US2495007A - Board game apparatus - Google Patents

Description

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Filec March 5, 1947 LE ROY HOWARD BOARD GAME APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Jan 17, 1950 LE ROY HOWARD BOARD GAME APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1947 Www).

,2 l m f SM qf.. M M :UEW Q @Sgm MTW@ w w mgm mom 'Eofney's LE ROY HOWARD BOARD GAME APPARATUS Jan. 17, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 5, 1947 Patented Jan. 17, 195() BOARD GAME APPARATUS Le Roy Howard, Beverly, Mass., assignor to Parker Brothers, Inc., Salem, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application March 5, 1947, Serial No. 734,931

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to board game apparatus.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, a single embodiment thereof is disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the entire apparatus, including the packaging boX, with cover removed, showing the several parts or elements in their assembled position in the box prior to play;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the playing board with the playing pieces in their proper position for beginning the play;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the leader or Pharaoh and one common man of each of the two sets of colored pieces;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the dice employed in playing the game;

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the two paths of play of the opposing sets of playing pieces; and

Fig. 6 on a greatly reduced scale represents a modicaton showing the playing board marked for four players.

A board game called Sonet originated in Egypt some four thousand years or more ago and is believed to have been the favorite game of the Pharaohs and their subjects, as indicated by mural paintings found in excavations of ancient temples and tombs, but of what that game actually consisted or how it was played is unknown and can only be conjectured.

The present invention, introduced upon the market as Senet, is, however, original with the present applicant though having as an underlying or basic feature a playing board along spaces of which pieces are moved subject to being taken or captured by opposing pieces of the other player, and which may have been the general 'scheme Vof play in such vague disclosures of the ancient Egyptian game of Senet as have been discovered.

In the novel game herein disclosed there is provided a board having the general shape of, but larger than, the usual lCribbage board and differing entirely therefrom in all other respects. The board of the present invention is provided with three parallel longitudinal rows each divided along its length into an equal number o'f spa-Ces, which are ten in the present embodiment of the invention. Each of the ten or other number of spaces of the two outer rows desirably has a single piece-receiving hole `or socket, but e'ach of the spaces of the middle 'or intermediate row has two piece-receiving holes or sockets, one for playing pieces of one player and the oth-er for playing pieces of the other player only., "The said two outer rows constitute sae'ty rows for 'the pieces of the two players respectively and the middle or intermediate row constitutes the taking row for the opposing pieces of the two players and may be referred to as the Senet row. The playing pieces of one player may not enter the safety row of the other player. Thus each player has a continuous substantially elliptically shaped path of play, and it is only where these two paths extend along the Senet row vthat pieces can be taken.

The playing pieces preferably consist of two sets of five pieces each, which sets are contrasted with each other as by distinctive coloring. There are also provided dice or the like constituting the chance element and preferably there are two pairs of ordinary dice provided, one pair for each player.

`Referring only 'to the disclosed embodiment of the invention, to which the invention is not limited excepting as set forth in the claims, the five playing pieces for each of the two players comprise a leader or 'so-called Pharaoh and four common men. Preferably all these playing pieces are formed as long pegs ior insertion in the holes or sockets of the playing board. The pieces known as common men have each a head or other suitable enlargement and the leader or Pharaoh is preferably distinguished by being double tipped, that is, by having a head oi twice the height of the head of each common man.

Within the scope of the invention the playing pieces may be otherwise constructed and the leader-s or Pharaohs may be distinguished from the common men otherwise than by being double tipped. Furthermore within the broad scope of the invention, it is not essential that the playing pieces be formed as pegs to be received in holes or sockets in the spaces of the playing board, but preferably the playing pieces are formed as pegs and are received in the playing holes or sockets of the playing board.

According to the preferred manner of playing the game, the appropriate leader or Pharaoh of a player is at the outset of the game pegged into the right-hand corner space of the outer row of each of the two players who face each other at opposite sides of the board, and the four common men are pegged into the holes of the next four spaces toward the left of each player, thus leaving unoccupied the ve remaining spaces of each oi the two `outer rows at the left of each player and also the middle row. The two outer rows constitute safety rows. In the playing of the game, and in accordance with the throw of the dice after the leadership is Vdetermined as by the higher dice throw, the first player moves one or two of his pieces toward his left and thence into the middle row if the dice so determine, but entering only the distinctively marked holes provided only for his playing pieces in such middle row. One such piece may be moved by him a distance indicated by the sum of the two dice thrown by a player, or two pieces may be moved by such player, each to the extent of the number indicated by either one of his two dice, but the number indicated on either one of the dice cannot itself be sp1it, but must be used in its entirety for the movement of playing piece to which it is applied.

The common men of each player may move only in a forward direction, that is, to such players left along the outer row of that player and then, upon entering the left-most space of the middle row, may move only to that players right along such middle row, but in the holes only for that player, and, having reached the last or righthand space of the middle row for that player, they re-enter the outer or safety row of that player at the extreme right thereof. Thus the men of each player, unless taken while they are traveling along the middle row, move in a continuous circuit, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5.

While the playing pieces of the two players, or of either of them, move along the middle row, but only in the respective holes for the playing pieces of the players in the middle row, the playing pieces of each player are subject to be taken or captured by playing pieces of the other player. This taking or capturing occurs when either a Pharaoh or a common man of one player ends his move in the corresponding hole of the space wherein a playing piece of the other player is pegged in that same space, but in the hole for that other player, or when the first counted die of that throw carries a piece of the player to such hole. That is to say, inasmuch as each space of the middle row is provided with two holes, one for pieces of one player and the other for pieces of the second player, the taking occurs when a piece of one player is entered by him in his move or turn of play into his hole of a space, and there is already there in that space a playing piece of the other player in the other hole of that same space. That last referred to playing piece is thereby taken and is removed from the board.

There are directional markings provided to show the course of movement of the pieces of the two players and preferably such markings consist of arrows colored to accord with the colors of the two sets of playing pieces respectively, and preferably enveloping or surrounding the holes for those pieces in the middle row, though the location of such markings and their color may be suitably varied. Also the nal or left-hand space of the outer row of each player has a similar marking extending toward the left and preferably continuing in attenuated form over into and joining the described marking of the left-most or entering space of the middle row.

It will be observed that the two sets of markings of the middle row extend in opposite directions, inasmuch as the playing pieces of the two players travel in opposite directions along said middle or taking row. It is to be understood, however, that while the common men may move only forward, the leaders or Pharaohs, when in the middle or taking or capturing row, can move either forward or backward if the throw of a players dice permits him to do so, and in doing so he can jump over any of his own men into an unoccupied hole, however, counting the space occupied by the man of his color.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, wherein the colors are indicated in accordance with the chart for draftsmen in the United States Patent Office Rules of Practice, the playing board is indicated generally at I in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. It is provided with three rows 2, 3, Il, each having ten spaces generally indicated at 5, 6, 1, respectively, the rows 2 and 4 constituting the outer or safety rows and the middle row 3 constituting the taking or Senet row. Each space of the outer or safety row 2 is provided with one, preferably centrally positioned, hole or socket 5a. Each space o-f the outer or safety row 4 is similarly provided with a single hole or socket la, and each space of the middle, taking or Senet row is provided with two holes or sockets 6a, 6b respectively. 'Ihe series of holes or sockets 6a and 6b are preferably each in longitudinal alignment nearer the outer or safety row with which they are alone associated in play.

Preferably a series of arrows or other markings 8 are provided along the Senet row 3 adjacent to and if desired surrounding the holes or sockets 6a, 6b pertaining to the respective playing pieces. Such arrows or other markings 8 are provided to indi-cate the direction of movement of the twoi sets of playing pieces respectively, and, as indicated in Figs. l, 2 and 5, there are arrows 8 at each end portion of the continuous track, path or course of each set of playing pieces to indicate that any surviving playing pieces move from the right-hand end of a players track, path or course in the Senet row 3 into the righthand end of the safety row of that player and again emerge from the left-hand end of the safety row of that player into the taking or Senet row 3, and so on until all the pieces of one player are taken.

The playing pieces are ve in number for each of the two players, two of each of the sets of the playing pieces, namely, a common man and a Pharaoh being shown in Fig. 3. All ve of the playing pieces of each player are shown in Fig. 2 in their starting position at the commencement of the play. Those of one player, which may be colored red, are indicated at 9, I0, II, I2, I3 and those of the other player, which may be colored yellow, are indicated at I4, I5, I6, I'I and I8.

'Ihe said playing pieces are shown as elongated pegs, the common men each preferably having a head of the height shown and each leader or Pharaoh having a head of contrasting shape, being preferably twice the height of the head of a common man.

Each of the players is provided with two dice I9 and 20 respectively, as indicated in Fig. 1, one of the dice being shown in Fig. 4. Desirably all the elements or parts of the game, when the playing is not in progress, are placed in a shallow box 2| provided with a suitable cover. The playing board I is preferably centrally positioned therein as shown in Fig. 1, and at either side of the playing board I there are preferably arranged card-board pieces having downturned edges, in which suitable slits may be provided for receiving the playing pieces and the dice I9, 2U, as shown in Fig. 1. The reason for the provision of the two holes in each space in the middle, taking or Senet row is to provide room for opposing playing pieces to pass by one another, each on its own separate path or course,

but at ne time may a playing piece 'of either player occupy any hole or socket in the path or course of the other player. Each of the said two paths is continuons and during the playing of the game one or more of the playing pieces of a player may suceeed in making several circuits around his own path before the gaine is finished by the capture of the last playing piece of his oppone-nt.

The position of the several pieces at the 'commenoei'nent of the play has been described vand is shown in Fig. 2, the proper Pharaoh or leader being placed in the righteh'a'nd corner of each player in his safety row 2 or 4. Preferably the dioe are rolled to determine the starting player, the one rolling the higher moving r'st. The starting 'player now rolls again and moves. If the throw at any time be Doubles, this fact has no special significance. Either player may choose to combine the count of both dice as thrown by him or her, and move only one playing piece in one tiirn or may move two playing pieces, one for each die in one turn, but he must complete his move if possible. The common men may not move backward 'at any time, and they may not pass another playing piece of the samev color. The Pharaoh, however, has greater power and may be moved forward and also backward, but may be moved backward only when in the middle, taking or Senet r'ow. A common man may capture the opposing Pharaoh and, of course, the Pharaoh may capture any opposing playing piece, but, as already indicated, no playing piece, not even the Pharaoh, may move backward while on its own safety path or ro'w. Inasmuch as captures can be made only i'n the middle, taking or Senet row, a shrewd player may choose to move at least one and perhaps two pieces out onto the middle, taking or Sen'et row early in the game in the hope of capturing an opposing piece already in such row. His opponent, however, may be planning the same `campaign and the contest may become intensely exciting.

When a common man of a player has reached the last space in the middle, taking or Senet row4 for his color (i. e. in his hole in the space at the extreme right-hand of that player) such common man must remain in that hole on that space until a oner has been thrown by that player, before such common man may be returned to the safety row of that player. If such 'common man has reached 'such end space by virtue of the count on one die and the reading of the other die is one, then such common man may be moved 'into the first space of its safety row at once, thereby escaping possible capture for a while. However, such rst space in such safety row must be unoccupied at the time to permit such common man to be moved into it. Otherwise the move cannot be made at such time and some other piece must be moved instead or the play must be forfeited. A players move is forfeited if he cannot use the complete count for either die. That is to say there may not be sufilcient distance between the playing pieces of such player to permit playing the complete count for at least one die. For example, such player may roll a rive and six, but there may be only four spaces separating his pieces. Therefore, he can- 'not move unless he 'can move his leading common man or his Pharaoh into the middle, taking or Senet row, and he therefore forfeits that move and his turn in question ends. However, if it is at `all possible 1to make a move it must be done 6 even if this means moving the Pharaoh into a dangerous position, that is, into the middle, taking or Senet row.

The Pharaon has certain privil-ig'es not pessessed by the common men. lA Pharaoh may pass any common man of his owin color anywhere on his playing path or coiirse, whether in his safety row or in the middle, taking or Senet row. As stated, the Pharaoh may move forward 'and backward, but his power to move backward is possessed only while he is on the middle, taking or Senet row. rIhe Pharaoh may move forward as the result of the rolling of vone die and immediately move backward because of the rolling of the other die on that turn, but neither a Pharaoh nor a common man may split the count of either die.

Finally, the Pharaoh is privileged to move, if the dice thrown allows, from the middle, taking or Senet row to his own safety row in Vone turn without waiting for a one to be turned up by a die, which is contrary to the power of the common men as above stated. When a player has lost his Pharaoh and al1 of his common men but one, that one common man assumes all the powers and privileges of a Pharaoh. v s

The winner of the game is the player who iirst captures and removes all of his opponents playing pieces from the board. If desired, special methods of scoring may be resorted to. For eX- ample, according to one manner of scoring, a Pharaoh saved from capture counts 25 and each common man saved from capture counts l0 for the winner, the opponent, of course, getting no points, and if all five of an opponents playing pieces have been captured without the loss of any one of the winners playing pieces, the score for the winner is doubled.

This game has been described as for two players and that is the preferred embodiment thereof. It may, however, be so constructed and arranged on a, considerably larger board as to be played by three or more persons, the board in such case having for each player a safety path or row onstituting part of the track or course, and a taking row or portion of track for each playerlextending in substantial parallelism or proximity to the corresponding portion of the track or course of each of the other players, and in such case the track or course of each of the players would be con'. tinuous as in the preferred embodiment, and each player would have playing pieces as in the preferred embodiment.

If the board is arranged for four players, it

" would preferably be square, and the four players would be arranged about it at the four sides thereof. The safety path vor row for each player would extend in parallelism with his side of the board, and his Senet or taking row would con stitute two sides of an equilateral triangle, the base of which is his safety row. Thus the respective sides of the four triangles would all extend to or nearly to the actual center of the board, and in such embodiment of the invention the four Senet rows would be arranged like a St. Andrewys eross, along the four arms of which the pieces of the players would move in respectively opposite directions to each other. Each player would move his pieces to the left of his triangle where his pieces would be subject to being taken by his opponent to his left, then along the other side of his triangle where his pieces would be subject to heing vtaken by hisopponent to his right, and then into his own safety row if he escapes capture.

Each arm or part of his Senet or taking path is parallel with an arm of his opponents Senet path, both to the right and to the left, and each of these four inclined paths (which constitute the two diagonals of the board) would be divided into an equal number of spaces, such as ten, and each such space would have two holes or sockets, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Such a board formed and delineated for four players is shown in Fig. 6 wherein the safety paths or rows for the four players are shown at 2 I, 22, 23 and 24 and the Senet or taking paths at 25, 26, 21 and 28.

Having thus described two illustrative embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a piece-taking board-game apparatus adapted to be played by two players, each having a plurality of pieces until all pieces of one player are captured and involving the use of a chance movement-determining device or devices; a playing board of rectangular elongated form having marked thereon three adjacent, parallel, straight rows lengthwise said board and constituting the marked part of the playing field, said three rows having their respective ends in substantially coterminous alignment transversely of the playing board and adjacent opposite ends thereof, said playing board as so marked delineating two opposite, outer, safety rows for the pieces of the two players respectively, and an intermediate or taking row, each of said three rows being divided into an equal number of spaces, each of the spaces of the two outer safety rows having only a single piece-receiving hole for the pieces of only one of the two players, and each of the spaces of the said intermediate or taking row having two piece-receiving holes for the pieces of the two players respectively.

2. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, but wherein the said intermediate or taking row has entering indications at the opposite ends for entering into said intermediate or taking row of the playing pieces of the two players respectively, at said opposite ends.

3. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim l, but wherein each of the spaces of the intermediate or taking row has indications thereat for the reception in different parts of said corresponding spaces of playing pieces of the two players respectively.

4. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, but wherein the said intermediate or taking row has directional indications thereon that the playing pieces of the two players are to move only in respectively opposite directions along said intermediate row.

5. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, but wherein the said intermediate or taking row has directional indications thereon that the playing pieces of the two players are to move only in respectively opposite directions along said intermediate row, and also having directional indications that the playing pieces of the respective players move only from the terminal end of such players safety row, into the said intermediate or taking row, at the adjoining end thereof.

6. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, but wherein the two piece-receiving holes, in each of the spaces of the intermediate or taking row, for the pieces of the two players respectively are in alignment transversely of the board.

7. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, but wherein the said three straight rows respectively laterally adjoin and constitute the marked part of the playing field of the board.

8. In a piece-taking board-game apparatus adapted to be played by a plurality of players each having a plurality of pieces until all pieces of an opponent or opponents are taken, and involving the use of a chance movement-determining device or devices: a playing board having marked thereon a plurality of safety rows corresponding in number to the number of players and each pertaining respectively to a single player only, and also having a common taking row for each two next adjacent players, each taking row having two ends which are respectively coterminous with and adjoin the two ends of the safety row of a player, each of the said safety rows and each taking row being divided into an equal number of spaces, each of the said spaces of the safety rows having a single piece-receiving hole only for the pieces of one only of the players, and each of the spaces of any taking row having two piece-receiving holes for the pieces respectively of a player and an opposing player.

9. In a board game apparatus for four players, each having a plurality of playing pieces including a contrasting piece, and involving the use of a chance movement-determining device or devices: a square board having a safety track or course for each only of the four players respectively, and each extending in proximity to and parallel with one outer edge only of the board, thesaid four safety tracks or courses being each divided into the same number of successive spaces, a taking track or course for each player connected to both ends of that players safety track or course and constituting two sides of an equilateral triangle, of which that players safety track is the base, and extending inward in a diagonal direction from the respective corner portions of the board so as to meet at their apices in the center of the board for continuous play by each player around his own triangular path only, and so that from the respective corners of the board to the center thereof each portion of a taking track or course is common only to two next adjacent players, the said four taking tracks or courses being each divided into an equal number of spaces, each of the spaces of the safety tracks or courses having a socket therein to receive the stem of playing pieces of that player only, and each of the spaces of the taking tracks or courses having therein two sockets to receive respectively the stems of the playing pieces of the next adjacent players at either hand.

10. In a board game apparatus for two players, each using a set of playing pieces, including one piece differentiated from the others of that set, and wherein a chance movement-determining device or devices are employed: a rectangular, elongated board having three, closely adjacent, parallel rows each divided into an equal number of spaces, each of the spaces of the two outer rows having a single peg or piece-receiving hole, and each of the spaces of the middle or intermediate row having two pegs or piece-receiving holes, one for playing pegs or pieces of one of the players only, and the other for playing pegs or pieces of the other player only, the said two outer rows of spaces constituting safety rows for the pegs or pieces of the two players respectively, and the middle or intermediate row of spaces constituting the taking row for the pegs or pieces of the Number two players. 463,425 LE ROY HOWARD. 715,794 1,242,969 REFERENCES CITED 5 1,415,556 The following references are of record in the 15271219 le of this patent: UNITED STATES PATENTS 211461631 Number Name Date l0 2,223,175

436,310 Hoyt Sept. 9, 1890 Name Date Law Nov. 17, 1891 Haskell Dec. 16, 1902 Parker Oct. 16, 1917 Havsha May 16, 1922 Potter Feb. 24, 1925 Lesavoy May 10, 1927 Walker July 1, 1930 Kish Feb. 7, 1939 Ink Nov. 26, 1940

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