playBunny: Got it- Thanks!

playBunny: Thank you- one last question. If there is a checker on the bar, how does that figure in if I am counting the pips? Thank you for helping a new player.

Does it matter if the play goes clockwise or counter- clockwise? Most of the books and computer software I have seen are all counter- as well as the direction of play here- but some books and sites are just the opposite. Is there a reason?

I need some advice- as a new player who wants to improve my game asap- should I play with a doublong cube or not on those sites where I have a choice?

If the rules to Backgammon and Nackgammon are the same- I assume that the correct strategy for Nackgammon is slightly different from a godd Backgammon game- because of the two extra chequers? Are there any general principles for Nackgammon that differ from Backgammon. (I finally noticed I can set GNU to play Nackgammon.)

playBunny: Direction button. Got it. Works now. THANK YOU. (And Thank God too- because I'm not sure I would have been able to go on with this otherwise great book!)

I have a rather amateurish question about one of the books by Bill Robertie. The book is "Backgammon For Winners". The book appears to have all the information I want to learn as a new player-BUT- what is the problem with his diagrams? What point of view are they from? Because they seem to be mirror images of the board when I play with GNU. I thought at first it was just a top to bottom thing, but when I turned the book upside down- I realized that right and left are reversed from his diagrams to the board I'm using?? "What's up with that?" I'm finding the book very hard to use now. (I also have, "Starting Out in Backgammon" by Lamford and his diagrams are just like my board.)

What determines whether or not the doubling cube is used in the games here? And, the cube is used in most games today- in tournaments or what have you. Is that correct? So, if the cube is being used here in a game here- then when I sign on to move I will have the option to double or roll the dice?

DragonKing: Ok I'm replying to my own message. The info you gave me on the dice worked- I got everything to work- I just need to know how to double and how to enter NO PLAY if that is in the game record I'm looking at.... This is great so far! Thanks!

playBunny: I guess I don't undretsand what manuel dice means- do I throw dice here and then enter what the rolls was? If that is true- do I do the same for the rolls from the game or match I'm studying? In other words- player one in the game I'm looking at rolled a 5-3. How do I enter that to GNU so that I move the checkers to the points that were used in the game? Sorry to be so slow at understand this....

Can anyone tell me- is there a way to set up GNU (or any of the free on line programs) to play through a game record? Go over a pro game for example? I thought i knew how by setting it to human vs human but it does not appear to be working. AND if I set the dice to manual- what do I do after that? I get that chart of all the various dice faces-but how do I use that? Thank you for all the advice everyone!

playBunny: Ok Is there a website that has records of backgammon games to study? And is there a way to set up GNU to play through teaching games? The program is working fine- but it beats me soundly and quickly, so if I could play some sample games I could get better quicker. I also see where I can set up the program to give me hints- that will help too. Thank you for all the advice! It has been a great help.

playBunny: Tahnk you. I will try that. I have already noticed the change of the setting. May I ask you questions about this program as I go along?

playBunny: I have downloaded GNU backgammon shareware program off the net- I haven't tried it yet to see if I got it- BUT is that an ok program for me to learn the game? Is there another you would recommend over GNU? I just want to learn the basics- but, I prefer a good competitive program to learn from....

playBunny: It seems that the game was "lost to history" until Carter found King Tut's tomb in 1922- so the various rules are the result of educated guesses. I am trying to follow Kendall's rules with some modifications- (I made a homemade board while I'm waiting for one to come in the mail.)

playBunny: The version I have is a free download for PCs I believe. Isn't that what Rose was talking about? (I'm not really a computer person- so I"m not sure I undretsand your question.) The version I have keeps trying to load with Adobe reader but an error message tells me it's not supported by Adobe.

playBunny: I have one from a site called Terry's Egyptian page and one from a museum site called "The Challenge." For some reason I cannot get Senet Deluxe to load on my computer- but I'm still trying! (I found these by using "senet" in a Google search.) I should warn everyone that the rules vary WIDELY between different versions of this game! What I like about it- is that there is a combination of luck and strategy. This is making me want to learn to play Backgammon again!

Rose: Do you remember what program it was? I have 2 simple software programs, but I would like to find one a bit more challenging if such a thing exits. I really enjot this game as well. Seems like a good mix of skill and luck!

Does anyone here ever play the ancient Egyptian board game called Senet? It may be the earliest version of backgammon ever found. I'm looking for people interested in senet or those who play Senet too.