El Tablero de Jesús

El Tablero de Jesús: A Brief History (rules follow)

El Tablero de Jesús is a gambling game played on a 7x7 grid with two 6-sided dice and a set number of coins. It has been famously adapted into a drinking game called Tablero da Gucci, or simply Tablero, by members of the worldwide medievalist group the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). The game was published in 1971 by Erzbergen-St, Susse Co. as The Jesus Board (El Tablero de Jesús) as printed on the box, or El Tablero de Jesús (The Jesus Board) as printed on the included rule book. The publisher claims on the box that the game is “An intriguing medieval dice game (rediscovered only recently) played by 15th Century monks until its suppression by papal edict in 1458.” The game box states that “A history of the game is inside.” but my copy has only a rule book with a footnote about the symbolism of the illustrations on the board; four representing damnation and four salvation, with the two fish in the middle being “an ancient symbol of the sacred name of Jesus”. The game is meant to be allegorical of sin arising from greed, specifically greed manifested through gambling and extreme risk-taking for profit. There are a couple game mechanics where you can push your luck past way what a prudent person might deem wise.

El Tablero de Jesús: Rules

El Tablero de Jesús is played on a 7x7 grid with two 6-sided dice and a set number of coins. Each player starts with a Stake of ten small coins worth 1 point each and two larger coins worth 4 points each. (The 4-point coins are just for making change between the players. Presumably both players could just as easily start with eighteen 1-point coins.) At the top of the game both Players roll one die to see who goes first (highest roll). The Player going first places five 1-point coins on their Baseline, which is the nearest Row (the lines of squares horizontal to the players) starting on the rightmost Column (the lines of squares perpendicular to the players). The Opponent places two coins on their Baseline starting from their right. Each Column should now have one coin in it. The active Player rolls the dice and may now move any of the seven coins a corresponding number of squares, up or down the Columns, attempting to line them up in a continuous Row. This is known as a Formation. They may move one coin per die, OR they may combine the two dice rolls into one move in a single direction. You may not move any coin up a Column and then down again. The numbers on both dice must always be played, if possible, but if a die roll cannot be moved because the number is too high for the available spaces, then it is disregarded. (i.e. a 6 is thrown and there are no coins on the Baselines.) This does not involve a passing of the dice to the Opponent, even if both die rolls cannot be made. Also, if there is a Formation of 6 and one of the dice rolls can complete it to make a Formation of 7, the leftover die roll may be disregarded. After any throw of the dice and the subsequent moves (if any) the Player may claim from the board any Formation, even if only two coins are adjacent (this action is sometimes now referred to as a Pull) and their Opponent must fill the empty Columns by adding a coin from their Stake onto their Baseline. The dice then pass to the Opponent, and they become the active Player. Should the Opponent not be able to fill in the appropriate number of coins due to a Player taking a Pull, they fill in what they can, the Player takes those coins, cleaning them out of their Stake and the Opponent has thereby lost the game. If the Player throws a 7, 11, or 12, these are Pass Numbers (known in this game as a Diablo) and they must immediately hand the dice over to their Opponent (except as noted below in Wagering) who becomes the Active Player.

DIABLO: a variant may be played if agreed upon before the game. A Pass Number need only be acted upon if the Opponent calls Diablo! before both coins have been moved.

WAGERING: When a Player rolls a Pass Number, instead of passing the dice to their Opponent, they may add a Wager as a side bet, literally placing it to one side of the board, and continue playing. The Wager must be equal to the longest Formation currently on the board plus 2. The Wagering Player must now continue to throw the dice and is not allowed to take a Pull until they have created a Formation equal to or greater than the Wager. Once they have redeemed themselves by making a Formation equal to the Wager, they take back their Wagered amount and may take the Pull or continue to play normally. They may even Wager again if they roll another Pass Number and choose to do so. However, if during a Wager the Player rolls a Pass Number, they not only lose the dice to their Opponent but also the coins in the Wager.

RUNNING: When a Player has lined up seven coins in a Formation, instead of taking a Pull, they may declare they are going to “Run”. They continue to roll the dice and for every dice roll that is not a Pass Number their Opponent must add two more coins onto the board. No coins are moved from the row of seven during the Run. They may continue to roll thusly as long as they dare, but if they roll a Pass Number then their Opponent takes all the coins on the board and becomes the active Player. The Player who has conducted the Run must now fill all seven columns on their Baseline.