Nine Men’s Morris (-1400)

Nine men’s morris

Nine Men’s Morris is a strategy board game for two players that dates back to at least the Roman Empire. The game is also known as nine-man morris, mill, mills, the mill game, merels, merrills, merelles, marelles, morelles, and ninepenny marl in English. The game has been found in many ancient contexts, including an unmistakable board carved on a slab at the Egyptian Temple at Kurna, dated to 1300 BCE.

The game was popular in Italy, France, and England during the Middle Ages but was obsolete by 1600. By the time of the American Revolution, it was common for fashionable gaming tables to have both a Chess/Checkers board and a Nine Men’s Morris board.

Why is Nine men’s morris Popular?

Nine Men’s Morris is a classic game of pure strategy that has been described as “noughts and crosses for adults”. The game is significant because it is one of the oldest games in history and has been played throughout the world in various forms. The game is also a solved game, meaning that its optimal strategy has been calculated.

Game Components of Nine men’s morris

1 game board
9 player pieces of each color

Game Setup of Nine men’s morris

The board is made up of three concentric squares and several transversals, making 24 points of intersection.Two players, each provided with nine counters of a single color, lay pieces alternately upon the points.

Gameplay Mechanics of Nine men’s morris

The object of the game is to get three in a row (a mill) upon any line. On doing so, the player is entitled to remove from the board (capture) one adverse counter, but not one that is in a mill. When all pieces are placed, they slide from one position to another, still trying to form mills and capture enemy pieces. The aim of the game is to reduce the opponent to two pieces, rendering them unable to form any more mills.

Player Experience

Nine Men’s Morris is a game of pure strategy that requires players to think ahead and anticipate their opponent’s moves. The game is easy to learn but difficult to master, making it a challenging and engaging experience for players of all skill levels.

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