Senet: Households

Nobody really knows how Senet was played. Unlike the royal game of Ur, for which we have historical documentation, any modern rules of Senet are a combination of conjecture, inference, and pure invention. Even when Senet was a living game, it was an object of fascination for other reasons; like Tarot, which is now scarcely played as a game outside a few European countries such as France and Italy, it took on wider significance as an oracle and magical symbol, and passed from its existence as idle pastime into an afterlife of rarefied spiritual practice. This version starts from some rules that have come to be seen as "standard" in our era, and adds some interesting variations, as well as some unexplained deviations. It is interesting enough, and it's commendable that the developer has created a lovely way to experience his or her vision of the game, including multiplayer, and made it available freely. The AI is extremely easy to defeat, which is fine for a cursory play-through to enjoy the historical context, but offers no long term competition. Also, in the variant of the game with asymmetrical rules, the player may only play against the CPU with the standard pieces. I suspect …

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fun as hell, awesome!

Senet: Households is one of those rare games that doesn’t just use history as a backdrop—it invites you to walk inside it, to feel its weight, its mystery, and its humanity. Rooted in Senet, one of the oldest known board games in the world originating in ancient Egypt over 5,000 years ago, the game carries profound symbolic meaning. Historically, Senet was not merely entertainment; it represented the journey of the soul through the afterlife, a ritualized struggle between order and chaos, fate and agency. Households understands this deeply. It treats Senet not as a curiosity, but as a living cultural artifact, translating its spiritual and philosophical significance into an interactive experience that feels reverent, thoughtful, and alive. What truly sets Senet: Households apart is how it positions its rules. Instead of overwhelming the player with rigid instructions or abstract systems, the game presents its mechanics as something to be discovered. The rules unfold naturally, mirroring how ancient players themselves might have learned—through observation, repetition, and meaning rather than raw explanation. Every mechanic feels intentional, grounded in symbolism, and connected …

i beat that arrogant cleopatra with her own rules so bad she didn't get a single piece off the board. so i felt confident and went to try multiplayer. however after waiting for a bit i checked steamdb and realized i'm the only player online. the game is fun, the story mode was nice to have, there was effort put into it.

game about a game