Tali for the Modern Party

Tali were made from the knucklebones (talus) of sheep or goats used in the ancient world for games or divination purposes and are the precursors to cubic dice, originally developed in ancient Iran. In this post are two games of chance, adapted from Ancient Rome, are made for the modern world.

Throwing tali with the homeowner

There was a game played in Ancient Rome called "Throw tali with the emperor". In it, you throw dice for gambling. For the purposes of "Throwing tali with the homeowner", you will need something trifling like candy or pennies or poker chips with to gamble.

The entire goal is to roll four six-sided dice, called the tali, and attempt to generate one of the following in a single throw on their turn (rerolling 2's and 5's):

  • Venus (best possible throw) is 1, 3, 4, 6 on all the dice. The player takes the pot.
  • Senio is where a 6 is rolled and the rest are not a Venus. The player puts 1 item into the pot.
  • Vulture is where all numbers are the same face and not the 1 face. The player puts 2 items into the pot.
  • Canus (worst possible throw) is where all the numbers are 1. The player puts 3 items into the pot.

Turn order starts with youngest to oldest.

Honoring the Party with Tali

There was a game played in Ancient Rome called "Honor Bacchus the wine god with tali". In it, you throw dice to determine what is essentially a master/mistress of ceremonies. We'll take a different approach to it and have 100% less wine focus. Although, if your party demands a Bacchanalia, go for it as the arbiter bibendi!

Now, what exactly are the rules? You'll need four six-sided dice. Next, the turn order starts with the youngest and moves to oldest and back down to the youngest, starting over. Players roll the tali. The first player to get all the different numbers (1, 3, 4, 6), rerolling any 2's or 5's, wins! The winner becomes the master/mistress of ceremonies and chooses the songs for the party, settling any food disputes, and anything arising as a need for the MC. Should the MC refuse to peform their duties, a new one is selected.