very good, Charlie, on questions about the other two, I think two of the ones that are most likely to appear there. So cool one I'm going to let the new p3 come no let's get one for sure I can do that look wait so I moved that's the right thing to do I don't know I could have done three here and then the second one . paper, but they might have a black color, yes, yes, I think take them home when you can, yes, it's like kids are always a good idea the portions already have a house he has five on the board and all four spaces initials are full so he has to start taking things out, which I guess is good for me because then I'll be behind him and I can take him, but I don't like my chances how they are listed, i.e. in a superficially winning position on this moment if you were to make an early judgment because I have all those pieces on the board that, as my colleague said, I'm in a safe position, brother.

I read, I want you to start coming out of that little hiding place you were in. So what do we have here? When tasting the coffee, we will hear something like about this forum when they found the yes and the original. It was made of wood and all the wood had Lockheed, but they could see that they had been a drawer in this thick end where all the Dyson parts were originally kept. It was stored in a small drawer. This is also a yes, yes, more Marquess. but as soon as you move in, I should be able to hit you as soon as you, as soon as I move in, 1 2 3 testing may not have been a good strategy, this is where the three will predict, shout out, that's how well we'll do.

You have to move it more to be able to see aah, laughs, actually, it's a shame because yeah, mmm, there's nothing you can do with a round man, that's the last thing you wanted. If I go there, you'll get one for sure, so if I put in four I think I'm going to say yes, one stood idly by, serious and vulnerable, it is, but I don't want this to sit there just yet, three okay, I can. I can't live that one out I can't move that one I can't move a new one so it's one of these has to move three I could also take you off the board I would do the same well I think it's time We went crazy moving, okay, change too.

Irving is significantly ahead of me now. I like it. It will take a lot of luck to recover this. It's possible, but this doesn't look very good. Yes, a little bit, yes, no, yes, he is right below, yes. yes, you have something to bury in that, that is, instead of giving me an idea of ​​an offensive move, yes, very sensible. I hope you are not taking this domination person. It won't happen to anyone to play against a Hills three, right, yes, I'm going to move, mother, I don't know, I don't know, you're there, others are corrected.

This means war. I heard that, huh. I have a feeling this might not end well for me now. The really good thing about this game is that you can never get complacent because just when you think you've got it in the bag, bang bang bang, you have to start over and I think that's one of the good things about it, so you never know what to do. You're going to win until you win. This is a good message for life. No one actually dies playing this game, but you have a shoutout for the first time people were murdered.

Chessboards and impolite losses, for example. I think canceled five versus three full degrees now I look good specialist definitely quantity I need to get something out, go there, take the rosette, get a little bit because no matter what I throw, I can put a little bit on the board, one that will do, oh yeah , that is. Well, sure, yes, sorry, now on the spot, I don't need to get anything out yet, it's Carbajal two, three, four, I think this is a death blow right now, I played the role here, yes, successfully in new large pieces. I mean, I want to talk disparagingly about you, no, none of that, that's fine, let's put a two in terms, I gotta get over myself, you didn't forget, sweetheart, you just had a good time, all you have though.

What you have to do is get past those defenses once and with that you have a very good chance, especially if I then get everything, there are three arms that could be good for you. I don't know, it doesn't look very good, that's like a yes, sexual. en, now the question is: can you get four? can you get over all that? because you are not the double grounder there is no rosette for you to land on no matter what one or three engineering one or a 3-1 or a 3-1 or a 3-0, which is a lot of them, they don't see one of your kidneys, maybe it's not a great technique, it's not widely followed, your answers are usually a result, or I get a for your number and the music should be coming now. at any time, at any time, the trumpets I will endure because the odds are really slim because it will probably be a... it won't be anything on the outside, but I can help.

I never believed in I want a four because this is a very old game and the gods of Mesopotamia who of course used to watch this game in the past. If you just said out loud what you wanted before the last thing you got, it would be a downfall, so I don't think it's good. idea of ​​irritating them by making that kind of statement you think privately to ourselves you want to fall and then you throw the fall that is the best way or do it clearly let's go home oh yeah, not bad under pressure under pressure I was going to take a dismissive attitude like a potential division for that weeding that was the morning writing 1 4 1 1 in 16 chances of making me feel better a little bit a little bit 2016 yes yes three well, it has this balance mechanism that if I am several stones behind then it sends a much greater opportunity to draw yours on the board at x200 unless you put yes, what three found me, that one sure, that one is sure, that one is sure and you have to move your head because you clean, can you?

I need you to do it. I can do it? No, literally, audience statistics. That's all well and good, but when it comes down to it, where does it take you? That is my question. I never use math, statistics, calculations or anything like that because I can't do it. so I just hope for the best and I do it because the chances of you throwing a I want to lose weight and that's for sure eh mmm-hmm but they come together like dancing under the technique the cool down of cool what is that? That's the most important trait for Charles.

It's killing now how am I going to do it if you don't hold me damn well right this is literally moving hard okay I just have to do it now. I need to get all the reset rates now before you don't lose, yeah, this is kind of a classic conclusion for that Facebook, get it out of the way three, oh, I can't move, I can't leave it off, that one's blocked by that light, was blocked for that, those were all bad choices, one right, this is really this is exactly what I mean substandard ao3, men, not good positions, women get one of these too, oh that's true after that you broke your horrible signature pitch, we failed and we really need it, yeah, two months or two, oh well, it all comes down to this.

Isn't it one or in my last half? I think it's almost certainly the game, but now heads, let's try it, if I get strength or waste, you need three, any of the others, yeah, that's a 3-1, oh, that's what I'm saying. Let's do it, yeah, nuptup, okay, our duck sliders join us just a moment, you promise to put them in every round, there will be no custody, don't graduate, like everything is great, he has a great opponent, let me say , let me think I did. Don't expect a board game from four and a half centuries ago to be so compelling, it can't end, boy and Clara say, yeah, and maybe it's a good age, things are very often the conclusion here, you can have one there , let's get one and another.

I have to do it 3 and 4 and 3 and 4 and 3 and 4 for ages it works okay I don't play this anymore good it's a very good question it's a very good question and what we need is a little advertising and something It's not a form electronic, so you think it would be a good idea and then people all over the world will buy one of these walls from the British Museum and they will go home and there will be a new domestic happiness, excitement, I'm not sure. lovely domestic bliss whether it comes like sticks or stranger it always does always thought it's quite extraordinary I'm so glad we played together yes wonderful Thanks Malcolm every time you pass by there at night and fancy an average You may have noticed that We were talking about this game using a replica that actually looks like the original, with dice that look like the original, etc., which is a lot of fun to use.

It's quite exciting. Well, we used to do that replica, but actually right now. We don't have any more, but we're thinking that maybe we should make a remake so that millions of people around the world can enjoy this wonderful game the right way in the right landscape, so it's a topic of interest if you thought it was So. a good idea tell us in the comments section