US20100234084A1

US20100234084A1 - Interactive Strategy Game

Info

Publication number: US20100234084A1
Application number: US12/403,643
Authority: US
Inventors: Ryokyu Endo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-03-13
Filing date: 2009-03-13
Publication date: 2010-09-16

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for method for playing a game which involves placing on a game board including a grid disposed thereon a plurality of game pieces assigned to each of at least two players, such that each game piece is placed on the game board in a space defined by the grid. Each player in turn selects at least one of a plurality of dice, each player making the selection based on a purpose of the player's turn. The player rolls the selected die or dice to either determine a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn, or to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece. Where an attack is staged on an opponent's game piece, a first die determines a number of spaces which a game piece moves and a second die determines the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece. Positioning at least one of one of the player's game pieces such that an opponent's game piece is within the firing range of that game piece leads to removal of the opponent's game piece from the game.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to games and more particularly to strategic and tactical games in which one player attacks the target of an opponent.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Many strategic and tactical games have been developed as adaptations of ancient war games. Some of these games involve use of a game board with an array of positions on which the players move their pieces during the course of play. The objective of the game is typically to capture all or a certain piece of an opponent.
Such games tend to either offer players no active control over the movement of game pieces after their initial deployment, i.e. where subsequent progress of the game is dictated by mere chance, or alternatively, are based entirely on tactical reasoning and trying to read an opponent's strategy with no element of chance. Some of these games are designed simply to provide entertainment, and do not offer an opportunity for players to develop tactical and strategic skills.
It is desirable for a game to include variations of possible moves and outcomes and where possible to involve a certain degree of skill. If the board layout, types and number of pieces, rules of movement and capture are too simple, the game becomes so easy to master that the outcome is predictable and uninteresting. On the other hand, if the board size and layout, number and kinds of pieces and rules of movement and capture are too complex, the game becomes frustrating and takes too long to learn to a competitive level.
It would therefore be desirable to develop a game which incorporates both strategy and an element of chance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for playing a game comprising:

(a) a game board including a grid disposed thereon;
(b) a plurality of game pieces assigned to each of at least two players, each game piece to be placed on the game board in a space defined by the grid;
(c) a plurality of dice including:
- (i) at least one die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn, and
- (ii) at least two dice for staging an attack on an opponent's game piece, a first die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves and a second die for determining the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece;

wherein positioning at least one of one of a player's game pieces such that an opponent's game piece is within the firing range of that game piece leads to removal of the opponent's game piece from the game.
The apparatus may further including a target associated with each player, each target located in a space within a designated region of the game board, wherein the game is won by the first player to move one of their game pieces into the space occupied by the opponent's target.
The plurality of game pieces may include at least three different types, each different type of game piece being able to attack at least one other type of game piece. Preferably, a first type of game piece is able to stage an attack a second type of game piece but not a third type of game piece; the second type of game piece is able to stage an attack on a third type of game piece, but not the first type of game piece; and, the third type of game piece is able to stage an attack on the first type of game piece, but not the second type of game piece.
The at least one die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn may be a multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces to be moved. Preferably, each numerical indicator is a number between 5 and 8. In a preferred form of the invention, two dice thrown simultaneously are used to determine the number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn.
The at least two dice for staging an attack on an opponent's game piece, may include a first multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces to be moved and a second multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece. Preferably, each numerical indicator on the first multi-sided die is a number between 1 and 3. Preferably, each numerical indicator on the second multi-sided die is also a number between 1 and 3.
The game board may further include one or more types of obstacles disposed thereon each type of obstacle able to be navigated by one or more particular types of game piece. Any type of game piece that is unable to navigate the obstacle, must circumvent the obstacle by moving around rather than through the obstacle.
Preferably, the target associated with each player comprises a target game piece which is placed in a space within a designated region of the game board by the player to whom the target game piece is assigned.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for playing a game comprising:

(a) placing on a game board including a grid disposed thereon a plurality of game pieces assigned to each of at least two players, such that each game piece is placed on the game board in a space defined by the grid;
(b) each player in turn selecting at least one of a plurality of dice, each player making the selection based on a purpose of the player's turn;
(c) the player rolling the selected die or dice to either determine a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn, or to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece, in which case a first die determines a number of spaces which a game piece moves and a second die determines the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece;

wherein positioning at least one of one of the player's game pieces such that an opponent's game piece is within the firing range of that game piece leads to removal of the opponent's game piece from the game.
The step of each player in turn selecting at least one of a plurality of dice may depend on a purpose of the player's turn selected from moving one or more game pieces or attacking an opponent's game piece.
The method may further include the step of assigning to each player a target located in a space within a designated region of the game board, wherein each player makes their selection of die or dice with a view to attempting to move one of their game pieces into the space occupied by the opponent's target, so as to win the game.
The method may further include the step of moving one or more game pieces in accordance with the number of spaces determined by the die or dice, wherein each game piece is moved horizontally and/or vertically in a single turn. Preferably, the method includes the step of moving more than one game piece in a single turn, to move the total number of spaces determined by the die or dice, wherein each individual game piece can be moved a maximum of three spaces.
The plurality of game pieces assigned to each player may include at least three different types of game piece, each different type of game piece being able to stage an attack on at least one other type of game piece. Preferably, a first type of game piece is able to stage an attack a second type of game piece but not a third type of game piece; the second type of game piece is able to stage an attack the third type of game piece, but not the first type of game piece; and the third type of game piece is able to stage an attack on the first type of game piece, but not the second type of game piece.
The method may further include the step of accommodating one or more types of obstacles disposed on the game board in moving each game piece, each type of obstacle being able to be navigated by one or more particular types of game piece, wherein a game piece that is unable to navigate the obstacle, must circumvent the obstacle by moving around rather than across the obstacle.
Preferably, the step of assigning to each player a target involves providing to the player a target game piece to be placed in a space within a designated region of the game board by the player to whom the target game piece is assigned.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for playing a game, the system comprising a processor and associated memory device for storing a series of instructions to cause the processor to carry out the method substantially as described herein.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provide computer software for use in a system for playing a game, the system comprising a processor and associated memory device for storing the computer software including a series of instructions to cause the processor to carry out a method substantially as described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in further detail by reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the particularity of the drawings does not supersede the generality of the preceding description of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the game board layout in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shoes three types of game pieces provided in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3A to 3D show the numerical indicators provided on multi-sided dice in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate example movements of a game piece on the game board in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 5A to 5D illustrate an example of staging an attack on an opponent's game piece in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 6A to 6E illustrate another example of staging an attack on an opponent's game piece in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 7A to 7E illustrate yet another example of staging an attack on an opponent's game piece in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 8A to 8E illustrate still another example of staging an attack on an opponent's game piece in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 shows an example of positioning a target or headquarters in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10A to 10F show examples of obstacles disposed on the game board in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 11A to 11E shows how different types of obstacles are used to shield game pieces from attack in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 shows an example of a field front during progress of a typical game in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a computer system which could be used to implement the method of the invention according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring firstly to FIG. 1, the present invention provides a game to be played using apparatus including a game board. The game board 10 has a grid 12 disposed thereon dividing the game board into an array of spaces 14 arranged in columns 16 and rows 18.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the apparatus further includes a plurality of game pieces 20 which are assigned to each player. Playing the game requires the participation of a minimum of two players. Each game piece 20 assigned to a particular player is placed on the game board 10 in a space 14 defined by the grid 12 at the commencement of each game.
A screen may be provided to enable each player to screen the starting position of his or her game pieces 20 from the opponent. In accordance with an embodiment, each player deploys the game pieces 20 assigned to him or her within the three rows closest to the edge of the game board 10 assigned to that player, e.g. see FIG. 1 wherein a first edge of the game board 22 is assigned to player one and a second edge of the game board 24 is assigned to player two. In deploying the game pieces 20 within the designated three rows, each player should avoid placing a game piece 20 in a space occupied by a building 26 or other structure on the game board 10.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A to 3D, the apparatus further includes a plurality of dice. Different dice have different functions in the game and the selection of the dice depends on the purpose of the player's turn. For instance whether the player wishes to simply move one or more game pieces 20 on the game board 10, or whether the player intends to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece. According to an embodiment the different dice are colour coded to make it easy for each player to select the appropriate die or dice when upon commencing his or her turn in the game.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B the purpose of the first type of dice is to determine the number of spaces 14 on the game board 10 to be moved by one or more game pieces in a single turn. In an embodiment, the first type of dice consists of two dice, each colour coded in white for easy player recognition. The dice are typical multi-sided dice with each side bearing a numerical indicator which indicates the number of spaces to be moved. The optimal combination of numerical indictors are illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, that one die 28 has the numerical indicators 5,6,7,5,6,7 and the other die 30 has the numerical indicators 6,7,8,6,7,8. It is to be understood however, that the number of die or dice used to determine the number of spaces 14 moved by one or more game pieces 20 in a single turn could vary as could the numerical indicators provided on each die to accommodate variations in game board 10 size, faster or slower games and the like.
Referring to FIGS. 3C and 3D, the purpose of the second type of dice is to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece. In an embodiment, the second type of dice consists of two dice, a first die colour coded green, for determining the number of spaces 14 which a game piece 20 moves on the game board 10, and a second die colour coded red, for determining the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece. The dice are typical multi-sided dice with each side bearing a numerical indicator which indicates the number of spaces 14 to be moved or covered by the firing range depending on the die type. The optimal combination of numerical indictors are illustrated in FIGS. 3C and 3D, that the first die 32 has the numerical indicators 1,2,2,2,3,3 and the second die 34 has the numerical indicators 1,2,2,3,3,3. It is to be understood however, that the numerical indicators provided on each die could be varied to accommodate variations in game board size, faster or slower games and the like.
Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, there is shown an example of how one or more game pieces 20 may be moved on the game board 10 in accordance with the number of spaces determined by the dice of the first type 28,30. In this illustrated example, two dice have been rolled by the player to display the numerical indicators “5” and “6” as shown in FIG. 4A. This means that the player's game pieces 20 are to move a total of eleven spaces 14 in this turn. Game pieces may move horizontally, i.e. in the direction of the row 18, and/or vertically, i.e. in the direction of the column 16. Diagonal movements are not permitted. The player may choose to move any number of game pieces 20 in each turn or round. In an embodiment, the maximum number of spaces 14 to be moved by any one game piece 20 is three. FIG. 4B shows a number of example movements that could be made by four game pieces 20 to add up to the total of eleven spaces.
Referring now to FIGS. 5A to 5D, there is shown an example of how an attack may be staged on an opponent's game piece 36 using the dice of the second type 32, 34. It is preferred, although not essential to the operation of the game that the dice 32, 44 are rolled simultaneously. In this illustrated example, the two dice of the second type have been rolled by the player to display the numerical indicators “3” and “3” respectively as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5C. This means that the player's game piece 20 moves three spaces 14 in this turn as shown in FIG. 5B. Once game piece 20 is in its new position 38, a check is done to determine whether the opponent's game piece 36 is within the firing range of the game piece 20 as shown in FIG. 5D. If so, the opponent's game piece 36 is destroyed and removed from the game.
Referring now to FIGS. 6A to 6E, there is shown another example of how an attack may be staged on an opponent's game piece 36 using the dice of the second type 32, 34. In this illustrated example, the two dice of the second type have been rolled by the player to display the numerical indicators “3” and “1” respectively as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6D. This means that the player's game piece 20 moves three spaces 14 in this turn as shown in FIG. 6C. Once game piece 20 is in its new position 38, a check is done to determine whether the opponent's game piece 36 is within the firing range of the game piece 20 as shown in FIG. 6E. In this case, the firing range is insufficient to reach the opponent's game piece 36. Accordingly, the opponent's game piece 36 is not destroyed and remains in the game.
Referring now to FIGS. 7A to 7E, there is shown yet another example of how an attack may be staged on an opponent's game piece 36 using the dice of the second type 32, 34. In this illustrated example, the two dice of the second type have been rolled by the player to display the numerical indicators “1” and “3” respectively as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7D. This means that the player's game piece 20 moves one space 14 in this turn as shown in FIG. 7C. Once game piece 20 is in its new position 38, a check is done to determine whether the opponent's game piece 36 is within the firing range of the game piece 20 as shown in FIG. 7E. In this case, the firing range is sufficient to reach through and beyond the opponent's game piece 36. Accordingly, the opponent's game piece 36 is destroyed and removed from the game.
Referring now to FIGS. 8A to 8E, there is shown still another example of how an attack may be staged on an opponent's game piece 36 using the dice of the second type 32, 34. In this illustrated example, the two dice of the second type have been rolled by the player to display the numerical indicators “3” and “3” respectively as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8D. Given that the game piece 20 has a firing range of three spaces, it is not necessary to also move the game piece 20 three spaces. Accordingly, the player's game piece 20 is moved only one space 14 in this turn as shown in FIG. 8C, and once game piece 20 is in its new position 38, a check is done to determine whether the opponent's game piece 36 is within the firing range of the game piece 20. Since the firing range is sufficient to reach the opponent's game piece 36, the opponent's game piece is destroyed and removed from the game. Given that the game piece 20 moved only one space 14, the player moves one or more other game pieces to add up to the total of three spaces moved as shown in FIG. 8E.
In an embodiment, the game pieces 20 include at least three types. For example referring back to FIG. 2, there are tanks 20A, infantry 20B and artillery 20C. It is preferred that each type of game piece 20A, 20B, 20C is not able to attack all other game pieces. For instance, in the case of the three game pieces as illustrated in FIG. 2, a tank game piece 20A can attack an infantry game piece 20B, but not an artillery game piece 20C. An infantry game piece 20B can attack an artillery game piece 20C, but not a tank game piece 20A. An artillery game piece 20C can attack a tank game piece 20A, but not an infantry game piece 20B. In a preferred embodiment of the game, each player is assigned six infantry game pieces 20B, four tank game pieces 20A and two artillery game pieces 20C at the commencement of the game.
Referring now to FIG. 9, a target 40 is associated with each player at the commencement of the game. The target 40, otherwise referred to as the “headquarters” is located in a space 14 within a designated region of the game board 10. The game is won by the first player who moves one of their game pieces 20 into the space 14 that is occupied by the opponent's headquarters 40. In one embodiment, the headquarters 40 comprise a game piece which is placed in a space 14 within the designated region of the game board 10 by the player to whom that headquarters game piece 40 is assigned. The designated region of the game board 10 includes any space 14 located between the buildings 26. In this embodiment, deployment of the headquarters game piece 40 occurs at the commencement of the game.
Referring now to FIGS. 10A to 10F, the game board may include one or more types of obstacles disposed thereon. Examples of types of obstacles are mountains 42 as shown in FIG. 10A, lakes 44 as shown in FIG. 10B, forests 46 as shown in FIG. 10B, buildings 26 as shown in FIG. 10C, and headquarters 40 as shown in FIG. 10C. In an embodiment, each type of obstacle can only be navigated by particular types of game pieces. For example, tank game pieces 20A can navigate mountains 42 as shown in FIG. 10A, but cannot navigate lakes 44 or forests 46 as shown in FIGS. 10D and 10F. Infantry game pieces 20B can navigate lakes 44 and forests 46 as shown in FIG. 10B, but cannot navigate mountains as shown in FIG. 10E. Artillery game pieces 20C cannot navigate lakes 44, forests 46, or mountains 42 as shown in FIGS. 10D, 10E and 10F. Buildings 26 and headquarters 40 cannot be navigated by any type of game piece 20.
Referring now to FIGS. 11A to 11E, the different types of obstacles can act to shield game pieces from an attack staged by an opponent. For example, the firing range of any game piece 20 cannot pass through a mountain as shown in FIG. 11A. Nor can the firing range of any game piece 20 pass through a forest 46 as shown in FIG. 11B. It is possible however for the firing range of a game piece 20 to strike an opponent's game piece located within a forest 46, provided that the opponent's game piece is of the infantry type 20B as shown in FIG. 11B. It is not possible for the firing range of any game piece 20 to pass through another game piece, as shown in FIG. 11C. It is only possible to take or destroy one opponent's game piece in a single turn. Accordingly, even if the firing range appears to pass through more than one game piece, only one opponent's game piece can be taken per round. Nor is it possible for the firing range of any game piece 20 to pass through any building 26 or headquarters 40 as shown in FIGS. 11D and 11E.
Once the basic elements of the game as described above are understood it is possible to commence play. However, strategies and tactics will be enhanced during subsequent games leading to a higher level of play. For instance it will be noted that artillery are the least common game piece in terms of actual numbers. This is because the artillery game piece is the most powerful. This leads to the basic strategy that players attempt to attack the opponent's artillery in order to remove the opponents' artillery game pieces from the game.
Given that the second type of dice used to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece each have a “3” as the highest numerical indicator, the maximum range of attack is six spaces, that is a maximum move of three spaces and a maximum firing range of three spaces. Although maximum numerical indicators will not be achieved on every roll of the dice, an attack should be regarded as imminent if a player moves one of his game pieces within four spaces of an opponent's game pieces. Bearing this in mind an example of a field front during progress of a typical game is shown in FIG. 12.
In order to advance towards the opponent's headquarters, i.e. the target, a player must penetrate the opponent's lines at some point. In order to do this, the opponent's forces must be weakened at some point to allow at least one of the player's game pieces to “break through” the opponent's “enemy lines”. Of course it is well understood that the winner of a skirmish is usually the player with the most number of game pieces. Accordingly each player should attempt to move as many pieces a possible towards the weakest point in the opponent's “enemy lines” before staging an attack.
The ultimate goal of each player should be to capture the opponent's headquarters in order to win the game. It is easy to get caught up in the immediate battle, taking and losing game pieces and perhaps winning local skirmishes. However, in order to play a strategic and tactical game, each player must have in mind the ultimate goal of capturing the opponent's headquarters at each and every turn or round in the game.
Furthermore, given that the maximum number of spaces that can be moved by a single game piece is three, it stands to reason that if a player's game piece is within three spaces of the opponent's headquarters, it is possible to capture the headquarters and win the game. However, if a single game piece moves within three spaces of the opponent's headquarters, it is highly likely to be taken out and destroyed by a nearby game piece. Accordingly, at least two game pieces must be within three spaces of the opponent's headquarters to secure a win, since only one game piece can be destroyed by the opponent in any one round.
It envisaged that the game board as herein described could be enlarged to produce an even more challenging game. Other game piece types such as for example bombers and fighters could be introduced to add the extra dimension of aerial combat. Yet still other game piece types such as for example patrol boats, battleships and aircraft carriers can be introduced to add the extra dimension of combat at sea. Moreover, the game could be expanded to include more than two players.
The board game and method of play described herein could further be adapted to be played on a computer. The game may be implemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or processing systems. In particular, the functionality of a client user terminal and its graphic user interface, as well as a server, may be provided by one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the above described functionality.
Such a computer system is illustrated in FIG. 14. In this Figure, an exemplary computer system 50 includes one or more processors, such as processor 52. The processor 52 is connected to a communication infrastructure 54. The computer system 50 may include a display interface 56 that forwards graphics, texts and other data from the communication infrastructure 54 for supply to the display unit 58. The computer system 50 may also include a main memory 60, preferably random access memory, and may also include a secondary memory 62.
The secondary memory 62 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 64, magnetic tape drive, optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 66 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 68 in a well known manner. The removable storage unit 68 represents a floppy disk, magnetic tape, optical disk, etc.
As will be appreciated, the removable storage unit 68 includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software in a form of a series of instructions to cause the processor 52 to carry out desired functionality. In alternative embodiments, the secondary memory 62 may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or instructions to be loaded into the computer system 50. Such means may include, for example, a removable storage unit 70 and interface 72.
The computer system 50 may also include a communications interface 74. Communications interface 74 allows software and data to be transferred between the computer system 50 and external devices. Examples of communication interface 74 may include a modem, a network interface, a communications port, a PCMIA slot and card etc. Software and data transferred via a communications interface 74 are in the form of signals 76 which may be electromagnetic, electronic, optical or other signals capable of being received by the communications interface 74. The signals are provided to communications interface 74 via a communications path 76 such as a wire or cable, fibre optics, phone line, cellular phone link, radio frequency or other communications channels.
Although in the above described embodiments the invention is implemented primarily using computer software, in other embodiments the invention may be implemented primarily in hardware using, for example, hardware components such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASICs). Implementation of a hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art. In other embodiments, the invention may be implemented using a combination of both hardware and software.
The computer system can function in one of two modes. In a first mode, the computer serves merely to verify and display each player's moves on a display screen. This mode of operation may be referred to as referee mode and may allow a player to play an opponent situated at another location. Alternatively, the computer could perform the role of a player. This mode may be referred to as player mode. Using the rules of the game and the movement of the playing pieces as described above, one skilled in the art could construct suitable software to enable a computer to play the board game of the present invention in either referee mode or player mode.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many alternative, modifications and variations in light of the foregoing description are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternative, modifications and variations as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed.
The claims defining the invention are as follows:

Claims

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising:

(a) a game board including a grid disposed thereon;

(b) a plurality of game pieces assigned to each of at least two players, each game piece to be placed on the game board in a space defined by the grid;

(c) a plurality of dice including:

(i) at least one die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn, and

(ii) at least two dice for staging an attack on an opponent's game piece, a first die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves and a second die for determining the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece;

wherein positioning at least one of one of a player's game pieces such that an opponent's game piece is within the firing range of that game piece leads to removal of the opponent's game piece from the game.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including a target associated with each player, each target located in a space within a designated region of the game board, wherein the game is won by the first player to move one of their game pieces into the space occupied by the opponent's target.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of game pieces include at least three different types, each different type of game piece being able to attack at least one other type of game piece.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a first type of game piece is able to stage an attack a second type of game piece but not a third type of game piece; the second type of game piece is able to stage an attack on a third type of game piece, but not the first type of game piece; and, the third type of game piece is able to stage an attack on the first type of game piece, but not the second type of game piece.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one die for determining a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn is a multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces to be moved, wherein each numerical indicator is a number between 5 and 8.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two dice thrown simultaneously are used to determine the number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least two dice for staging an attack on an opponent's game piece, include a first multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces to be moved, wherein each numerical indicator is a number between 1 and 3, and a second multi-sided die each side of which bears a numerical indicator to indicate the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece, wherein each numerical indicator is a number between 1 and 3.

8. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the game board further includes one or more types of obstacles disposed thereon each type of obstacle able to be navigated by one or more particular types of game piece, wherein any type of game piece that is unable to navigate the obstacle, must circumvent the obstacle by moving around rather than through the obstacle.

9. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the target associated with each player comprises a target game piece which is placed in a space within a designated region of the game board by the player to whom the target game piece is assigned.

10. A method for playing a game comprising:

(a) placing on a game board including a grid disposed thereon a plurality of game pieces assigned to each of at least two players, such that each game piece is placed on the game board in a space defined by the grid;

(b) each player in turn selecting at least one of a plurality of dice, each player making the selection based on a purpose of the player's turn;

(c) the player rolling the selected die or dice to either determine a number of spaces which a game piece moves in a single turn, or to stage an attack on an opponent's game piece, in which case a first die determines a number of spaces which a game piece moves and a second die determines the number of spaces covered by a firing range of the game piece;

wherein positioning at least one of one of the player's game pieces such that an opponent's game piece is within the firing range of that game piece leads to removal of the opponent's game piece from the game.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of each player in turn selecting at least one of a plurality of dice depends on a purpose of the player's turn selected from moving one or more game pieces or attacking an opponent's game piece

12. A method according to claim 10, further including the step of assigning to each player a target located in a space within a designated region of the game board, wherein each player makes their selection of die or dice with a view to attempting to move one of their game pieces into the space occupied by the opponent's target, so as to win the game.

13. A method according to claim 10, further including the step of moving one or more game pieces in accordance with the number of spaces determined by the die or dice, wherein each game piece is moved horizontally and/or vertically in a single turn.

14. A method according to claim 10, further including the step of moving more than one game piece in a single turn, to move the total number of spaces determined by the die or dice, wherein each individual game piece can be moved a maximum of three spaces.

15. A method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of game pieces assigned to each player includes at least three different types of game piece, each different type of game piece being able to stage an attack on at least one other type of game piece.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein a first type of game piece is able to stage an attack a second type of game piece but not a third type of game piece; the second type of game piece is able to stage an attack the third type of game piece, but not the first type of game piece; and the third type of game piece is able to stage an attack on the first type of game piece, but not the second type of game piece.

17. A method according to claim 10, further including the step of accommodating one or more types of obstacles disposed on the game board in moving each game piece, each type of obstacle being able to be navigated by one or more particular types of game piece, wherein a game piece that is unable to navigate the obstacle, must circumvent the obstacle by moving around rather than across the obstacle.

18. A method according to claim 10, wherein the step of assigning to each player a target involves providing to the player a target game piece to be placed in a space within a designated region of the game board by the player to whom the target game piece is assigned.

19. A system for playing a game, the system comprising a processor and associated memory device for storing a series of instructions to cause the processor to carry out a method according to claim 10.

20. Computer software for use in a system for playing a game, the system comprising a processor and associated memory device for storing the computer software including a series of instructions to cause the processor to carry out a method according to claim 10.