US2055036A - Game - Google Patents

Description

I Sept. 22, 1936. p w, T, LQY 2,055,036

GAME

Filed June 10, 1932 Patented Sept. 22, 1936 I UNI-TED- STATES A N omen Y A 2,055,036 r j GAME 7 Park WIT. Loy, Hagerstown, Md.

" Application June 10, 1932, Serial No. 616,530 .eolai'ms. (01. 273-131) ,In the present invention I provide a game includlng afgameboard and movable game pieces audit is an'obfiect of the invention to play the ifgame after the Iashion of a national election votes towin the game.

"campaign iin order "that by skillful maneuvering a player may capture a majority of electoral A furtherobject' o f theinvention isto provide 1 'a'ga'rhe sirdulatihga national election campaign in which a playing territory or public domain is provided "over, which the States are movable for f preferential positioning, optional with the player, butjgove'rnedby certain rules, with-the hazard of capture byjthe opposing player or candidate'; should the State pass into territory over which the; 'opposing' player or candidate has domain... n v

A"furthr object or the invention is to provide agame including a playing surface over which game pieces are mo'vable"according to certain 7 rules, thefs'u'rface beingzoned in orderthat by j'skillfnl maneuvering a player can advance his player pieces over a predetermined area into the (zones.

Other bnjects ofthe' invention will be ap arent (from the 'f ollowing description of the present pre- QQferred'form thereof, taken in connectionwith the accompanyingdrawingwherein Y f ,The' figure is a top plan view of a game board constructed-in-accordance with the present inventiori;.showing some or the game pieces mounted i thereon, the 'latter'b'eingals'o shown in'plan.

Thedevice of the present invention consists of agame board I, which may be made of wood,

desired, maybe hinged at 2 in order to permit metahcardboard, or other suitable material and folding of the board in a manner well known in [the art; rne board is divided into two fields, generally designated 3and '4, along the line of the hinge Preferablythe playing'surface of the board is divided "into a predetermined number A of'u'niform' squares, in the present instance three 7 hundred and seventy-four being shown, seventeen 1 squares constituting the playing width of the present'b'oard and twenty-two squares the play- Consequently, one hundred and eighty-seven squares comprise each field. One hundred and eleven o f the squares of. each field, designated 1,

t are open, through which Igame pieces,'here'inafter describediare movabla- The remaining seventysq iares oi-geach field, designated 8, are closed or solid squares and'constituteforbidden areas** into which, or over which the playe'rpieces may not 'be moved. Certain of the open squares in each field are provided with circles or dots 9, the circles or dots of one field being of a color 5 different from the circles or dots of the other field. The squares which contain the circles or dots are the starting positions for the player pieces hereinafter described.

Each of the playing fields 3 and 4' is also pro 10 vided with an isolatedterritory which runs'parallel to the line of play of the game pieces'on 'the board, these territories being strategic positionsand consisting of specially designated blocks or squares 10'. Inthe present instance, I prefer, 16 to employ four such squares in each playing fieldi" each of said squares being designated by across mark (X) mounted in a I heavy border; The squares H] of one field correspond'in color-to the dots'9 of the opposite field. .20 On the opposite sides of the territory consti tuting thelstrategic position of each field, I provide, at the baseline 5'of eachfield, a series of blocks ll, constituting conceded States zones. Each of these zones, in the present instance, I show to consist of five aligned squares to which access maybe gained through three open squares. The player pieces may be of any desired shape and size, but I have found discs, designated in the drawing at I'2', to be adapted for use inthis con- '50 nection. Each disc is: provided with indicia repre sentative of a State and the number of electoral votes of the particular State designated. Two discs are provided for each State, in order that each player at't'he beginningof the game 35 will have a" player or game piece representative of each State in the Union, with the number of electoral votes of each particular State.

The game may be playedby two persons, each of whom may be regarded as acandida-te for io o-flice. The forty-eight player pieces of each can didate are mounted in the; squares containing the circles or dots. Of course,'the particular manner jof positioning the player pieces according to their votes counted, it is necessary that the player pieces move from one field across the dividing line 6 into the opposite field and traverse the opposite field completely until the advancing pieces are finally lodged in the conceded States zones at the playing extremity of the field. The player pieces are movable along the board similar to the game of checkers, except that the player pieces may be initially moved laterally in the open spaces 1 as-well as forwardly. 'Since the player pieces of each contestant are'of a different color, it is easy to segregate the States of the two contestants. player may move any player piece desired for wardly or from side to side in any open space. As soon, however, as the State or player piece of one player comes adjacent the State of the opponent, the latter, in advancing, may leap or jump said adjacent State and multiple leaps or jumpsare permitted, as in thegame of checkers. The States captured in this way of course, go to the credit of the capturing contestant. In jumping or leaping an adjacent State or States, it is to be understood that this movement is not to be confined in one direction only, but may be forward or to the right or left, or any combination of forward, right and/or left. Additionally, it is the desideratum of the game to provide forced leaps or jumps, when profert is made of such a leap by' an opposing candidate to the exclusion of another jump or leap available to said opposing contestant.. Each player or contestant has the four strategic positions designated H], which are located in close proximity to the conceded States zones in the opponents territory. The strategic positions may be occupied bythe player pieces or States of either player or candidate when found vacant, but where a players own State occupies a strategic position in his own field, he is not immune from attack or capture. On the other hand, where these strategic positions are occupied by a candidate in the opponents field in his forward advance, such State is immune from attack and capture, but may attack the States'of the opponent coming in the squares adjacent thereto. Preferably, although a State may occupy a strategic position in the opponents. field with immunity from attack, nevertheless this State can be leaped or jumped without capture to effect the capture of one or more States found in eligible position beyond the strategic zones.

After an opponent has successfully maneuvered his player pieces or States through his own field and the field of his opponent to the'conceded States zones of said opponent, such States votes are immediately credited to the capturing contestant and in addition, said State is returned to play with increased value in that'it may move backward in addition to forward and right and left, similar to a king in checkers. the increasedvalue of the particular State, an additional disc of similar coloring is superimposed thereon. The conceded State, in continuing to play, has all the previous rights which it enjoyed, inaddition to being permitted to move backward as well as forward, but it has no scoring value if captured. When a State of'either candidate is captured by being jumped or leaped and is removed from the board, the corresponding State of. the opponent remainsin full play,

' but the indicia bearing side of the disc is turned downwardly and of course, has no scoring value,

if later captured. 7 1

In scoring 'the'game, the player first obtaining In beginning the game, each' a majority, namely, two hundred and sixty-six votes, wins the game.

It is to be understood that in'the drawing I have shown a board and gamepieces which I have found to be especially adapted for use in playing the game after the teaching of the present invention. I am aware however, that the game may be played by a rearrangement of the squares and game pieces and that changes may be made in the game board and game pieces, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as covered in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

1. A game simulating a national presidential election campaign including a game board divided into a plurality of squares separated by a central dividing line to provide two fields, player piecesmounted on the board with indicia thereon representative of the States and their electoral votes, said pieces being movable in a limited number of the squares of each field, certain of the'squares of each field being designated as privileged zones for the player pieces and other of said squares at opposite extremities of the board being the objectives of the player pieces.

2. A game simulating a national presidential election campaign including a playing surface divided into two fields, each of which consists of, an equal number of squares, player pieces movable over certain squares of the playing surface, a plurality of squares in each field running parallel to the line of play, being specially marked to provide designated zones endowed with special privileges, and a further groupof' squares at the tive of the States and their electoral votes,.each

set consisting of forty-eight pieces mounted in certain squares in each field and adapted for movement across the dividing line into the other field through certain unoccupied squares of the latter, certain of the squares in each field bearing a characteristic declaration indicativeof certain privileges, additional squares in each field being design'ated'to constitute the objective points of the State's.

4. A game simulating a. national presidential election campaign including a playing board divided into'a plurality of open and closed squares separated by a central dividing line to provide two fields, certain of said open squares having indicia V therein to designate starting points, other of said. To designate open squares being demarked to indicate privileged zones, player pieces 01' different values mounted in the open squares of each field adapted for movement across the dividingline from one field to another only in the open squares, certain of the open squares .at the outer extremity of each field being unmarked to provide conceded States zones forming the objective of the player pieces.

5. A game including a playing board with a plurality of open and closed squares thereon, the board being centrally divided to provide two playing fields, alternate rows of the open squares having indicia therein indicative of starting positions, certain ofthe open squares of each field being specially demarked to indicate privileged zones, certain of the open squares at opposite terminals of the board being grouped to provide conceded States zones, .and game pieces for movement over the board in open squares of the latter.

6. A game including a playing board composed of open and closed squares, the board being cen trally divided to provide two playing fields, a majority of the squares of each field being open, certain of which are centrally marked, a further predetermined number of said open squares being peculiarly demarked to constitute strategic positions of one field corresponding to the centrally marked open squares or the opposite field, and game pieces movable on the board in all said open spaces including the said centrally marked squares and strategic zone.

PARK W. T. LOY.

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