hist-games: Frequently Asked Questions -- Part II (Monthly Posting)

[David Salley]

	Welcome to the Medieval and Renaissance Games FAQ file! - Part II
	=================================================================
	Send corrections/updates/suggestions for this file to: 
	salley at niktow.canisius.edu OR http://www-cs.canisius.edu/~salley

10.) Is the game [ X ] period?

	BACKGAMMON
	Backgammon is a just-post-period variant of an ancient family of 
	games called Tables. A close relative, "Irish", probably dates 
	back to the middle ages.  Irish is played identically to backgammon
	with the following exceptions: no doubling cube, no second turn on
	'doubles', and no higher payoffs for 'gammons' or other wins.
					-- Justin du Couer

	BOWLING
	Games involving throwing or rolling balls towards various numbers 
	of target pins go back at least to the 12th century, and probably 
	earlier. Some of these games were played with weighted or 
	non-spherical balls that rolled in an arc rather than a straight 
	line.  Other related games involved throwing sticks at pins rather 
	than rolling a ball at them.  Non-pin bowling, where the aim is to 
	come closest to a smaller target ball, is also very old.
					-- Dafydd ap Gwystl 

	CATHEDRAL
	Strictly 20th century in origin.  

	CHECKERS or DRAUGHTS
	Brought back from the Crusades as a variant of Al-Querques

	CHESS
	Modern chess is late-period, but is close to versions known 
	throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Probably originated 
	in India before 1000AD, and spread everywhere from there. 
	See "A History of Chess" by H.R.Murray or the Historical Chess 
	Variants Webpage linked to the Medieval & Renaissance Games Webpage
					-- Justin du Couer

	CHESS
	CHINESE CHECKERS
	CROQUET
	CRICKET
	DARTS
	DOMINOES
	To be updated later this week.

Apologies for posting the FAQs a week late, but I've had the week from Hell;
one car breakdown, three job interviews, sixteen hours of overtime.
This week looks to be saner, I should be able to type up my notes on the
above games and add them to the FAQ files.

This week's games are:

	FOOTBALL -- specifically not period, but object-into-goal games
	were popular, anyone want to write up a summary?

	GOLF -- invented in Scotland in period.  More details welcome.

	THE GREAT DALMUTI -- invented by Dagonell who will never have to
	work again except for cashing those royalty checks :-)
	Seriously, I'm including this on the list because it DOES get
	asked of me at demos and such.

	HOCKEY -- Not a clue!

	HOPSCOTCH -- children's version of a Roman legionnaire's exercise,
	similar to the way modern football players run through truck tires.

					-- Dagonell (The _EVIL_ twin,
 					Justin is the goody-twoshoes! ;-)
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