We updated Masters, and custom games are now free!
The Masters ruleset is now even more unique as we've updated it to use three dice instead of four, making it even more historically accurate!
We have also unlocked custom games for everyone with an account! You can use this to craft your very own rulesets to play the Royal Game of Ur your very own way.
Three dice is more historically accurate
Most modern rules for the Royal Game of Ur suggest the use of four dice. But did you know, most historical game sets were found with only three or six dice, not four or eight? The author of the Masters ruleset noticed, and that's why he thinks it would be more likely that people in the past played with three dice, not four!
There is a problem with using three dice though - you can't roll a four! In James Masters' view, this is an issue. Four is an important number in Ur, as four tiles separate each important rosette tile. Therefore, rolling a four would just make sense. That is why James Masters came to the conclusion that rolling a zero with your three dice should allow you to move four tiles, instead of skipping your turn.
With these new updates in-place, games under the Masters rules have changed quite a bit! The ruleset is now more dynamic than before, with games taking fewer moves. Rolling one or four is now more likely, while rolling three is half as likely as before. Also, there's no zero rolls when playing Masters any more!
You can read more from James Masters about his ruleset here. You can also read more about the probabilities of rolls when using three dice here.
Play your own custom games
If you still prefer the old Masters rules, do not fear. You can still play them by creating your own custom game! Everyone can now pick their own dice, path around the board, starting pieces, whether rosettes are safe, and whether landing on a rosette or capturing a piece gives you another roll.
To create a game using your own rules, select the Custom option under Choose the rules in the Set up a game page. Or, click this link to go straight there. I hope you enjoy mixing up some evil rulesets to play with your friends!
Thank you all!
~ Paddy L.