A few years ago I encountered The Royal Game of Ur online at yourturnmyturn.com. I had avoided this traditional game, because both the dice and the various special squares were turnoffs for me at the time. Learning and playing this was a revelation, with two things going on at the same time. First of all it was freaky to experience something that came from the beginning of civilisation. Secondly I was surprised by how entertaining the game was, with a mix of randomness and something resembling tactics. The catch up mechanism made it exciting.

I say randomness, but really with four one/zero dice some totals are more likely than others. That's part of the tactics. Since then I have tried to use dice in game designs.

The game at yourturnmyturn used images from a museum game. This was vital for feeling like you have time traveled. You can sense the material. This whole online game, the image, the rules, came from the British Museum. Details matter. There is more than one interpretation of the rules out there. The online game played well, dice and stuff. You will notice there is no link. The site has replaced the online game with a different version. There is a number of online versions of this game around, with their pros and cons, but there is really no substitute for the British Museum one.
 

Before I came across this online game I saw a video about The Epic of Gilgamesh. This is more absorbable than you might think. Interesting. Time travel.
 

So it occurred to me that I wish I could go back in (my) time for an immersive "Sumerian Experience". For a couple of days, learn about Sumeria from whatever source, the history and the often beautiful artifacts. A bit of cuneiform. Experience The Epic of Gilgamesh. Learn and play The Royal Game of Ur, as authentically as possible. Music? Ah .. not really, but