Questions tagged [game]
Questions related to the history of structured forms of play or entertainment, whether of a group or individual activity or mental exercise.
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What is the historic validity of "Nothing is real; everything is permitted" as the Assassins' motto?
"Nothing is true; everything is permitted" - I find this phrase, popularized by the game Assassins' Creed, quite confusing even as historic fiction.
Historically, the Hassansins (a.k.a the ...
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What is this military march sampled in "Hell March"?
The video game Command & Conquer: Red Alert features a song titled Hell March by Frank Klepacki, which includes a voice sample of an unidentified military officer.
The sample appears to originate ...
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Did D&D and similar media actually increase interest in the occult?
There was a scare in the 80s and less so the 90s surrounding things like the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) or other media that depicts magic as a narrative element and a ...
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When and where were British pub games first played?
I've been searching for the answer of the origin/ history of pub games in British pubs. However, this is what I've encountered in some different sources ( including Wikipedia):
In his book, Beer and ...
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Was there a US state where video games were banned by accident?
I remember reading about some US state that banned video games up until something like the mid-seventies, not intentionally, but as collateral damage of a vaguely worded law intending to ban slot ...
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What went into an Edo-era Hyakkumonogatari Kaidankai?
I was looking for information on the Edo-era parlour game hyakkumonogatari kaidankai. I found a lot of academic sources about kaidan themselves (the history, spread, adaption, influence, etc.) But at ...
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When did “Duck, Duck, Goose“ migrate from Sweden to America?
I am curious as to when the game “Duck, Duck, Goose” moved from Sweden to America. Many of my friends whose parents are 65-80 years old never played the game and only heard of it because their ...
Jessie Simms
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What is the oldest known reference to "The Circle Game"?
The Circle Game] is certainly much older than the Baby Boomers, being already a boys' standard in Middle School when I arrived in the 1960's. But what is the oldest known reference to it (or a ...
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In the "Christmas truce" of 1914 were there any football (soccer) matches between British and German troops?
British and German troops meeting in no man's land during the unofficial truce. Source: Wikipedia
As the holiday season is upon us again this year, I am reminded of the 1914 Christmas truce (German: ...
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What is the oldest known board game for 3+ people?
What is the oldest board game for 3 or more people? The oldest one I'm aware of is Halma from 1883 or 1884. Interestingly, Chinese Checkers was supposedly derived from it a few years later, even ...
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Why were Roman dice elongated?
According to this article, Roman dice did not always have the modern cube-shaped form:
[I]n contrast with modern dice, they weren’t always exactly cubes.
Sometimes they were noticeably a bit ...
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Before and during WW2, how were war games played?
One example that I've gleaned from this website accounts a Japanese war game for the Battle of Midway:
In the tabletop manoeuvres, for example, a situation developed in which the Nagumo Force ...
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What's the longest recorded uninterrupted sequence of single color (red/black) in a professional casino? [closed]
There is a common misconception is that if there is a long period of unlucky outcomes, it's more likely that there will be a lucky one. But of course the probability of each one is identical, and such ...
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What was the first ever televised lottery?
The UK's National Lottery has been on TV since 1994. A similar state-owned lottery in Poland has been on air for much longer, since 1973. However, the scarce information available about it online ...
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How would American foreigners have been treated by Mexico shortly after the beginning of WWII?
I am curious to know what everyday life might have been like for a trio of American foreigners in the northern, near-border regions of Mexico during the early days of World War Two. Specifically, I am ...
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What was everyday life in Mexico like during the early days of WWII? [closed]
I am curious to know what everyday life might have been like for a trio of American foreigners in the northern, near-border regions of Mexico during the early days of World War Two. Specifically, I am ...
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Meaning of 19th-century American parlour games
I would really appreciate it if someone could explain to me the meaning of three American parlour games of the 19th century. I am now translating a novel where these games are mentioned and would like ...
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Why do some playing cards have only one eye?
At some point, playing cards graduated from having wildly varying designs to having a standard design. Kings of Hearts are now "suicide kings," because of the sword behind their head, and Jacks of ...
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Is there any historical basis for the red/white color scheme of the Assassins?
I recently saw a documentary about the Crusades, and during the scene in which Saladin is almost assassinated by the historical order of Assassins, they are portrayed as wearing plain white clothes ...
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Why is Kubb - a skittles game - associated with the Viking Age?
Is there any evidence to suggest that kubb might have been played in the Viking Age, or was it just associated with Viking history to promote it? If so, who invented it, or when did it originate?
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How would Chess have been played in England in 1450-1600?
I'm trying to reconstruct how Chess would have been played at various points in history in England, specifically at three points: around 1450, 1530, and 1610.
What rules would have been used at these ...
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What rules of the ancient Roman game 'Harpastum' are known?
I have heard of the ancient Roman game known as Harpastum. What rules of this games are known? I have two particular principal points of interest, how were points scored and what happened (i.e. was ...
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How historically accurate is Age of Empires III? [closed]
Probably not the best place to post this question, but after all, I am interested in history and while cleaning up some stuff I came across the Age of Empires III game which I had bought a while ago.
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Did Marco Polo really play Weiqi (Go)?
Somebody told me that until the twentieth century Marco Polo was the strongest westerner ever to play go (weiqi). Is this true? I can't find any reference to it. Googling Marco Polo and go doesn't ...
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What is the origin of the "wheat and chessboard" legend?
The "wheat and chessboard" fable describes a geometric problem that is often quoted in stories about the invention of chess. According to Wikipedia, the main theme of the fable is:
When the creator ...
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What are Kottabos players holding in their left hand?
What are these Kottabos players holding in their left hand?
It is seen in a lot of similar pictures. It is as if the player refills the kylix from it. Is it a skyphos? Any info on this?
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