EP0102137A1

EP0102137A1 - Game

Info

Publication number: EP0102137A1
Application number: EP83302044A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Maurine Hermione Adele Berman
Original assignee: HIRON GAMES Ltd
Current assignee: HIRON GAMES Ltd
Priority date: 1982-05-11
Filing date: 1983-04-12
Publication date: 1984-03-07
Also published as: JPS58203782A; ES272140U; AU1352983A; ZA832676B; BR8302446A

Abstract

A game comprising a plurality of playing pieces (2, 4, 6, 8,) each of which includes at least one face bearing a pattern comprising a plurality of compartments at least some of which abut the edge of the said one face and which extend therefrom to form a chain of contiguous compartments of a similar character, the pattern comprising compartments of different character.

Description

This invention relates to games and more especially although not exclusively it relates to card games.
Many card games are known which use conventional playing cards or special sets of cards. These known card games tend either to involve complex rules which serve by reason of their complexity to reduce popular appeal or they tend to be so simple as quickly to become boring, even when played by children.
The present invention has for an object to provide a card- game which presents the players with something of an intellectual challenge but which does not involve numerous rules.
According to the present invention a game comprises a plurality of playing pieces each of which includes at least one face bearing a pattern comprising a plurality of compartments at least some of which abut the edge of the said one face and which extend therefrom to form a chain of contiguous compartments of a similar character, the pattern comprising compartments of different character.
The playing pieces may be cards. The word card is used in a general sense and is intended to include flat playing pieces made of cardboard, wood, ivory, metal, plastics or any combination of these or other materials.
The game may be played by two or more players and to commence play a pack of the cards is placed face down on a playing table. Each player in turn then plays a card by placing it face up on the table so as to abut a card or cards already in play, in such a way that the compartments on the card played, form with cards already in play, a chain of compartments of similar character. Scoring is determined in dependence upon the characters forming a chain and/or the length of the chain formed and the object of the game is to make the largest score.
The cards may be rectilinear, or approximating to rectilinarity with rounded or cut corners.
The cards may be rectangular or square.
The said surface of each card may comprise a pattern defined by a matrix of compartments.
The compartments may be square.or rectangular.
The character of a compartment may be defined by colour.
Compartments may be provided of at least two different colours, some in one colour and some in another so as to form on each card chains of contiguous compartments of the same colour extending from the edge of the said surface.
Two or three different colours are preferably used in a four by four matrix of compartments.
Alternatively, the character of a compartment may be defined by means of a number provided on the surface within the compartment. The number may be printed, stuck, carved or otherwise provided on the surface.
At least two different numbers may be used so as to form chains of contiguous compartments bearing the same number.
Two or three different numbers are preferably used in a four by four matrix of compartments.
The pattern may be applied to one or both surfaces of the cards. Each surface of a card may have the same or a different pattern.
Although cards are eminently suitable for use as playing pieces, the playing pieces may comprise solid figures such as cuboid blocks, some or all faces of which are arranged to bear the pattern. The same or a different pattern may be provided on each surface of the solid figures.
Any convenient number of playing pieces may comprise a set or pack but the number of playing pieces in a set or pack preferably lies between 12 and 144.
The set or pack of playing pieces may comprise additional pieces which are printed to bear the rules of the game and which may give scoring examples. It will be appreciated that these pieces will not be used in play.
Some games according to the present invention will now be described solely by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of four cards comprising a pattern defined by a matrix of squares in two or three different colours; and
Figure 2'is a plan view of four cards bearing a pattern comprising a matrix of squares bearing two or three different numbers.

Referring now to Figure 1, a card game hereinafter called Continuo, comprises a pack of forty-two cards four of which 2, 4, 6 and 8 are shown in Figure 1. The cards of the pack are square, are all substantially the same size and all bear a matrix of sixteen squares or compartments. The compartments of each card are coloured in two or three different colours and no two cards of the pack are identical.
In order to play Continue, the pack is shuffled and placed face down on a playing surface. Two or more players may play the game and the players in turn take one card from the top of the pack and place it face upwards on the playing surface so as to touch any card or cards already played but so as not to overlap them, thereby to form a chain or chains of squares or compartments of the same colour.
Thus referring to Figure 1, card number 2 is the first card played. Card 4 is played next so as to form a chain of six green compartments and two chains of blue compartments each of which comprises four blue compartments. Thus the score achieved by the player of card 4 is fourteen. Card 6 is played next to form a chain of six blue compartments and four red compartments. The score achieved by the player of card 6 is thus ten. The card 8 is next played so as to abut the cards 2 and 6 and form two chains of blue compartments each containing seven squares and one chain of green compartments containing four squares. Thus the player of card 8 will score eighteen. The players continue playing the cards in turn until all cards have been played and the player with the largest score is then the winner.
The rules of Continuo may be as follows:

Shuffle and place the pack face down on a playing surface.

The players take turns to take one card at a time from the top of the pack and place it face upwards on the playing surface, touching (but not overlapping) at least one of the cards already placed and matching as many chains of the colours as possible.
The squares in each colour chain formed are added to determine the score, and each chain formed must include squares from the new card and from at least one other card. The total number of squares in a chain is the score made. Only contact along an edge counts.
The object of the game is to score more than your opponent(s), and so for example two chains of eight are better than three chains of four each. The players should score after each card is positioned and a running total should be kept. The game will continue until all forty-two cards have been placed.
It is envisaged that the pack will include a card which bears the rules and also a card with a pictorial scoring example in colour.
Referring now to Figure 2, in an alternative embodiment of the invention hereinafter called Count-continuo, cards of a similar shape and bearing the same number of square compartments as shown in Figure 1 and arranged in the form a matrix are used, but the character of the squares is distinguished by means of a number provided within each square or compartment.
Two or three different numbers are used on each card, four cards 10, 12, 14 and 16 are shown in Figure 2 which correspond to the four cards 2, 4, 6 and 8 shown in Figure 1, but which are characterised by numbers instead of colours. When playing Count-continuo with the cards with numbers, the score is the total of the numbers which comprise the chains formed. Thus, when the card 12 is played so as to be abutting the card 10, two chains of twos are formed each comprising four squares or compartments, and one chain of threes is formed comprising six squares. Thus the player of card 12 scores a total of 34. Card 14 is played next by the next player to form a chain comprising six twos and a chain comprising four ones. Thus a total of 16 is scored by the player of card 14.
Similarly the player of the card 16 forms two chains of twos each comprising seven squares and one chain of threes comprising four squares to give a grand total of 40. As with Continuo, the Count-continuo game proceeds until all cards have been played. The player who achieves the highest score is the winner.
The rules of Count-continuo may be as follows:

The pack is first shuffled and placed face down on a flat playing surface. Cards are taken one at a time from the top of the pack, by players in turn, and placed face upwards on the playing surface so as to touch but not so as to overlap the cards already played with the object of matching as many squares as possible to produce as many chains of the same number as possible. After each card is played, the numbers in each chain are added and must include squares of the most recently played card and squares from at least one other card and a total is produced. Only contact along an edge counts.

The object of the game is to score more than your opponent or opponents and so for example a chain of six fours would score 24 and would be better than a chain of five threes and a chain of four ones which would total only 19.
The score after each card is played should be noted and a running total should be kept. Play will continue until all cards have been played. In Continuo and Count-continuo, for two players, at the start of a game, the top two cards are preferably taken and placed approximately in the centre of the playing surface, so that the maximum score is obtained. This score is not recorded. Play then commences in turns of the players, according to the rules given above. Scoring is done individually and the score should be agreed before it is written down.
For Count-continuo, it may be arranged that one card be provided with the rules of the game and this card or another card will preferably have a pictorial illustration similar to Figure 2 showing cards in play which illustrate scoring. Various modifications may be made to the games just before described and for example in Continuo, more than three colours may be used and in Count-continuo more than three different numbers may be applied to one or more cards. With Count-continuo, the compartments containing the numbers are preferably coloured. This makes the cards look more attractive than uncoloured cards and also enables the different numbers easily to be distinguished. Obviously, all compartments containing the same number are given the same colour. The colours may be as in Continuo or they may be black and white only. Alternatively, other distinguishing colours, or shapes, or shape and colour combinations may be employed. The compartments of the cards may be distinguished by data other than colours and numbers. The cards may be other types of playing pieces such as cuboid blocks. Both sides of the cards may be provided with the pattern and, in this case, the pattern on each side of each card will usually be different.
It will be also be appreciated that various modifications may be made to the rules without departing from the scope of the invention and the modifications may depend upon the number of players playing. With Continuo and Count-continuo for three players, the game is preferably started by taking the top three cards and placing them approximately in the centre of the playing surface, so that the maximum score is obtained. This score is not recorded and the game is then continued as for two players. Continuo and Count-continuo may be played for four and five players as for two players. Continuo and Count-continuo may also be played by one player, the object of the game then being to score as many as possible, perhaps striving to better a previous best score.
An optional rule is that before play begins, the area of the playing surface outside which no card or part of any card may protrude, is defined. Another optional rule is that only a previously"agreed number of the cards from the pack will be used in a game.

Claims

1. A game comprising a plurality of playing pieces each of which includes at least one face bearing a pattern comprising a plurality of compartments at least some of which abut the edge of the said one face and which extend therefrom to form a chain of contiguous compartments of a similar character, the pattern comprising compartments of different character.

2. A game according to claim 1 in which the playing pieces are cards.

3. A game according to claim 2 in which the cards are rectilinear.

4. A game according to claim 2 or claim 3 in which the surface of each card comprises a pattern defined by a matrix of compartments.

5. A game according to claim 4 in which the character of a compartment is defined by colour, and in which there are compartments of at least two different colours, some in one colour and some in another so as to form on each card chains of contiguous compartments of the same colour extending from the edge of the said surface.

6. A game according to claim 5 in which two or three different colours are used in a four by four matrix of compartments.

7. A game according to claim 4 in which the character of a compartment is defined by means of a number provided on the surface within the compartment, and in which at least two different numbers are used so as to form chains of contiguous compartments bearing the same number.

8. A game according to claim J7 in which two or three different numbers are used in a four by four matrix of compartments.

9. A game according to any one of claims 2 to 8 in which the pattern is applied to one or both surfaces of the cards.