GB2187393A - Board game - Google Patents

Abstract

A board game comprises a playing surface bearing a number of play zones in one or more sequences, markers for placing on the play zones and distinguished from each other to show the positions of different players on the playing surface, and a multiplicity of question cards. Each question carries at least one word or phrase and two or more possible meanings of that word or phrase, only one of the possible meanings given being correct. In one form of the game, the playing surface includes a continuous polygonal or circular path marked in sectors and rules require each player to traverse all the sectors. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Board game The present invention is a board game, that is a game of the general type wherein competing players move markers, determining or indicative oftheir progress in the game, across a marked playing surface, usually referred to as the "board". While the board may indeed be made of cardboard our similar material, other stiff or flexible materials, including synthetic plastics materials and paper, may also be used for the purpose.

The board game according to the present invention comprises a playing surface bearing a multiplicity of play zones forming together one or more sequences of successive play zones forming together one or more sequences of successive play zones over the playing surface, a plurality of markers dimensioned for placing upon individual play zones and distinguished from each other to identify the point of progress of individual players over the playing surface, and a multiplicity of question cards, each carrying at least one question in theform of a word or phrase and a plurality of possible meanings ofthatword or phrase, only one ofwhich meanings is correct.

Thus, at its very broadest, the game is based upon the feature that each player's progress towards winning the game or achieving some other goal is determined by his skill in correctly selecting the true meaning ofthe word or phrase from between or among the possible meanings given. Within these limits, the game is capabe of a wide range of variations of playing rules and degrees of complexity in order to impart different degrees of interest and challenge to the players and also to adaptthe game to the different levels of age and/or linguistic competence of the intended players. In a similar way, the levels of difficulty of the question themselves may be adapted to the intended players.

From the foregoing, it will readily be recognised that, although the game according to the present invention is well suited to recreational purposes, it is equally applicable to educational needs at a range of different levels, from teaching junior pupils basic vocabulary at school or in the hometo helping more advanced students to learn foreign-language vocabularies.

The playing surface may bear a set of play zones in a single, simple linear sequence enabling each playerto startfrom a common starting point along a common playing path to a common end point but it is much preferred to provide two or more sequences of play zones representing either individual playing paths for individual players or preferably alternative playing paths, each of which may be traversed by any player. It is particulariy preferred that at least one playing path be "endless",for example cyclical, to permit players to traverse that path more than once and thereby enable play to be prolonged to an extent determined by playing rules.Thus, for example, there may be a continuous playing path of polygonal or circular shape, for example traversing the outer edge ofthe playing surface, and one or more transverse paths across the inner area thereby defined, for example forming a cross within the inner area or defining radial paths to a central target zone.

The individual play zones may be all alike in dimensions and/or markings or may be different in either of these respects. For example, the play zones may all be true squares, rectangles or circlets or maydiffer according to their location on the playing surface. Preferably each zone is of at least sufficient size to permit at least one markerto be placed thereon without overlapping the sides of the zone.

The play zones may be marked with plain uniform markings or may be decoratively marked. The markings may simply indicate progress towards a desired goal or may determine subsequent play or progress of a player landing thereon. For example, a square may carry, in verbal or symbolic form, an instruction as to the player's next action (e.g. "play again" or "miss a turn") or may, in co-operation with the relevant question card, determine the question to be answered among two or more available or determine the manner of answering (e.g."spell the word"). Such possible co-operation between zone marking and question card is described more fully hereinafter.

The markers may be simple and plain, for example identically-sized discs or similartokens, in each case distinguished from each other only by colour or by having a number or other markthereon. Alternatively, the markers may be symbols or representations, for example miniature representations of items of learning or play.

In a particuiarly preferred form ofthe present invention, each question card carries several questions ofthe type described, for example between four and six such questions. Furthermore the several questions may be of different degrees of difficulty. Thus, byway of example, each question card may have six questions thereon, numbered in sequence from 1 to 6. These six questions may then be arranged to represent six different degrees of difficulty. The questions may be arranged so that the numbers in sequence represent increasing or decreasing degrees of difficuty, or may be in an arbitrary order. The main purpose ofthe numbers is to permit the introduction of rules and/orfeatures of the playing surface requiring a playerto answer questions of different degrees of difficulty.

It is advantageous for the playing cards to have marked thereon an indication, for example on the reverse side ofthe card, as to which is the correct one of the possible answers to each question. However it is not absolutely essential; as a possible alternative, an agreed reference dictionary or other book may be referred to, or a separate key card may carry a list of the correct answers, eitherverbally or in the form of codes identifying the respective answers.

When the question cards carry more than one question, the specific question to be answered may be determined by markings on the playing surface or in some other way. For example, the specific playzones upon which a marker is to be placed in sequence may be determined by throwing a numbered die or dice, by spinning a disc having numbered segments or in similar arbitrary manner. The selection of the question to be answered may then, as required by relevant rules, be determined by a number displayed on the play zone to which the marker is moved, or by the number shown by the die, or by one or other of these at different stages or in different forms of the game.

In one form of the game according to the present invention each player is required to land on each one of a number of predetermined play zones, orto traverse each of a number of predetermined pathways, in sequence or not as required by rules, for example to collect tokens or other actual or notional credits or points, the winner of the zone beng the first player to have landed on every one of those play zones or traversed every one of those predetermined pathways.

With any given form ofthe combination of playing surface and question cards, the precise game to be played may be defined by a set of written rules. Alternative rules may make it possible to play different games, or similar games of different skill or complexity, with one playing surface and one or more sets of question cards.

The invention will now be further described byway of example with reference to two embodiments ofthe board game according to the present invention and with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein: Figure 1 is an illustration of a playing surface or "board" for use with a preferred first embodiment of the game; and Figure2 is an illustration of a playing surface or "board" for usewith a second embodiment of the game.

Referring firstly to the game which uses the board of Figure 1, the req uirements for playing the game are: (a) the illustrated board; (b) markers, one for each player; (c) a conventional die, with its faces numbered from 1 to 6; and (d) a number of question cards, stacked upright behind each other in a box.

Thus, in a pack permitting the game to be played by up to six players, there may be one board, six markers, one die and a chosen number, for example 500, of question cards. Each question card may contain six "questions", each in the form of a word and four alternative definitions, set out for example as follows: 1. ALLY A: a rival B: an equal C: a relative D: a partner 2. REVELATION A: aspect orfeature B: disclosure C: distortion D: pact 3. ALLEGATION A: firm deniai B: close association C: unproven assertion D: profession of loyalty 4. MODUSOPERANDI A: prestige B: wayofworking C: sense of the future D: international agreement 5. INSURGENCY A: revolt B: insistence C: illegal immigration D: espionage 6. PRAGMATISM Quality of being:- A: generous B: stubborn C: matter-of-fact D: uncertain On the reverse of each question card, the correct choice of answers appearsforthe questions appearing on the front of it. Thus, for the above-quoted card, the reverse side may show the following expanded answers: 1. ALLY D: partner or associate; a country or group joined with anotherfora common purpose.

2. REVELATION B: disclosure of knowledge revealed in a striking way.

3. ALLEGATION C: unproven assertion or statement, especially an accusation.

4. MODUS OPERANDI B: way of working procedure.

5. INSURGENCY A: revoltoruprising 6. PRAGMATISM C: quality of being matter-of4act and realistic as opposed to theoretical; officiousness.

Aset of rules for playing the game may read asfollows: Rules forPlaying "Semantic" 1. The object of the game is to be the first player to traverse all six sectors of the board and to return to that player's starting point and there answer a question correctly.

2. Each player chooses a sector of the board adjacent to his seat and places a marker of corresponding colour on its corner at the centre of the board, which is the starting pointforthat player. The players roll the die in turn. The highest scorer starts the game. If two or more players tie on the highest score they roll again. When the highest scorer has played, the remaining players play in turn to the right as seated.

3. Each player begins his moves in the direction away from the centre down the left-hand side ofthe triangular sector facing him. In subsequent play he continues around that sector in an anti-clockwise direction. When he reaches the centre again, he transfers to the next adjacent sector so as to continue around the board in an anti-clockwise direction. When he has traversed all six sectors in this way, he must land on his original starting point and correctly answer a final question. The first player to do so is the winner ofthe game.

4. As each player rolls the die, he moves the number of squares shown on the die. Except when he lands upon a square marked " RO LL AGAI N " or "NEXT PLAYER", a question card is drawn from the front ofthe box and another player reads aloud the question whose number is determined asfollows: (a) If the square shows a number, the question of that number must be answered; (b) If the square shows a colour, the question number is that shown on the die.

When a question is answered correctly, the player takes another turn. If the answer given is incorrect, play passes to the next player. When a question has been answered, correctly or incorrectly, the question card is placed at the rear of the box.

Additional Notes on Play 6. A player may read the question himself, but only after it has been read aloud by another player.

7. The questions are progressively more dificultthe higherthe question numberfrom 1 to 6.

8. Higher levels of play may be set before a game is begun by agreeing to apply an additional rulethatthe word in question must be spelled as well as giving the correct meaning in an agreed one or moreofthe folowing situations: (a) when returning to the starting pointto win the game; (b) when landing on any square marked with a colour; (c) when landing on a numbered square.

Referring now to the game which uses the board of Figure 2, the requirements for playing that game are similarto thoseforthe above-described game, with the addition of a set of letter tokens, marked with the letters M, A, S, T, E and R respectively, one of each letter for each player. A set of rules for playing this second game, which latter may be called "Wordmaster",will be similarto those forthe first game, ora variation of those rules, exceptasfollows:- A. The object of the game "Wordmaster" is to collect, in any order, all ofthe letters of the word MASTER and then finallyto claim the "Master" title by landing on the centre box and correctly answering a question.

B. Each player begins his move in the direction away from the centre box down the leg facing him.

Subsequent play is in any direction across the board but always anti-clockwise around the outside path.

C. When a player lands on a square marked with a letter, the question to be answered is the one with the number shown on the die. If the question is correctly answered, the player claims a token with the letter shown on the square.

D. A player may only move down one of the centre legs after landing on a letter square and successfully answering the question. If a player lands on a letter square of which he already has claimed the lettertoken, he must still attempt to answer a question set in the normal way.

E. If a player lands on the MASTER square, the question number is that shown on the die.

Claims (11)

1. A board game comprising a playing surface bearing a multiplicity of play zones forming together one or more sequences of successive play zones over the playing surface, a plurality of markers dimensioned for placing upon individual play zones and distinguished from each otherto identify the point of progress of individual players over the playing surface, and a multiplicity of question cards, each carrying at least one question in the form of a word or phrase and a plurality of possible meanings of that word or phrase, onlyone ofwhich meanings is correct.

2. A board game as claimed in claim 1,wherein the play zones are disposed in two or more sequences.

3. A board game as claimed in claim 2, wherein the play zones are disposed in a first sequence representing a continuous playing path of polygonal or circular shape and at least one further sequence representing a transverse path across the inner area so defined.

4. A board game as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein some at least of the play zones each carry, in verbal or symbolic form, an instruction asto a player's next action.

5. A board game as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein some at least of the play zones each carry, in verbal, numerical or symbolic form, an indication which, according to the rules of the game and in co-operation with the relevant question card, determines the question to be answered among two or more available or determines the manner of answering the question.

6. A board game as claimed in claim 5, wherein each question card carries several questions of differing degrees of difficulty.

7. A board game as claimed in claim 6, where some at least of the play zones each carry different numbers and the question cards carry questions identified by those numbers.

8. A board game in any ofthe preceding claims, wherein dice means are provided to determine a player's moves overthe board and wherein, according to rules, the question to be answered when a player lands upon one of at least some of the play zones is determined by the reading shown on the dice means.

9. A board game as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein rules are provided which require each player to land on each one of a number of predetermined play zones, or which require each playerto traverse each of a number of predetermined pathways of play zones.

10. A board game as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, according to rules, each player begins playing from a different play zone and the winner is the first payer to complete a required playtaskand return to the play zonefrom which he began.

11. A board game substantially as hereinbefore described and played upon a playing surface as illustrated in Figure 1 or Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.