Illustration 4: the board for eleven and Board Games at CYNINGSTAN
twelve men's morris. Traditional Board Game Series (Second Edition) 4 Leaflet #17 The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #17: Other Morris Games The Traditional Board Game Series Leaflet #17: Other Morris Games
game was played in Wiltshire in
INTRODUCTION & HISTORY England, and was observed in 1897. Nine Mens Morris is the best these games were played in much The game is played with six men known morris game in much of the same way, but the layout of the per side on the board shown in Il- Europe. But there were a number board and the number of pieces lustration 3, but unlike six men's of other morris games played across differed. This leaflet gives the rules morris, allows a row of three men to Europe and the wider world. All to the most popular games. be formed on the lines that connect the triangles together. HOW TO PLAY Eleven & Twelve Mens Morris Most morris games share the fol- can take one of his opponents lowing common rules. pieces, so long as that piece is not These games are played on the itself part of a mill. board shown in Illustration 4, with Common Rules eleven or twelve men per side. In 6. If when capturing as in rule Illustration 2: the board for five and six 5, all opposing pieces form mills, early forms of the game, the diagon- 1. Morris games are played by men's morris. then any of the pieces may be cap- al lines were for movement only, two players, with pieces placed on game. but in the modern form, it is per- the points of a lined board. tured. Three men's morris is one of missible to form mills upon them. 2. The board starts empty, each 7. A player wins the game the most widely played board Twelve mens morris is the player holding all his pieces in when the opponent is reduced to 2 games in the world. It has been game taken to New England by the hand. pieces and is thus unable to form a found across all three continents of first settlers. In this game, a player 3. At first, each player in turn mill or make further captures. the old world, and it has been in ex- may move his pieces from one point puts one piece on the board, at any Three Mens Morris and Achi istence for so long that it is not ap- to any other when he is reduced to vacant point. parent where it was first invented. four pieces or less. 4. Once all These two Achi, however, is an African vari- pieces are on the games are played ant. board, a player in- on the board stead moves one shown in Illustra- Five & Six Mens Morris of his pieces along tion 1, three men's These two games are played on a marked line to morris with three the board shown in Illustration 2, an adjacent empty pieces for each one with five pieces each, and the point. player, and achi other with six. Note that it is not 5. If a piece with four. Rules possible to form a row of three on placed or moved differ in that there the lines that connect the two as in rules 3 or 4 is no capture; the squares together. forms a row of first player who three along a forms a row of Sixpenny Maddell marked line three pieces imme- (called a mill), he Illustration 1: the board for three men's diately wins the This curious variant of the Illustration 3: the board for sixpenny morris and achi. maddell.