Bruce Padget
United States
Pomona
California [CA]
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Backgammon is pretty much the sole survivor of a family of dozens of games, collectively known as Tables.
I've just uploaded this file, the handout for a class on Renaissance Tables games that I've taught in the Society for Creative Anachronism. Because the SCA focuses on pre-17th century western European culture, the class is mostly games that can be dated before 1601. Nineteen of the games can be played with a modern Backgammon set.
Note that Backgammon itself probably doesn't date to 1601. The first known mention of Backgammon by name is a letter from the mid-17th century.
None of the games in the handout are played by anyone other than living history buffs, so I didn't think they warranted separate game entries.
I hope you find some of these interesting. My SO and I actually prefer Irish to Backgammon, as it reduces the influence of dumb luck. (The main difference between Irish and Backgammon is that in Irish, a roll of doubles doesn't count double.) And for a gambling tables game, I much prefer Ticktack to Backgammon.
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