GAME WITH PLAYERS COMPETING BY POINTS AND AVOIDING OBSTACLES RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of the US Provisional Patent Application Serial Number 60 / 675,699, filed on April 27, 2005 whose full disclosure is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure refers in general terms to games, and more particularly to games that include several cards. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Examples of games where players compete for points may be found in disclosures of US Patent No. 6,746,017, US Patent Applications Nos. 20040065999, 20030127800, and 20020043761, and non-US patent application GB2,116,438. All of the disclosures mentioned above are incorporated herein by reference. COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure discloses a game apparatus that may include chips, pieces and / or boards for players, and methods of playing suitable for use with said apparatus. Certain modalities have several tabs adapted to be placed in several stacks. Some chips may optionally include a layer indication adapted to indicate a starting location for each chip in the chip stacks. The game can be based on a theme, for example, to increase the entertainment value of the game and / or the commercialization of commercial modalities, to facilitate the understanding of a set of rules for the game, etc. In a commercial mode of the present game, the components are based on a theme of mine or an archaeological site, and the game indications may reflect this theme or incorporate it. For example, gambling chips may include indications that represent valuable jewels, harmful iron ore, or sinks that may be found in a mine or at an archaeological site. In the same way, pieces can represent a drilling or excavation apparatus that can be used in the context of mining or archeology. Other modalities may use alternative themes. Some methods for using the game may include placing chips on various player boards, and increasing a player's score by an amount corresponding to a number of chips on the player board of this specific player having a designated gem indication. . Optionally, the amount may correspond to a number of tokens on the opponent's player board that has the designated gem indication. Certain methods for playing may include the placement of two or more tokens in each game area space and the removal of at least one token from one or more of several spaces. Certain methods may optionally include a step to reverse the state of the tiles placed in one or more spaces having a predetermined location relationship and / or a predetermined amount relation with another space having a tile that has been inverted. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of example game components, including several chips, a guide ring, several player boards, several markers, and a scoreboard. Figure 2 is a plan view of several tokens of Figure 1 having indications of gems of various colors. Figure 3 is a plan view of the reverse side of several of the tokens of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a partial perspective view of a placement of the tokens and markers during participation in the game of Figure 1. Figure 5 is a plan view of two player boards with chips placed on said boards during participation in the game of Figure 1.
Figures 6-9 are plan views of tokens having various game indications. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE An illustrative example of a game is shown in Figure 1 and is generally indicated by the number 20. Game 20 may include several chips 22, a ring of chips or guide 24, several players' boards 26, several markers 28 and a scoreboard 30. In this example, chips 22 may be adapted to be placed in such a way that several chips may be placed in each of several spaces 32 that can form a lattice within the guide 24. The spaces 32 can be of any suitable shape and size to provide either a regular array or an irregular array. In the example shown in Figure 1, the spaces 32 have a rectangular shape and allow a dense, regular placement of the spaces, even when other shapes or combinations of shapes such as, for example, triangles, hexagons or other quadrilaterals are possible. The tokens 22 can have any suitable shape and size to be received in a space 32. In the example shown in Figure 1, the tokens 22 and spaces 32 have substantially the same size and shape. Several tokens may be placed within a single space by stacking the tokens one on top of the other to form several stacks of tokens 34 that collectively form a three-dimensional array 36.
As shown in Figure 1, a guide 24 has a height corresponding to the height of 3 tokens forming each stack of tokens 34 of the illustrated embodiment, and can thus retain tokens 22 in a crisp and orderly array at the beginning of the game or during the course of the game 20. In other modalities, tiles may be placed side by side within spaces 32, or in combinations of tiles placed side by side and stacked tiles with or without a ring or guide 24. The tokens 22 may have a game face 38 opposite a reverse face 40. The game face of each token may include one of several game indications 42. The game indications may generally be divided into two groups, i.e. a first group of game indications that directly help the player in his goal of accumulating points, and a second group of indications that have several special meanings during the course of the game. Game indications that fall within the first group may include gem indications 44 that have images of gems of various colors. Figure 2 shows the playing face 38 of several chips 22 which include indications of gem 44 of various colors. Gaming indications that fall within the second group may include indications of iron ore 76, sump indications 76, fossil indications 80, and indications of thieves 82, each of which will be described in greater detail below. The reverse side 40 may include order or layer indications 46. The stacks of tokens 34 may include tokens adapted to be stacked in predefined order, in accordance with what is indicated by the layer 46 indications, such that tokens including indication of Common layer may be placed in a common layer within an array 36. In the present example, the layer indications may include three indications of different layers, with each layer representing a layer of soil at the excavation site, such as the scab. , the mantle, and the central layers of the earth. Accordingly, stacks of tokens 34 can each include a token having a crust layer indication 48 stacked on a token having a mantle layer indication 50, which, in turn, can be stacked on a token that has an indication of core layer 52. In this example, each chip stack 34 includes an equal number of chips at the beginning of the game, but this does not have to be the case. Figure 3 shows the reverse side 40 of three tokens 22 including the three layer indications of the present example. In certain examples, the chips may be stacked in such a way that the chips that include indications of common layers may be placed in a common layer, but in a random order. In other examples, the chips may be stacked in any order independently of the layer indications, or the layer indications may be missing. In examples where the tokens are placed side by side in the spaces 32, the layer indicia, if present, may indicate a playing order of the tokens 22. The tokens may be adapted to be changed individually between three states. In the hidden state, the chips can be placed in at least one space 32 with the reverse face 40 facing up. Similarly, in the discovered state, the chips can be placed in at least one space 32 with the game face 38 facing up. In embodiments in which the tokens are placed in stacks of tokens 34, a token in the hidden state or in the discovered state can be placed on a stack of tokens. In the removed state, the tokens can be removed from at least one space and placed in various locations, such as next to the array or one of several player retention areas 54, which can include player boards 26. Accordingly, the player boards may include several spaces 56 adapted to receive one or more tiles. The spaces may be arranged to form several rows 58 and several columns 60 of spaces. In the example shown, the player boards 26 each include two rows 58 and five columns 60 of spaces. However, other examples may include boards with more or less rows and / or columns. Player boards may also include player affiliation indications 62. Markers 28 may include several pairs of 64 pieces and result markers 66. Pieces and result markers may include player affiliation indications 68 and 70, which may correspond to player board player affiliation indications 62. Accordingly, each player 20 may have a uniquely identified group that includes a player board 26, a piece 64 and a result marker 66. In the present example, each group of elements includes player affiliation indications 62, 68, 70 that carry a different common color. In other examples, the player affiliation indications may include symbols, characters, common forms or other indications that uniquely identify. The pieces 64 can be adapted to be placed inside one or more spaces 32, and to be moved from one space to another during the game 20. In the illustrated embodiment, the pieces 64 can be adapted to be placed on one or several stacks of chips 34. In other examples, the pieces may be placed next to one or more tokens 22 within one or more spaces 32. Result markers 66 may be adapted to be used in combination with a score board 30. A score board Results 30 may include several spaces for results 72 that include numerical indications that are sequentially raised 74. For example, the results board may include result slots 72 with numerical indications that rise sequentially from 1 to 50. To track the result of each game 20, the players can each move a corresponding result marker 66 from one result location to another, and the numerical difference in the numerical instructions corresponds to a number of points scored. Any other suitable annotation mechanism can be included in the game 20, such as for example a board and stakes combination that is similar to a card game scorecard that is played using a score board (cribbage, in English), a card that has a window through which numerical indications are placed on a rotating wheel that may be visible, a writing instrument and a piece of paper, or a notebook, or an appropriate electronic device. The game components such as tokens 22, guide 24, player boards 26, scoreboards 28 and scoreboard 30 can be made of material or materials durable enough to withstand repeated use of the game, but also economical for mass production of a game. game of this type. Typical materials include cardboard, plastic, metal and wood. In certain game methods with the components described above, each player may take a player board 26 and the corresponding markers 28, including the corresponding pieces 64 and score marker 66. Board 30 may be placed in a location accessible to one or multiple players, and the result score for each player can be placed in a starting area of the scoreboard. To establish the array of tokens 36, the tokens can be placed in each of several spaces 32. In certain embodiments, an equal number of tokens can be placed in each space. In certain modalities, each of the tokens can be changed to the hidden state when placed in the array. In other embodiments, a stack of more than one token may be placed in each space and, optionally, tokens may be stacked in a predetermined order as indicated by the layer indication of each token. In the present example, the chips can be separated into groups according to layer 46 indications, each can be changed to the hidden state with the indication of layer 46 on the upper side of each token, and each group can be randomized. The chips can then be placed in stacks 34 in a predetermined order as indicated by a layer indication. Accordingly, a token having a crust layer indication 48 can be placed on a token having a mantle layer indication 50, which, in turn, can be placed on a token having a core layer indication 52 The stacks of chips can be placed in the spaces 32 to form the array 36. In other examples, the chips can be placed in stacks in any order and the order in which the chips are placed in the stacks in these modalities can be the for all batteries, or the order can vary randomly and / or systematically from stack to stack. In other examples, the stacks may not include layer indications, and the stacks may be placed in stacks randomly. To start the game, each player can place a piece 64 on a chip stack 34 in a corner space 32 of the arrangement 36. As the game progresses, players can execute a round in sequence with the other players in the game. During a round, players may have the option of carrying out a number of activities according to the situation of the game, and several chips that have game indications of the second group that the player can control. At the start of each round, each player can receive a number of activity points; for example, five activity points can be awarded. Each of the activities may cost the player a different number of activity points. In certain modalities, players may have to capture at least one chip during each round. In certain examples, activity points can be taken from one return to the next. In those examples, the activity points can be tracked independently of the results of the players. These modalities may include an additional marker (not illustrated) that can be used in combination with a score board 30, or a similar device, to track the number of accumulated activity points per player. Other modalities may require players to track activity points manually during the course of each round, or they may provide several distinctive or similar objects (not shown), corresponding to each activity point, which are given to the player at the beginning of each return and are returned as each activity point is exhausted. In other examples, activity points can be related to points scored during the game. Players of these game modalities may choose to sacrifice points scored in order to perform game activities. A game activity can be the movement of the pieces 64. In the example shown in the figures and described here, a predetermined number of activity points, for example an activity point, can cost, moving a piece 64 of a space 32 towards an adjacent space. In this example, where the spaces 32 are rectangular, a space that is adjacent to a particular space may be one of the four spaces that share a common side with the particular space. In other modalities, diagonal spaces from a particular space can also be considered adjacent. Furthermore, in certain examples, multiple pieces 64 may not occupy the same space 32. For example, Figure 4 shows a situation during game 20. An orange piece 64a and a yellow piece 64b are shown, each located on one of several stacks of chips 32 in spaces 32a and 32b within array 36. Several of stacks of tokens 34 have variable numbers of tokens having indications of scab layer 48, mantle layer indications 50, and indications of core layer 52 that have been removed. In addition, several tokens 22 on piles of tokens 34 are shown in the uncovered state, with the game face visible and the game indications 42 of gem indications 44 shown. In this illustrated game situation, the player corresponding to the orange piece can move the orange piece and the cost will be a point of activity, to any of the adjacent spaces 32c, 32d, 32e, or 32f. Players can also have the option of moving pieces 64 from a space 32 to any non-adjacent space, and the cost will be a predetermined number of activity points. In the illustrated example, it may cost 5 activity points to move a piece 64 from a space 32 to any other non-adjacent space. In certain embodiments, a token above the stack of the stack of tokens 34 in the white space may be either in the hidden state or in the discovered state. In other embodiments, the top chip of the chip stack 324 in the blank space may only be in the discovered state. In certain embodiments, the player moving into a space in this way may have to capture the uppermost token of stack of tokens 34 in the white space. In accordance with rules of certain game modalities 20, players may remove at least one token 22 from 1 or more of the various spaces 32. In certain embodiments, a token in the discovered state may be removed from the array of tokens 36. A The chip removed from the array can be placed in a player retention area such as one or several player 26 boards. Optionally, a token can be placed in a corresponding space 56 on a player board. In the present example, players can remove or capture a chip 22 that is in the discovered state. A captured token having a gem indication 44 can be moved to the removed state by placing the token in a space 56 on a player board 26, as shown in Figure 5. In the example shown in the Figures and described herein, a chip placed on a player's board may remain in this space until the completion of specific game activities that allow the player to move or discard the chip, in accordance with what is described below. In other examples, players may be free to move tokens from a space 56 to another space 56 throughout the game. In certain embodiments, the capture of tokens may cost activity points, and the cost may depend on the indication of layer 46 and / or the game indication 42 of each captured token. In certain embodiments, the capture of tokens having at least one of several game indications or having at least one of the various layer indications may not cost points of activity. In certain modalities, the player can capture any tile in this arrangement, regardless of the position of the player's piece 64. The chips that have game indications in the second group can be removed from the array as soon as the tile is displaced from the state hidden to the discovered state, thus revealing these game indications. Figures 6-8 show chips that have game indications of the second group, including indications of iron ore 76, indication of sink 78, and indication of fossils 80. The removal of the chips that have these indications or the disclosure of these indications of special games, can be followed by other actions. For example, when a token having an indication of iron ore 76, shown in Figure 6, is displaced from the hidden state to the discovered state, thus revealing the indication of iron ore, the token can be removed from the arrangement. and placed in a discard area. The player whose actions caused the revelation of the iron ore indication may choose to remove a chip that has a gem indication from his player's board and also place it in the discard area. The chips that have been placed in the discard area, as a result of a token that has an indication of iron ore or as a result of any other game activity, generally can not be used again in the course of the game. Figure 7 shows a token 32 having a sink indication 78. When a token having a sink indication 78 is moved from the hidden state to the discovered state, thus revealing the sink indication, the token can be removed from the array 36 and placed in the discard area. The player that revealed the sink indication can then move an additional token from space 32 of which the token having the sink indication was removed from the hidden state to the discovered state, and perform relevant actions for the movement of this token. Figure 8 shows 4 tokens 32 having indications of fossils 80. A token having fossil indication 80 can be removed from array 36 and placed in a special area of the playing area where several chips with fossil indications can be collected. In the example shown and described here, 4 chips with fossil indications are provided, and the game ends when the 4 chips that have fossil indications are put together. In certain embodiments, the meeting of a predetermined number of tokens having indications of fossils, which may be less than the total number of chips with fossil indications provided with the game 20, may indicate the conclusion of game 20. Optionally, the second group of game indications may include indications of thief 82, as shown in the tab of Figure 9. Tabs with indications of thief 82 may be captured by a player immediately when a token having an indication of a thief is changed from the state hidden to the discovered state, thus revealing the indication of a thief. Alternatively, a player may capture a token that has an indication of a thief when the piece 64 is moved to the space 32 containing the token that has the unmasked thief indication.
Token-labeled tokens 82, once captured, can be placed in any convenient location, such as on the side of the player board 26. A player who has captured a chip that has an indication of a thief can take or "steal" "a token having a gem indication 44 from a player 26 board of another player, or it may move a chip having a gem indication 44 from a space 56 on the player board of this player to another space 56. The player using a token that has an indication of thief 82 can use numerous activity points to perform the actions, and / or can place the token that has the thief indication in the discard area when the actions have finished. Game 20 may include any number of chips with a thief's indication, or the game may include tokens that have thief indications that allow a player to draw or move several chips simultaneously, and the cost will be several activity points. Other examples may include chips that have other additional indications that may allow players to perform other game activities such as capturing additional chips 22, changing chips between the first state and the discovered state, moving a piece 64, or receiving activity points from bonus According to the rules of certain modalities of the game 20, players can invert the state of the chips placed in one or more spaces. In certain embodiments, players may reverse the state of a token in a space that has a predetermined location relationship and / or a predetermined amount relation to another space that has another token, the state that the player has invested. In certain modalities, players may invert the state of a chip placed in a space that is adjacent to the space of another chip the player has invested. In certain modalities, players may invert the state of a chip placed in a space that has a greater number of chips than another space of another tile that the player has invested. In certain embodiments, a token may be changed from the hidden state to the discovered state only during the game. In the present example, a player may select to move the uppermost tab of the chip stack in the space occupied by the player piece 64 from the hidden state to the discovered state. This action may cost a number of activity points, which may vary according to the layer indication of the upper end tab in stack of tokens 34 in space. For example, if the uppermost tab has a crust layer indication 48, this action may cost a point of activity. Similarly, if the uppermost token has an indication of mantle layer 50, this action may cost two activity points, and if the uppermost token has a core layer indication 52, this action may cost 3 activity points. . The player can change the tiles in additional spaces from the hidden state to the discovered state. In the present example, the additional spaces may include spaces that may be adjacent or that may have a greater number of chips than the space that a tile has that the player changed to the discovered state. Players may take appropriate actions for the gameplay indication 42 of each inverted chip, including each of a second set of indications described above. In the game situation shown in Figure 4, a group of tokens may include the upper top tab 22 in the stack of tokens 34 in the space 32b occupied by the yellow piece 64b, as well as the tokens placed in spaces adjacent to the space 32b and containing a greater number of chips than space 32b. In this example, a space adjacent to another space can be one of the 4 spaces that have a common side with the other space. Therefore, if the player corresponding to the yellow piece decides to change, from the hidden state to the uncovered state, the extreme top token in stack of chips 34 in the same space 32b as the yellow piece 64b, the player can also move the extreme top card in the chip stack located in an adjacent space 32g. In this example, the player may not change the extreme top chip in the stack of chips located in adjacent space 32f to the discovered state since this stack does not contain a greater number of chips than the stack in space 32b. Similarly, the player may not change the extreme top chip in the stack of chips located in the adjacent space 32h to the hidden state since in this example the chips in the adjacent spaces can only be changed to the discovered state and not return to the state hidden. In other modalities, spaces that are diagonal with respect to the particular space can be considered adjacent as well. If this were the case, then the top token in the chip stack located in the diagonal space 32i can be changed to the state discovered by the player corresponding to the yellow piece in the game situation illustrated in Figure 4. In other examples, tokens may also be changed from the discovered state to the hidden state, or other location relationships and / or other quantity relationships may be used. In certain game modalities 20, a result of a player may be increased by an amount corresponding to a number of tokens on a player's board having a designated gem indication, and corresponding to a number of tokens in one or several opposing player boards that have the designated gem indications. In certain embodiments, the chips may include chips that have been placed in a common row on a player's board. In certain modalities, the group may include tokens that form a completed row on a player's board. In certain modalities, a number of points that can be added to a player's result rises as the number of chips on the player's board rises. In certain modalities, the number of points can be decreased by the number of chips that are in one or more boards of opposing players. In certain modalities, a score marker of the player is changed by a number of marker spaces corresponding to the number of points scored. In certain modalities, the chips in the group are removed from the player board and placed in a discard area. In the present example, the number of points a player can score can correspond to the number of chips that have a designated gem indication 44 that have been placed in a full row 58 on the player board 26, and the number of chips that they have the designated gem indications that have been placed in the corresponding row on the player board of 1 or several opponents.
For example, Figure 5 shows player boards 26a and 26b. Top row 58a of player board 26a, which has the capacity of 5 chips 22, is shown containing 3 tokens having red gem indications 44 and two tokens having blue gem indications 44. Top row 56b of player board 26b is shown with two tokens having indications of green gem 44, a token having blue gem indication 44, and a token having red tab indication 44. In this example, the player corresponding to the 26th player board can score a number of points corresponding to the 3 tokens having red gem indications in the upper row 58a and the token having red player indication in the upper row 58b. The exact number of points that players can score can correspond to the number of chips that have the designated gem indication in each group. In the present example, an annotation player board group with a token having the designated indication may correspond to a point, a group with 2 tokens may correspond to 3 points, 3 tokens may correspond to 6 points, 4 tokens may correspond to 9 points, and 5 tokens can correspond to 15 points. Also, in the present example, the number of points corresponding to the number of tokens having the designated gem indication in the row on the scoring player board can be reduced by an amount of the number of tokens having the indication of designated gem placed in the corresponding row of a opposing player's board. As a result, in the example shown in Figure 5, the player corresponding to the player board 26a can score 6 points for the 3 chips that have red gem indications in the upper row 58a of the player board 26a. This result can be reduced by a point corresponding to a chip having a red gem indication in the top row 58b of the player board 26b. As discussed above, the player can increase his result on the scoreboard by moving the score of results 66 five spaces of score 72. The chips in the group scored can be removed from the player boards and placed in the discard area . Therefore, the 5 tokens in row 58a can be placed in a discard area after their annotation. In certain modalities, the pieces of player cards that were used to determine the result of an opponent can also be placed in the discard area. In the example in figure 5, the chip with red gem indication in row 58b in player board 26b can be placed in the discard area after the score of the chips in row 58a.
In certain modalities, the number of points can be a simple arithmetic function of the number of tokens having the designated gem indication. In other embodiments, the number of can be determined in other ways, or combinations of forms, and can be provided in a set of rule rules accompanying the game 20. This disclosure may include one or more independent or interdependent inventions directed to various combinations of features, functions, elements and / or properties. While particularly examples of apparatuses and methods are shown and described, many variations may also be effected. Various combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements and / or properties can be claimed in one or several related applications. Such variations, either directed to different combinations or directed to the same combinations, whether different, broader, narrower or equal in scope, are considered included within the subject matter of the present disclosure. The examples described are illustrative and focused on specific examples of apparatuses and / or methods instead of a specific invention, and no feature or individual element, or combination of them, is essential for all possible combinations. Thus, any of several inventions that can be claimed based on the disclosed example (s) does not necessarily encompass any and all particular features or combinations, unless specifically claimed subsequently. When "a" or "a first" element or equivalent expression is used, said use includes one or more elements of this type, without requiring or excluding two or more elements of this type. In addition, ordinal indicators, such as first, second or third, for identified elements are used to distinguish between elements and do not indicate a required or limited number of such elements, and do not indicate a particular position or specific order of these elements unless specifically stated otherwise. INDUSTRIAL EXPLOITATION The methods and apparatuses described in the present disclosure are applicable to toys, games, and other entertainment devices, and to industries in which entertainment devices are used.