As we know from war reports, the battlefield is empty at the beginning. The soldiers on both sides stand and wait for the signal to attack. The signal is given. The two players now take it in turns to place a piece on the board. By placing your own pieces skilfully and carefully, you can also capture your opponent's pieces in this phase of the game. Once all the soldiers (pieces) are on the board, one soldier goes and each player tries to capture the other's pieces by skilfully placing them in order to emerge victorious.
The ludus latrunculorum, or latrunculi for short, is often referred to as a soldier's game, as the name is derived from latro for soldier. There are no precisely defined rules for this ancient Roman game (created around 300 BC). Numerous playing fields of different sizes were found along the Limes, the Roman border wall. The number of playing pieces certainly also varied. The rules of the game used here are based on the explanations of Ulrich Schädler, director of the Swiss Games Museum.
Ovid( born 22 March 43 BC in Sulmo; died probably 17 AD in Tomis), a Roman poet who was also a war correspondent, frequently mentioned this game in his works, for example in ‘Art of Love III’.
Our board games are burnt onto leather, making them durable. And the game almost packs itself for transport. All you have to do is press the game down slightly with one finger in the centre of the playing field, pull the string and the game has already packed itself. It should stay that way for transport. So all you have to do now is push the bead up to the bag that has just formed and the game is packed ready for travelling. The games can be used in this way on hikes, on bike tours, in the car or even on long flights. The games are packed so small that the pocket of a jacket is sufficient to take this pleasant form of entertainment with you.