A board-game display naturally draws attention to its squares and playing pieces. The objects used to determine movement are easier to miss. The Met’s tinted ivory throw sticks, numbered 19.2.27a, b, shift attention to that earlier moment in play.
The collection record explains that sticks of this kind served a role comparable to dice in determining moves for games such as senet and twenty squares. The record dates these examples to the New Kingdom, around 1400–1300 BCE.
That comparison explains a function; it does not mean the sticks had the same possible outcomes as a modern six-sided die. Nor does the object record provide a complete set of ancient playing rules.
Separate three parts of the game
In your notes, distinguish the surface on which play happened, the pieces that occupied positions, and the objects used to determine movement. This makes the display easier to understand without inventing a sequence of turns.
Then inspect the sticks in the museum image. Note their long form and the record’s material identification. Use the listed dimensions to appreciate their scale, while keeping the two catalogued components distinct.
If you try a modern reconstructed game, label its rules as a reconstruction and record their source. A playable modern version can be engaging, but it should not silently become evidence for exactly how these particular objects were used in antiquity.