US1524740A - Game - Google Patents

Description

A. W. LORENZ Filed Nov. 3,

GAME

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Patented Feb. 1 3, 1925.

ALBERT wn'n'rnn nonnnz, o r sotr'rn MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.

GAME.

Application filed November 3, 1922 Serial No. 598,804.

T aZZ whom it mdy concern;

Be it known that I, ALBERT VVAL'rnR LORENZ, a citizen of the United States residing at South Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Games, of which the following is a specification.

mating those of an actual tour. So far as I amaware, the only games in which a speed limit has heretofore been provided have been such that no piece could at any time exceed a given rate of travel. Obviously, this provision operates in practice to put a positive limit upon the number of units of advance in any given'turn being units which any pi e can travel in a given turn. It is contemp ated that in connection with this invention a speed limit be provided which approximates more closely condi tions of actual travel. As will be more clearly brought out hereinafter, the rules of the game prescribe certain speed limits. Under some circumstances, these limits may be exceeded without penalty. Under other circumstances, however, a piece exceeding the fixed rate of'travel in a given turn will be temporarily detained.

Further objects of this invention are to provide a game wherein the advance of each piece will be subject as far as possible to conditions such as might be encountered in road travel in a motor vehicle, the character of the obstacles imposed in the different routes being such as to be suggestive of motor travel; to provide a game wherein, as many as possible of the directions for playing are located upon the game board itself and need not be memorized by the players; to provide a game wherein the variety of routes provided and the character of the-obstacles interposed in the different routes are such as to stimulate the interest of the players and to make the outcome doubtful throughout the game.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of a game'board adapted for use in connection with the game hereinafter to be described. g Fig. 2 is a detail view of a sign appearing on thegame board.

Fig. 3 is a similar detail. Fig. 4 illustrates a plurality of details This invention relates to an improvement i in games. More particularly, this invention relates to an improvement in a game of the type in which each player is providedwith a piece which is advanced over a route laid out upon a game board, the number of determined by charice.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a game wherein a plurality of diiferent'routesare provided, such routes being of varying difliculty, and wherein the route to be followed by any given piece will be determined by chance.

As will be more particularly hereinafter .s'et forth, this invention in its preferred form is embodied in a game known as Touring wherein the pieces of the several. players represent touring cars and the object of the game 1s .to tour between two designated towns in the fewest number of turns. The routes offered to theplayers' are many and obstacles of varying difficulty are interposed in certain of the routes. It is an object of this invention to make a game-of this character as realistic as possible and in this connection the particular means hereinafter to be disclosed for selecting a given route by chance duringthe progress of the game is'of particular importance. 1 am /aware that games have heretofore 40 been devised wherein a piece arriving at a given point has been forced to take a comparatively devious route rather than a more direct route which it would have followed had it passed that point. Where routes are chosen in such. a manner, however, it

has not been possible to selectively direct 'a piece upon more than two different routes from the givenspdt. It is. an object of the present invention to provide agame wherein a, piece may be selectively directed to as of typical directions such as are printed at intervals upon the several units into which the routes are divided.

Fig. 5 is a detail typical of one of the buildings which are illustrated in connection with each of the towns appearing on many different routes as may be desired. the game board.

It is a further, object of this invention F1g.- 6 1s a perspective view of one of the to provide a game of the general character dice winch may be used n playlng the aforesaid and relating preferably to an autogame.

5 mobile tour wherein the speed of the pieces F1g. 7 1s a perspective view of a second may be governed under conditions approxidie which may be used in playing the game.

. such directions.

the game board at 10 and the finish point is shown at 11 in the opposite corner of the board. Between the starting point and the finish, a plurality of devious routes designated in their entirety by the numeral 12 are provided. Each one of said routes is divided into units 13. It will be noted that at intervals the usual substantially rectangular unit 13 is'replaced by circular units 14 designated with fanciful names and intended to represent towns lying in the course of travel. Each ofsaid towns will preferably be provided witha city hall'15 and with a garage 16. Fig. 5 is a detail typical of the garages as they appear upon the game board.-

The units 13 of route 12 may be designated at intervals with special directions to be-followed by arplayer whose piece happens to come to rest upon a unit bearing The several units represented in Fig. 41 are typical of the directions to be found upon the route units 13 in thepreferred embodiment of this game. It will be noted that all of such directions are typical of actual conditions which may fifteen miles and stating the reason for be encountered during a tour by automobile. It will be understood, of course,'tha t/ the directions laid out upon individual units 13 of the route may be varied, as desired,-.,but it is preferred that such directions'be of a nature adapted to conform to the objects of this invention and to suggest actual conditions of travel. The unit .13, for example, directs a player whose piece comes to rest upon that unit that his vehicle is to be considered to have broken a spring and that the piece must be'returned to the garage 16 at the town 14'.- Suchan occurrence obviously might delay any tourist and the aforesaid set of directions, as illustrated M15 in Fig. 4, may be considered as typical of the obstacles which are preferably interposed in the various routes. 7

It will be noted that in some instances, the pieces are advanced rather than retarded by the directions marked upon the unit upon which a piece comes to rest. For example, note the directions contained in unit 13" advising the player to "advance such advance to be a downhill grade.

The units 13 may be' taken to representany desired distfince of road travel. In the preferred embodiment of this game, each of saidv units-and each of the units 14 is If fivemiles be taken as the distance represented by each uit, the number of such units over which a piece will be advanced during any given turn can conveniently be determined by selecting by chance a multiple of five.

It is preferred that a die be used to determine the rate of advance of each piece during any given turn. A six-sided die, such as represented in Fig. 6, may have inscribed upon its several faces the numbers, 5, 10,15, 20, 25, and 30, three of which are shown'in Fig. 6. It is possible, therefore, for any piece to be advanced from one to six units ma single turn according to which face of the die appears uppermost after the throw. In the event, however,

that it is desired to advance the pieces over a greater distance, the die may conveniently be replaced by a so-called spinner, i. e., a needle rotatably mounted over a circle laid out into segments and having the several segments numbered in multiples of five. The use of such a device is well known in the art and is usuallyregarded 'asthe full equivalent of a die for determining by chance the rate of advance of a piece over a game board. Obviously, it is immaterial to the playing of a game of this sort whether a die or a so-called spinner, be used to determine the extent'to which any given piece will be advanced in asin le turn. 1

In this game it is preferre that each turn shall be considered an hours travel so that the number disclosed by the upper most face offthe die following each. throw will represent not only the distance or number of units for which the piece. is to be advanced, but will also ,represent the speed per hour at which the piece is travelling. A signboard- 17, indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1 and shown in detail ,in Fig.

2, is erected near the starting point 10 and announces to all players that the speed limit on country roads is twenty-five miles per hours Similar, signboards 18 are illustrated on the board on various routes entering the cities or villages 14. signboards 18 are-shown in detail in Fig. 3 and instruct the players that the 'speed "limit through the villages near which such signboards appear is fifteen miles per hour. Inasmuch as the die 20 shown in-Fig. 6 provides for speeds as great as thirty miles'per hour, it will be obvious that the individual pieces will occasionally, exceed ithe. designated speed limits. The excess, however, will not always result in a penalty. In this manner, interest i'sadded to the game and conditions aremadeto approximate more closely arctual conditions of road travel- It willbe noted that at a plurality of. points along route 12 certain units 13" bear 7 the legend speedcop, togetherwith the taken to represent a distance of five miles. name of the village from which the patrol-"1130v Y a rule of the character is obviously much man operates and the caution Go Slow. Such a legend is shown in detail in Fig. 4. In the preferred embodiment of this game, therules provide that any piece may exceed the designated speed limit with impunity as long as it is not moved completely across a unit 13 hearing the Speed Cop legend. If-the conditions of playing are such that a piece moves completely across a unit 13", the penalty for speeding will attach and the player will be forced by the preferred rules.

- greater than would be the case if a positive limit were placed upon the speed at all pointsof the board.

' The rules ,may provide for limiting the speed in the cities or villages 14. In such a case, a piece arriving in the village.at a speed in excess of fifteen miles per hour will preferably not be subjected to the penalty. The same will hold trueof a piece leaving a village at a speed in excess of fifteen miles'per hour. If, however, a piece passes completely across any of the circles 14 at a rate ofspeed greater than fifteen miles per hour, the penalty will attach and the player will have to return his piece to 'of travel than does any the city hall of the village where the speed laws were transgressed.

One of the most interesting features of the game herein disclosed is found in the wide variety of routes which may be followed by the several pieces. In this respect, the present game, so far as I am aware, approaches more 'closely to actual conditions other game which has heretofore been devised.

It will be noted that at many points'upon the board thefoutes divide and redivide to offer a wide variety of paths to the advancing piece. Preferably, no choice is afforded the player and the piece is directed by chance as to which of several paths .it

must follow. The greatest number of routes offered in any. given place in the game board illustrated in Fig. 1 is three,

but 1t will be obvious that the number need be limited only by the limitations imposed by the instrument of chance which is used todetermine a selection.

For the purpose of determining which route a given piece will follow, I preferably provide a die 2-1 which may be similar in size and shape to the die 20 and-may conveniently be distinguished therefrom in .route. to be followed.

color, if desired. The die 21 is also distinc tively marked for" it bears upon its faces characters which are also found upon the game board associated with the several routes thereon and which thereby serve to identify the route which a given piece will foll w. The preferred die 21 has one face mar ed with thei numeral 1, two faces marked with the numeral 2, and three faces marked wlth the numeral 3. The faces might,-however, obviously be marked with I numerals from 1 to 6, if so great a variety of routes were offered at any given point.

Obviously, other reference characters might also be used to identify or designate the spinner routes by chance and might be substituted for die 21 for this purpose.

In the preferred embodiment of this game,

are rules will be such that each player will The well knownmight also be used to determine the throw the dice 20 and 21 in each turn. I

The die 21, although it is cast with die 20 at each turn, will not be significant unless the advance of the piece as determined by the figures upon die 20 will carry the piece across a junction point of two or more routes. For example, supposing that at the of six units in any given turn, it will be 7 obvious that the reading, of die 21 will be e wholly insignificant to a player whose piece is upon unit 13- of the route.

If, however, the piece were resting within two units of the city of Oofsburg, it will be obvious that his next play might tvell carry the piece beyond the city of Oofsburg in some direction. At such a time, the die 21 and the reading thereof may become significant and die 21 should be included with die 20 in the throw. Assuming that die 20 bears upon its uppermost face a number indicating that three or more than three units are to be advanced, the die 21 will 'control the choice of routes in the previously explained manner. If its uppermost face displays the numeral 1 or the numeral 2 in the embodiment herein disclosed, the piece be directed upon the left hand route leading out of the city of Oofsburg. .If, however, the die 21 should come to restdisplaying the numeral 3 upon its uppermost face, the piece will would be forced totake the right hand route stances above referred to should be author-- ized b die 20 to move his piece only two units or less in advance, the reading of the die 21' would again lack significance since the move would not bring him to a point in the route where a choice of routes is afforded.

-Mentio n has heretofore been made of speed limits set for country roads and for cities. It is particularly to be notedthat there is nothing on the board'to indicate what the speed limit for cities shall be and this speed limit may either be omitted e11- tirely from the rules of the game or, if the X rules provide for some definite speed limit,

such a speed limit may be altered by agreement between the players prior to the start of any given game. Thus a wide variety of possible arrangements as to this feature is provided for.

It is an important feature of the game, however, to have the speed limit upon country roads fixed ,at some predetermined amount both by the rules of the game and by specific directions printed upon the board.

* Such directions are illustrated diagrammatically at 17 in Fig; land are shown more specifically'and in detail in Fig. 2. It will be remembered, however, that, correspond ing to the-fact as it exists in actual practice, the speed limit existing throughout all country roads is not enforced except in areas designated as being patrolled by a speed cop. As has previously been explained, the numbers upon the several faces of die 20 indicate the speed in miles per hour of a piece in addition to indicating the number of units which the piece will be advanced in a given turn, and if the speed per hour exceeds the predetermined speed limit at a time when the piece is forced to cross one of the units marked Speed cop, the player Wlll be penalized and forced to return to the village designated upon the board as the town from which the speed cop, operates; the player, if he be fortunate, can at other times exceed the speed limit without .being penalized in any way. The result accomplished by this novel teatureof the game disclosed herein realistic and constitutes an important part of this invention. g

It will be understood from the foregoing that the instructions and admonitions printed on the face of the board are to be followed implicitly by the players. In each n difi'erent embodiment of the game, these instruct-ions will probably be varied to corre- 'spond tothe actual world conditions which the game isdevised to represent. In the present embodiment of this invention, the directions will"preferably relate to conditions encountered in automobile touring, but

it would not depart from the spirit of my invention to incorporate into agame of the general type herein disclosed instructions and board markmgs indicativetof boat or aeroplane races or any other contest wherein the fplbove described features might prove use determining the number of units to be advanced by a given piece in a given turn, and chance controlled means for selectively determining independently of the ,number of units of advance which of said plurality of. routes is to be followed by a given piece in advance of the'time thev piece reaches the point at which said routes divide.

2. A game including a playing surface having a path marked thereon in units, said path being divided and sub-divided to provide a plurality of routes and, at one point, more routes than two, pieces adapted to be positioned upon said units and progressively advanced unon said path, chance controlled means including route designating marks to a number greater than two and arranged for fortuitous selection, one of said marks bein applied to said playing surface to identifv each of said routes where said path is sub-divided to provide more than two thereof, and one of said routes where said path is divided to-provide but two thereof being designated by a plurality of said marks.

3. A game including a playing surface having a path marked thereon in'units and divided to form a plurality of routes, pieces adapted to be advanced by units upon said path and to indicate the progress of players, characters identified with certain of said routes, chance controlled means for determining the number-of units to be advanced by a piece in a given turn, and

chance controlled means separately operable simultaneously with said first mentioned chance controlled means and adapted to present to a player a character corresponding to the character identifying one of said routes whereby a players selection of route is determined simultaneously with the determination of the number of units for which his piece is to be advanced.

4. A game lncluding a board having a starting point and a finish point marked thereon, a path laid out in units between said starting point and finish point and divided and subdivided to form a plurality of routes between said starting point and finish point, pieces adapted to be positioned upon said units and to be advanced progressively upon said path to indicate the progress of players between said starting point and finish point, a die having numerals upon its faces indicative of the number of units to be advanced by a piece, charactcrs upon said board associated with certain of said routes at their starting points whereby said routes may be identified, and a die having upon its faces characters related to said first mentioned characters whereby when said die is thrown simultaneously with said first mentioned die, it will indicate to a player the route to be followed by his piece in the event that his piece reaches during that play a division point offering a plurality of alternative routes so identified.

5. A game of the type played on a board by advancing pieces for chance-determined distances upon a path divided into units and laid out upon said board, said game being characterized by the combination with a game board an a piece, of chance controlled means for determining the number of'units of advance of said piece in any given move, and a'legend designating an area within which a speed ,limit is applicable whereby to permit the use of rules providing that said piece cannot be moved through said area in excess of a predetermined distance in a given turn without a penalty attaching.

turn, a legend on the board specifyinga pieces adapted to be advanced over said route to indicate the progress of a player between the starting and finish points, chance controlled means for indicating the number of units to be advanced by each piece and simultaneously indicating the supposed rate of travel of said piece in miles per hour, and means for designating upon the board a rate of speed less thanthe maximum rate available bysaid chance controlled means, whereby said game may .be utilized with rules requiring a piece passing said patrolled areas at a rate of speed greater than that designated to return to the next preceding city'while permitting a piece to pass such patrolled areas without penalty if said chance controlled meansindicate. a lesser rate of speed than that designated.

ALBERT WALTER LORENZ.

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