Jeff Kyer says:
>Anyone familiar with oral traditions and legal systems should realize
>that 'rules text' is not going to be a problem. Modern folks just
>don't have the ability to memorize that was practiced in times past.
Yeah, but the ancient games (most games, really) I'm aware of aren't exactly juggernauts of rules complexity. They have to be easy to explain and not have too many exceptions. Which, of course, can be exploited by saying "The Balmyr don't know how to play Hearts -- they think the Queen of Hearts is worth 7 points!"
>Some things could be handed down -- the equivalent of a noble family's
>heirloom chesset. It makes for coolness.
Well, indeed, and there are many cool magical ideas -- I think there's a chess set in some Arthurian story that Lancelot can't win a game on. Maybe a set of dice that hates the Black Oaks, or that always make a good throw for an Issaries follower, or roll high for women.... Of course, dice, dominoes, and chess sets are more likely to survive than card decks -- "The very deck that Harmast used to win Arkat's shirt buttons....." Maybe not.
Peter Larsen
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