Best idea for "craps" I've come across so far is the French word crapaud, which means toad. Players crouch around the dice like toads on the edge of a pond, I suppose.
"astragali (knuckle bones)" -- now, THERE's an interesting word.
Because there is a genus of plants known as astragalus. They are in the pea + bean family (fabaceae) and include locoweed.
It would be interesting to hear how a plant that is toxic to livestock became named for knuckle bones. Was it because you're rolling the dice with your herd if you let them eat the stuff?
My favorite was backgammon. I had a little travel version that I would bring to elementary school. The pieces were magnetic and it all zipped together in a little kit. The dice fit in these little cups and you spilled them onto your side so it felt like a bit of a ritual. Do you still do D&D? I was trying to talk a friend of mine who is a DM to use AI for his crew but he was not convinced. I think he was going to try it for the maps which is his least favorite part
I haven't played in a really long time, but there's a good chance I will some time relatively soon. A good friend I grew up with continued playing all throughout and after college, and 30+ years later he's still dabbling. If nothing else, it's an easy back door to return.
I also remember that backgammon kit, and there were little mini chess games like this too. Magnets!
Oh wow, for some reason, I expected dice to be a much more recent invention! And hellz yeah, I still play lots of board games that use the dice mechanic.
I think I had something like "400 years" in my mind when I first started down this rabbit hole, but it turns out that we really enjoy producing that element of chance that typically can only be found in nature.
What dice game do you most commonly play these days?
The most obvious one is King Of Tokyo which heavily relies on the Yatzy mechanic. (Have all the expansions and monster packs because I'm a collector weirdo.)
Then we have Duelosaur Island, Crypt, Tiny Epic Galaxies, and many cooperative games (Pandemic: The Cure. Burgle Bros 2, etc.).
I think the most bold assertion I made here was that rolling dice is a bit like stealing randomness from the universe, if that makes sense. It is a significant and special action for that reason. I wonder if you ever feel that when you throw dem bones.
I'm usually too busy bitching about other people (it's always the others) getting a lucky roll to be concerned with such trivial matters as the Universe!
So now I know where "roll the bones" came from- but whatever caused the dice game "craps" to get that name?
You're probably already familiar with this Rush song, but I very nearly shared it today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pm6tb7HkRI
Best idea for "craps" I've come across so far is the French word crapaud, which means toad. Players crouch around the dice like toads on the edge of a pond, I suppose.
Many dice games as a kid. Made up quite a few of our own, esp when we came of pre-legal drinking age. :)
That was such an amazing (and dangerous) age!
Shut the box—random favorite dice game. Least favorite is Yahtzee. That game comes out, and I’ll leave. Not just the room, the building! 😂
Ha! What's terrible about Yahtzee? I don't think I've ever played.
The sound of all those dice in a cup is a sound akin to fingernails done the chalkboard to me 😵💫
Ew, like scratching your fingernails along the seat belt!
"astragali (knuckle bones)" -- now, THERE's an interesting word.
Because there is a genus of plants known as astragalus. They are in the pea + bean family (fabaceae) and include locoweed.
It would be interesting to hear how a plant that is toxic to livestock became named for knuckle bones. Was it because you're rolling the dice with your herd if you let them eat the stuff?
I'm reading that the seed pods looked something like those common bones, so people started calling the plants after them. Neat!
I used to have some 10-sided dice for the "Pursue the Pennant" baseball game.
Nice, we had 10 sided dice for D&D too! 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 20 were the staples.
My favorite was backgammon. I had a little travel version that I would bring to elementary school. The pieces were magnetic and it all zipped together in a little kit. The dice fit in these little cups and you spilled them onto your side so it felt like a bit of a ritual. Do you still do D&D? I was trying to talk a friend of mine who is a DM to use AI for his crew but he was not convinced. I think he was going to try it for the maps which is his least favorite part
I haven't played in a really long time, but there's a good chance I will some time relatively soon. A good friend I grew up with continued playing all throughout and after college, and 30+ years later he's still dabbling. If nothing else, it's an easy back door to return.
I also remember that backgammon kit, and there were little mini chess games like this too. Magnets!
Oh wow, for some reason, I expected dice to be a much more recent invention! And hellz yeah, I still play lots of board games that use the dice mechanic.
I think I had something like "400 years" in my mind when I first started down this rabbit hole, but it turns out that we really enjoy producing that element of chance that typically can only be found in nature.
What dice game do you most commonly play these days?
Oh man, quite a few.
The most obvious one is King Of Tokyo which heavily relies on the Yatzy mechanic. (Have all the expansions and monster packs because I'm a collector weirdo.)
Then we have Duelosaur Island, Crypt, Tiny Epic Galaxies, and many cooperative games (Pandemic: The Cure. Burgle Bros 2, etc.).
I think the most bold assertion I made here was that rolling dice is a bit like stealing randomness from the universe, if that makes sense. It is a significant and special action for that reason. I wonder if you ever feel that when you throw dem bones.
I'm usually too busy bitching about other people (it's always the others) getting a lucky roll to be concerned with such trivial matters as the Universe!
I will take that as a "yes", and I'm delighted you've also had these thoughts!