Monopoly, Risk and Clue have roots buried deep in the sands of ancient Mesopotamia.

British archeologist Charles Leonard Woolley unearthed the initial known board game in the late 1920's. He was excavating a burial tomb in Ur, what's now southern Iraq. The game, buried with other treasure, have been interred nearly 4,500 years earlier. The Royal Game of Ur is the earliest known game. Not merely did Woolley discover the game board and game pieces, he also found instructions for playing the game. These were engraved in cuneiform texts located at the site. mutubet88 of Ur, or the 'game of 20 squares' was a race game with two players racing to the finish of the board. After that similar game boards have been found through the entire ancient world, from Egypt to India. The overall game Woolley found can still be played today, just as the ancient Sumerians enjoyed it.

Board games have been popular in just about any known civilization. Many civilizations were playing games before they developed any form of written language.

Board games can be found in two basic types. The initial uses strategy to win the game. The object is to block or capture opposing game pieces or even to capture larger portions of the overall game board. Monopoly and checkers are both types of the strategy game. Strategy alone will not insure victory.

Chance plays a substantial role in most board games, but not all. Some of the most respectable games, chess for example, focus on skill with hardly any luck involved.

Purists believe that luck is an undesirable element. They have the games should be based entirely on strategy and skill. Others feel the element of chance gives these games more complexity with many more possible strategies. These folks feel the part of luck makes these games more exciting. On the other hand, games that are completely games of chance, where no or few decisions are made, quickly become boring to most adults. Many children's board games are games of luck with few decisions to be produced.

The second types of games are race games. Two or more players move pieces in a race from one point on the board to another. Backgammon is an example of a race game. Again, mutubet88 of chance can be an essential ingredient in these games.

Luck is introduced into the game in a number of ways. About the most ways is to apply dice. The dice can regulate how many units a play can move, how forces fare in battle or which resources a new player gains. Another common approach to introducing change is to apply a deck of special cards. In yet other games spinners or other such devices are accustomed to determine the play.