A few historians taking part in a game (5)
I believe the answer is:
whist
'game' is the definition.
(whist is a card game)
'a few historians taking part' is the wordplay.
'taking part' indicates the answer is hidden within the clue.
'WHIST' is hidden within 'few historians'.
'in a' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for whist that I've seen before include "Old card game" , "Card game for four" , "Popular card game, sometimes solo" , "Trick-taking card game" , "Card game, often played at a "drive"" .)