US3901513A

US3901513A - Board game apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3901513A
Application number: US470470A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert H Spohn
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1974-05-16
Filing date: 1974-05-16
Publication date: 1975-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 1992-08-26

Abstract

A board game includes a board having a playing surface in the form of a pattern, for example, the makeup of the front page of a newspaper divided into sections or cells, for example, to represent certain columns or features of the newspaper, into which during the playing of the game are placed playing pieces such as tiles having markings related to the several sections, which tiles are acquired randomly, but the play of which is governed by chance, by one or more sets of cards having special indicia related to the said sections of the board, and by strategy in deciding where and when to play the tiles.

Description

United States Patent [191 Spohn BOARD GAME APPARATUS [76] inventor: Robert H. Spohn, 7 Brookside PL,

Livingston, NJ. 07039 [22] Filed: May 16,1974

[21] Appl, No.: 470,470

273/134 AB, 134 8,134 C, 134 D, 134 G. l35 R, [35 AA,135 D, I35 F, [53 5, I56, 157 R; 35/69, 73; 46/24 Aug. 26, 1975 Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant E.raminer.loseph R. Taylor Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harry B, Rook [57] ABSTRACT A board game includes a board having a playing surface in the form of a pattern, for example, the makeup of the front page of a newspaper divided into sections or cells, for example, to represent certain columns or features of the newspaper, into which during the playing of the game are placed playing pieces such as tiles having markings related to the several sections, which tiles are acquired randomly, but the play of which is governed by chance, by one or more sets of cards having special indicia related to the said sections of the board, and by strategy in deciding where and when to 1 Claim, 12 Drawing Figures [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS play the tiles, 3,567,226 3/l97l Matthews 273/134 B MAlNSTEET HERALD E LIVINGSTON FEBRUARYEB PATENTEDAUBZSIHTS 3.901.513

VIET PEACE Peeping T I T HOPES FADE; BY Vigi |a I 1-1.1 NEWALTACK B Steve Sqeng :l 1 1- CongFm-msllqive :Y: K 55mg m Within Mne Pengu q i l j SToc swn (EOFTWJEB) O O qi bm %5c CITY BY (HARLES CHEKITOUT Disas t rous Gun f g}: t.-

local Pubs (E-coz. Z-nus HEAD) CITY DESK WI R E pamcammusw J ERSEY(A P).

LASER BEAM Nuclear Fusion (I-coL 2-TILE HEAD) 7 WIRE SERVICES PATENTEDAUEZSIQYS 3,901,513

Your underworld informer A 4E 41 blew his cover" P 7 DEDUCT 25 POINTS FROM YOUR FINAL SCORE WIRE SERVICES 2 j- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a board game of the type wherein the playing surface is divided into spaces to receive playing pieces in the form of tiles bearing different indicia with which are associated sets of cards con taining cards bearing indicia that relate to or direct the placement of the tiles on said spaces to form a repre sentation of an object or figure, for example, a page of a newspaper. a quilt or a stylized drawing of the Liberty Bell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A primary object of the invention is to provide a board game apparatus for entertaining and educating the players by simulating (I) the assembly of a twodimensional pattern or design, particularly the makeup of the front page of a newspaper, and (2) the assembly of its auxiliary features, such as the special contents of the inside pages of a newspaper. The matrix of the central design or pattern shown on the board is divided into sections of various shape and size such as would accommodate the individual news stories and photographs on a newspaper page, each section having a value assigned to it in accordance with its rank in importance as measured, for example, by the prominence given a news item by the column and vertical position within the column in which it is placed.

During the game all players participate in completing the design or pattern by placing within the matrix tiles having distinctive markings which relate to the several sections of the pattern. These tiles are acquired randomly, but the play of them to the central matrix is governed not only by chance, but also by the strategy employed in deciding where and when to play them and which to retain and which to discard at a given moment.

The invention also contemplates that the board apparatus shall include auxiliary matrices, each controlled by an individual player, in which are assembled tiles representing information supplemental to that contained on the central matrix tiles, The placement and exchange of such tiles among the auxiliary matrices is in some instances independent of the state of completion of the central matrix, at other times dependent upon it, as when a newspaper item begun in the central matrix is continued onto an inside page auxiliary matrix.

Another feature of the invention is one or more special sets of event cards bearing indicia related to certain tiles and/or groups of tiles, such as cards which carry indicia relating to headlines or captions of newspaper items which are depicted in whole or in part by tiles placed in the central matrix. The function of such cards is to permit a player to release from his store of tiles these individual tiles which carry matching information so that they may be played to the central matrix Still another feature is a set of card pockets, each having a time label on one side and having on the other side an aperture or window the collection of these cards being orderable in an hour-by-hour time series. These card pockets serve as receptacles for the aforesaid event cards and serve, furthermore, to identify the time at which the latter were acquired, thus establishing the priority of their acquisition. The windowed sides allow the information on the event cards inserted in the pockets to be readily consulted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred design of the board for the selected embodiment a simulated front page matrix or galley of the newspaper, MAINSTREET HERALD, with inside page matrices and markings clearly shown;

FIG. 1A is a transverse sectional view on the plane of line lAlA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the various types of special tiles used to fill the front page and inside page matrices or galleys: Headline Tiles as at 31 and 32; Caption Tiles as at 33', Body Tiles as at 34; Continued Body Tiles as at 35; Foto Tiles as at 36; Box Tiles as at 37; and Inside Page Tiles as at 38. Actually shown at 31, 32 and 33 are tiles carrying partial headlines or captions. A single Headline or Caption Tile may occasionally represent a complete headline or caption; more frequently it does so in combination with one or more other tiles and, therefore, carries only a partial headline or caption;

FIGS. 3A and 3B show respectively the front and reverse sides of a regular City Desk Card designated 39, and FIGS. 3C and 36D show the front and reverse sides ofa regular Wire Services Card designated 40. Regular City Desk and Wire Services Cards are also referred to as news item cards. They bear titles identifying and corresponding to the headlines and picture captions printed on one or more Headline or Caption Tiles. They also bear a statement of the size and shape of the full headlines or captions. The draw of a regular City Desk or Wire Services Card which has a title matching that of a Headline or Caption Tile held by a player permits him to play that tile to the front page;

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the front and reverse sides of a Special Assignment Wire Services Card, of which there are two. There are also three similar Special Assignment City Desk Cards. The draw of a Special Assignment Card allots a bonus to, or exacts a penalty from, the player who draws it;

FIGS. 4C and 4D show, respectively, the front (windowed) side and the reverse (time imprinted) side of a Clock Card Pocket. Clock Card Pockets are used as receptacles for regular City Desk and Wire Services Cards in order to indicate the time when they are acquired, and

FIG. 4E is an enlarged sectional view on the plane of line 4E4E of FIG. 4C.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS To begin with, an overview of the invention will be given. The general purpose of the game, which is played on a two-dimensional square board, is to familiarize the players in an entertaining way with the problems encountered and the principles followed in composing the pages of a newspaper, particularly the front page. This purpose is achieved by providing on the board a centrally positioned, rectangularly sectioned matrix or compartmented galley into which fit, in a variety of ways, square tiles of uniform size carrying representations of the headlines and body type, pictures and picture captions, etc., of a collection of newspaper items typically found on a front page. The sectioning or compartmentation can be designed to conform with any of the many styles of front-page make-up employed by newspapers. In the preferred embodiment here discussed, the arrangement of items chosen is in a style commonly referred to as conservative or traditional.

Within the sections or compartments are shaded areas to indicate where headline or caption tiles are to be placed. Unshaded areas are meant to accommodate body (of a story) tiles or foto (picture) tiles. The headline or caption areas are of differing size and shape in order to accommodate several types of headline or caption, such as a three-column (wide), one-tile (deep) headline, or a one-column, two-tile headline, or a onecolumn, one-tile caption, etc. There may be one or more areas for each type.

At each of the four sides of the playing board is a smaller space or galley representing a featured inside page, such as for sports, financial news, etc. into these are placed tiles representing the titles of items customarily appearing on these pages, or tiles representing continuations of stories from the front page.

Headline and caption tiles carry print or markings belonging to specific news items and may be placed only in those areas reserved for them and into which they fit by virtue of size or context. Body tiles carry identical simulated print markings and can be used interchangeably. In at least one embodiment of the game foto tiles carry no specific markings other than shading, and also can be used interchangeably. In an alternative embodiment they carry segments of pictures which belong in specific areas of the front page, as indicated by the caption tiles which fit into those areas.

Each player draws a hand of seven tiles to start the game, whereupon play proceeds, each player in turn drawing a single tile and playing either to the front or inside pages and discarding, according to the rules of the game.

In order to play a headline or caption tile a card matching it must first be drawn from either the City Desk or Wire Services pile of news item (event) cards placed at two corners of the board. At the time such a play is made the news item card drawn is inserted into a windowed, pocketed clock card drawn simultaneously with the news item card from another pile at a third corner of the board. The clock pocket card assigns a time of acquisition to the news item and the headline or caption appearing on it. This time signature enables a player to challenge another whose item occupies a more favorable position on the front page but which, he believes, was acquired earlier (in conformity with the principle that late-breaking news should be the most prominently displayed).

Other options of play permit a player to complete a headline or caption when the appropriate tile is held, or to play one or more body or foto tiles to complete an item. A player holding the City Desk or Wire Services Card for an item has first option to complete it. Any player completing an item gains permanent possession of it and of the card for it, thereby earning the score indicated on the section of the front page where the item is placed.

A further option allows a player to play an inside page tile to his own or to an opponents inside page, or to exchange inside page tiles with an opponent, under certain restrictions. A player who cannot or who chooses not to take any of the above options discards a tile, which may be neither a headine nor a caption tile, to the front page. As the placement of tiles continues, the front page and inside pages fill up and the sup ply of tiles becomes exhausted. Since there are as many front page items as there are City Desk and Wire Services Cards, and as many as there are Clock Pocket Cards, the store of cards also becomes exhausted. When the front page is completed play stops and final scores are computed on the basis of the place value of individual items completed and placed on the front page, combinations of completed items, number of inside page items placed, final front page tile placed, etc. The player or partnership scoring highest wins.

The text of the headlines and captions employed is not crucial to the play of the game. It may, therefore, be chosen to add humor to the game, to instruct, or to serve the purpose of advertising.

A great deal of strategy is involved throughout the game, particularly in the placement of discarded tiles in such a way as to prevent an opponent from completing or continuing a story, and in the manipulation and judicious placement of tiles on the inside pages. Excitement rises in proportion to the number of players participating, and as completion of the front page nears. A specific and detailed description of the selected embodiment of the game is set forth in the ensuing discussion; however, my invention is not limited to this embodiment and discussion as is hereinafter set forth in the claims.

Now specifically describing the invention, the board as a whole is shown at l in FIG. 1. The generic name of this board apparatus is COMPOSE. However, as each embodiment of the game will be given the name of the subject matter to which it is applied, and since the preferred embodiment discussed here is the makeup of a newspaper, the preferred embodiment wil be called FRONT PAGE. The front page masthead MAINSTREET HERALD is shown at 2 in FIG. 1.

The central area of the board below the masthead, at 3, is either imprinted with the outline of the news area of the front page of the newspaper, or is cut out to receive a removable galley so imprinted as shown. The page outlined is further divided into sections, 4 through 18, representing fifteen news items, including ten stories, 4 through 13, three pictures, 14 through 16, and two boxes, 17 and 18. Story sections, such as the one at 4, are divided further into a shaded area as at [9, representing the headline, and an unshaded area as at 20, representing the text. Likewise, picture or foto sections, such as the one at 14, are divided into a shaded area as at 2], representing the caption, and an unshaded area as at 22 above or below the caption, representing the picture area proper. lndicia in each headline area, such as the figure 20 in area 19 of section 4, represent the scoring value of an item occupying the section which has been completed by a player before the end of the game. The horizontal dotted line segments in each front page section indicate the positions of the tiles that are to be placed there.

At the four sides of the board at 23, 24, 25 and 26 are imprinted spaces, or cutouts, which represent inside pages for Editorials and Features, Sports News, Classified Advertisements and Financial News, respectively. Each inside page is divided into five spaces by vertical dotted line segments to indicate the number and position of the tiles that are to be placed there.

Lastly, at the four corners of the board are spaces 27 through 30 for accommodating, respectively, piles of Clock Pocket Cards, Wire Services Cards Composing Room Cards (overflow from the City Desk and Wire Services piles), and City Desk Cards.

There are 104 square tiles which fit into the 80 tile spaces which form the news sections of the front page, and into the tile spaces of the inside pages, and which include also 4 additional special-purpose tiles for story continuation. Preferably but not necessarily the spaces are in the form of recesses or cells. These tiles are of the following type and number (see FIG. 2): Headline Tiles (17) as at 31 and 32; Caption Tiles (7) as at 33; Body Tiles (40) as at 34; Foto Tiles (14) as at 36; Box Tiles (2) as at 37; and Inside Page Tiles (20) as at 38, (5) each for Editorials and Features, Sports News, Classified Advertisements, and Financial News. Two or more Headline or Caption Tiles often fit together to form multiple-tile headlines or captions. These tiles are all placed in the box lid at the start of the game, face down.

For each of the fifteen iems on the front page, seven City Desk items and eight Wire Service items, there is a City Desk or Wire Services Card, FIG. 3 at 39 and 40, respectively, depending upon whether the item is one that ordinarily would originate locally or remotely from the city in which the paper is presumed to be published. On each is printed the initial and final word or two of the headline or caption of the item; also given are the size and shape of the full headline or caption e.g., 2- column, l-tile. In addition to the fifteen news item cards there are three Special Assignment City Desk Cards and two Special Assignment Wire Services Cards, making with the cards mentioned above a total of ten City Desk and ten Wire Services Cards. Special Assignment Cards, example at 41 in FIG. 4, allot bonus points to, or exact penalties from, players drawing them.

There are also 15 Clock Pocket Cards, example at 42 in FIGS. 4A to 48 with a window 42a on one side and an hour of the day printed on the closed side 42b.

Two to four players may play the game. One is chosen as the dealer. He shuffles the City Desk and Wire Services Cards separately and places each set in its designated place, face down, on the board, top card turned up. He then arranges the Clock Card Pockets in time sequence (10 A.M. to 12 P.M.) and places them in a pile (window side down, 10 A.M. at the top) in their designated position on the board.

Each player then draws seven tiles at random from the lid of the game box and places them on a rack (not shown). If he is fortunate there will be among them one of more headline tiles or caption tiles which are needed to initiate any item on the front page.

Before describing the rules and choices of play, and the strategical aspects of the game, it is worth restating its main objectives. These are to complete as many of the fifteen front page items as possible, thereby obtaining permanent possession of the City Desk or Wire Services Cards for them; to strive to have ones completed items occupy the highest counting sections of the front page; and to be the one to place the last tile on the front page. The player who is most successful in accomplishing these objectives, and who earns one or more of the bonuses awarded for particular combinations of items completed, will usually win. Considerable alertness is required for success.

Play begins with the player to the left of the dealer. He draws one tile from the box, giving him eight altogether on his rack, and determines from an inspection of these and of the City Desk and Wire Services Cards that are exposed (one of each) what his play shall be. If he has one or more headline tiles he checks first to see whether any of them matches a headline or caption of the exposed City Desk or Wire Services Card. If there is no match he may move one of the two latter to the Composing Room and turn up the card beneath it, giving himself a third opportunity for a match. If a match occurs in either of the three cases he draws the matching card and also the topmost Clock Pocket Card, inserts the first in the second, and plays the matching tile to the board. He may place the tile in any open headline space or caption space that has the required shape and size (stated on the City Desk or Wire Services Card he has just drawn). He thus acquires temporary possession of the item, that is, it is his story or his picture" unless and until it is taken from him by another player who manages to complete the story. If the tile played is for a headline or caption occupying one tile only, the headline or caption is complete and, if the player is able to, he may play the re maining tiles to complete the news item (see discussion, however, below regarding conditions for completing an item).

Should the first player playing not have a headline or caption tile, or should none of the tiles he has match either of the three cards available for a match, he may nevertheless have an inside page tile which he is able to play. If it is an inside page tile belonging on his own inside page, he may play it there. If it is one belonging to another players inside page, he may play either on his own or on any other players inside page. The relative merits of the two latter choices are related to the rules governing exchange of inside page tiles which are explained below.

There are three additional play options generally available, but which are not available at the opening turn nor until one or more tiles have been played on the board, viz., completing a headline, completing a story, and completing a continued story. The one having the first turn, if he is not able to start a headline or to place an inside page tile, must discard.

Headline or Caption Tiles may never be discarded by any player at any time. The opening player, therefore, chooses another type of tile to make his discard. Also, all discards are made to the board, never to the box lid. For example, a body tile may be discarded onto any of the unshaded areas of a picture section (provided it is not one imprinted with a segment of photograph, such as used in a special embodiment of the game). After discarding in order to restore the number of tiles on his rack to seven, the player passes his turn to the left.

Just as did the first player, each player whose turn follows draws a single tile to begin his turn. His options of play, however, if one or more tiles have been placed on the board already, are broader. If a headline or caption tile has been placed by a previous player, he may hold the tile necessary to complete the headline or caption, assuming it requires two tiles. If so, he places the tile for the second half of the headline in its correct po sition beside the first. (NOTE: He may also add one tile to continue or to complete a headline of three or more tiles.) If he did not place the first tile of the headline and does not have the news item card for it, he then passes the turn to his left, no discard being reuired since he still holds seven tiles. lf he himself placed the first tile and has possession of the news item card, he may, in the same turn, complete the item by adding the required number of body or foto tiles, if he is able to.

Two rules regarding completion of an item must always be observed. The body of a story or picture having a completed headline or caption may not be completed by anyone else until the player who began the headline or caption has had one chance to complete it. A player wishing to complete a story or picture must add at one turn all of the tiles required for completion.

After completion of an item, which frequently requires the placing of several tiles, a sufficient number of tiles must always be drawn from the box to restore the number of tiles on the players rack to seven. If, after playing, seven tiles remain, no draw is necessary.

Playing of either box tile is an automatic completion. A completed item becomes the permanent possession of the one who completes it. lf the City Desk or Wire Services Card is held by another player at the time of completion, it must be relinquished to the completer.

Completing a continued story is a special form of completion. A continued body tile must be placed at the foot of the story on the front page and an additional regular body tile must be placed on ones own inside page. Stories may not be continued to another players inside page. No credit at all is earned at the close of the game for a story with a continued" body tile at its foot on the front page, but with no regular body tile to complete it on the players inside page.

Mentioned has been made of the option open to the first player of playing an inside page tile from his rack to an inside page, a play always permissible. The more common situation occurs when tiles are already in place on one or more inside pages. An inside page tile on ones own inside page or on ones rack may then be exchanged for one on an opponents inside page under certain restrictions, viz., l the tile given the opponent must be one belonging on his inside page and (2) the tile taken from the opponent dare not be one belonging to his inside page. Also, a tile taken is always placed on ones own inside page, never on ones rack.

There is ample room for strategy in placing and exchanging inside page tiles. For example, one may place on ones own inside page a tile belonging on an opponents, thereby inviting him to exchange for it a tile of yours that he has on his inside page. Such an exchange would add to both your score and his since inside page tiles count only when positioned on their proper inside page at the end of the game. As another example, the tile taken from an opponent in an exchange may be one which belongs on a third players inside page, thus allowing the one making the exchange to make a second exchange on his next turn in order to obtain a needed tile from the third player.

Strategy may be employed also in making a wise choice of where to discard. For example, one can discard a body tile or a foto tile onto a space of ones own incomplete story or picture in order to reduce the number of tiles required to complete it on a subsequent turn. Alternatively, one can discard a body tile onto the foot (lowest space) of an opponents story in order to prevent him from placing a continued body tile there and extend his story onto his inside page for greater credit. Other strategies will occur to the experienced player. In general, any discard is favorable which delays an opponent from completing a story since it preserves the possibility that you, yourself, may be able later to complete it and acquire possession of it, or the possibility that you may be able to supplant it on a highcounting space by one of your own stories acquired later (see discussion immediately below).

As explained earlier, whenever a player plays the first tile of a headline or caption, or a box tile, he draws along with the news item card the topmost Clock Card Pocket. He places inside this Clock Card Pocket, face out on the window side, the City Desk or Wire Services Card he just drew, the one which permits him to play a matching tile. The time signature on the rear of the Clock Card Pocket is thus attached to the news item card. Clock Card pockets holding uncompleted news item cards should always be placed face down in front of the player, with the time concealed.

At any players turn, if he has an uncompleted story with a complete headline, and if he recognizes that an opponent has an uncompleted story, also with a complete headline, of the same shape and occupying a higher counting position on the page, he may challenge that opponent to a comparison of the Clock Card Pocket times of their stories. If it is discovered that the story of the challenging player is later in time, an exchange of headline tiles must be made, advancing the later story to the highest counting position. lf, however, the player challenged has the later story, the one who challenged him forfeits his story to the second player and must turn over to him the news item card for it. A challenge is not considered a play option and can be made at any time in conjunction with a play.

The game ends when the last tile required to fill the front page is placed. The inside pages need not be filled. Some time before the last tile is placed all of the City Desk and Wire Services Cards will have been drawn. Also, the last Clock Card Pocket, reading 12 RM. Deadline", will have been claimed. From the moment that this last Clock Pocket Card is claimed one tile only may be played at each turn. Draw from the box lid continues as before, one tile at each turn, until its supply of tiles is exhausted. Thereafter, all tiles remaining on players racks are exposed and are played, one at a turn, until the front page is completed. Refusal to play a playable tile is not permitted. A player may pass only if he has no playable tile. Challenges may be made up until the end. the manner in which these final tiles are placed often determines the outcome and proves most exciting.

When two play, each takes two inside pages the one in front of the player and the one to his left. All inside pages score. When three play, the fourth inside page is treated as belonging to every player but is not scored. When four players form partners, there is no change in the rules, but partners scores are lumped together; some changes in strategy, however, may be de- Sirable.

Although this description has dealt with one illustrative embodiment of the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that such terms are used in a generic sense and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention set forth in the following claims:

I claim:

1. ln a board game apparatus, a board having a rectangular playing surface, on the central area of which is depicted the outline, with masthead, of the front page of a newspaper, with the portion that is customarily occupied by Stories and pictures imprinted with a pattern of front-page makeup by means of lines separating the various story and picture columns, and items within the columns, into cells, there being means including play ing pieces in the form of square tiles bearing indicia of story headlines or picture captions to be placed during play of the game by any player to fill or complete the various story or picture cells by placing into them, singly or in combination, tiles such that their indicia render in their totality the front page of the newspaper in facsimile; said cells having numerical indicia signifying their individual worth or weight in terms of points by virtue of their respective positions on the front page, and in accordance with prevailing newspaper practice, and being subdivided by markings into headline and caption section, into which are to be placed one or more special story headline, or picture caption, tiles, and into body sections to be occupied ultimately by tiles, hereinafter described, which complete the cells; said board also having upon its playing surface outlines of cells at its four sides, outside the magins of the front page, to depict the contents of four inside pages of the newspaper whose front page occupies the central area, one each for Editorials and Features, Classified Advertisements, Sports and Financial news, and there being for placement on said cells during play, tiles bearing special titles of items customarily found on these pages and other tiles representing the text of continued stores" continued from the front page to be placed on certain cells, each such inside page depicted being controlled during the game by a single player; said board also having spaces at two of its corners labeled, respectively, City Desk and Wire Services, to accommodate corresponding piles of cards and there being some cards bearing the titles and some cards bearing partial titles, of stories or pictures presumed to orginate within or without the city, the board having also a space at its third corner, labeled Clock, for a pile of card pockets and there being card pockets, with windows on one side of each, the reverse sides being imprinted sequentially with the hours of the day, one hour on each pocket, during which the newspaper is in preparation, into which card pockets are inserted, face out to the window, the City Desk or Wire Services cards drawn from the piles in order to assign a time to them and to establish a time priority basis for positional exchanges of headlines that allow a players later acquired story to supplant an opponent's earlier one in a higher counting cell; the board having at its fourth corner a space labeled Composing Room to accept cards which are rejected from the City Desk and Wire Services piles and to collect them there for later redistribution to their original piles; and there being City Desk and Wire Services cards, which when drawn by a player from the tops of the board having at its fourth comer a space labeled Composing Room to accept cards which are rejected from the City Desk and Wire Services piles and to collect them there for later redistribution to their original piles; and there being City Desk and Wire Services cards, which when drawn by player from the tops of their respective piles authorize that player to place into a front page cell the headline or picture caption tiles corresponding to the story titles on some cards and picture titles on other cards; there being, in addition, certain Special Assignment cards, included among the City Desk and Wire Services cards at the start of the game, which cause bonus points to be awarded to the player drawing them; there being, in addition, to the aforesaid headline and caption titles, and the aforesaid inside page tiles, a set of foto tiles, and a set of interchangeable body tiles whose surfaces carry simulated print, for completing the non-headline and non-caption portions of the pictures or stories, respectively; the object of the game played on said board game apparatus being to insert tiles into said cells to complete the front page and as much as possible of the inside pages in a manner described in the rules of play, and in such a way as to outscore all opponents in the value of points earned (l) for completing individual stories and pictures (2) for completing specified groups of stories and pictures (3) for placing the final tile necessary to complete the front page (4) for placing inside page tiles (5) as bonuses awarded for drawing Special Assignment cards, or for continuing a front page story or stories to ones inside page, etc.

Claims

1. In a board game apparatus, a board having a rectangular playing surface, on the central area of which is depicted the outline, with masthead, of the front page of a newspaper, with the portion that is customarily occupied by stories and pictures imprinted with a pattern of front-page makeup by means of lines separating the various story and picture columns, and items within the columns, into cells, there being means including playing pieces in the form of square tiles bearing indicia of story headlines or picture captions to be placed during play of the game by any player to fill or complete the various story or picture cells by placing into them, singly or in combination, tiles such that their indicia render in their totality the front page of the newspaper in facsimile; said cells having numerical indicia signifying their individual worth or weight in terms of points by virtue of their respective positions on the front page, and in accordance with prevailing newspaper practice, and being subdivided by markings into headline and caption section, into which are to be placed one or more special story headline, or picture caption, tiles, and into body sections to be occupied ultimately by tiles, hereinafter described, which complete the cells; said board also having upon its playing surface outlines of cells at its four sides, outside the magins of the front page, to depict the contents of four inside pages of the newspaper whose front page occupies the central area, one each for Editorials and Features, Classified Advertisements, Sports and Financial news, and there being for placement on said cells during play, tiles bearing special titles of items customarily found on these pages and other tiles representing the text of ''''continued stores'''' continued from the front page to be placed on certain cells, each such inside page depicted being controlled during the game by a single player; said board also having spaces at two of its corners labeled, respectively, City Desk and Wire Services, to accommodate corresponding piles of cards and there being some cards bearing the titles and some cards bearing partial titles, of stories or pictures presumed to orginate within or without the city, the board having also a space at its third corner, labeled Clock, for a pile of card pockets and there being card pockets, with windows on one side of each, the reverse sides being imprinted sequentially with the hours of the day, one hour on each pocket, during which the newspaper is in preparation, into which card pockets are inserted, face out to the window, the City Desk or Wire Services cards drawn from the piles in order to assign a time to them and to establish a time priority basis for positional exchanges of headlines that allow a player''s later acquired story to supplant an opponent''s earlier one in a higher counting celL; the board having at its fourth corner a space labeled Composing Room to accept cards which are rejected from the City Desk and Wire Services piles and to collect them there for later redistribution to their original piles; and there being City Desk and Wire Services cards, which when drawn by a player from the tops of the board having at its fourth corner a space labeled Composing Room to accept cards which are rejected from the City Desk and Wire Services piles and to collect them there for later redistribution to their original piles; and there being City Desk and Wire Services cards, which when drawn by player from the tops of their respective piles authorize that player to place into a front page cell the headline or picture caption tiles corresponding to the story titles on some cards and picture titles on other cards; there being, in addition, certain Special Assignment cards, included among the City Desk and Wire Services cards at the start of the game, which cause bonus points to be awarded to the player drawing them; there being, in addition, to the aforesaid headline and caption titles, and the aforesaid inside page tiles, a set of foto tiles, and a set of interchangeable body tiles whose surfaces carry simulated print, for completing the non-headline and non-caption portions of the pictures or stories, respectively; the object of the game played on said board game apparatus being to insert tiles into said cells to complete the front page and as much as possible of the inside pages in a manner described in the rules of play, and in such a way as to outscore all opponents in the value of points earned (1) for completing individual stories and pictures (2) for completing specified groups of stories and pictures (3) for placing the final tile necessary to complete the front page (4) for placing inside page tiles (5) as bonuses awarded for drawing Special Assignment cards, or for continuing a front page story or stories to one''s inside page, etc.