Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
tp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senet
)
anditwasinventedinaround3500BC,sothegame
is about 5,500 years old.
A screenshot from Egyptian Senet (by Mohammed Ezzat), a digital interpretation of Senet available
for iOS devices
Senet had all the attributes that associated with a typical board game; there were
game pieces in the form of pawns, a random number generator—not a dice but spe-
cial casting sticks—and a board consisting of 30 square cells (3 x 10). The main goal
of the player was to pass the board (the original rules were lost in the sands of time,
so now players use various reconstructions). So Senet is a race game. The most
intriguing part is that the squares on the board come with special abilities, marked
with symbols that work like reward or pitfall squares in modern board games. Various
forms of strategies can be used in the game because the player can fight with his
opponent and cunning can lurk not only on the board in specific dangerous locations
but in an opponent's actions too. So it is a competition with the elements of nature
and with other humans, which is why the board game became so popular all over the
world.
Let's try to determine the basic components of a board game, using Senet as a tried
and true example:
•
Rules
: The game cannot be played without a set of rules that define the main
goal, principles of victory, a structure of turns, and many other things. They
should be immutable to exclude any chance of ambiguity while playing the
game.
•
Board
: This is the space where all the actions take place. Usually, this is a
grid of squares or a path around the board (it can be looped).
•
Game pieces
: These are various figures that represent the player or his
army. At the most basic levels, they look like discs (or stones) painted black
or white.
