LogFAQs > #969149063

It's from 2,500 BC

The gameboard is composed of two rectangular sets of boxes, one containing three rows of four boxes each and the other containing three rows of two boxes each, joined by a "narrow bridge" of two boxes.[10]
The gameplay involves elements of both luck and strategy.[7] Movements are determined by rolling a set of four-sided, tetrahedron-shaped dice.[7][5] Two of the four corners of each die are marked and the other two are not, giving each die an equal chance of landing with a marked or unmarked corner facing up.[7][5] The number of marked ends facing upwards after a roll of the dice indicates how many spaces a player may move during that turn.[10] A single game can last up to half an hour and can be very intense.[7] Games are very often unpredictable and close at the end.
The object of the game is for a player to move all seven of their pieces along the course (two proposed versions of which are shown at right) and off the board before their opponent.[7] On all surviving gameboards, the two sides of the board are always identical with each other, indicating that the two sides of the board belong to each player.[5] When a piece is on one of the player's own squares, it is safe from capture.[7]
When it is on one of the eight squares in the middle of the board, the opponent's pieces may capture it by landing on the same space, sending the piece back off the board so that it must restart the course from the beginning.[7] This means there are six "safe" squares and eight "combat" squares.[7] There can never be more than one piece on a single square at any given time, so having too many pieces on the board at once can impede a player's mobility.[7]
When a player rolls a number using the dice, they may choose to move any of their pieces on the board or add a new piece to the board if they still have pieces that have not entered the game.[7] A player is not required to capture a piece every time they have the opportunity.[7] Nonetheless, players are required to move a piece whenever possible, even if it results in an unfavorable outcome.[7] All surviving gameboards have a colored rosette in the middle of the center row.[5][10]

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/0/AAeEwGAAD172.jpg
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/3/5/1/AAeEwGAAD173.jpg

It's cool because it's simultaneously a luck and strategy based game.