Tables games may be classified by movement or by tactics.

Played on a board with four quarters known as tables, hence the name.

Played on a rectangular board with players sitting on the long sides.

Played by two players and hence bilaterally symmetrical.

Most, but not all, tables games are a type of race game. The reason for the plural is twofold: first, that a tables board comprises four separate quadrants which are a feature of the play and second, that tabulae also came to refer to the individual pieces – 'tablemen' or 'men' for short – used in the various games. From its plural form, tabulae, come the names in other languages for this family of games including the Anglo-Saxon toefel, German zabel, Greek tavli, Italian tavoli, Scandinavian tafl, Spanish tablas and, of course, English and French tables. The word 'tables' is derived from the Latin tabula which primarily meant 'board' or 'plank', but also referred to this genre of game. Tables games should not be confused with table games which are casino gambling games like roulette or blackjack. The vast majority are race games, the tables board representing a linear race track with start and finish points, the aim being to be first to the finish line, but the characteristic features that distinguish tables games from other race games are that they are two-player games using a large number of pieces, usually fifteen per player.

They are called 'tables' games because the boards consist of four quadrants or 'tables'. Tables games are among the oldest known board games, and many different varieties are played throughout the world.

Players roll dice to determine the movement of pieces. Tables games are a class of board game that includes backgammon and which are played on a tables board, typically with two rows of 12 vertical markings called points.

Dice race game with table cloths