GB2494397A - Backgammon board and game for three or more players - Google Patents

Abstract

A backgammon game for three or more players uses a modified board 34. At least the particular graphic domains or points 38A-H upon which the playing pieces are placed before starting the game are represented as clusters of two or more points each numbering at least half the number of players the board is intended to accommodate. The points within a respective cluster share the same colour or shade. When moving pieces during play, each cluster may count as a single point, and when stopping his piece on a cluster a player may choose which point of the cluster to place his piece on. The multi-point clusters allow two players to place their pieces on the same points at the start of the game, thus allowing more than two players to play on the same board. The game and board may take the form of a computer or video game. To accommodate four players, the game start points 38A-H comprise clusters of two points, whilst the remaining points are single points. For a six player game (see figure 4), the game start points (46A-H) comprise clusters of three points, whilst the remaining points each comprise clusters of two points.

Description

MULTI-PLAYER BACK-GAMMON GAME

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of board games (also known as

table games).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Backgammon is a traditional board game in which two players io compete with one another. In typical game set up, two flaps of the board have inscribed on their faces a set of twenty four graphic domains on which the two contestants arrange their play pieces and using two six faced traditional dice in an attempt to advantageously shift their own pieces in such a route that will eventually allow the absolute removal from the board.

To more precisely explain the graphical and tactical fundaments of the game, reference is made now to Fig. I in which the essential features of a back gammon board 20 are described. Twenty four graphic domains, such as graphic domains 22 individually numbered in the drawing, are typically formed as triangles, each triangle traditionally called point" in English, even though they do not resemble a point. The play pieces are distributed in a certain pattern, and each player starts off with an equal number of play pieces, sunsequently to have them finish a track and be excluded from the earliest. The direction of moving the pieces is a horse -show path formation. For a contestant sitting at the bottom of board 20, it is in the direction of arrow 26. For a contestant sitting opposite, the same horseshoe path applies but in the reverse direction.

The role of colours of the domains In the traditional backgammon game, the twenty four graphic domains (GDs) are alternating in colour (or specific graphic pattern) so that each domain has colour different than the colour of the two adjacent domains. However, to fulfill such a definition, only two colours are required in total. In the figure a colour is symbolically designated by a specific hatching direction. The role of colouration, apart from maybe aesthetic, is to help the players implement moves quicker, because counting is quicker when half the number of steps is counted in each move than would have been required if no colouration had been implemented. The play pieces are coloured such that each player has a specific color for his/her own set, which is distinctly different than the colour of the set of the other player. In Fig. 2, GD 22D has two play pieces laid on it, namely play piece 28 and play piece 30, having the same coloration and therefore belonging to a set of a certain player. Play pieces 32 and 34, laid on graphic domain 22E are of identical coloration and differ in colour from play pieces 28 and 30. They therefore belong to the set of the other player.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a description of a backgammon board of the prior art showing graphic domains; s Fig. 2 is a description of play pieces (checkers) laid on the graphic domains; Fig. 3 is a description of a board architecture suitable for four contestants; Fig. 4 is a description of a board architecture accommodated for six n contestants.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, a backgammon board is provided that facilitates the participation of players (contestants) in numbers in excess of two. Reference is made to Fig. 3 in which board 34, demonstrating a four player architecture. The board portrays 8X4 graphic domains (GDs), as compared to 6X4 that typifies the backgammon board of the prior art. As in the prior art board, only two colors (or specific graphic patterns instead) are provided for colouring the GDs, but the distribution of colour domains on the io board of the present invention is not trivial. As can be seen in the drawing, there are eight clusters of GDs as indicated by brackets, 38A, 38B, 38C, 38E, 38F, 38G and 38H. There are also single, non clustered GDs as in the board of the prior art. In each cluster there are two GDs, identically coloured. If a cluster of GDs is considered as one enlarged GD, than the rule of coloration are as in the prior art, namely the color of each domain differs from the color of its neighbours. In each case only two colours are available for the game board.

The board described above is accommodated for up to four players playing at once, and each set of play pieces (typically 15 per player) has a distinct colour.

If in the course of the game each enlarged GD is considered as one count, than on the entire board there are 6X4 available GDs, much as in the backgammon of the prior art. Before describing how the GDs of the invention are involved in the multi-player game architecture, reference is made to Fig. 4 which portrays a game board accommodated for gaming with up to six players playing at once.

Game board 42 includes clusters of GDs with no presence of single non clustered GDs at all. In this case there are two kinds of clusters, clusters made of two GDs and clusters made of three GDs each. Clusters consisting of three GDs, referred to hereinafter as large clusters, are clusters 46A, 46B, 46C, 46D, 46E, 46F, 46G and 46H marked by large brackets. All the other clusters are s small clusters, marked in the drawing by small brackets, consisting each of two GDs and as noted above there are no single non clustered GDs available. In this six player board architecture, if each cluster, large or small, is counted as a single GD, then there are 6X4 DG5 in total, as in the backgammon of the prior art.

Distributing play pieces in the four and six player board architectures In the prior art game, each contestant lays on the board at the beginning of the game all the play pieces he/she has in accordance with an is accepted pattern. Thus for a player in the prior art, with reference to Fig. 1, two pieces are laid on the GD at the right (GD 1), five pieces are laid on the twelfth GD, three on the seventeenth GD, and five on the nineteenth GD. In the four player board architecture, each domain on which play pieces are laid is a clustered GD, consisting of two single GD5. In the six player board, each GD in which play pieces are laid is a large cluster consisting of three GDs. When a toss of a die by a certain player allows him/her to move a play piece to a clustered GD, he/she may choose with the cluster, which of the GD to lay the piece on.

Implementing the game A game in accordance with the present invention may be played by up to four contestants using a four player board architecture, or up to six s contestants using the six player board architecture. A game set may be real (board, dice, pieces etc.) or virtual, such as gaming over the internet, in which the board is dawn utilizing a web page. In the Web implementation, participants can access the game board from any place having an Internet connection.

Claims (1)

1. <claim-text>CLAIMSs 1. A backgammon game set for a number of contestants in excess of two, in which at least some of the graphic domains (GD5) on the board are multiplied, forming clusters of GDs, and wherein any of said clusters in which play pieces are laid by at least one contestant, at the beginning of a game, is a cluster consisting of io at least the number of GDs that equals at least to half the total numbers of contestants, and wherein the colour of all the GDs in a cluster is common to all the GDs in the custer.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A backgammon game set as in claim 1 wherein said game set is a real game set.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A back -gammon game set as in claim 1 wherein said game set is a virtual game set.</claim-text>