FR2490849A1 - Educational game teaching astronomy uses astrological map with various question cards and cards representing individual stars and constellations - Google Patents

Abstract

The game is educational and uses an astrological map. There are three packs of question cards and a book with answers and a packet of star cards, jokers, star tokens, a dice, and astronauts. The details of the game can be varied, without changing the basic principle. The game teaches recognition of constellations, and their relative positions.

Description

 The present invention is part of the field of educational board games intended for leisure and teaching children, from 8 or 9 years old, but which can also be extended to a wider audience of all ages, and concerning in the present case the teaching of astronomy through play.

 The Toy market is currently invaded by science fiction games involving robots, space war, etc. These games bring no scientific knowledge to the child, and can even sometimes mislead him. There is no educational game on the market offering to teach astronomy from a scientific angle.

 However, astronomy is an area that immediately appeals to children.

In addition, it is a science that is both very old and very recent, which has experienced very significant development in recent decades, and which increasingly affects our present and future world (artificial satellites, etc.). We are therefore more and more concerned with space issues, and it would be good to prepare our children for it. In addition, astronomy is becoming more and more popular, and amateur astronomers more and more. An educational game on this science would undoubtedly be a very useful working tool for them, and would certainly respond to an unformulated but very real request.

 The present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiency by proposing to make it acquire players general knowledge in astronomy and to make them discover the many and fascinating faces of this science.

They will familiarize themselves with the appearance of the sky, thanks to the map constituting the game board, and will even be pushed to practice direct observation on the ground, which constitutes an excellent initiation. They will learn the form of the constellations, their name, the name of the main stars, that of the remarkable celestial objects, they will be able to identify these thanks to the photos appearing on the playing cards.

The present drawings represent:
- the circuit (fig. I) used by the players, and which is drawn on the sky map. This card is essential in the game, since it constitutes the board on which the players progress during the game. It is not shown here, because the actual diameter planned for the game is approximately 60 cm.

et ces points sont reliés entre eux par des traits pour former les constellations.A reduction in scale requested would render the details of the drawings and inscriptions illegible. This map represents the boreal sky, with a total of 55 constellations visible in our latitudes. These constellations appear, with their names, and the names of the celestial objects selected to serve as wild cards. The stars are represented by dots of different dimensions and colors as follows

and these points are linked together by lines to form the constellations.

The colors are arbitrary and do not correspond to the true colors of the stars. They are only practical here which allows the player to identify the apparent magnitude of the stars s
yellow .......... 1st size
red .......... 2nd "
green ........... 3rd
blue ............ 4th, 5th, 6th size.

 The names of the constellations are indicated in blue, in black if they are constellations of the Zodiac. In red are inscribed the names of celestial objects retained as jokers.

The circuit is made up of 6 squared circles of boxes. Players move into the upper circle via transfer zones
ZT

The circuit is drawn on the map so that for each constellation its number of parts corresponds (see explanation below).

Below is a list of the constellations on the map, with the number of points and parts corresponding to them t
CONSTELLATIONS points - parts CONSTELLATIONS PTS- parts
Eagle ............... IO 4 Pegasus ............... IO 3
Andronède ........... 25 2 Persée ............... 20 2
Balance O - Petit Cheval .......... O
Whale ............ IO 2 Small Dog .......... IO
Aries 5 2 Little Dipper ............ IO 3
Bouvier ............ IO 3 Little Lion ............ O
Cancer .............. 20 2 Little Fox .......... 10 3
Capricorn ......... O - Fish ............. 0 6
Cassiopée ........... IO - Southern fish ......... IO
Cepheus ............. 5 2 Stern ................. O
Hair of Berenice IO - Sagittarius ............ 50 2
Hunting dogs 20 - Scorpion .............. 40 2
Check ............. 50 3 Snake .............. IO 6
Dove ............. O - Sextant .............. 0 2 Raven ............ O - Taurus. ............. 45 3
Section .............. 0 3 Triangle .............. IO
Boreal Crown O - Aquarius .............. IO 4
Swan .............. 25 3 Virgin .............. 20 4
Dolphin .............. O
pts - parts pts
Dragon 5 4 Ecu de Sobieski ....... IO
Eridan ............. 5 3 Arrow ................ O
Gemini ............ 30 3 Giraffe ................ 0 2
Big Dog ......... 45 2 Big Dipper ......... 40
Hercule ............. IO 4 Hydra ................ I5 3
Lizard .............. 0 2 Unicorn ............... 0 3
Hare ............. O - Lion ................ 35 2
Lynx ............... 0 4 Lyre ................. 20
Ophiuchus ............ I0 3 Orion ................ 50 2
Total constellations: 55 Total points t 730
Average of the constellations for 6 players s approximately 9 per player
- 2 examples of constellation maps (fig. 2 and fig. 3)
There are 55 of them: On each of them: - the drawing of the constellation, - the French name of the constellation, followed by the Latin name and the abbreviation, - the name of the main stars that make it up, - possibly, are marked on the card celestial objects remar
quables, - indications on these celestial objects and on certain stars, - the value of the constellation (number of points) in top and on the right, - possibly, some lines relating to the mythology which misses
stain to the constellation.

The value of the constellation was determined as follows - 2nd magnitude star s 5 points - "from Iere" s 10 - remarkable celestial object: IO points.

- 3 examples of demographic cards (fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6)
The questionnaire is made up of 3 levels of 50 questions each.

1st level
It covers generalities and basic knowledge in astronomy: recognition of remarkable planets and celestial objects, names of the planets and their satellites, some fundamental definitions.

2nd level s
It relates only to the knowledge acquired by the players during the games. All these questions are answered in the constellation cards.

3rd level:
More difficult. The questions relate to more specific points in astronomy. Players are advised to start with the 1st level, then the second, and finish with the 3rd.

The responses are recorded in a small notebook.

- I example of a joker card (fig. 7)
They are 9 in number. Each represents a remarkable celestial object marked on the large sky map.

- I share (fig. 9)
- I star-pledge (fig. 8)
RULE OF THE GAME
The players will be 6 maximum (because 6 entered on the map), but their number may be lower. They play in an order agreed between them at the start, and advance by die rolls.

The goal is to total as many points as possible. The game is over when one of the players arrives at POLARIS (in the center of the map).

Players choose the package of questions that will be the same for everyone.

The cards are shuffled beforehand.

To get into the circuit
The player (J.) must make s - a 6 to present his ship on the map, - - if he rolls a 6, he rolls the dice immediately and receives the ship
carrying the exit n, vessel which it places in the space of entry oorres
laying in oe n. At the same time, it receives IO star-pledges (EG) from the
same color as his ship.

 If he does not roll a 6, the next player takes his turn.

 Each advances his ship by the number of spaces corresponding to the n rolled out during the die roll.

Each time a player rolls a 6, he can replay a second time
at once.

 It is forbidden for players to pass their turn.

The players advance in the direction indicated by the arrow, which corresponds to
lays in the apparent direction of rotation of the sky.

When J. arrives in a hut. there may be several cases t - the box is occupied by one, or several whole constellations, without
owner (s),
-the box is occupied by an entire constellation and parts of
constellations without owner (s),
-the box is occupied by several constellations, or parts of constel
lations, some of which already have owners.

I - The box does not include any constellations without owner (s) If all these constellations are whole (they only cover this
box there): J. automatically receives the map of these constellations which becomes
their territories.

He places the cards in front of him, so that he always has in front of him
the name of all its territories.

if the box includes only parts of constellations (only one, or
several different constellations) s J. receives as many shares as he
there are parts of constellations.

Example: J. arrives in a space occupied by a part of Pisces
and part of the Whale if it receives 2 parts.

if the box includes whole constellations and parts of
constellations s
J. receives the map of all the entire constellations which become
its territories,
J. receives as many parts as there are parts of constellations in
the box.

Example s J. arrives in a square occupied by the Triangle and one by
tie du Bélier s J. receives the Triangle card of which he becomes owner
shut up + I share.

J. arrives in a hut occupied by the Arrow, part of the Eagle
and part of the Little Fox: J. receives the Flèche card,
he becomes owner + 2 shares.

if J. wants to appropriate these constellations, or only certain
of them, he must give the cash register the number of corresponding shares
laying down the number of boxes covered by the constellations it de
sire to appropriate (this number is indicated on the list of constella
tions).

Note J. can only appropriate a constellation when it is
found in a square occupied by this constellation, or a part
of this constellation.

If J. arrives in a box containing a remarkable object (marked in
red) -and only in this box, even if the constellation
in which the object is located covers several boxes- it receives
automatically the joker corresponding to this object, even if it does not
does not appropriate the constellation (and provided that this joker does not have
not already been distributed).

 II - Some of the yes constellations occupy the box already have owners g - Above all, J. first considers the constellations without an owner.

 Same process as above.

- Then, J. considers the constellations with owners (P.). Visa-
vis des P., J. is in a situation of intrusion.

. if there are several constellations and only one P., the 2 adversaries
take into account the strongest constellation. If they
are of the same value, it is the choice of P.

If there are several P., J. deals with the P. of the constellation the
stronger. If they are of the same value, the P. roll the dice, and J.

 deals with whoever outputs the highest number.

- when P. and the constellation are determined, J. draws a question.

. he knows how to answer if he becomes the owner of the constellation
P. gives him the card.

. he does not know how to answer s J. gives a star-pledge to P. and drives back into
the opposite direction of rotation of as many boxes as there are points in
the constellation in question (example s if this constellation is
Cassiopée, J. steps back 10 boxes).

It is not subject to the conditions set out in the box in which
he arrives by backing up.

Backing up, J. goes into the lower circle every time he goes
in front of a transfer area.

If he backs up to the 1st circle, he leaves the circuit as soon as he
walks past his entrance. He will then have to redo a 6, to present
again its ship on the map, and redo the number of its entry
to reintroduce it into the circuit.

If J. wants to escape the obligations to back off and give a
star-pledge, he can, if he has any, give a joker to P. In this
yeah, it stays in the box where it is.

III - J. arrives in a free space s
Nothing happens, the next player takes his turn.

IV - J. arrives in a transfer zone (ZT) s
He goes into the upper circle. It is subject to both the conditions set by the ST, and those set by the box in which this ZT opens.

 However, if, in the ZT, the J. draws a question and has to back off, he no longer has the right to leave again in the box in which the ZT leads.

 If, in the ZT, the J. draws a question and knows how to answer, he then goes to the upper box and is subject to the conditions laid down by it.

V - The Age Stars:
They give the person who received them rights to the person who gave them.

A player X comes to possess 4 EG of a player Y s when X is in "intruder" at Y, he draws a question (as above). If he can answer, Y gives him the territory. If he does not know how to answer, he remains in the box where he is, that is to say that he is not obliged to back up, nor to deliver an EG to Y.

VI - The Zodiac t
A player may come to have all of the Zodiac constellations (marked in black on the map). In this case, he exchanges his spacecraft for the Black Pawn (the total of the pawns is 6 + the Black Pawn) and then has "Sovereignty of the Zodiac".

 This allows it to keep the integrity of its territorial heritage which can only grow. Thus, when an adversary finds himself in the position of intruder in one of his territories and knows how to answer the drawn question, the Sovereign of the Zodiac does not give him the territory to which the intruder would normally be entitled.

 When a player arrives at POLARIS, each player totals the points represented by the territories in his possession.

 Whoever reaches POLARIS adds 20 points.

 To this total, each player s - adds IO points per joker remaining in his possession, - subtracts IO points by given EG.

 The winner is the one who scores the most points.

The present invention emerges from the field of leisure as well as that of education. It could therefore be exploited - on the toy market, by toy stores, - by teachers who would like to teach astronomy to their
pupils (this subject is also introduced into the curriculum
certain classes), - by astronomy clubs who would find in this game a tool for
work allowing them to approach theory and practice, by observa
direct action in the field.

Claims (9)

 I. Educational game characterized by the fact that it involves the use of a celestial map, more precisely a map of the boreal sky.  2. Educational game characterized in that the card according to claim I, to conform to scientific truth, can only present itself in a practically invariable form.  3. Educational game characterized in that it is entirely focused on the card according to claim I.  4. Educational game characterized in that to the card according to claim I are added 3 packets of question-cards, I notebook containing the answers to these questions, a packet of constellation cards, wild cards, stars- wages, shares, a dice, spacecraft.  5. Educational game characterized in that the object elements of claim 4, are, by the diversity of details and possibilities, easily modifiable in their form (number of points, parts, cards, text colors of the cards-constellations , questions, photos, title of the game, rules, etc.) and may have variants added or removed which could modify the general form of the game, without modifying the substance.  6. Educational game characterized in that the background according to claim 5 consists of teaching astronomy through play.  7. Educational game characterized in that the teaching according to claim 6 relates more particularly to the recognition of constellations.  8. Educational game characterized in that the theme according to claims 6 and 7 constitutes a new aspect in the range of games and has not yet been exploited to date on the toy market, nor treated from a scientific angle.  9. Educational game characterized in that it leads to 3 areas t - leisure (Toy market), - education, - optics market (sale of glasses, binoculars, telescopes ...).