The PD games will always remain with us as they are not bound by copyrights and thus will never go out of print. We need not depend on the financial success of the manufacturers. They also tend to be well play tested as they predate the copright era.
You can get a playable version for $20 plus shipping on ebay. Trouble is, many of us that want this want a work of art - I am in that camp - and a game second.
I've got a backgammon set that I paid way too much money for because it looks awesome, feels awesome, and I enjoy playing just a little bit more because of it. But I have actually played backgammon in the past, have used my set many times, and will use it many times in the future. Bakelite can really make beautiful pieces and they also feel good in the hand.
Never having played Crokinole - heck, I don't even know for sure if I pronounce it correctly - makes it difficult to plunk down $100-$300 for a top quality playing surface. But seeing boards like that one really have made me look at it long and hard.
Some really great looking stones and boards that you can purchase for go. Be prepared to shell out the $$$ though. An 8" kaya masame floor board can run upwords of 19,000USD!!
Thanks! How could I have overlooked Go? The more expensive sets are indeed exceptional. Even with the cheaper sets, a 19x19 board is a component worthy of note.
Viewing an ongoing game can be like waatching a developing work of abstract art. It has the same sort of aesthetic effect as watching Life on a computer.
Of course, the $19K is just for the board. Naturally you would need stones and bowls of equal quality. And a place to play and store it. And the dollar has been losing ground lately...
As a rule, continental playing cards are much more aesthetically pleasing than their Anglo-American counterparts. The German suited "Wilhelm Tell Bild" is among my favorites.
By far the best looking western game BC (Before Copyrights) Its inclusion here should be obvious. In fact, the entire Chess family of games has a tendency to have eye pleasing bits.
Sadly, it is not a western game. It origin is Persian (todays Iran), as indicated by the name: English: Chess comes from German: Schach comes from Persian: Shah (meaning king).
True, Chess is derived from a Persian game. The Persion game, depending on whom you believe, was derived from an Indian or a Chinese one. I am using "Chess" here to refer specifically to the more modern game with the long ranging Bishops and Queens. The Persian game with the more limited movements of the Bishop (Fil) and Queen (Fers) I would call "Shatranj"
Whether French or Italian suited, Tarot decks are among the best looking cards in the world. NB, the Tarot was originally designed for playing a card game and was not initially a vehicle of the occult.
Although you don't need to buy anything more exciting than an egg carton to play Mancala, there are many beautifully carved boards out there, as well as many different variations.
Also called "Ludo" in the UK and perhaps in other anglophone societies. It appears typical of race games to have great looking boards. Perhaps this is a compensation for rudimentary game play.
This appears to be an example of the various "War Chess" games of the 18th and 18th centuries which were designed to add more verisimilitude in the representation of warfare.
If you know of any, feel free to add them. I may have seen some modern PD games with exceptional components, but I could not recall them when compiling the geeklist.
Thanks! How could I have overlooked Go?
True, Chess is derived from a Persian game. The Persion game, depending on whom you believe, was derived from an Indian or a Chinese one. I am using "Chess" here to refer specifically to the more modern game with the long ranging Bishops and Queens. The Persian game with the more limited movements of the Bishop (Fil) and Queen (Fers) I would call "Shatranj"
Durban
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I may have seen some modern PD games with exceptional components, but I could not recall them when compiling the geeklist.