Senet

Senet is an ancient game that originated in Egypt in north Africa and, unsurprisingly, is imbued with religious significance. The aim of Senet (meaning 'passing') is to be blessed by the gods and transition into the afterlife, symbolically represented in Senet by removing all of the player's pieces from the board.

The Senet board itself consists of three rows with ten squares each called 'houses'. Unlike many modern games, Senet does not use dice, even though they are believed to have been invented by 3100BCE when Senet is first recorded, but instead uses Senet sticks. The players throws the sticks and how many sticks land with the black side facing up determines the move. To play this online version of Senet, simply scroll down the page.

Senet	Senet	Senet
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Each player gets five game pieces at the beginning of each Senet game and the idea is to move all of your pieces off the board to win. Historically these pieces were small pebbles or coins but in this online version they are represented by pyramids. Although you'll get the hang of Senet as you become familiar with the game, when you reach a square already occupied by your opponent, the pyramids exchange positions although some houses are safe.

These are the House of Rebirh, the House of Happiness, the House of Water, the House of the Three Truths, which you can only leave when you thow a three, and the House of Re-Atoum which you can only leave when a two is thrown.