GB2382995A

GB2382995A - A board game

Info

Publication number: GB2382995A
Application number: GB0129553A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jonathan Kim Self
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-12-11
Filing date: 2001-12-11
Publication date: 2003-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2021-12-11
Also published as: GB2382995B; GB0129553D0

Abstract

A board game comprises a board "A" having areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 representing houses, areas 7, 8, 9, 10 representing shops and a sequence of areas defining pathways around the houses and shops. Also provided are playing pieces representing cats, a random number generator to move the playing pieces around the board, a number of tokens for each playing piece, each token representing a cat life, pieces representing food for placing in the shops and a pack of cards that give instructions to the players. Preferably there are two packs of cards, and also playing pieces representing a car, tom cat and dog. The shops may be open or closed. The cards are preferably held by each player and played at the start of a player's turn and may move the playing piece around the board, or generate a special action. The cards should be played before throwing a die. The game is won by either collecting food pieces or being the last alive cat.

Description

Title: Board Game The present invention relates to a board game, and more particularly to a game relating to cats.

According to the present invention there is provided a board game comprising: a) a board having defined areas representing houses, defined areas representing shops, and a sequence of areas defining pathways around the houses and shops, b) playing pieces representing cats, c) a random number generator to move the playing pieces along the pathways, d) a plurality of tokens for each playing piece, each token representing a cat life, e) a plurality of pieces representing food for placing in the shops, and f) at least one pack of cards giving instructions to the players.

Preferably one pathway is a sequence of areas representing a road around the perimeter of the board surrounding the areas representing houses and shops. The houses and shops may be arranged in a square with the road around the square. Preferably sequence of areas defining other pathways between the houses and shops and through the houses and shops are provided.

Preferably there are two packs of cards.

Preferably further areas are provided representing a car park, park, birds nest and mouse hole.

Preferably a playing piece representing a car and/or a tom cat, and/or a dog is provided.

Preferably indicators are provided to indicate whether each shop is opened or closed.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing and the subsequent rules.

Referring to the drawing there is shown a board"A"having one face printed to create a square playing area. On the board is a square of buildings. There are six areas defining six houses 1,2, 3,4, 5,6. At each comer of the square is an area defining four shops, namely a veterinary surgery 7, a fish monger 8, comer shop 9, and dairy 10. There are also areas defining a birds box 11, a mouse hole 12, a car park and"curiosity card"area 13, and "Mog"card area 14.

Through each of the defined areas 1 to 14 are pathways defined by a sequence of paw prints 15. Around the outside of the square are pathways in the form of four roads 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D each having five sequential squares. These are called"The mews, Clawsway, Cats Alley, and The Purrade. A wall 17 is made up of a pathway in the form of a sequence of squares which extend between the areas 1 to 14. Some of these squares 17A have a"cat"image thereon and are known as"curiosity squares". The roads, wall and paw prints represent where the playing pieces can pass. At the centre of the board is a card area 18.

In addition to the board there are the following pieces: i) six model cat playing pieces representing cats. ii) a random number generator in the form of a dice to move the playing pieces along the pathways. iii) 54 tokens, nine for each cat playing piece, each token representing a cat life. iv) 36 items of model foods, 6 mice, 6 birds, 6 bowls of milk, 6 boxes of vitamins, 6 tins of fish, and 6 tins of cat food. v) 4"shop closed"card signs to indicate if a shop is closed, vi) a model car. vii) 1 pack of 63"Mog"cards viii) 1 pack of 39 "Curiosity" cards.

Although one specific design of board game has been described with reference the drawing, the board game layout could take other forms. Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The rules and set up of the game are as follows:

CAT ATTACK Welcome to Moggy Land.

OBJECT OF THE GAME The winning cat is the first cat to either

RLLnmRDERWtIH S X XnBMHS OF FOOD Or BE THE LAST SURMING CAT.

Set the board up by following the instuctions below. There is a picture of the board on the back of this leaflet, if you open the page flat you can see the picture as you read the instructions to help you locate certain details on the board. Set the board up before you read the rules leafletlet as the rules will be a lot clearer if you are already familiar with the layout of the board and the components of the game.

THE EQUIPMENT A playing board showing a beat neighbourhood.

6 neighbourhood cats. (6 (olours).

54 Life Tokeni. (6 (olours, 9 tokens per (at).

1 pack of 63 Mog cards. (Plus 4 crib cards).

1 pack of 39 Curiosity cards. (Plus 4 dosed shop cards).

36 items of food: 6 grey mice, 6 blue birds. 6 pink tins of fish, 6 white bowls of milk, and 6 ilac tins of cat food.

6 lime green boxes of cat vitamins, 1 black Cat and 1 die.

THE BOARD

The board is placed on a t ! at surme. tietore starnnq the game, players should study the board, wmth represents a local neighbourhood, consisting of : Six cats'houses with paw prints in the garden ; : The door of a house is a cat's Home Square.

The roof is a cat's larder.

Four shops located at the corners of the board, with paw prints (including a Cat Burglar paw print) in the garden : Fishmonger, a Dairy, a Corner shop and a Veterinary clinic.

A paw print equals one square.

A bird-box with perch and a shed with a mouse-hole. The tops of garden walls, which are divided into squares, (including Curiosity squares).

On the perimeter of the board are 4 streets : The Purrade, Cats Alley, The Mews and The (lawsway.

A street is divided into 5 squares.

An area for the "Curiosity" cards and an area for the "Mag" cards.

A car park THESETUP Each player selects a cat and a house of the same (olour and place5 the cat on the door of the house, this is the cat's Home Square.

Each player takes nine Ufe Tokens (the same colour as their cat) am places them on the table in front of them.

Place mice on the mouse-hole roof-one mouse per player.

Place birds on the bird-box roof-one bird per player.

Place pink tins of fish on the Fishmonger's roof-one tin per player.

Place white bowls of milk on the Dairy'5 roof - one bowl per player.

Place lilac tins of cat food on the Corner shop's roof-one tin per player.

Place Ume green boxes of cat vitamins on the Vet's roof-one box per player.

Place the black car in the car park.

From the pack of (uriosity cards remove the"Shuffle the Curiosity cards'card and the four shop picture cards. Trim and fold the shop picture cards so that the shops stand up and place them near their respective shops but not on the board.

Shuffle the remaining Curiosity cards and place them face down on the Curiosity space. Place the "Shuffle the Curiosity cards" card face down at the bottom of the pike.

From the pack of Mog cards, emove the four crib cards.(The"crib cards"act as aquick reference for the use of the three picture Mog cards). Shuffle the remaining Mog cards and deal six cards face down to each player.

Place the remaining Mog cards face down on the Mog space.

Players roll the dice to determine who will go first.

Play proceeds in a clockwise direction.

CAT ATTACK HM ! < rMd*ME ! nuP* tbetttrmdMan < ioftheMw ! b < KhM < < th < b < ) abtmMt, youthenbe) jm < arMthth < i < ) yMofAtbwdinde < ontponenhcft OBJECT OF THE GAME To fill your larder, by going to the shops, catching a bird and mouse or raiding another cat's larder. At the same time you need to hang onto your nine lives and cause other cats to lose theirs.

The winning cat R the first cat to either* PtLLrrsmRMRWtIHS ! XtrEMSOFPOOD BE THE LAST SURVtV ! NG CAT.

(abKammmafndg, abcxd*rirr, abDwicfm*ardafoof (Ab4 (you Ia.'it* rins.) and return to its Home Square Uilt Cats that lose all their nine lives take no further with the exact throw of dice. part it the game.

C 1 RE P > Y u $ t A player's fiurn consists of No basic i I 1 . I. ?. I procedures. w 11 . a.... procedures. cat BirdandMou ! tMoMr < h FIRST Moore MoHrth

PLAY A MOG CARD. Examine your six Mog cards and place one card face up in the centre of the board (this is the discard pile). If you play a cat, bird or mouse card you must move your cat, a bird or mouse, depending on the card played, by the number of squares indicated by the value of the card (Example : When you ploya 5 of birds card you must move a bird 5 squares).

Playing a picture card gives your cat special powers. (See "Mog cards" for all the variations of playing a Mog card).

Pick up one card from the top of the Mog pile to replenish your hand.

THEN THROW THE DICE. You must move your cat by the number of squares indicated by the value of the dice.

This completes your turn.

THE RULES You can move your (at, a bird or mouse in any direction, but you can only use the paw-prints in the gardens (one paw-print equals one square), the tops of the walls (squares) and the streets (five squares per street). Only cats can use the Home Squares, only birds can use the bird-box and only mice can use the mouse-hole. Everywhere else on the board is out of bounds.

Your cat's first move is onto the paw-print immediately outside the door of their house.

A bird's first move is onto the bird square on the wall. A mouse's first move is onto the mouse square on the wall.

When you land on a Curiosity square pick up a Curiosity card. (See"Curiosity Squares and Cards").

In the following rules you will see the expressions "Iand on", "correct value cat card" and "correct value dice". This simply means, that if for example a mouse is 4 squares away, to land on the mouse you must play a 4 of cats card or throw the value 4 of the dice. If you play or throw a 1, 2 or 3 you do not reach the mouse, if you play or throw a 5 or 6 you jump over the mouse, you do not land on it and therefore you do not catch it.

You can do any of the following plays when it is your turn, either when you "Playa Mag card" or "Throw the dice", depending on the nature of the play.

ATTACKING A (AT, BIRD OR MOUSE You can only attack a cat, bird or mouse if it is no more than six squares away.

To attack a cat, bird or mouse your cat must land on a cat, bird or mouse by playing either a Cat Attack card (see "Mog cards"), or the correct value cat card or throwing the correct value dice.

When you land on a cat, that cat loses a Life Token and goes home. Don't forget to pick up a card from the Mog pile to replenish your hand, then you and you alone, examine the six Mog cards of the cat you have landed on, take a card of your choice and replace it with one of your own Mog cards. A cat cannot be attacked if it is on its Home Square.

When you land on a bird or mouse, place the bird or mouse in your larder.

SHOPPING Shops are opened and dosed with Curiosity Cards. To get an item of food from a shop your cat must land on one of

the three paw-prints in an open shop's garden, either with the correct value cat card or the correct value dice, or if your cat lands on a shop's (at Burglar paw-print with a Cat Burgbr card (see"Mog cards"), you take an item of food from the shop and place it in your larder.

If a shop closes when you are in its garden, you lose a Life Token and go home.

You can only enter a closed shop's garden by landing on the Cat Burglar paw-print with a Cat Burglar card but if you are still in a closed shop's garden at the end of your turn you lose a Life Token and turn home. (Caught Burglaring) RAIDING A (AT'S LARDER

You can only raid a caf ! tarder if a catts Home Square is no more than six squares away.

To get an item of food from a cat's larder, your cat must land on a cat's Home Square, either with the correct value cat card, the correct value dice, or a Cat Burglar card (see"Mog cards"), you can take an item of food from their larder and place it in your larder.

If you are still on a cat's Home Square or in its garden at the end of your turn after raiding a cat's brder, you lose two Life Tokens and go home If you raided with a Cat Burglar card you only We one Life Token and go home.

A cat cannot be raided if it is in its garden (unless a Cat Burgbr card is played) or on its Home Square. If the cat you are raiding is in a shop, you cannot take that shop's product from the larder.

CAT FIGHT You can only pick a Cat Fght with another cat if it is no more than six squares away.

To have a Cat Fight you use a suit of Hog cards. First you must place your cat on the cat you are attacking and then place one of your Mog cards (cat, bird or mouse) face up on the discard pile, thereby declaring the attacking suit for the entire fight. The defending cat can fight back by playing any card of the same suit. The fight continues until a cat can no longer play a card in the attacking suit and becomes the defeated cat. No cards are picked up during a fight unless both hands of cards are exhausted, in which case each cat picks up six more cards from the Mog pile (attacking cat first) and continues the fight.

The numeric value of the cards is of no significance. At the end of a Cat Fight both cats replenish their hands.

When you win a Cat Fight you examine the defeated cat's six Mog cards, take a card of your chokeand repbce it with one of your own Mog cards. The defeated cat loses a Life Token and goes home.

You cannot pick a Cat Fight with a cat that is on its Home Square.

THE MOG (ARDS Playing a Mog card is the first part of your go and allows you a choice of actions, followed by the throw of the dice to move your cat.

If you play a CAT, BIRD or MOUSE card, you must move your cat, a bird or mouse (depending on the card played) by the value of the card. (E. g. if you play a 4 of cat5 card you must move your cat 4 squares).

If you play a SPEEDY CAT card, you must throw the dice three times instead of the usual once and move an) your cat accordingly. Don't forget your normal throw of the dice, making four throws in total.

If you play a CAT ATTACK card, your cat must land on a cat, bird or mouse that is no more than six squares away. (See "Attacking a Cat, Bird or Mousse"). If you are not within six squares of a cat, bird or mouse you cannot play this card.

If you play a CAT BURGLAR card, your cat must land on a shop's Cat Burglar paw-print or a cat'5 Home Square that is no more than six squares away. With this card your cat can enter a shop's garden even if it is closed or raid a cat's tarder even if the host cat is in its garden. (See"Shopping"and"Raiding a Cat'5 larder"). If you are not within six squares of a Cat Burglar paw-print or a cat's Home Square you cannot play this card.

When playing a Cat Burglar card, move to the Cat Burglar paw-print or to the Home Square and take an item of food. If you are still in a closed shop's gar- gar-wA (b n den, on a cat's Home Square or in a cat's garden at the end of your go after Paw-print playing a Cat Burglar card, you lose a Life Token and go home.

Cat Burglar card5 do not allow you to enter a street when the car is in it or jump over another cat. A cat's Rome square If you pick a CAT FIGHTwith a suit of cards you may have to play more than one card. (See"Cat Fight').

If you have SIX BIRD or SIX HOUSE cards, you can lay all six cards as one play, to move any one bird or mouse (depending on the cards played) out of a cat'5 larder of your choice by exactly six squares. Cats on their Home Square or in their garden cannot have a bird or mouse moved out.

When you have played your Mog card or cards, don't forget to pick up from the Mog pile to replenish your hand before throwing the dice.

Do not show your Mog cards to other cats unless you are Attacked or lose a Cat Fight.

When the Mog pile is exhausted, shuffle the discard pile and place the pack face down on the Mog card space.

CURIOSITY SQUARES AND CARDS (ats that land on a Curiosity square pick up a Curiosity card, curi sity announce and act on the instructions written on the card (xnMitySqMre Square and replace the card face down at the bottom of the pack. Curiosity card

YET, FISHMONGER, DAIRY and CORNER SHOP cards, either close a shop that is open by placing the folded dosed shop card over the shop or open a shop by removing the dosed shop card from the board. A cat cannot enter a shop's garden if it is dosed unless a Cat Burglar card is played (see"Mog cards"). If a cat is in a shop's garden when it doses the cat loses a Life Token and goes home.

CAR cards drive the car to the middle square of the street it is directed to and affect the whole street. If the car is directed to the street it is already in, it completes one circuit of the board. Cats cannot enter a street if the car is in it. A cat in a street which the car drives down or is the car's destination street, loses a Life Token and goes home.

PLAY ANOTHER HOG CARD. do so immediately and pick up one card from the Mog pile to replenish your hand.

HAVE AN EXTRA THROW, add a throw to your go.

If you attack a cat, bird or mouse that is on a Curiosity square don't forget to pick up a Curiosity card.

TRESPASSING

A (at can enter another cat's garden and remain in the garden at the end of their go (providing they have not raided) even if the host cat is in its garden or on its Home Square, but if a cat returns to its garden or Home Square to find a cat there, even though the returning cat does not land on the trespassing cat it still counts as an attack and the trespassing cat loses a Ute Token and goes home Cards are exchanged as with a normal attack. (See "Attacking a Cat") CORNERED CAT If you have played a cat card or thrown the dice but then find that you are unable to carry out the move, you are a cornered cat and you lose one Life Token for each reason that you are cornered and go home.

Example - you cannot move into a street because the car is in it, you cannot jump over a cat that is in your path and you cannot land on a mouse because you already have a mouse in your larder. In this example you have three directions you can go in, but each direction is blocked, therefore you lose three Life Tokens and go home.

RETIRING CATS Cats that lose all their nine lives take no further part in the game, are removed from the board and their Mog cards are placed face up on the discard pile. Their larder can be raided without the need to get out of the garden and birds and mice can be moved out with bird and mouse cards. A cat can be attacked on a retired cats Home Square.

CATS (AM.

Back track when on the move jump over another cat.

Occupy the same square as another cat, (unless attacking a cat orhavinqa (atFiqht).

Occupy the same square as a bird or mouse, (unless attacking a bird or mouse).

Entera a street if the car is in it.

Have more than one of each item of food in their larder.

Be raided if they are in their own garden, (unless a Cat Burglar card is used).

Be attacked or raided if they are on their Home Square.

Have a (at Fight with picture cards.

BIRDS AND MICE You can play a bird or mouse card even if it is not possible to move a bird or mouse.

If you jump over a bird or mouse you do not catch it, you must land on it.

When you land on a bird or mouse, put the bird or mouse in your tat's larder.

Birds and mice cannot back track when on the move.

Birds and mice cannot occupy the same square as a cat, bird or mouse, but can jump over one.

Do not pick up a Curiosity card when a bird or mouse lands on a Curiosity square.

A bird can be moved back inside the bird box.

A mouse can be moved back inside the mouse hole.

Birds and mice are not affected by the car or closed shops. WAYS TO LOSE A UFE 1 Attacked with a Cat Attack card.

2 Attacked with a correct value cat card.

3 Attacked with the correct value dice.

4 The loser of a Cat Fight.

5 Caught burgling. (Shopping) 6 Caught raiding.

7 Caught Trespassing 8 A cornered cat. (Possibly lose more than one life.) 9 Run over by the car. (Curiosity card) 10 Caught in a shop closing. (Curiosity card) n Killed by curiosity. (Curiosity card) 12 Outdoors on Fireworks Night. (Curiosity card)

Claims

CLAIMS 1. A board game comprising: a) a board having defined areas representing houses, defined areas representing shops, and a sequence of areas defining pathways around the houses and shops, b) playing pieces representing cats, c) a random number generator to move the playing pieces along the pathways, d) a plurality of tokens for each playing piece, each token representing a cat life, e) a plurality of pieces representing food for placing in the shops, and f) at least one pack of cards giving instructions to the players.
2. A board game according to claim 1, wherein one pathway is a sequence of areas representing a road around the perimeter of the board surrounding the areas representing houses and shops.
3. A board game according to claim 2, wherein the houses and shops may be arranged in a square with the road around the square.
4. A board game according to any preceding claim, wherein a sequence of areas defining other pathways between the houses and shops and through the houses and shops are provided.

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5. A board game according to any preceding claim, wherein there are two packs of cards.
6. A board game according to any preceding claim, wherein further areas are provided representing a car park, park, birds nest and mouse hole.
7. A board game according to any preceding claim, wherein a playing piece representing a car and/or a tom cat, and/or a dog is provided.
8. A board game according to any preceding claim, wherein indicators are provided to indicate whether each shop is opened or closed.
9. A board game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.