Πέντε γραμμαί five lines

How to play

1. Goal: bring all five of your pieces onto the ἱερὰ γραμμή, the holy line in the middle. The first to do so wins.
2. Pieces wait off the board. On your turn roll the die and move one piece that many points. Pieces off the board enter with the roll too.
3. The route runs counter-clockwise: you enter at your left-hand corner, run along your own line ends from left to right, then along the opponent's from right to left. You enter the holy line at the middle of the opponent's side; reaching or passing it is enough.
4. Yoke: two or more of your pieces on one point cannot be landed on.
5. A single piece (ἄζυξ) is vulnerable: if the opponent lands on it, it goes back off the board and starts again.
6. Pieces on the holy line are safe. You may move one out to attack: it rejoins the route at the far end of the line. Hence the proverb κινεῖν τὸν ἀφ' ἱερᾶς, "to move the piece from the holy line", the last resort.
7. If no move is possible, the turn passes.

The rules are not fully preserved in ancient sources; this is Stephen Kidd's reconstruction (Board Game Studies Journal 11, 2017). See the section's home page for the sources and the alternative reading (Schädler 2008).