Shagai - A Mongolian Game

"Shagai" is a traditional knucklebones game that has been played in Mongolia for centuries. The name of the game comes from the small pieces of bone used as playing pieces, which are typically taken from the ankles of the legs of sheep or goats.

Each side of the knucklebone symbolises a different animal. Horse, Camel, Sheep or Goat. When you throw 4 knucklebones together, how they land, represent fortune or misfortune in the future. Each bone can fall in one of four ways since each bone has four different faces. The four faces are called goat, sheep, camel, and horse. The four pieces can fall one of 35 configurations that are assigned meanings.

Depending on which side and shape of the bone, determines the animal.

Camel: On side "hollow"

Horse: On side "raised"

Sheep: Wide, and "bump"

Goat: Wide and "hills"

Clock wise from top left - sheep, camel, goat, horse.

At breakfast time, the Shagai were at the table, so I rolled them.

2 sheep, 1 camel, 1 goat - so I get "Average not enough"

I figured this means "Be awesome!"

There were other Mongolian games at the breakfast table, but I didn't know how they worked, or what was involved.  Wooden puzzles appear to be a speciality of Mongolia.