Everyday, pocket-sized games played an important role in surviving, fighting, and winning war. In this post, we explore this history of soldier pocket games -- what they played, and what they looked like -- and how it inspired modern travel game designs. We'll also explore how the military went on to use these pocket games as part of the war effort: for spycraft, training, and communications.
Games are of course great for morale: helpful distractions while waiting for battle, good for camaraderie and entertainment, and an aid in recuperation. That’s why a pocket-sized game was in most soldier’s packs, among “the things they carried.”
But games were also a part of the war effort. And just as games changed the wars -- for aircraft identification and even escape maps -- the wars also changed the games. Widespread trends in game playing during wars had an big impact on the modern designs of the games we play, spurring innovations and improvements.
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The Importance of Pocket Soldier Games in War
Games were good for the soldier's morale, a helpful way to keep occupied and interact with others. As one soldier put it, playing games is better than sitting around thinking about everything that could go wrong in a battle. Craft and games were critical time-occupiers for the wounded recuperating in hospitals.
Gambling was a blessing and a curse. It may have been an un-sanctioned activity, officially banned, but the practice was widespread. For soldiers, gambling added another level of entertainment and a chance to make money. For commanders, gambling was a real headache: they wanted to avoid the inevitable fights and duels that broke out over cheating complaints and despair over a bad bet.
But in time, war planners realized that games were also an important part of the war effort. In WWI, the German High Command called them kartonnen wapens: cardboard weapons.
In later years, the military also used pocket games functionally: in spycraft, distributing escape maps and “most wanted” photos, and enemy aircraft identification.
War also evolved and modernized our games, inspiring innovations like corner index numbers on playing cards and pocket-sized board games for the trenches.
What Pocket Games Were Carried by Soldiers?
Although playing cards are popularly known as the ultimate pocket game, dice games are actually much older and just as pack-friendly.
Dominoes and chess sets weren’t pack-friendly, but during WWII, advances in manufacturing and the sheer scale of the war effort inspired the first mass-produced series of miniature pocket-sized travel tile games and board games.
We’ll go through each type of game below, and share photos of historic artifacts and soldiers playing games.
Playing Cards
Playing cards are the most popular and well-known pocket-sized travel game. Played by most soldiers in recent history, their use and design has evolved especially because of war.
However, playing cards are a relatively recent invention in the span of human history. The first forms of playing cards arrived in Europe from Egypt in the 1370s, where the designs evolved regionally into the 52-card deck we know today. During that evolution, there were dozens of different deck designs, unique to their location. Italy today still has 16 (!) different regional decks.
Developed before widespread literacy, the traditional European decks have beautiful historic artwork but usually no numbers or letters, no index numbers in the corners, different suits, and numbers of playing cards, ranging from 32 to 78.
Let’s look at the role of playing cards in 3 major American wars:
American Civil War, 1861-1865
As one Civil War soldier said, “Card playing seemed to be as popular a way of killing time as any.” For many, it was also the chance to make a little money. Union men could even justify card playing as supporting the war effort, because of the excise tax on playing card decks.
Civil War soldiers played euchre, poker, whist, seven-up, keno, and twenty-one – but they also played games like taroc when they could get their hands on a 78-card deck. That’s because the modern 52-card deck wasn’t necessarily the only playing card deck around at the time.
Although common, the widespread use by soldiers of the 52-card deck during the Civil War set "the French deck" as the modern standard. The 52-card deck is what brought soldiers together, playing more common games that most everyone knew - even across enemy lines. During the siege of Petersburg, Virginia, one soldier recalled that Gray and Blue would “creep into … a neutral cornfield for a friendly chat, for a barter, or for a game of cards!”
Playing cards was not an officially-sanctioned activity during the Civil War, being primarily associated with gambling. Soldiers purchased their own decks.
Civil War soldiers at the time had religious and moral qualms about playing cards, influenced by family, chaplains and commanding officers, who called it “evil practices.” One Confederate soldier, Samuel Hankins, recalled , “When the cannonading became more frequent, you could hear, ‘Boys, we are going to get into it.’ Then there would begin the searching of pockets for gambling goods, playing cards especially. The thought of being killed with such in their pockets induced the soldiers to throw them away.”
After the battle, however, the survivors went right back to their card-playing ways. Some players were so undeterred that even “the breast of a wounded comrade” did for a table, wrote Thomas Wise Durham.
Playing Card Design Evolved Thanks to Civil War Card Cheats
Because of the variety of decks available at the time, people were reluctant to take to new playing card innovations. But widespread fears of cheating during the war also inspired improvements that became standard in our modern decks. Gambling and drink in the camps heightened the stakes for a fair game!
Civil War playing card manufacturers ended up introducing a number of design evolutions to make the deck easier to manipulate and harder to cheat. These innovations became standard in our modern decks:
Corner indices. These are the suit sign and value marked in the upper left corner of each card. The corner numbers allowed the player to tightly fan his cards, making it easier to hold to his chest and hide from the eyes of others.
Mirrored court cards. The jack, queen, and king being double-faced and never “upside down” was an important part of not shuffling around one’s cards and keeping a poker face.
Patterned backs. To make the playing card surface opaque and harder to mark, camouflaged backs with vibrant patterns were introduced to the back sides. Previously they had been blank. (Today playing cards also have an opaque layer sandwiched between the front and back.)
World War I, 1914-1918
“War is months of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror” is a saying that’s said to have come from the trenches of World War I. WWI was especially horrific in terms of human carnage and deplorable trench conditions.
It may come as no surprise, then, from its intensity, that during this war soldiers engaged in more physical games during their downtime. Sports - particularly boxing and baseball - and theater were popular.
WWI soldiers likely played card games like Bingo, Skat, and Crown and Anchor, using their unit’s own deck, which were commercially produced by the US Playing Card Company for specialties like Artillery, Tanks, and Navy.
World War II, 1939-1945
By World War II, playing cards were an important part of the official war effort. They were distributed for free by the Red Cross in care packages.
But they also started to be used functionally, as a readily-available place to communicate and train on information, like friendly or enemy aircraft, or American history lessons. They were also used in spycraft, hiding secret escape maps.
Special editions for soldiers were printed for the Red Cross, who distributed them in their Christmas parcels along with special food treats like dried fruit and sausage. Vintage Red Cross card decks from the 1930’s and 1940’s can still be found on eBay and at estate sales.
WWII soldier Robert Swartz remembered, "Cards were the most popular form of individual entertainment. The decks of playing cards in the Christmas parcels were a most welcome addition to our stock."
At the time of World War II, the most popular games among US men were Poker, Bridge, and Pinochle.
Playing Cards Used in Spycraft
Because playing cards were so commonly distributed by the Red Cross, a certain deck of cards sent to captured US soldiers in the annual Christmas parcel didn’t rouse the suspicion of Nazi guards in prisoner-of-war camps.
But it could have: during World War II, Bicycle Playing Cards (the US Playing Card Company) aided British and American intelligence agencies to distribute covert escape maps to Allied prisoners of war (POWs). Intelligence agencies needed a way to get the maps to soldiers in Red Cross packages without prison camp guards or censors finding them.
Bicycle Playing Cards created a special deck of cards with an escape map hidden inside! As with all playing cards, the cards sent to POWs were comprised of two layers of paper glued together. But unlike most playing cards, the inside layer of each card would feature a portion of a map of the area surrounding their destination prison camp and a water-soluble adhesive. Soldiers immersed the cards in water and peeled them apart when wet, showing the map quadrants on the interior. Once the cards were assembled in order, they revealed a complete escape map.
1990 reproduction of the WWII escape map playing cards. Image source: BicyclePlayingCards.com
At least 32 downed pilots and captured soldiers navigated their way back to Allied lines using the map, and some 316 escape attempts have been recorded. There are only two known surviving decks, and both are in the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.
The functional use of playing cards in spycraft was a success. It continued to be part of the war effort in more recent wars. The Army updated its aircraft identification cards for the Vietnam War:
By 2003, during the Invasion of Iraq, American forces used playing cards to identify the “most wanted” members of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The “most wanted” idea has been continued by modern armies and warfare, too: there are Hamas most wanted playing cards produced by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) today, for example.
Dice
It’s probably fair to say that dice is the most ancient pocket-sized travel game of soldiers. Modern playing cards date to the Middle Ages, but the oldest-known cubic dice found were from 2,500 BC – and prior to that, a form of 2-sided and 4-sided dice were played using shells and knucklebones around the ancient world: for entertainment, gambling, and fortune-telling.
The most ancient game was very popular during World Wars I and II – particularly Craps. It was so popular during both wars that soldiers sent postcards home to family joking about how much dice they were playing.
The game was so popular during World War II that a professional magician named John Scarne calculated the odds and printed them on tiny cheat sheets. He distributed 2,000,000 copies for servicemen to paste inside their helmets.
Pocket-Sized Board Games and Puzzles
There has probably never been a war without dice or playing cards. But for the first time in World War I, we know more soldiers began playing on pocket-sized board games.
The first pocket-sized board games were handmade. Checkers could be made with bits of buttons and hand-marked fabric, and travel-sized chess sets were hand-carved from bits of scrap.
It wasn't until World War II that service member organizations, war departments, and intelligence services saw the value of providing and distributing games to service members, officially. Playing cards became standard in humanitarian packages, and for the first time more elaborate pocket-sized travel games were developed, produced, and distributed in large quantities at minimal cost.
Drueke’s Original Library of Pocket Games
William F. Drueke and Sons, a chess, checkers, and poker accessories manufacturer, produced its first pocket-sized travel board games during World War I. A travel-sized cribbage board was one of the first.
But during World War II, they ramped up production and created a new and extensive catalog, taking it to the next level with a government contract.
Soldiers and their families purchased these economical, pocket-sized board games directly from Drueke, who shipped directly to soldiers overseas. Drueke advertised the library games to family members at home as “The Ideal Gift for the Men in Service!”
Drueke produced at least 24 different miniature-sized games as a coordinated “library” set called Play-a-way. Each game was assigned a volume number, like encyclopedias, beginning with Vol. 100.
It included clever adaptations of casino games like roulette and traditional fare like checkers, cribbage, chess, and pocket backgammon, but also some more obscure games and puzzles, like Nine Man Morris, and original adaptations of popular pastimes like baseball and bowling in board game form. Some of these games and puzzles were designed to be played solo.
During World War II the factory produced 5,000 small games a day for the military. The largest order was for a railroad car full of cribbage boards!
The games were mostly made of sturdy cardboard or paperboard, and sometimes “leatherette” (faux leather made from plastics). They often had ingenious little fold-out drawers and compartments for holding small game pieces. And they were in a consistent and coordinated size for collectors, fitting into a 5” x 5” mailing box.
The catalog included both common and original games and puzzles, sold for $1 or less. Many of them can now be found vintage in antique stores and eBay:
Sponsored Pocket Board Games
In addition to the widespread and wide-ranging Drueke library, the most common games like chess, checkers, and tic-tac-toe were distributed by government agencies, humanitarian agencies like the Red Cross, and sponsored by companies like Coca-Cola.
Chess was the most common pocket game. Many of them also sported interesting innovations, like a strap for wrapping the game to a soldier’s leg, slits cut into the cardboard to save progress on an active chess game made from paper, or a set of score sheets for recording multiple games. Sizes varied from 4” square to 16” square, and some held multiple games in one kit.
Teetotums (Put & Take)
Teetotums (spinning tops used for gaming) date back to at least ancient Rome and Greece, but their popularity has waxed and waned through the years. In the 1600s, the well-known 4-sided version called the dreidel, the game popularly played at Hanukkah, was developed in Germany.
But during WWII, the teetotum went through “ a true ‘craze,’ a term applied even then!”
American doughboys brought a six-sided dreidel-like game to the front, and it spread like wildfire. Many brass teetotums were made in the trenches from melted-down bullet casings. The teetotum was very small and easy to carry, and the game, later called Put & Take, was a gambling game with the spinner having to “put” or “take” one, two, or all ante items (chips, cigarettes, coins) from the pot.
The war introduced the game to the world. In the 1920's and 1930's the craze went worldwide, even resulting in a Buster Keaton silent film, a Broadway show, and a jazz swing composition. It's said that the proliferation of loaded teetotums and rampant cheating ultimately led to the fall of interest in the game by WWII.
Modern Uses for Pocket Games Inspired by Soldier Pocket Games
More than anybody, soldiers throughout time have known the importance of good travel games to while away time in the field. And more than anybody, they also appreciate the game being cleverly-designed enough to be functional – while also being lightweight and small for their already-heavy packs.
The clever and innovative game designs created by the combined efforts of many, under such duress, have inspired us here at Walnut Studiolo. Whenever we design new things, we first look to history. When challenged with what to do with small and odd-shaped pieces of leather, we decided to create modern travel games that are small and lightweight – but also durable and functional.
As a family who grew up playing cribbage with those big, heavy wooden boards (you know the ones!) we knew that what was missing in our lives was a small cribbage board we could keep in the car glovebox for spontaneous games. We have played these travel games out in the world thousands of times. We love the shared experience of games out in the wild, on the beach, or at the cafe, in everyday modern life.
World Travel and Touring
For Rick Steves style world adventures, cruise ships, and long flights and train rides, these games will fit on the folding tray tables and tiny cafe tables of your dream trip.
Tiny House Living and #VanLife
When space is in short supply, these games will fit the space you have. They don’t take up too much storage space and they’re easier to play on small tables.
Hikers, Bikepackers, and Ounce-Counters
For the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail, and longer backpacking or bike-packing adventures, these little games are worth their weight in ounces. They’ll keep you and your hiking partners entertained in shelters and while away the hours during a rain break.
Stashed for Everyday Spontaneous Games
We love keeping these small games in our car glovebox, bike bag, or purse so we can play spontaneous games as a family when the opportunity presents itself. Like waiting at the station for an oil change, or waiting for your food at a restaurant.
Handcrafted Games Inspired by Historic Soldier Pocket Games
Resources
- Battle on the Board: Chess During WWII. World Chess Hall of Fame. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Bicycle - The Impact It’s Had on Playing Cards . BicycleCards.com Accessed 9/17/2024.
Biggins, Peter. William and Rose Smith Drueke Family . PetersPioneers.com. Accessed 9/17/24.
Bloom, Cathie. With Us Today: William F. Drueke . The Grand Rapids Press, September 7, 1995. Accessed on PetersPioneers.com 9/17/2024.
Christmas in a World War II German Prisoner of War Camp . Merkki.com. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Costa, Pat. Games of the World War Two Soldier . PatCosta.com. Accessed 9/16/2024.
Eisenstadt, Robert. Put and Take . Robert Eisenstadt's Antique Gambling Chips & Gambling Memorabilia Web Site. Accessed 9/19/2024.
Elphick, James Four Ways Americans Have Used Playing Cards in War . HistoryNet. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Entertaining the Troops . National WWI Museum and Memorial. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Escape From POW Camp? It Might Be In the Cards . CommonPlaceFacts.com. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Huets, Jean. Killing Time . New York Times, September 7, 2012. NYT.com. Accessed 9/17/24.
Nye, Logan. 6 games World War I soldiers played in the trenches . WeAreTheMighty.com. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Press Release: A Map Inside the Cards . BicyclePlayingCards.com. Accessed 9/17/24.
Stilwell, Blake. A Brief History of US Troops Playing Cards . WeAreTheMighty.com. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Stilwell, Blake. How POWs Got Playing Cards with Secret Escape Maps for Christmas . WeAreTheMighty.com. Accessed 9/17/2024.
Thompson, Joanna. Sticks, Stones, and Knucklebones: The History of Dice . How Stuff Works, accessed 9/18/2024.
Thomsen, Thomas. Prison Camp Chess Sets. Chess Museum, accessed 9/19/2024.
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