GB2145339A - Game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a board 1 including at least six pockets 3, four elongate strips 4 lying parallel to and spaced from the edge of the board 1, and a central region 7 marking a storage area on the board. The apparatus also includes a plurality of playing discs of various colours. The board may be circular, elliptical or octagonal. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Board game This invention relates to a new board game for two or four players.

According to this invention apparatus for playing a game comprises a board including at least six pockets, each pocket comprising a hole in the board and means to catch any item falling through that hole, the board also having marked upon it four elongate strips, each strip lying parallel to and spaced from the edge of the board, and a central region marking- a storage area on the board, the apparatus also including a plurality of discs of various colours.

The board may be, any regular shape such as circular, rectangular, octagonal or elliptical. If the board is rectangular, a pocket is situated at each corner of the board, and two opposite edges include a pocket at their centre.

The board may include 8 or more pockets with each of the edges of the board including a pocket at its centre.

Preferably the discs include at least one distinctively marked disc known as a striker. Before playing the game the further discs are placed on the central region of the board.

The general object of the game is to place a striker on one of the elongate strips known as a striker line and to flick the striker towards the central region of the board to try to hit any one of the discs into one of the pockets.

Preferably each colour of disc is placed in the central pack denotes a certain number of points to be scored when the disc is hit into a pocket.

Preferably the game may be played in a form similar to snooker, that is, the central discs including a substantial number of red discs and-a few other coloured discs, a red disc being required to be hit into a pocket before the player can aim at a higher scoring disc of another colour. Preferably the board is square so that it may be used by two or four players.

The board may be wooden or may be moulded plastics. Preferably the means to catch the discs in the pockets are formed by nets.

The board may typically be 70 cm x 100 cm with the diameter of each pocket being 6 cm. The length of each striker line is typically 72 cm. The diameter of each disc is typically 3-4 cm.

The central region may be any shape but may typically be octagonal.

The striker line may be bisected by an arrow pointing inwards towards the centre region of the board. When the game is to be played by 4 players, each player may pick a corner and have two striker lines extending from the corner to the arrow. In this case preferably each striker line is coloured differently at each side of the arrow.

Preferably around the board is included a rim.

This may be formed by a circular semi-circular tube extending along the perimeter of the board.

Within this tube may be stored the discs when the game is not in use. Preferably the tube is slidable in and out of place along the edge of the board.

Two examples of the board and the rules of the games will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic view of a first example of a board; Figure 2 is a schematic view of the game being played; and, Figure 3 is a schematic view of three further ex amples of boards.

Apparatus for playing the game comprises a board I and a plurality of discs 2. The board I is rectangular with sides 70 cm x 100 cm. The board includes six pockets 3 of diameter 6 cm. A pocket 3 is situated at each corner of the board and at the centre of two opposite sides of the board 1.

Marked on the board are four elongate strips 4 known as striker lines. These are 72 cm and 42 cm long. The striker lines 4 lie parallel to and spaced from the edge of the board to form a rectangle. At each corner is a patterned disc 5 of 5.8 cm diameter. Bisecting each striker line 4 is an arrow 6 extending inwards towards a central region 7 which marks a storage area at the centre of the board.

Central region 7 is octagonal of side 7 cm.

The colour of the striker line 4 is different at each side of an arrow 6. Halves 8 are coloured yellow, halves 9 are coloured blue, halves 10 are coloured burgundy and halves 11 are coloured green.

Two games which may be played on a disc board will now be described as follows: The first game is played with nine red discs, nine blue discs, marked with a star and one striker disc giving nineteen discs within the octagonal centre region 7 with one striker disc. The star disc is placed at the centre of the octagon 7 with the red and blue discs placed alternatively around the star disc until all the discs are within the octagon 7.

If two players are playing they sit opposite to each other each choosing a parallel striker line extending between two patterned discs 5 on the board. The parallel striker lines will include the patterned circle at each end.

When four players are playing each player will take a striker line of one colour i.e. which extends between two arrows 6. There will be two teams of two partners which sit opposite each other. Each team or player has a set of red or blue discs. The player who starts the game must flick from his own striker line 4 and should hit the central pack 7.

Every time a player pots his disc he automatically wins another chance to flick. When he first fails to flick a disc into a pocket the striker disc is automatically passed on to the next player.

The team which pots all their discs will win a point for each disc left on the board by their opponents, when the star disc is not on the board. The star disc can be potted at any time during the game by any player.

If the star disc is potted by the winner then the winning team will add three points for the star disc. No points are awarded to the looser team for potting the star disc.

If the striker disc falls into a pocket a penalty of one point will be deducted from the offending player.

A second game is played using ten red discs and twelve coloured discs of yellow, green, burgundy and blue, one star disc and one striker disc. One red disc is placed on the head of each arrow 6 and the remaining red discs and coloured discs are placed within octagon 7. The star disc is placed in the centre of the octagon and six coloured discs of the same colour are placed next to each other and the rest of the discs will be placed alternative with a red disc.

When two players are playing they sit opposite each other and choose a parallel striker line extending between the two pattern discs 5. When four players play each player takes a coloured striker line stretching from one arrow 6 to the next. In this case there are two teams of two partners sitting opposite each other.

The player who starts the game must flick from his own striker line 4 and should hit the central pack. The player must always pot a red disc first before potting a coloured disc. Every time a player pots a disc he automatically wins another chance to flick. The striker disc is then passed to the next player. There are no points for the red disc but each coloured disc is worth two points and the star disc is worth three points.

If accidentally a coloured disc is potted without a red disc first then one point is deducted from the score and the opponent then replaces a coloured disc anywhere within the octagon 7 without moving any other disc.

Once all the red discs have been potted any colour disc may only be potted in those pockets adjacent the same coloured striker line 4.

In this case the star disc should only be potted when no other disc is on the board otherwide a penalty of three points will be deducted from the offending player. The star disc is then replaced onto the octagon 7.

If the striker disc falls into a pocket 3 a penalty of one point will be deducted from the offending player.

The team or player with the highest score wins the game.

Figure 2 shows the technique for flicking a disc which is simple it just uses the hand.

Figure 3 shows three alternative shapes for the board, A being circular and B octagonal and C elliptical. The markings on the board are similar to that shown in figure i but these boards include eight pockets 3. Each board includes a central region 7 which is not shown in figure 3.

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for playing a game comprising a board including at least six pockets, each pocket comprising a hole in the board and means to catch any item falling through that hole, the board also having marked upon it four elongate strips, each strip lying parallel to and spaced from the edge of the board, and a central region marking a storage area on the board, the apparatus also including a plurality of discs of various colours.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the board is circular, rectangular, octagonal or elliptical.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 in which the board includes 8 pockets.

4. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims in which the discs include at least one distinctively marked disc known as a striker.

5. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the board is wooden or moulded plastics.

6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the means to catch the discs in the pockets are formed by nets.

7. Apparatus for playing a game according to claim I, arranged substantially as herein described.

8. Apparatus for playing a game arranged substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.