05/384927

04/01/1975

08/02/1973

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273/254

273/256, 273/290

A63F3/00; A63F3/00

273/131,134

Lowe, Delbert B.

Christie, Parker & Hale

I claim

1. Game board apparatus comprising:

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the means for providing indications of percentage markups comprise means of chance for determining one of a plurality of possible percentage markups in the value of each player's cargo.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 in which the means of chance includes a set of cards one of which is to be drawn by each player reaching a point of destination to provide the player with the particular percentage markup in the value of his cargo.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for providing indications of a plurality of numerically different percentage losses in the value of the cargo and for associating a given percentage loss with each player who successfully moves his position marker to a point of destination with cargo in his possession.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the articles representing cargo include indications of value independent of any specific location on the game board so that only the player's purchasing power limits his ability to purchase cargo.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 in which the articles symbolic of armament include indications of value independent of any specific location on the game board so that only the player's purchasing power limits his ability to purchase armament.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the board includes indications symbolic of land masses on opposite sides of the board, and indications symbolic of one or more ports on each land mass; and further including means for associating the indications of percentage markups with the ports indicated on the board.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 including an article symbolic of buried treasure and having an indication of value providing a substantial potential increase in the assets of a player who obtains the treasure, an article symbolic of a treasure map having information thereon for potentially allowing the player to obtain the treasure, and means on the board for providing indications to be used in conjunction with the information on the treasure map for allowing the player possessing the treasure map to obtain the buried treasure.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 including means for providing indications of a specific location on the board where a player is required to move before the treasure map can be obtained.

10. Game board apparatus comprising:

11. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the means of chance includes a set of cards one of which is to be drawn by each player reaching a point of destination to provide the player with the particular percentage markup in the value of his cargo.

12. Apparatus according to claim 10 including means for providing indications of a plurality of numerically different percentage losses in the value of the cargo and for associating a given percentage loss with each player who successfully moves his position marker to a point of destination with cargo in his possession.

13. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the articles representing cargo include indications of value independent of any specific location on the game board so that only the player's purchasing power limits his ability to purchase cargo.

14. Apparatus according to claim 13 in which the articles symbolic of armament include indications of value independent of any specific location on the game board so that only the player's purchasing power limits his ability to purchase armament.

15. Apparatus according to claim 10 including an article symbolic of buried treasure and having an indication of value providing a substantial potential increase in the assets of a player obtaining the treasure, an article symbolic of a treasure map having information thereon for potentially allowing the player to obtain the treasure, and means on the board for providing indications to be used in conjunction with the information on the treasure map for allowing the player possessing the treasure map to obtain the buried treasure.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15 including means for providing indications of a specific location on the board where a player is required to move before the treasure map can be obtained.

17. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the game board is marked with a matrix of areas so that, in a given move, a player has a choice of moving his ship in any one of several directions to thereby provide a relatively large number of possible encounters between the ships of competing players as they move about the matrix.

18. Apparatus according to claim 10 in which the board includes an indication of a geographical boundary line between the two land masses so each player's ship must travel from a port on one land mass, across the boundary line, to a port on the opposite side of the board before the player can obtain a percentage markup in the value of the cargo in his possession.

19. Apparatus according to claim 10 including means for designating certain players as the equivalent of pirates to distinguish them from the ships of players who are transporting cargo.

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to parlor games, and more particularly to a game involving strategy and skill, together with the element of chance, and having both educational and entertainment value.

SUMMARY

Briefly, the game includes a board marked with spaces providing a course extending from one or more starting points to one or more points of destination on the board. Players are represented as ships at sea to be moved about the spaces on the board. Preferably, each player is provided with the equivalent of money for purchasing articles representing cargo prior to moving their ships from a starting point to a point of destination. A player whose ship reaches a point of destination with cargo still in his possession has the opportunity of obtaining a profit proportional to the value of his cargo. Players landing on certain spaces of the board may encounter hazards enroute to a point of destination causing each player to run the risk of losing his cargo before reaching his destination.

Preferably, the chance of obtaining a profit is provided by a set of cards one of which is to be drawn by each player whose ship safely reaches a point of destination. The cards provide the player with indications of possible percentage markups in the valuation of his cargo.

In the preferred form of the game, the hazards which a player may encounter include the possibility of interception by ships of competing players bearing armament to be purchased by the player for the purpose of "doing battle" with competing cargo-carrying ships which can result in the loss of cargo by the ship losing the battle.

The game preferably has several elements of chance, including the possibility of each player obtaining buried treasure which will substantially increase his assets and thereby provide him with the opportunity of purchasing more cargo and/or armament. Other chance elements include the possibility that landing on certain spaces of the board will either aid or impede a player's progress across the board, or might result in a player either gaining or losing at least a portion of his cargo.

The entertainment value of the game results not only from its chance elements, but also from the variety of strategy decisions required during the course of the game. For example, the basic strategy requires each player to decide how much of his money should be used to purchase cargo and how much should be used to purchase armament to defend his cargo. Moreover, the game board preferably is marked in a matrix of spaces so that in a given move a player has a choice of moving in any one of several directions. This provides a relatively large number of possible encounters between competing players and thereby adds to the strategy of the game.

Besides the educational value inherent in the strategy decisions to be made by each player, the game also provides the educational value to be gained in figuring percentage markups or percentage losses incurred when the players' cargo-carrying ships reach their destination.

These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood by referring to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the preferred arrangement of the game board of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one of a variety of ship-form tokens or symbols for representing the various players of the game;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a six-sided die to be used in determining the length of the moves of the players;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view showing the various denominations of token money to be used by the players during the play of the game;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view showing some barrel-shaped pieces representing cargo to be purchased and kept in the possession of the players during the play of the game;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view showing the various so-called port cards to be drawn by players when their cargo-carrying ships reach port;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view showing various so-called 50/50 cards to be drawn by players landing on certain spaces of the game board;

FIG. 8 is an elevation view showing pieces shaped as cannon and representing different sized armament to be purchased by the players during the course of the game;

FIG. 9 shows a treasure chest of a predetermined valuation which can be obtained by the players during the course of the game;

FIG. 10 is an elevation view showing various so-called treasure maps to be used in determining whether a player can or cannot obtain possession of the treasure chest;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a symbol to be used to represent players who represent pirates rather than cargo-carrying ships during the course of the game; and

FIG. 12 is an elevation view showing a form of slide rule for easily calculating percentage markups of cargo reaching port.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a parlor game based on a theme of sea-going vessels during the "age of piracy" which adds interest and entertainment value to the game. The game also involves numerous strategy decisions and arithmetic calculations which provide educational value to the players in addition to being entertaining.

Referring to FIG. 1, the invention includes a game board 20 preferably marked off in a relatively large number of square spaces 22 in a manner akin to a chess board. Although the game could also be played on a board marked in a course formed by a singular row of squares extending about the board, it is preferred to use a relatively large matrix of spaces, such as the fourteen by sixteen matrix shown in FIG. 1, which provides for a relatively large number of possible moves by each player on a given turn so as to add to the strategy of the game.

Game board 20 preferably has the appearance of a large map in orthographic projection, in which the straight lines which mark off spaces 22 are representative of geographical latitude and longitudinal lines of projection. Representations of land masses 24 and 26 are located along two opposite edges of the board. Preferably, three darkened areas 28, 30, and 32 are located adjacent land mass 24 to represent separate "ports" along the land. Similarly, darkened areas 34, 36, and 38 represent "ports" along the shore of land mass 26. Preferably, a majority of the spaces extending between the two land masses are colored blue to represent a body of water extending between the two land masses. As will become clear from the description below, one purpose of the game is for players to move from any of the ports on one land mass, across the center of the board, to any of the ports on the land mass on the opposite side of the board. To add interest to the game, the center of the board can be marked as the prime meridian so that the players will move between land in the western hemisphere, such as the Caribbean area, and land in the eastern hemisphere, such as Africa or Europe. To add further interest to the game, the ports on the Caribbean side can be separately labeled, such as "Port Royale," "Santo Domingo," "Kingston," and the like, and the ports on land mass 26 can be labeled "Cape Town," Port Said," "Tripoli," "Penzance," "Liverpool," "Plymouth," or the like. The center of the board also can be marked as the equator, in which case players would be moving between north and south, such as between Caribbean and South American ports, for example. In the description to follow, the line marking the center of the board will be referred to as the equator.

In the preferred form of the game board there are representations of several "islands" between the two land masses and around which the players must move when traversing from one side of the board to the other. The islands preferably include an island 40 designated "Treasure Island" having on it the numerals one through six located at 42 and spaced radially apart and progressing numerically in order in a clockwise fashion. Treasure Island also includes a space located at 44 where a "treasure chest" is to be placed for the purpose of being discovered during the play of the game. The game board also includes an island 46 designated "Pirates Island" and located diagonally with respect to and on the opposite side of the equator from Treasure Island. Pirates Island preferably includes an inlet 48 marked by a darkened space 50 and designated "Pirates Cove." Pirates Island also includes a space 51 where a set of "treasure maps" (described in detail below) is placed.

Game board 20 also includes a pair of islands 52 and 54 located diagonally with respect to each other on opposite sides of the equator. Island 52 includes a space at 56 where a deck of so-called "Port" cards is placed, and island 54 includes a space at 58 where a deck of so-called 50/50 cards is placed.

Several of the spaces designated 60 are darkened to distinguish them from the other unmarked spaces on the board. Several other spaces are marked with an appropriate symbol, such as the symbol at 62 representing a "hurricane" at sea. The board also includes several spaces 64 which are marked with an X and represent the starting point of corresponding relatively long lines 66 extending about halfway across the board. Each line 66 terminates at a respective space 68 represented by an arrow. Players landing on spaces 60, 62, or 64, or on the space 50 at Pirates Cove 48, will incur various consequences to be described in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows one of several tokens 70 for use in representing the various players of the game. Each token preferably is shaped as a ship, and the sail of each ship has a corresponding symbol 71, such as the "iron cross," to distinquish the various players. The ships also can be in different colors to distinguish the players.

During the play of the game, the players move across the board according to the throw of a six-sided die represented at 72 in FIG. 3. Each player starts in any one of the six ports represented by spaces 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38. The main purpose of the game is for each player to purchase as much "cargo" as he desires when he is in port and to then move his ship to a port on the opposite side of the board where he then has the opportunity of selling his cargo at a "profit," the amount of profit being in direct proportion to the value of the cargo which is successfully transported across the board. All players transporting cargo must move their ships across the equator of the board to a port on the opposite side to sell their cargo. Players may not merely travel down the coast to another port.

The players are provided with game money illustrated in FIG. 4. Preferably, the game money includes three sets of small circular plastic pieces 74, 76, and 78 resembling coins and colored copper, silver, and gold, respectively. The small copper, silver, and gold coins preferably are in denominations of 1000, 5000, and 10,000 doubloons, respectively. The game money also includes three sets of large circular plastic pieces 80, 82, and 84 resembling coins and colored copper, silver, and gold. The large copper, silver, and gold coins preferably are in denominations of 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 doubloons, respectively. The game money also may include several tokens illustrated at 86 and shaped as a gold bag representing a value of one million doubloons.

The number of players in the game is not fixed. Any number can play, but four to eight players have been found to be most desirable. Before the game starts one of the players is chosen as the "banker" to provide each player with money and to handle all transactions on behalf of the bank. Each player receives from the bank 100,000 doubloons in any assortment of denominations.

At the beginning of the game the players each throw the die 72 to see who goes first, the player having the largest throw going first, and the player to his left going second, etc. As described above, players may start their ships in any port and attempt to move across the board to any of the ports on the other side. On any given throw of the die, a ship representing a given player may move either forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally, as long as the move is in a straight line, i.e., in a manner akin to the queen in the game of chess. Any move interrupted by any land, or the side of the board, results in the player forfeiting any unused part of the move remaining.

The "money" in the possession of each player can be used to purchase cargo prior to their trip across the board. Preferably, the cargo is represented by three sets of playing pieces shaped as copper colored barrels 88, silver colored barrels 90, and gold colored barrels 91 shown in FIG. 5. Preferably, the denominations of the copper, silver, and gold colored barrels are 20,000, 50,000, and 100,000 doubloons, respectively. A player can only purchase cargo when his corresponding ship is stationed in port. The money used to purchase cargo goes to the bank. The player purchasing cargo may purchase as much cargo as he wishes, limited only by his purchasing power represented by the value of game money in his possession. If a player who purchases cargo is then successful in moving his ship across the board to a port on the opposite side without losing his cargo enroute, then the player has the opportunity of gaining a "profit." There are a variety of ways in which a profit can be provided for a player whose ship successfully reaches port. For example, each player reaching port can be given a fixed amount of game money, such as 20,000 doubloons. Alternatively, each port could have a fixed reward associated with it, or each player's profit could be determined by the throw of the die. However, the preferred system for rewarding a player who successfully transports his cargo is to provide him with the opportunity of gaining a profit in proportion to the value of the cargo he has in his possession when he reaches port. Each player's profit when reaching port is determined from a set of so-called "Port" cards 92 shown in FIG. 6. During the play of the game the stack of Port cards is placed face down at space 56 on island 52. Each player reaching port draws a card from the top of the Port card deck and follows its instructions. The particular set of Port cards shown in FIG. 6 are merely representative of each preferred type of instruction contained in the Port card deck. Preferably, the Port card deck includes two of the cards designated 92A, three of the cards designated 92B, four of the cards designated 92C, four of the cards designated 92D, and two of the cards designated 92E. Thus, a review of the cards in the Port card deck will indicate that there is about a sixty-five percent chance for each player to obtain a monetary benefit when he successfully reaches port.

One of the cards included in the Port deck 92 is a "Storm" card shown at 92F. Whenever a player draws the Storm card he in essence throws a storm over the entire board. The player drawing the card is in port, and therefore he is safe from the storm. However, for all the other players to be safe they must either be in port, in a space adjacent to land, or must reach land in one throw of the die. Thus, starting with the player to the left of the person who drew the Storm card, each player at sea during the storm takes his turn by throwing the die to see if he is able to reach land. If any player cannot reach land within one throw of the die he loses all of his cargo since, in essence, it must be thrown overboard to lighten the ship during the storm. No other losses are incurred. When all players at sea have taken their chance to reach shore during the storm, the player who drew the Storm card may then take another card from the Port deck. Any player able to move into a port during the storm must wait until his next turn comes up before taking a Port card.

Another purpose of the game is for each player crossing the board to encounter many "hazards" which can result in either an impediment to his reaching port or in a loss of some or all of the value of his cargo. Thus, there is a certain amount of strategy involved in each player's decisions on how much cargo to purchase and risk during transit and which direction to move in a given turn so as to avoid the potential hazards which can result in his loss of cargo. The strategy of the game even includes the possibility that players may choose to not carry cargo, but look for buried treasure instead, or attempt to "do battle" with the ships owned by competing players for the purpose of "robbing" their ships and thereby causing them to lose their cargo.

A major hazard to ships carrying cargo is vulnerability to attack from ships owned by other players. In theory, cargo-carrying ships owned by competing players are similar in nature to merchant ships or "privateers" during the age of piracy who were commissioned by merchants in a certain country to attack the ships of other enemy countries. Players can defend themselves against attack by purchasing "armament." Armament preferably is represented by gray and black playing pieces 94 and 96, respectively, shaped as cannon and shown in FIG. 8. Cannon may only be purchased when a player's ship is in port. Preferably, cannon cost 1,000 doubloons each, and cannon must be bought in lots of five, up to a maximum of 60 cannon per ship. Each gray playing piece 94 represents five cannon, and each black playing piece 96 signifies ten cannon. The cannon are to be carried on each player's ship after they are purchased so as to be displayed at all times. Preferably, each cannon is clipped to its owner's ship by slipping the barrel of each cannon through a respective one of several holes 98 formed in the gunwales of playing pieces 70.

During the play of the game "battle" occurs when two competing ships meet on one square. Whenever the two ships are together they are considered to be "in battle," and the ship with the more cannon wins. The winner takes all of the other ship's cargo or treasure maps (to be described in detail below), but the money in the possession of the losing ship owner is considered to be banked ashore and therefore cannot be collected by the battle winner, unless money in the possession of the losing ship owner is treasure booty (also to be described in detail below). If two ships meeting on the same square have the same number of cannon, or if neither has cannon, the battle is decided by the throw of the die, with the higher number winning all. Ships that either do not have any valuables except cannon on board, or nothing on board, are considered "sunk" if they lose a battle, and therefore must withdraw from the game. Cannon cannot be collected from another ship, but are considered to be thrown overboard and returned to the bank. The players at sea when a Storm card is drawn may do battle during the storm providing they reach a space that borders land. If such an event occurs it proceeds as if it were one of the battles occurring during the normal course of the game. Three ships are never allowed on one square, so a player must move elsewhere and not move to an occupied battle square. If this is not possible he may take another throw of the die. No battles may take place in a port.

All battles occur only when ships land directly on a square occupied by an opponent. If there are more spaces remaining in a move when a player lands on a square occupied by an opponent, the player's ship must continue on for the full number of spaces indicated by the throw of the die so that he bypasses the opponent rather then engaging in battle. Battles may not occur on any of the darkened spaces 60.

A potential advantage is provided to players landing on squares 64. The lines 66 extending away from these squares are to represent trade winds which each player may take advantage of by following the course designated by each line 66 and ending at a square 68 indicated by the arrow.

Another one of the potential hazards which players may encounter is landing on squares 62 which represent "hurricanes" and result in the loss of all the ship's cargo. No other losses are incurred by a player whose ship encounters a hurricane.

A substantial element of chance is added to the game by the use of a deck of so-called 50/50 cards 100 shown in FIG. 7. The 50/50 cards are to be placed face down on space 58 on island 54. Players landing on squares 60 draw a card from the top of the 50/50 deck and follow its instructions. Fifty percent of the cards in the deck are good moves and fifty percent are bad moves. The 50/50 cards shown in FIG. 7 represent each type of instruction provided by the cards in the deck. Preferably, the deck contains three of each of the cards designated 100A and 100B, and two of each of the cards designated 100C and 100D.

Players not carrying cargo may elect to search for "buried treasure" during the course of their travel across the board. To obtain buried treasure a player must move to Pirates Cove 50 where the player buys a "treasure map" to aid him in finding the buried treasure. The treasure maps are shown at 102 in FIG. 10. The maps preferably comprise six pieces of parchment resembling treasure maps and having the numerals one through six, respectively, on them. A player reaching Pirates Cove can purchase a treasure map for 5000 doubloons which is paid to the bank. The treasure maps are placed in a stack face down at space 51 on Pirates Island, and the player purchasing a treasure map takes the top map from the stack. After a treasure map is purchased, the player then attempts to move to Treasure Island to search for the buried treasure. Upon reaching any of the spaces bordering Treasure Island (with the exception of darkened spaces 60) the player throws the die, and if the number on the die corresponds to the number on his treasure map the player wins the buried treasure. Preferably, the buried treasure is in the form of a playing piece 104 shaped as a treasure chest and placed on space 44 on Treasure Island. The treasure preferably is worth 100,000 doubloons. The game may include only one treasure 104 which is to always remain on Treasure Island and merely be symbolic of the hidden treasure, or the game may include several treasure chests which can be taken by the player winning the treasure and kept in his possession and thereafter used as money worth 100,000 doubloons. If the number thrown by the player does not equal the number on his treasure map, but if the number thrown is located on either side of the number corresponding to the number on his map (e.g., four or six if the number on the map is five), then the player receives 5,000 doubloons for his effort. Thus, a player searching for buried treasure has a 50--50 chance of at least breaking even. In the event a battle occurs with a player having either a treasure map in his possession or treasure booty, the player having the treasure map or treasure booty runs the risk of losing it if he loses the battle.

Any player who becomes bankrupt or is unable to purchase cannon, cargo, or treasure maps has the option of either leaving the game or choosing to remain in the game by turning "pirate." In the instance where a player turns pirate, a playing piece shown at 106 in FIG. 11 which resembles a "Jolly Roger" flag is attached to the mast of the player's ship so that the player turning pirate may be easily distinguished from the other players who are cargo-carrying privateers. A pirate cannot purchase cargo or go to any port. If a pirate ends up in any one of the ports he is considered caught and must withdraw from the game. The pirate may obtain profits by doing battle with ships owned by his opponents. The pirate can purchase cannon at its regularly established price only when the pirate ship moves to space 50 at Pirates Cove 48. Any booty taken by a pirate can be sold only in Pirates Cove at 10 percent over its value. A player is not able to win the game while he is a pirate, although he may first pay a fine of 250,000 doubloons to be pardoned and then he will be allowed to take down his "Jolly Roger" flag and re-enter the game as a cargo ship. A player may turn pirate only when he has no cargo, no treasure map, no booty, or is unable to purchase cargo, cannon, or treasure maps. He may turn pirate whether or not he has cannon. Pirates can search for buried treasure, and pirates may elect not to be pardoned and merely amass a fortune. They cannot win the game, and the last cargo-carrying player remaining in the game after others are pirates or bankrupt is the winner.

Thus, the game involves a substantial amount of strategy and skill in determining how much cargo to risk carrying in hopes of possibly making a profit which the player can then use to purchase more cargo, armament, and/or treasure maps. A substantial amount of strategy also is involved in deciding which of several possible moves a player can make after each throw of the die. The strategy inherent in the game, together with the variety of chance elements involved, provides substantial entertainment as well as educational value for the players. Additional educational value is inherent in the exercise of determining percentage markups in the valuation of cargo successfully shipped to port. To aid players in quickly determining the percentage markup of a given shipment, a form of slide rule 108 shown in FIG. 12 may be used. Preferably, the slide rule is made of cardboard or a thin sheet of plastic, and includes a base 110 having several spaced apart columns of numbers on it representing shipment values. The number at the top of each column represents the value of the shipment, and the numbers below the top figure represent the value of the shipment after it has been marked up 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent, 50 percent, 100 percent, and 200 percent. A slide element 112 adapted to slide back and forth on base 110 includes a column of numerals representing the various percentage markups for the cargo shipments. The slide element also includes an opening 114 to be aligned with a certain column of numbers on the base associated with a given shipment value to be marked up. After the percentage markup is known from the player drawing a Port card, the marked up value of his shipment is shown by a number appearing in opening 114 immediately adjacent the percentage markup figure located on slide element 112. Thus, in the example slide rule shown in FIG. 12, a shipment having a value of 500,000 doubloons when marked up 50 percent is shown to have a final valuation of 750,000 doubloons.