Tweet
Note: This article was originally hosted on the AC in 2000 with Erik Bernier's permission. Unfortunately the 2d image is lost to the ages - I can not find the linking file.
By Erik Bernier
Here is the setting a living history at your local period tavern, but to ruin the scene visitors and first person interpretation are lacking. As you sit there thinking, "What can I do to liven up this here shin-dig" you may, or may not, skip over some of these games that can be fun, enjoyable, relaxing, and hilarious.
Some of these games can be done outside, but are just better inside a nice period house
Bric-a-brac (the Tourist's Curiosities)- This game is explained in The American Boy's Handy Book (Originally Published 1850) as an "entertaining, startling, or boisterously funny" game. The first thing to do is dim the lights where the group of people is sitting by putting out a few candles or just play it in pitch dark at night. You to be particular that the group keeps their hands under the table, maintain silence, and keep your eyes closed. Then the person's turn it is makes up a story about this article such as a glove being stuffed with wet sand being a dead man's hand and tell them they have to keep the object in the hand. Tell them to feel it over and feel the texture of the cold, clammy hand of the dead man. After you have made up stories for a couple of items and they get passed around, everyone can open their eyes and look into a basket or what's not and see what the objects really are.
Then of course you have all of the other games that can be played indoors such as poker. One thing you will experience is that the usual cards you see on sutlers row are incorrect for our period being they were printed in the 1700's. One place that has some exceptional cards is The Arsenal owned by Eric Hector.
Outdoors/In the Field
You probably know the obvious games like poker and chuck-a-luck, but how about these games?
Blind-Mans Bluff- a simple game of the modern game Marco Polo, except you will not be in the pool (duh). First you have to find a handkerchief or huck-towel that can be wrapped around someone's head and cover their eyes. Once you have that set, you make up a fraise to be called out such as in Marco Polo where the blindfolded fellow yells Marco and you respond by saying Polo. The first one that is tagged is it.
Wrestling- loosen your suspenders for this one because it can get wild. One thing you have to remember while participating in this hilarious game is you are not in it to murder each other but simply for fun. One good thing to do is avoid the dumb WWF moves.
Baseball- there is an argument over how to officially play this game, but one of the best ways I have read is to deiced of the rules between the teams before hand. One thing that also helps is to make sure everyone knows where the bases are beforehand. Some popular rules of the period were to get someone out you could peg them with the ball, no strikeouts (my favorite), and no fouls. Mr. Sullivan of Sullivan's Press sells a pamphlet with rules that are good to go buy.
Cards- these can be used for a varying amount of games and a game I most enjoy is poker. If you are looking to bet on these something easy and accessible that can be used are musket caps, twigs, and pebbles. I will not list the rules of poker being it is too much to put into writing so ask a pard.
Marbles- you will need roughly 20 small marbles and about 4 large marbles (shooting) for the game. The large marbles are used to shoot the small ones out of the ring you will draw in the dirt. Once you have the circular shape drawn, you need to place the small marbles in. After you've completed that and all the small marbles are placed in, you take turn shooting at them with your large marbles. When all of the small marbles are out of the circular shape, you count yours up and whoever has the most marbles wins. I recommend using clay marbles that can be obtained at most antique stores and shows.
Music
A.) This is always something relaxing that can be done using a pair of wooden bones, which are obtainable at Red Dragoon Music, a banjo, harmonica, or Jews harp. Of course I will not bore you by going into how to play each instrument, but it may take some hunting to find some period music.
B.) With using the musical instruments listed above, you can put on a minstrel show, but please due to modern politics and simple manners use racism as entertainment because it isn't. A period way of obtaining the dark skin is wet charcoal from the fire, which is easily washable. One thing for enjoyment you can do is a jig or clog dance on a hard surface, such as a hardtack box.
Dominoes- the following is the rules* one of the easiest games that can be played with dominoes.
The block game is the simplest of all Domino games. Two, three or four may play. With two, each player draws seven bones for his hand. With three or four, each takes five bones.
The player holding the highest doublet sets it-lays it down as the first play. The turn to play then rotates to his left.
Each play is made by adding a bone to an open end of the layout, with like numbers touching. The layout always has two open ends. The two branches are built off the sides of the set, and all doublets are customarily placed crosswise, but this does not affect the number of open ends.
If a player cannot play in turn, he passes. The game ends when a player gets rid of his hand or when no player is able to add to the layout. The one with the lightest remaining hand (which may be no bones at all) wins the total of pips on all bones remaining in the other hands. The amount needed to win a game may be fixed by agreement, as 100 in three-hand play.
All that a Player can do to control his destiny in this simple block game is to try to keep the largest assortment of different numbers in his hand as long as possible. For example, if a player has choice of playing the 54 or 5-3 on an open 5, he should choose according as he has other 4s or 3s in his hand.
Some good period dominoes can be obtained from your local antique store or on E-bay.
Credits:
The web site I got the direction s for dominoes is as follows: http://www.iserv.net/~central/GAMES/dominoes/dominoes.html
It is said the rules came out of the Hoyles Book of Rules.
Hard Tack and Coffee written by John Billings and the original publishing company was Press of J. J. Arakelyn. The book was reprinted in 1982.
American Boy's Handy Book with the foreword by Noel Perrin. Was re-published in 1983 by David R. Godine, Publisher, Inc.
Soldier Life by the Editors of Time-Life Books. No printing information is available so if someone knows of any please contact me at CWBoy220@aol.com so credits may be given.
Got the to photographs from Selected Civil War Photographs Home Page web site
http://rs6.loc.gov/cwphome.html