boardgamevideo
  • Trending
  • Videos
  • Games
  • Channels
  • Lists
  • Shorts

Explore

  • Home
  • Trending
  • Channels
  • Videos
  • Games
  • Lists
  • Shorts
  • Conventions
  • Year in Review

Browse by type

  • Reviews
  • How to play
  • Playthroughs
  • Unboxing
  • Top 100 lists
  • Featured videos
  • Trending this week
  • Rising games
  • Games with fresh review perspectives

Information

  • About
  • Contact
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022–2026 BoardGameVideo.com

Powered by BGG
  • Videos
  • Trending
  • Shorts
  • Channels
  • Games
  • Lists
The Royal Game of Ur

The Royal Game of Ur

Videos
18
Creators
14

Mainly how-to-play. The Royal Game of Ur is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 3 reviews, 10 how-to-play guides, 2 recorded sessions, and 3 other videos.

2 players
30 min
Light weight: Learn it in minutes

From BoardGameGeek

The game has been published under different names but it is a simple race game very much like Backgammon. This edition has a board that is a reproduction of the original found in the Mesopotamian city of Ur. Each player brings their 7 pieces in to play and takes them off of their outer track. Opposing pieces come into conflict on the inner track that they must travel on to the exit. If you land on a space occupied by a single opponent's piece you send it back to the start. If you land on a space occupied by 2 or more opponent's pieces then your piece goes back to the start. The four dice give a marked or blank result. They are tetrahedral (four-sided) dice. Each die gives a "1" or a "0". You can roll 0,1,2,3, or 4. Statistically, 2 is most common- a good thing to bear in mind. The rosette in the central track is a "safe" place from which you cannot be bumped, but you can be bumped on others. Landing on any rosette allows you to roll again, but you don't need to move that same piece. All moves must be made by one piece only. First to bear off all 7 of his pieces wins. Note - Rules update in line with guidance from Irving Finkel from British Museum. The game may be a relative of Senet and Aseb.

The Royal Game of Ur

Watch first

Learn to play

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!7:25

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!

NewVenture Games

NewVenture Games

Review

The Board Game Kaptain's review and tutorial for The Royal Game of Ur20:06

The Board Game Kaptain's review and tutorial for The Royal Game of Ur

The Board Game Kaptain

The Board Game Kaptain

Watch it played

Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur25:33

Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur

The British Museum

The British Museum

Which video should I watch for The Royal Game of Ur?

The Royal Game of Ur has 18 videos from 14 creators: 3 reviews, 10 how-to-play guides, 2 playthroughs and 3 other videos. They date from 2014 to December 2025.

To learn the rules, start with "The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!" by NewVenture Games, which runs 7 min.

For an opinion before you buy, start with "The Board Game Kaptain's review and tutorial for The Royal Game of Ur" by The Board Game Kaptain. 3 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur" by The British Museum, one of 2 playthroughs.

If you like it, try Backgammon, SHŌBU, Checkers or boop., which share several of its mechanics.

All videos

The world's oldest board game: The Royal Game of Ur | Irving Finkel and Lex FridmanInterview13:21

The world's oldest board game: The Royal Game of Ur | Irving Finkel and Lex Fridman

Lex Clips

Lex Clips

Ancient Game of Ur | How to Play Board Games | Learn to Play Board GamesHow to play6:39

Ancient Game of Ur | How to Play Board Games | Learn to Play Board Games

WE Games

WE Games

The Royal Game of Ur - Juego Real de Ur - Version compleja, 1001 Juegos de mesa antiguos y nuevos.How to play37:14

The Royal Game of Ur - Juego Real de Ur - Version compleja, 1001 Juegos de mesa antiguos y nuevos.

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

Juego Real de Ur Version 1 - The Royal Game of Ur. 101 juegos de mesa del mundo antiguos y nuevosHow to play16:47

Juego Real de Ur Version 1 - The Royal Game of Ur. 101 juegos de mesa del mundo antiguos y nuevos

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

Make, Play and Win: The Royal Game of UrHow to play19:21

Make, Play and Win: The Royal Game of Ur

The Name Of The Game

The Name Of The Game

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!How to play7:25

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!

NewVenture Games

NewVenture Games

Il gioco da tavolo più antico al mondoReview10:33

Il gioco da tavolo più antico al mondo

Miss Meeple

Miss Meeple

Tavola reale di Ur (Gioco Sumero) - Recensioni Minute [437]Review7:04

Tavola reale di Ur (Gioco Sumero) - Recensioni Minute [437]

Recensioni Minute

Recensioni Minute

How to play the Royal Game of UrHow to play13:11

How to play the Royal Game of Ur

Deny Us Not Game Night

Deny Us Not Game Night

Researcher Irving Finkel on translating the rules of The Royal Game ofUr7:03

Researcher Irving Finkel on translating the rules of The Royal Game ofUr

The British Museum

The British Museum

Royal Game of Ur Game ReportPlaythrough29:41

Royal Game of Ur Game Report

The Board Game Kaptain

The Board Game Kaptain

Juego Real de Ur [DIY]How to play5:29

Juego Real de Ur [DIY]

Geek Night Games

Geek Night Games

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!7:25

The 5,000-year-old Royal Game of UR!

NewVenture Games

NewVenture Games

How to play the Royal Game of Ur13:11

How to play the Royal Game of Ur

Deny Us Not Game Night

Deny Us Not Game Night

Make, Play and Win: The Royal Game of Ur19:21

Make, Play and Win: The Royal Game of Ur

The Name Of The Game

The Name Of The Game

The Royal Game of Ur: Rules and Strategy (Part 1 of 2)16:50

The Royal Game of Ur: Rules and Strategy (Part 1 of 2)

HnefataflModern

HnefataflModern

Royal Game of Ur Rules Variations13:21

Royal Game of Ur Rules Variations

3D Printing Professor

3D Printing Professor

Juego Real de Ur [DIY]5:29

Juego Real de Ur [DIY]

Geek Night Games

Geek Night Games

The Royal Game of Ur: Rules and Strategy (Part 2 of 2)16:46

The Royal Game of Ur: Rules and Strategy (Part 2 of 2)

HnefataflModern

HnefataflModern

Juego Real de Ur Version 1 - The Royal Game of Ur. 101 juegos de mesa del mundo antiguos y nuevos16:47

Juego Real de Ur Version 1 - The Royal Game of Ur. 101 juegos de mesa del mundo antiguos y nuevos

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

The Royal Game of Ur - Juego Real de Ur - Version compleja, 1001 Juegos de mesa antiguos y nuevos.37:14

The Royal Game of Ur - Juego Real de Ur - Version compleja, 1001 Juegos de mesa antiguos y nuevos.

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI

Ancient Game of Ur | How to Play Board Games | Learn to Play Board Games6:39

Ancient Game of Ur | How to Play Board Games | Learn to Play Board Games

WE Games

WE Games

The Board Game Kaptain's review and tutorial for The Royal Game of Ur20:06

The Board Game Kaptain's review and tutorial for The Royal Game of Ur

The Board Game Kaptain

The Board Game Kaptain

Il gioco da tavolo più antico al mondo10:33

Il gioco da tavolo più antico al mondo

Miss Meeple

Miss Meeple

Tavola reale di Ur (Gioco Sumero) - Recensioni Minute [437]7:04

Tavola reale di Ur (Gioco Sumero) - Recensioni Minute [437]

Recensioni Minute

Recensioni Minute

Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur25:33

Tom Scott vs Irving Finkel: The Royal Game of Ur

The British Museum

The British Museum

Royal Game of Ur Game Report29:41

Royal Game of Ur Game Report

The Board Game Kaptain

The Board Game Kaptain

The world's oldest board game: The Royal Game of Ur | Irving Finkel and Lex Fridman13:21

The world's oldest board game: The Royal Game of Ur | Irving Finkel and Lex Fridman

Lex Clips

Lex Clips

8 of 14

Creators who cover this

All channels
GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI
GAMES AND PUZZLES CALI
2 videos of this game
HnefataflModern
HnefataflModern
2 videos of this game
The Board Game Kaptain
The Board Game Kaptain
2 videos of this game
The British Museum
The British Museum
2 videos of this game
3D Printing Professor
3D Printing Professor
1 video of this game
Deny Us Not Game Night
Deny Us Not Game Night
1 video of this game
Game Night Picks
Game Night Picks
1 video of this game
Geek Night Games
Geek Night Games
1 video of this game

Games like this

All games

Backgammon

Videos
37
Creators
25
Mostly how-to-play and reviews

2 players·30 min·Medium weight

SHŌBU

2019·Jamie Sajdak, Manolis Vranas

Videos
49
Creators
42
Mainly reviews

2 players·15 - 30 min·Light weight

Checkers

Videos
20
Creators
16
Mainly how-to-play

2 players·30 min·Light weight

boop.

2022·Scott Brady

Videos
75
Creators
60
Mainly reviews and playthroughs

2 players·20 - 30 min·Light weight

About The Royal Game of Ur

From BoardGameGeek:

The game has been published under different names but it is a simple race game very much like Backgammon. This edition has a board that is a reproduction of the original found in the Mesopotamian city of Ur. Each player brings their 7 pieces in to play and takes them off of their outer track. Opposing pieces come into conflict on the inner track that they must travel on to the exit. If you land on a space occupied by a single opponent's piece you send it back to the start. If you land on a space occupied by 2 or more opponent's pieces then your piece goes back to the start. The four dice give a marked or blank result. They are tetrahedral (four-sided) dice. Each die gives a "1" or a "0". You can roll 0,1,2,3, or 4. Statistically, 2 is most common- a good thing to bear in mind. The rosette in the central track is a "safe" place from which you cannot be bumped, but you can be bumped on others. Landing on any rosette allows you to roll again, but you don't need to move that same piece. All moves must be made by one piece only. First to bear off all 7 of his pieces wins. Note - Rules update in line with guidance from Irving Finkel from British Museum. The game may be a relative of Senet and Aseb.

Artists

Mariela Arratia, Vlad Korniuk, Mathew Sisson

Categories

Abstract StrategyDice

Mechanics

RaceRoll and MoveGrid MovementAbstract Movement & Capture
View on BoardGameGeek ›
Home
Games
The Royal Game of Ur
cached: 1602