US899895A - Game apparatus. - Google Patents

Description

J. "G. PATRICK.

GAME APPARATUS. A APPLICATION mam AUGJ-Z, 1907.

899,895. I r Patented Sept. 29,1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I A f /'7 A w c;

avwzntoz I flttomuao JAMES e. "PATRICK, or sr. CHARLES, 'wi.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1908.

Application filed August-24, 1907. Seria1No. 390,022.

To all 'wh om it may concern.

Be it known that I, JAMES G..PATRIOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Charles, in the county of Madison and'State of Iowa, haveinvented a new and useful Game; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention pertains to a new and useful game apparatus, preferably entitledA Military Campaign; the invention aims as an essential object to provide a game apparatus of this characterin which the progressiveness is similar to the maneuvers between two opposing armies during actual warfare.

This invention com rises further objects and combinations of e ements which will be hereinafter more fully describ ed, shown in the accompanying drawings, and the novel features thereof will be 'pointedout by'the appended claims. a 7

To obtain a full and'correct understanding of the details of construction, combinations of features, elements and advantages, reference is. to be had to the hereinafter set forth description and the accompanying drawings 7 in connection therewith,w erein Figure 1 is a top plan view of the board upon whichthe improved game'is played. Fig. 2 is a plan view. of a complete set of cards used as counters. Fig. .3 is a plan view of a complete set of cards designatedas Quakers.

Making renewedreference to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference characters indicate corres onding parts in the several illustrations, 1 esignates aboard on which the game is played;i f desired any other level surface may be employed if .divided as-that shown inthe drawings. This board is square, and should in practice measure approximately 24 inches each way. The surface of this board is divided into quarters, by two heavy black lines 2, running at right angles to each other and parallel to thesides of the board, as clearly shown in Fig. ,1; these quarters are eachdivided into thirtysix smallersquares 3, which should in practice measure two inches each way. At two corners of this board, that is. diagonally opposite to one another, as at 4, is printed the word base, as clearly shown. The quarters Which are diagonally opposite to one another are utilized by-the opposing players of this game, and upon them the opposing layers position their cards with their faces downward, which cards represent the opposing armies. The diagona ly disposed quarters have a series of their two inch squares provided with forts, of varying strength and disposed in various strategic positions; the value of these forts being represented by numerals written u on the faces of the two inch squares, whic are by common understanding referred to naturally by the layers, as the game proceeds, as forts of sucli and such strength; The terms used in playing the game are as follows:

1. Counter. 11. Line of battle.

2. Quaker. 12. Fight. 3. Home quarter. 13. Treaty.

4. Neutral ground. 14. Reinforcement. 5. Hostile ground. 15. Retreat.

6. Home base. 16. Forfeiture.

7. Fort. 17. Siege.

8. Aggressor. 18. Mutual forfeiture. 9. Battle. 19. Mutual retreat. 10. Defensive player. 20. Besieger.

cannot be distinguished from a counter, that is to say a Qua rercannot be distinguished from a counter by the players opponent, but

the player is rivileged at any t1me, to examine his car s for the pur ose of ascertaining which are counters or (Suakers.

. The rules governing the maneuvers of the opposing players are as follows: Two only can play this game. The players seat them selves on opposite sides of the board so that the squares marked base are upontheir right.

The quarter of the board which contains a players base is called home quarter; the quarter containing ;the opponents base is called hostile territory, and the remaining quartersare field' of conflict territory. Each player is provided with one pack of cards,

.and after arranging his cards in a way suitable to his own judgment, so as to make a successful fight, he places themface downward uponhis base; the opposing players thus fixed are ready to begin the game.

The object ofthegame is to remove all the opponents counters from the board, or to occupy his home base.

The players move alternately, the movements being from one square to another parallel to the lines of the board in any direc tion. A player may move his whole pack, or he may divide it into as many divisions as he desires. A division of cards may be-still further divided or sub-divided by removing a portion of the original division to an adjacent square. The act of making a division or of uniting two divisions of cards constitutes a move. Only one division of cards may be moved in a single turn. Cards cannot be eX changed between two divisions which are not adjacent, nor can a card be transferred from one division to another, which are not adj acent; two adjacent divisions of cards may be united at any time during the procedure of the game. Any number of divisions may be made during the game.

A player is allowed to examine his divi sions, and may rearrange his cards of any given division at any time, and in any division, that is, which is not at the time engaged in battle.

A battle is fought when two hostile forces are brought together on adjacent squares. The line of battle is the line which separates the engaged forces. Each force is supposed to face this line. 7 The player whose move precipitates a battle is called the aggressor. His opponent is called the defensive player. As soon as a battle is begun, the defensive player decides whether he shall fight or treat. If he desires to fight, the counters in the opposing forces are matched as follows; Each player takes his involved forces in his hand after which the aggressor lays down a counter face upward, upon the square which his force occupied; the defensive player matches his 0 ponents counter with one from his own rivision, and so on, until one or the other is outmatched. The force that is outmatched forfeits a counter, or in the absence of a counter, a Quaker is forfeited. If the defensive player desires to treat, he forfeits his top card of his pack (presumably a Quaker) without matching. 1f the forces prove to be equal, each forfeits.

As soon as a player forfeits a card, either by defeat, forfeiture, mutual forfeiture, or by treating, he may reinforce, providing he has an additional force on an adjacent square, and by uniting the adjacent forces with the involved force, the player utilizing the united forces becomes the aggressor, and the battle is then renewed, his opponent being allowed to choose whether he shall fight or treat in the renewed battle.

In case a player is defeated, either by forfeiting a card or by treating, and is unable to reinforce, or does not so desire, he must retreat. To retreat is to remove the defeated force two squares either directly backward from the line of battle, or to one side of the line of battle never forward across the line. If movement is made to one side it must be in the direction of home base, when that is possible.

If the defeated player so desires, he may divide his retreat, by retreating one square with his involved force and one square with another of his divisions. If the defeated force consist of only one card and that is f orfeited, the retreat of two squares must be made with another division. In any case, however, where an outside force is involved in retreat, such retreat must always be made in the direction of home base. When vacant or occupied only by Quakers, a base or fort has no defensive power, and can be entered at will.

The numeral upon the face of the square utilized as a fort indicates its defensive strength in counters but no fort or base has any defensive power when not occupied. by one or more counters. When occupied, however, a fort strength is determined by adding its original numerical value to the number of counters which it contains. In case mutual retreat occurs, as it does after mutual forfeiture, or in any case where a q uestion of precedence may arise, the first turn falls to the player who was last on the defensive.

In case a battle is fought in which an occupied fort is involved it is called a siege; the occupier of the fort must first place a counter face upward on the fort, to show that it is occupied. His opponent must then lay down enough counters to prove his force superior to the fort when occupied by one counter, after which the matching proceeds in the usual way. After a battle is joined, and the forces are proved to be equal, each must forfeit a counter, and unless one or the other is able to reinforce, both must retreat in the usual way; in any case, the first play falls upon the defensive player. In practice each home base represents a fort whose defensive strength, when occupied, is 5 plus the number of counters which it contains. In case a base is attacked by an equivalent force, each must forfeit a counter, but only the attacking force retreats. A Quaker is of no value, either in occupying a fort, or in winning a battle; its chief service is to aid a player in concealing the movements of his counters, or in running a bluff upon his opponent.

A player may if he desires, that is while in his home quarter, unite all his forces into one pack. Before he is involved in a battle outside of home quarter, however, his forces must be divided into at least three divisions, not counting the division, if any, which occupies his base. In case a player joins battle or is forcedto do so'vvithout having his forces properly divided, he forfeits acounter, and thereupon must retreat in the usual Way.

It is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be employed in the construction and embodiment thereof Without in any Way departing from the spirit and scope of the invention; it being understood that Whatever variations or modifications are employed must fall Within the scope of the appended claims. From the foregoing, the essential features, elements and the operationof the device, togethervvith the simplicity thereof will be clearly apparent.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new anduseful by the'pro tection of Letters Patent is: r

A game-apparatus, comprising a board member having represented thereon lines in checkered fashion, also additional lines more pronounced than the aforesaid lines and dividing the general board-surface into quarters the extreme diagonally opposed cornerspaces each having represented thereon a base allotted to op osing players or forces, and certain of t e other spaces, ar-

ranged in the diagonally opposed quarters beingdesignated by indicia or numerals suggestive of forts of certain values, and members having also certain indicia thereon movable into said spaces as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name tOthiS specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

I 1 JAMES G. PATRICK.

Witnesses:

JOHN U. GrrzY,

GRAHAM.

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