GB2205762A

GB2205762A - Board game

Info

Publication number: GB2205762A
Application number: GB08714405A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Christopher Eugene Murphy; Pauline Ann Murphy
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1987-06-19
Filing date: 1987-06-19
Publication date: 1988-12-21
Anticipated expiration: 2007-06-19
Also published as: GB8714405D0; GB2205762B

Abstract

A board game comprises a board (10) marked out with a track (11) along which playing pieces (13) are moved during play, the track (11) being divided into a plurality of segments (12,12a, 12b, 12c, 12d), means to determine the number of segments moved along the track by the playing pieces in each turn, the means comprising a plurality of question and answer cards (14), each of which has printed thereon a question for one player to ask another, and the answer to the question, and a marking indicating the number of segments a playing piece (15) is moved if a correct answere is given by a player. The game described is based on freight transportation along the Leeds Liverpool Canal. <IMAGE>

Description

Title "Board Game" Description of Invention This invention relates to a board game.

According to the invention we provide a board game comprising a board marked out with a track along which playing pieces are moved during ploy, the track being divided into a plurality of segments, means to determine the number of segments moved along the track by the playing pieces in each turn, the means comprising a plurality of question and answer cards, each of which has printed thereon a question for one player to ask another, and the answer to the question, and a marking indicating the number of segments a playing piece is moved if a correct answer is given by a player.

Preferably the segments of the track represent segments of a waterway, such as a conal. The track may for example represent the Leeds Liverpool canal and the playing pieces may comprise models of barges which are moved along the track in accordance with the markings on the question and answer cards when the respective players answer questions correctly.

The game may include a pack of cards each which has printed on it an instruction. At least one of the segments may be marked with a marking which indicates to a player whose playing piece lands on the segment that he should draw one of the instruction cards.

The instructions on the instruction cards may be to the benefit or detriment of the player as required.

The marking may be one of a first set of markings, and preferably a plurality of segments are each marked with a marking of the first set.

At least one other segment of the track may each be marked with a different marking which represents a specific instruction to a player whose playing piece lands on the segment.

Again, the different marking may be one of a second set of markings and preferably a plurality of segments each are marked with a marking of the second set.

A still further segment or segments of the track may be marked with or lie adjacent another different marking which may be a marking of a third set of markings which marking or markings of the third set may indicate to a player that he may, when moving from that segment, move with his playing piece, a playing element.

For example, rules may require a player to move his playing piece from a start position to the or one of the still further segments which is marked with the or one of the markings the of the third set, where a playing element is collected, which playing element may then be moved with the playing piece back to the start position or to another finish position.

A set of playing elements may be provided sufficient so that there is at least one playing element per player, and if desired, more than one type of set of playing element is provided.

Where the segments represent sections of a canal, the first mentioned segment or segments which is or are marked with a marking of the first set, may represent a toll house and the cards of the instruction pack of cards may represent toll tickets.

The segment or each of the segments which is or are each marked with a marking of the second set of markings may represent a lock along the canal so that rules may provide that a player whose playing piece lands on a segment marked with a lock should miss his next turn at answering a question and hence forfeit the next opportunity of moving his playing piece The segment or segments which is or are each marked with or lie adjacent to a marking of a third set of markings may represent warehouses on which the playing elements which may represent cargos are stored.

Where a plurality of different types of set of playing elements are provided each set may represent a different type of cargo. Preferably the individual playing elements are sufficiently small to be carried by the playing pieces particularly where the playing pieces comprise model barges.

The board may have an area on which the pack of instruction cards may be placed during the game and a further area on which if desired, the question and answer cards which are the random number generating means may be placed when not in use.

The question and answer cards may be contained in a container such as a box, to facilitate handling which container may have a side window through which at least the question on the top card of the pack may be read, and a top or bottom opening from which the cards may be withdrawn for example to facilitate removing a card from the top of a pack and placing it at the bottom of the pack.

Preferably each question and answer card has a plurality of question and answers.

The questions and answers of the question and answer cards may be colour coded e.g. by colour, so that the appropriate answer for each question can easily be determined.

Preferably the questions on each of the question and answer cards are of different levels of difficulty but the markings which represent a number of segments a playing piece should move if the answer is correctly given, are randomly assigned such that a playing piece does not necessarily move more squares if the more difficult of the questions is answered correctly than if the easier of the questions is answered correctly.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: FIGURE I is a board of a board game in accordance with the invention.

FIGURES 2a to 2d illustrate further equipment of the game.

Referring to Figure 1, a board 10 comprises a track II which is divided into segments some of which are indicated at 12, 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d.

The segments represent sections of the Leeds Liverpool Canal but could represent sections of another waterway if required. However the track II overall is a representation of the Leeds Liverpool Canal depicting the general shape and layout of the conal.

In use, playing pieces which comprise barges, two of which are illustrated at 13 in Figure 2c move along the track II to and from a start or home base segment 12 which has marked adjacent the segment an illustration and depiction of Wigan Pier.

Others of the segments i.e. those shown at 12a are each marked "toll house" and thus represent a toll house along the canal. Any player whose playing piece lands on one of the segments 12a marked "toll house" must draw the top card from a pack 14 of instruction cards which cards are each marked "toll ticket", the pack 14 being placed on an area of the board as shown. The cards of the pack 14 are each marked with an instruction to players in the spirit of the historic "canal" game. For example, one card may read "your horse has fallen in the water - go back three spaces" or "Miss one turn whilst repairs are carried out to your barge".

The player must follow the instructions on the card drawn. Of course other cards of the pack 14 may be provided with entirely different instructions as required. The instruction cards 14 may give instructions to the benefit or detriment of a player.

Other segments of the track II which are marked 12b each represent a lock and thus rules may prescribe that any player whose playing piece 13 lands on one of the segments marked 12b must miss his next turn.

Further segments marked 12c each have marked adjacent to them a depiction of a warehouse 15,16,17. Placed on one of the warehouses indicated at 15 is one of a set of playing elements 20 which represent a first cargo comprising elements of coal. On another of the warehouses illustrated at 16, is placed a different set of playing elements 21 which represent a second cargo comprising bars of iron, and placed on a further warehouse indicated at 17 is a still different set of playing elements 22 which represent a third cargo comprising miniature bales of cotton.

The segments 12d represent a tunnel and if desired one or more cards of the pack 14 may refer to the tunnel.

As mentioned previously, the playing pieces 13 shown in Figure 2c comprises model barges. The cargo elements of coal 20, iron bars 21 and cotton bales 22, are preferably sufficiently small that they may be carried by the barges 13 and hence moved with the barges along the track.

A further pack of question and answer cards, two of which are shown at 18 in Figure 2a and in Figure 2b are shown. Each of the cards 18 has printed on one side thereof, a plurality of questions, in the present case three questions, and on the reverse of the' cards 18, the corresponding three answers to the questions are also printed.

The questions on any one card 18 are preferably of differing degrees of difficulty.

The questions are preferably marked, by colour coding, and/or by number as illustrated, so that the respective answer for each question can easily be found.

Each of the answers have marked adjacent thereto, a marking comprising a further number illustrated at 18a, which indicates to a player who answers a question correctly, that his playing piece 13 should move the number of segments of the track II indicated by the marking 18a. It can be seen that the number of segments moved by a playing piece 13 does not necessarily correspond with the degree of difficulty of the question asked.

That is, a player who opts to answer the most difficult question on any card may not necessarily move his playing piece 13 more segments than if he opts to answer a question of less difficulty. In the present example, a player who answers question "I" correctly moves his playing piece one segment, and a player who answers question "2" correctly, would move his playing piece three segments. A player who answers question "3" correctly would move his playing piece five segments. If desired, question "I" may be the most difficult, question "2" the medium difficulty question, and question "3" the least difficult. In others of the cards 18, the most difficult or medium difficulty question if answered correctly may permit a player to move his playing piece more segments than if an easier question were answered correctly.

The cards of the pack 18 are preferably in use contained within a box shaped container 19 which is shown in Figure 2b. The container has a front window 24 through which one side of the top card 18b can be viewed, each of the cards 18 of the pack being arranged in a stack with the question side facing uppermost.

The container 19 also has an opening 25 in a top thereof through which the cards 18 can be withdrawn individually or as a pack, to facilitate removol of the top card 18b and its positioning on the bottom of the pack.

Figure 2d shows a first set of playing elements comprising coal 20, a second set of playing elements 21 which represent iron bars, and a third set of playing elements 22 representing cotton bales.

The playing of a game will now be described.

The object of the game is to move a playing piece (barge 13) from the start position i.e. the segment marked 12 adjacent Wigan Pier, to a warehouse 15,16, or 17 to collect a cargo element, and to return the barge 13 with its cargo to Wigan Pier. The winner of the game is the first player to successfully return to Wigan Pier with three altrernative elements of cargo i.e. one element of coal 2 one element of cotton bale 22, and another element of iron bar 21.

The rules may prescribe that only one cargo i.e. coal or cotton or iron may be carried by a playing piece 13 at any one time.

A first player asks a next player to opt for an easy, medium difficulty, or difficult question and reads out to the player the chosen question of the uppermost card 18b in the container 19. Any answer given is then checked by referring to the rear of the card 18b and if a correct answer is given, the player who was asked the question may move his playing piece from segment 12 a number of segments in any direction he choses, the number being given by the marking 18a on the rear of the question and answer card 18. Thus the actual number of segments a player's playing piece will move is determined entirely by the marking 18a on each card 18, which is effectively a random number.

Play continues with each player asking the next question from the stack of cards 18.

In order to collect a cargo a player must land his playing piece 13 on one of the segments 12c adjacent a warehouse 15,16, or 17. If a player cannot move the exact number of segments to land on a chosen one of the segments 1 2c he must wait and try again on his next turn. It is possible for a player to abandon his attempt to collect one cargo and first move to another of the warehouses 15,16,17, to collect a different cargo.

Having collected an element of cargo 20, 21, or 22, the player, by correctly answering questions, must return his playing piece 13 with the cargo 20,21, or 22 to the segment 12 when the player will retain the cargo.

The player must then move his playing piece 13 to a different warehouse 15,16, or 17 to collect a different element of cargo which again he must carry back with the playing piece to the segment 12. The winner is the first player to collect three different cargo elements.

If a player's playing piece 13 lands on one of the segments 12a marked "toll house" the player must draw the top card from the pack 14 and follow the instructions. Once the toll ticket card has been used it is replaced at the bottom of the pack.

If a player's playing piece 13 lands on one of the segments 12b the rules may provide that the player misses his next turn. The segments 12b depicting the locks are narrow and only one playing piece 13 may occupy a lock at one particular time. If a playing piece lands on the occupied lock, the player must remain in his present segment and await the next turn.

If a players playing piece 13 lands on one of the segments marked 14d, play is not affected.

In an alternative game, in place of the cargos being positioned on the warehouses 15,16, and 17, more cargo elements may be provided on others of the segments 12c which lie adjacent warehouses. For a short game, the cargos may be placed on the warehouses closest to segment 12, (Wigan Pier).

Alternatively, for a short game, only one cargo need be collected instead of the three in the game described, or two cargos as fits the time available.

For a longer game, cargos may be placed on six of the seven warehouses shown, and each player must return to Wigan Pier with two of each of the corgos of coal, cotton and iron having visited no warehouse more than once.

The game may be adapted for children although this is outside the scope of the present invention, by providing a random number generating means comprising a dice instead of the pack 16 of question and answer cards.

When not in use, the container 19 containing the question and answer cards 16 may be placed on a second area 24 which is marked out on the board.

The board 10 may be decorated as required to illustrate scenes connected with canal history.

Preferably, the questions of the question and answer cards are all concerned with canals and their history although generol knowledge questions or any other type of question may be provided as required.

Of course, instead of the playing pieces illustrated at 13 which represent barges, any other type of playing piece could be provided, and the playing elements represented by the sets of coal, iron and cotton could be other types of cargo or other articles altogether as desired.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for attaining the disclosed result, or a class or group of substances or compositions, as appropriate, may, separately or in any combination of such features, be utilised for realising the invention in diverse forms thereof.

Claims

I. A board game comprising a board marked out with a track along which playing pieces are moved during play, the track being divided into a plurality of segments, means to determine the number of segments moved along the track by the playing pieces in each turn, the means comprising a plurality of question and answer cards, each of which has printed thereon a question for one player to ask another, and the answer to the question, and a marking indicating the number of segments a playing piece is moved if a correct answer is given by a player.
2. A game according to claim I wherein the segments of the track represent parts of a waterway.
3. A game according to claim 2 wherein the waterway is a canal.
4. A game according to claim 3 wherein the canal represented by the track is the Leeds Liverpool canal.
5. A game according to any one of claims I to 4 wherein the playing pieces comprise models of barges which are moved along the track in accordance with the markings on the question and answer cards when the respective players answer questions correctly.
6. A game according to any one of claims I to 5 wherein the game includes a pack of cards each of which has printed on it an instruction, at least one of the segments being marked with a marking which indicates to a player whose playing piece lands on the segment that he should draw one of the instruction cards.
7. A game according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the marking is one of a first set of markings.
8. A game according to claim 7 wherein a plurality of segments are each marked with a marking of the first set.
9. A game according to any one of claims I to 6 wherein at least one segment of the track is marked with a different marking which represents a specific instruction to a player whose playing piece lands on the segment.
10. A game accordina to claim 9 wherein the different marking is one of a second set of markings, a plurality of the segments each being marked with a marking of the second set.
II. A game according to any one of the preceding claims wherein at least one segment of the track is marked with or lies adjacent a marking of a third set of markings which marking or markings of the third set may indicate to a player that he may, when moving from that segment, move with his playing piece, a playing element.
12. A game according to claim 11 wherein a set of playing elements is provided sufficient so that there is at least one playing element per player.
13. A game according to claim II or claim 17 wherein more than set of different playing elements are provided.
14. A segment according to any one of claims 6 to 13 where appendent to claim 6 wherein the first mentioned segment or segments which is or are marked with a marking of the first set, represent a toll house and the cards of the instruction pack of cards represent toll tickets.
15. A game according to any one of claims 9 to 14 where appendent to claim 9 wherein the segment or segments which is or are each marked with a marking of the second set of markings represent a lock along the canal.
16. A game according to any one of claims II to 15 where appendent to claim 11 wherein the segment or segments which is or each marked with or lie adjacent to a marking of a third set of markings each represent a warehouse in which the playing elements, which may represent cargos, are stored.
17. A game according to claim 13 wherein each set of playing pieces represent a different type of cargo.
18. A game according to any one of claims 11 to 17 where appendent to claim II wherein the individual playing elements are sufficiently small to be carried on the playing pieces.
19. A game according to any one of claims 6 to 19 where appendent to claim 6 wherein the board has an area on which the pack of instruction cards is placed during the game and a further area on which the question and answer cards which are the random number of qenerating means are placed.
20. A game according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the question and answer cards are contained in a container to facilitate handling, which container may have a side window through which at least the question on the top card of the pack may be read, and a top or bottom opening from which the cards may be withdrawn.
21. A game according to any one of the preceding claims wherein each question and answer card has a plurality of question and answers.
22. A game according to claim 21 wherein the questions and answers of the question and answer cards are coded so that the appropriate answer for each question can easily be determined.
23. A game accordinq to claim 21 or claim 72 wherein the questions on each of the question and answer cards are at different levels of difficulty but the markings which represent a number of seqments a playing piece should move if the answer is correctly given, are randomly assigned such that a playing piece does not necessarily move more squares if the more difficult of the questions is answered correctly than if the easier of the questions is answered correctly.
24. A game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.
25. Any novel feature of novel combination of features disclosed herein and/or shown in the accompanying drawings.