Nine Man Morris, from the Roman empire to you.

I had three things in mind for the final game in my collection. It had to be a classic, I wanted it to look elegant and I wanted to conjure up the game complete, with storage, all into one integrated piece. Open and play.

This is my self contained tribute to a venerable game that was probably created around 1400 BC. Long before chess, long before Monopoly.

So what can you say about a game that is this old and is still enjoyably played by very young and very old alike whenever they see and try it? It speaks I think to our simple love of order and competitiveness. Place your pieces in a straight line, smile, slay your opponent.

The rules are simple. Each player places their pegs alternately, trying to form three in a row. If they succeed, (and you may block them), they get to remove one of your players. Pieces are placed but not moved until all are on the board. Then they may move straight down the lines only.
The end game is the exception. When you are reduced to three pieces, you may “fly” to any point on the board. You have a last chance desperate attacking mode available to you.

The woods are flame figured mahogany veneer laid up over commercial board with ipe used everywhere else as piece holders and trim,. I love commercial veneered board to build on. We go through about 500 sheets of board stock at our shop in any given year, giving up many, many offcuts, some of which are dead flat and ready to perform. Check your local dumpster or ask at the shop if you want great material.

Ipe is a real treat to work with too in smallish quantities. It polishes up like glass, machines like a dream to close tolerances most times and stays put and stable.

The procedure for the square holes was detailed in my review here.

When separating the top from the playing box I didn’t want a captured or loose lid and instead opted for clock case hinges. These have a natural open angle stop built in.

Tiny magnets up front keep the lid in position. Playing pieces are commercial cribbage counters in solid brass and nickel plated steel. http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=32777&cat=1,250,43313

This game has been claimed to have being solved by a computer long ago but who of us has a quad core processor behind our eyes, and who of us wishes to use it all the time? Games are for fun and this one’s perfect, in spite of its apparent age.

8” x 11” x 2 1/2”
About 28 hrs.
Build on LJ’s.
gene

great links for keeners with reviews & online game play
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/30493/user-review

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/125303/a-portrait-of-the-koala-as-a

http://www.ludoteka.com/ninemenmorris.html

details, still trying to get the photos right

some interesting grain structure

and a piston fit centre piece yields a tidy hidden compartment. but
anything put in here must, like your thoughts, be very quiet .

thanks to knickknack for helping me figure out how to use this site efficiently.

-- gene@toronto.ontario.canada : dovetail free since '53, critiques always welcome.