Rithmomachy: the Philosopher's Game

[didymus]

Heard about this on a Catholic podcast – it was apparently quite the rage in the Middle Ages, played by everyone from Roger Bacon to St Thomas More. The inhabitants of More’s Utopia played it.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rithmomachy

Apparent;y you can buy sets but they look rather expensive but shouldn’t be too hard to make.

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

This looks sooo interesting! The link mentions it as a teaching tool, but I wonder what they were teaching?

A person could probably make their own set, using checker pieces as the bases for the shapes used in the game. It wouldn’t be too hard to make up a “mat” for the game, either. It would be fun to learn this game.

Thanks for the link!

 

[4Horsemen]

Could be fun. But I’ll go with Mario Kart. Almost any Nintendo Wii game.

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

Could be fun. But I’ll go with Mario Kart. Almost any Nintendo Wii game.

“Mario Kart?” Wii?

Aren’t those just elaborate Pong games???

Take the challenge, this could be mind expanding!

 

[4Horsemen]

“Mario Kart?” Wii?

Aren’t those just elaborate Pong games???

Take the challenge, this could be mind expanding!

Actually, the race-type games are way too fast for me. My kids almost always beat me. I’d rather do bowling, tennis, etc . . . cool, reality-type games. A hockey game is coming out in September. From what I’ve seen of the commercial with Wayne Gretsky, shortened hockey sticks are the controllers.

Better yet, I’d rather play an old-fashioned game of ping pong. Even better yet, play real hockey!

 

[4Horsemen]

Actually, I think this thread is supposed to be about “faith and reason” as related to the game in the OP. Thanks to our Holy Father for his enlightenment in this area. Remember the reaction from his Regensburg Address? Let us pray for him daily.

“Even scientific thought is built on the faith that the universe is coherent, that the human mind and the knowability of the world are in synchrony with each other.”
(Donald De Marco–professor emeritus of philosophy at St. Jerome University in Ontario)

zenit.org/article-16955?l=english
(Regensburg Address)

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

Well, I’m not sure what the OP meant, other than to introduce us to this game. But, I agree, the Holy Father rocks!

I wouldn’t mind a game of ping-pong, for real that is, or bowling. I’m a little old for the contact sports, although now that my youngest is too old to be asking for horsey rides, I find I have grandchildren who ask for them. I gave up umping baseball some thirty years ago, due to cartilage damage in the knees.

So, I find I enjoy the board games of my youth, like chess. Like I said, this “rithmomachy” looks mighty interesting. Figuring out how to play it may just keep me off the streets on these summer nights!

 

[didymus]

Actually, I think this thread is supposed to be about “faith and reason” as related to the game in the OP. Thanks to our Holy Father for his enlightenment in this area. Remember the reaction from his Regensburg Address? Let us pray for him daily.

Please do check out the 'cast in my sig but I found the game at Catholic Under the Hood by Fr Seraphim Beshoner, TOR. You will see that he now has a “today in Catholic history” feed subscribable by RSS but the 'cast itself you can get via iTunes.

“Even scientific thought is built on the faith that the universe is coherent, that the human mind and the knowability of the world are in synchrony with each other.”
(Donald De Marco–professor emeritus of philosophy at St. Jerome University in Ontario)

zenit.org/article-16955?l=english
(Regensburg Address)

I certainly remember the uproar – many more years to our Holy Father!

 

[4Horsemen]

Please do check out the 'cast in my sig but I found the game at Catholic Under the Hood by Fr Seraphim Beshoner, TOR. You will see that he now has a “today in Catholic history” feed subscribable by RSS but the 'cast itself you can get via iTunes.

I certainly remember the uproar – many more years to our Holy Father!

Both cool sites. I bookmarked them and put the site from your signature on my Facebook page. I like little snippets on Catholic history to read daily besides all the pro-life news and views I get not to mention secular news.

 

[4Horsemen]

Well, I’m not sure what the OP meant, other than to introduce us to this game. But, I agree, the Holy Father rocks!

I wouldn’t mind a game of ping-pong, for real that is, or bowling. I’m a little old for the contact sports, although now that my youngest is too old to be asking for horsey rides, I find I have grandchildren who ask for them. I gave up umping baseball some thirty years ago, due to cartilage damage in the knees.

So, I find I enjoy the board games of my youth, like chess. Like I said, this “rithmomachy” looks mighty interesting. Figuring out how to play it may just keep me off the streets on these summer nights!

When you figure it out, maybe you can give us a lesson!

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

When you figure it out, maybe you can give us a lesson!

Well, I’m pretty good at chess, used to play in tournaments in my day, and my grown son is good at these kind of games, too. So we will give it a whirl and see what we can find!