GB2203354A - Board game - Google Patents

Abstract

A kit of parts for a game includes a board showing a street layout, (e.g. of London) with traffic signs and destinations, movable tokens representing vehicles each having an odometer, a timer for setting the time allowed for each journey, value tokens for use by the players for transactions during the game, passenger cards and driver cards. The kit may also include infringement cards and/or driving test cards. The board has reference numbers and letters around the border used and passenger cards provide one or more destinations with the map reference for each - the passenger cards include 'leg-it' cards and traffic control cards. Players may act as taxi-drivers, passengers and traffic controllers - the taxi-driver moves his model taxi from its initial position towards specified destination observing all information on the roads and aims to reach destination before time allowed runs out. Perfect taxi run receives due payment. <IMAGE>

Description

BOARD GAME The invention relates to a kit of parts for playing a game.

The game relates to travel by taxi or hire car between geographical points and involves in turn each player who takes the role of a driver, a passenger and interested spectator.

The kit of parts for the game includes a board having a road network thereof with traffic signs, movable tokens representing vehicles each having an odometer, a timer for setting the time allowed for each Journey, value tokens for use by the players for transactions during the game, passenger cards and driver cards.

The kit may also include infringement cards and/or driving test cards.

One form of the game will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying sketch of a suitable game board showing a map.

The kit of parts for playing the game consists of: A game board showing a street layout of part of London and with traffic signals, traffic signs and destinations.

Six model taxi cabs with odometers provided with zeroing buttons.

A trip timing clock with a buzzer and a reset button.

A pack of passenger cards containing destination cards, and also traffic control cards and "leg it" cards.

A pack of taxi driver cards containing tip cards, take over cards, and also traffic control cards and have-a-go cards.

A pack of infringement cards.

A pack of driving test cards.

A set of money or value cards.

A destination card stand.

The game board has reference numbers and letters around the border. The reference numbers and letters are used in the passenger destination cards to identify on the map a destination reference. Destinations are numbered on the board and on the destination cards e.g. destination number twenty-two is the Royal Albert Hall which is to be found in the square reference 2A.

Taxis may only be driven on the roads and must observe all the road signs and traffic signals (see later) otherwise they commit an "infringement". Taxis may not voluntarily carry out a U-turn.

However, if a taxi travels to the edge of the map, it must do a U-turn to return onto the map in which case an infringement is attributed to the driver (see later). The taxis are placed respectively at the edge of the game board at the beginning of a game, on a chosen one of the roads, facing towards the middle of the board.

The trip timing clock is used to time each turn (that is, each taxi journey). At the start of each turn the passenger or one of the other players sets off the timer and its buzzer will sound after 60 seconds, or some other chosen period.

The Passenger Cards each provide one or more destinations and the map reference for each destination. The passenger has four passenger cards at the begining of each turn and chooses a destination placing the appropriate card in the destination card stand on the game board at the chosen destination position.

The passenger cards include "leg-it" cards and traffic control cards. That is, they are passenger cards on their one face but instead of having destinations on their other face, they are "leg-it" cards or traffic control cards. A "leg-it" card can be played by a passenger at the end of a journey to avoid paying the due fare. Traffic control cards are played by 'traffic controllers' (see later) to impede or interupt a taxi journey.

The taxi driver must obey the instructions during the journey on these cards as they are played by the watching players who all act as traffic controllers.

The traffic control cards provide the following instructions: "Take the next left-turn"; "Take the next right turn"; "Make a U-turn"; "Ten seconds delay"; and "Wheel clamp".

The taxi driver cards consist of: Tip cards which determines the tip at the end of a completed journey; Take over cards to be played by any traffic controller where a journey is not successfully completed; Traffic control cards which are the same as the ones in the passenger cards set; and "Have-a-Go" cards which are used if held by the taxi driver to counter a "leg-it" card play.

The infringement cards are played by the traffic controllers whenever a taxi-driver is observed to have made a driving error or collected when forced to make a U-turn to remain on the game board, and if a journey is not completed in time. If a taxi driver receives three infringement cards during a journey, the taxi must stop. The passenger pays the fare then due and the taxi driver takes a driving test (see below).

The driving test cards consist of a series of road signs and highway code symbols. The driving test is carried out by testing the taxi drivers knowledge on ten of the driving test cards chosen at random, within a fixed short period. For each incorrect answer the taxi driver pays a fixed fine to the "Treasury" (see later).

At the begining of each game, the players are handed a sum of money. All fines are paid into the Treasury and money is exchanged between the players according to the run of the game.

When a player has no money left he can continue in the game only as a traffic controller and for this period he can pick up cards until he has only traffic control cards making up his allocated number (four) passenger cards and a number (four) driver cards.

The Game The object is to be the last player with money left or the player with the most money if the game is not completed to finality.

Each player is given a starting sum of money and places his taxi on the board. In turn, one player is a passenger and one a driver and the rest of the players act as traffic controllers.

Each player is dealt four driver cards and four passenger cards.

Note that such cards also contain in fact some traffic control cards as well as "leg it" cards and "Have-a-Go" cards.

A typical turn is as follows: Let us assume that Player A is the first passenger, Player B (the next player clockwise round the board) is the Taxi driver and all the other players (in this case C and D) are traffic controllers.

The players are each dealt with four passenger cards and four driver cards. All players look at their cards. Passenger A selects a destination from his passenger cards. He says to the taxi driver B, "Take me to Number fifty, Buckingham Palace Road, reference 2C". Passenger A places his card in the Passenger Card Stand and moves the stand to number fifty in square 2C on the board.

One of the traffic controllers C or D starts the Trip timing Clock and says, clearly, "GO".

Taxi driver B moves his taxi from its initial position and along the roads toward the specified destination. On his way he drives perfectly, he observes all the information on the roads. He obeys the One-ways, the Left Ahead Only's, the Right Ahead Only's, the Ahead Only's, the No Right Turns and the No Left Turns. He makes no U-turns, he does not drive off the board, he does not reverse and he does not pass any other taxi. Before all road intersections and pedestrian crossings showing traffic light signals against him, he stops for three seconds and says clearly "Lights". He reaches the destination before the buzzer on the trip timing clock sounds. He has made a perfect taxi-run, and he receives due payment. He is paid by Passenger A the fare on the meter and, then, the Driver B looks through his cards and lays down a tip card and also recieves the specified tip from Passenger A. The taxi remains at the destination until B is again a driver in his turn.

Passenger A then places all of his passenger cards in a used card tray. Taxi driver B places all of his taxi driver cards in the used card tray. If there had been any other cards laid down by any of the other players they also now place them in the used card trays. Further cards are then dealt from the pack so that each player has four passenger cards and four taxi driver cards ready for the next turn. Thus at the end of this first turn Passenger A receives four new passenger cards, Driver B receives four new taxi driver cards and traffic controllers C and D receive no new cards because they have not played any of their cards during the first turn.

A more complicated next turn is as follows: Player B is the passenger, he says to taxi driver C, "Take me to The Royal Albert Hall, reference 2A". Driver C sets his taxi meter to zero, ready to go. Traffic controllers D and A make a quick search through their cards to see what traffic control cards they can use in this next turn. Passenger B puts his chosen destination card in the passenger card stand and places it at reference 2A on the board. One of the traffic controllers starts the trip timing clock and says "Go". Driver C makes good progess but aware that allowed journey time is running out he hurries. He goes straight through a red light. Traffic controller A notices this and calls "infringement". He stops the taxi, picks it up and places it down again where the "infringement" was made.Driver C continues again, making good progess against the clock but Traffic controller D lays a traffic control card on the game board with "Take the next available left turn" on it and says, "Left". As part of the game this is to interfere with the orderly progress of the journey and to increase the overall time of the journey. Attempting to follow this instruction Driver C turns left too soon (before the next available left turn) and drives in the wrong direction into a one-way system. This means that Driver C collects an infringement card. Driver C then returns to the task of completing the journey until traffic controller A lays down a traffic control card of "Ten second delay" and says "Delay".

Driver C stops. While stationary awaiting the ten second interval to end, traffic controller A lays down a traffic control card "Wheel Clamp" and says "Wheel Clamp". That finishes Driver C's taxi run, but it does not necessarily finish Passenger B's journey.

Driver B has now collected three infringement cards. One for not stopping at the traffic lights, one for the traffic offence in the one-way street, and one for the wheel clamp which prevents the journey being completed. Driver C receives no fare because he was Wheel Clamped, he receives no tip because he did not complete the journey. Because of three infringements the Driver C must take a Driving test conducted by the traffic controller D or A.

Passenger B's journey can continue because Player A decides to take over and has a take over card in his hand. Player A thinks that he can earn himself an easy Tip because there is only a short part of the journey remaining. Player A lays down his "take over" card and says, "Take over". Player B is still the passenger, Player A is the "take over" taxi driver and Players C and D are now traffic controllers. No new cards are dealt to the the players.

Take-over Driver A moves his own taxi to where Driver C has stopped. He faces it in the same direction and sets his meter to zero. Traffic controllers C and D search through their cards, and one of them gets ready to start the trip timing clock, and says "Go". Straight away traffic controller C lays down a U-turn card saying "U-turn". Driver A turns his taxi to face the other way, he carries on. Traffic Controller C lays a card and says "Right". Traffic controller D follows up with another "Right" followed shortly by a "Delay". Driver A hopes he will not get a "Wheel Clamp". He is fortunate, presumably neiher of the traffic controllers have a wheel clamp card in their hands at this time.

Driver A carries on towards the target destination, however before reaching the destination the buzzer sounds and Driver A stops his taxi. He checks his taxi meter, he cannot claim a tip because he didn't complete the journey but he asks passenger B for his fare. Passenger B (a fare dodger) plays a "Leg it" card and says "Leg-it". Fortunately, Driver A has a "Have-a-Go" card and plays it saying "Have-a-Go". Passenger B must now pay double the fare on the meter and any tip on a drivers tip card presented to him by Driver A.

Passenger B pays the money he owes Driver A, who also receives one infringement card for not completing the journey. Driver A keeps the infringement card and later if and when he has accumulated three infringement cards he must take a driving test.

Passenger B's journey is still not complete, but no one wants to do a "Take over". Player C would like to take over but he does not have a Take-over card. Player D has a take-over card but he does not wish to play it. Passenger B's turn is therefore finished and his passenger cards are returned to the used card tray. Player C the original Driver returns his taxi driver cards to the used card tray along with any other cards he has used during this turn. Players D and A also return any cards they have used into the used card tray.

The game is suitable for a wide range of age groups. The locations of various parts of London and relative positions of places of interest are learned by playing the game. A useful knowledge of the highway code, traffic signs and even routes in the City are learned easily and enjoyably.

The place of the map can be varied to suit different markets or even made very simple and wholly fictitious for younger players.

Clearly, the driving test could take any form and even be changed to a random test or, say, a general knowledge format if preferred.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS:

1. A kit of parts for a game including a board having a road network thereof with traffic signs, movable tokens representing vehicles each having an odometer, a timer for setting the time allowed for each journey, value tokens for use by the players for transactions during the game, passenger cards and driver cards.

2. A kit of parts according to claim 1, in which the kit includes infringement cards and/or driving test cards.

3. A kit of parts according to claim 1 or 2, in which the road network represents a street layout of part of London.

4. A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which the board layout has traffic signals, traffic signs and destinations.

5. A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which the board has reference numbers and letters around the border to provide a grid reference.

6. A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which each vehicle is in the form of a model taxi cab with a zeroing botton for its odometer.

7. A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which the passenger cards contain destinations on the board, and traffic control cards.

8. A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which the driver cards contain tip cards, take over cards, and traffic control cards.

9 A kit of parts according to any preceding claim, in which a destination card stand, a passenger card stand and a used card tray are provided.

10. A kit of parts for a game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.