GB2212728A - Educational apparatus board game - Google Patents

Abstract

The game has a board (1) including a track, a plurality of models of commercial vehicles and a plurality of load elements for cooperation with said vehicles; the load elements each bear a concealable indication indicative of a load value weight or monetary value and in that at least one of said elements is positionable upon a respective vehicle with its indication concealed from view. As particularly described and shown, each load element has the value on the base so that the value may be concealed when the load elements are positioned on flat backs of the vehicle (lorries). The track has positions, some of which include instructions and there are 'forfeit' cards. A 'referee' in the form of a police car model is adapted to move round the board stopping lorries when both end up at same position to act to prevent illegal loads being carried between loading bay and unloading bay - fines may be levied. <IMAGE>

Description

EDUCATIONAL APPARATUS The present invention relates to an educational apparatus, and particularly to an educational apparatus to teach the factors governing the interplay between traffic law and commercial pressures.

According to the present invention, therefore, there is provided an educational apparatus comprising a game board including a track, a plurality of models of commercial vehicles, a plurality of load elements for co-operation with said vehicles, characterised in that the load elements each bear a concealable indicia indicative of a load value, and in that at least one of said elements is positionable upon a respective vehicle with its indicia concealed from view.

The game board is preferably provided with a track which is generally in the shape of a road having a plurality of positions. Some of these positions include instructions to the players thereupon. In use a random number selector, such as a dice, is utilised by each player to indicate the number of positions which can be passed by said model commercial vehicle, forfeits being payable when a vehicle lands on a particular position.

A further vehicle may be provided within the educational apparatus whereby a 'referee1 may be included in the play. This referee may be a model police car which operates under separate rules from that of the commercial vehicles. The commercial vehicles are preferably lorries having flat backs so that the load elements can be positioned thereupon.

Alternatively commercial vehicles in the form of pantechnicons, for example, may also be used.

Preferably the load elements are in the form of containers for positioning on the lorries. Disposed on the base of each load element may be a monetary or weight value so that with the container sitting on its base the container value is concealed from view.

Additionally, there may be provided means for enhancing the operative inter-relation between the referee and the commercial vehicle, as by forfeit cards.

The invention will now be described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a game board in plan view.

In the particular embodiment to be described there are provided in addition to the board (1) alluded to above, a plurality of lorries, at least one set of dice, at least one police car, a plurality of "20 ton" containers, a plurality of "25 ton" containers. There is also provided police (forfeit) cards and truck (forfeit) cards. In this connection it will be noted that the word 'forfeit' is used in both a positive and negative sense in that the cards can have both a positive or negative effect on the player.

In this particular game the object is to transport lorry containers from the start in a cbckwise direction to the unloading bay. There may, for example, be ten containers each to be delivered, six of which are marked for example "20 ton" while four are marked '25 ton". The containers marked with "25 ton" are over the legal weight limit and hence are subject to interception by the police car. The winner is the first person to transport all of his containers to the unloading bay, while the object of the policeman is to uphold the law by preventing illegal loads to be carried.

Players loading lorries may load these with either the "20 ton" or "25 ton" containers in a fashion which conceals this fact from the other players. The police car is adapted to move round the board stopping lorries when they both end up at the same position.

At this point a police card may be drawn from the pile of such cards at police card enclosure (7).

As stated above, there are a number of hazards (12, 13, 14 and 15) disposed at irregular intervals about the track (16). If, for example, a lorry lands on the Weight Check that player proceeds directly to the weighbridge with his truck where he must reveal the weight of his container to the other players. If the container is within the legal limit the player may proceed from the weighbridge at his next turn. If, however, the lorry is overloaded he must move directly to the loading bay until his succeeding turn at which time the container may be exchanged for a container of a different value.

Similarly, if the lorry lands on the breakdown square (14),the out of fuel position (13) or the puncture position (15) that lorry must move directly to the tyre bay and restart from there on his next turn. Drivers may be issued at the start of the game with truck cards (8) which entitle them to free passage from the tyre bay (9), the garage (10) and the fuel dump (11). If one of these is possessed then the driver need not comply with the instructions on the board.

Progress about the board is controlled preferably by throwing a dice or utilising some other form of random number selection.

On reaching the unloading bay a truck card may be taken from the top of the truck card pack and retained for future use. The container is unloaded and the lorry returned to the loading bay to commence a further game play. The truck park may be used to withdraw from the game at the approach of a police car for a limited period.

The police car may, for example, move in either direction about the board at the throw of a dice, but he may only move in one direction on a single occasion.

In order to stop a lorry the police car must land on the same square having thrown the exact number on the dice, for example. The interplay between the police car and the lorry may be improved by rolling dice for the highest number to see which of the two will prevail in the conditions of the game. Where the lorry has the higher score it may be arranged that he can then order the police car to intercept another lorry of his choice.

In an alternative mode the police car may be able to levy fines in certain circumstances; the incentive to send the police car to other players' vehicles being thereby increased.

It will be seen that in this particular game the lorries must be overloaded at least on some of their 'runs' to the unloading bay. The interplay of the lorry and the police car is reminiscent of the situation pertaining in real life and points at the difficulties of real life situations in a controlled environment.

The invention provided, therefore, a game set as hereinbefore set forth.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS:

1. An educational apparatus comprising a board game including a track, a plurality of models of commercial vehicles, a plurality of load elements for co-operation with said vehicles, characterised in that the load elements each bear a concealable indicia indicative of a load value and in that at least one of said elements is positionable upon a respective vehicle with its indicia concealed from view.

2. An apparatus according to Claim 1 wherein the vehicles and load elements spaceally inter-relate so that only a maximum given load value can be accommodated on a single vehicle.

3. An educational apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the indicia is applied to the intended underside of a load element.

4. An educational apparatus substantially as hereinbefore set forth with reference to and/or as illustrated in, the accompanying drawing.