GB2421195A - Piece-capture board game - Google Patents

Abstract

A board game comprises a board marked with a number of zones for the placement of playing pieces. Each player takes turns to move their pieces across the board with the aim of capturing/eliminating opponent's pieces. The board is marked with a number of large and small safe zones, where pieces cannot be captured. The movement of the pieces around the board is dictated by the throw of a dice. The game is particularly suitable for four players each playing there pieces in a corner of the board BD at the start of play.

Description

DESCRIPTION Board Game This invention relates to a board game. Some traditional board games encapsulate 'the chase', whilst others promote strategy and engagement. This game requires players to demonstrate all of these qualities. Only through pursuit and engagement is it possible to win the game. This is a board game in which strategy, courage and luck (of the dice) combine to form a fast moving game of attack and defence for two to four players. The objective of the game is to eliminate the playing pieces of all of the other players. The player who eliminates the most pieces is the winner. The board contains horizontal and vertical intersecting lines, each line containing the same number of playing squares. Each player starts the game with eight playing pieces and uses those pieces in whatever manner they deem necessary in order to wipe out their opponents. It is normal during the course of a game to lose some of your own pieces, only to recapture them before your opponents have been able to eliminate them from the game. With up to four players adopting this common strategy, the game promotes adventure, teamwork (within your own pieces) and courage. The final essential ingredient, luck, is left to the chance of the dice. Each player has one big den and eight wee dens. Players start the game with their playing pieces in their big den then use their wee dens to keep their playing pieces safe while they are active on the board. It is not always possible, of course, to have all active pieces in the safety of wee dens and such pieces are always vulnerable to attack. Doubles offer an excellent opportunity for moving pieces rapidly around the board and for capturing opponents' pieces. There are strategic squares all over the board that promote automatic and optional doubles depending on the throw of the dice. The invention will now be described by reference to the following drawings and playing procedures: Figure 1 shows the layout of the board where Y denotes a Yellow square R denotes a Red square G denotes a Green square B denotes a Blue square ADS denotes an Automatic Doubling Square ODS denotes an Optional Doubling Square BD denotes a Big Den WD denotes a Wee Den Figure 2 shows the design of the playing pieces where denotes a capturing manoeuvre Figure 3 shows a play where yellow has thrown a three and elects to bring a man out of his big den onto the main board. Figure 4 shows a play where yellow, starting from the position at the end of the move in figure 3, has thrown a four and elects to make a simple move.Figure 5 shows a play where yellow has thrown a six and elects to bring a man out of his big den and, using an optional double via a wee den, place a piece close to blue's big den Figure 6 shows a play where yellow has thrown a four and elects to move a piece from a wee den on the perimeter into a strategically important wee den near the centre of the board, using an automatic doubling square. Figure 7 shows a play where yellow has thrown a two and elects to play an automatic double followed by an optional double. Figure 8 shows a play where yellow has thrown a four and elects to play an optional double followed by an automatic double. Figure 9 shows a play where yellow has thrown a five and elects to play an automatic double followed by an optional double. The board is symmetrical and offers identical opportunities to each of the players. Squares containing numbers offer an automatic double (denoted by ADS in figure 1) if the number in the square matches the number on the dice at the end of a move. Wee dens (denoted by WD in figure 1) offer an optional double (denoted by ODS in figure 1) that may be taken at a player's discretion. The board is designed with smaller automatic doubling squares around the perimeter of the board and larger automatic doubles nearer the middle. This promotes a culture in which players can move their pieces a long way with careful positioning and good throwing. Whilst wee dens are used primarily for keeping men safe out on the board, they also act as an effective means of blocking an opponent and forcing their pieces in a particular direction, possibly even into a trap. Wee dens are positioned in order to reward sixes. By throwing a six and electing to take the resultant optional double, a player can effectively move a piece halfway across the board in a single throw. Another very effective strategic position, albeit not a particularly safe one, is between the '2' and '3' automatic doubling squares around the perimeter. These squares are four away from an automatic double down one line and five away from an automatic double down the next line. These squares offer the opportunity for the rapid deployment of pieces across the board. The six square in the center of the board offers the opportunity to move directly from the center of one side of the board to the center of another, or to one of the intersections denoted by a '5' in the automatic doubling square.

Claims (1)

1. CLAIMS A board game for two to four players, in which players attempt to capture and eliminate their opponents' pieces. Claims 4 to 37 relate to the three or four player version of the game defined in claim 1. Claims 38 to 42 relate to the two player version of the game defined in claim 1. There are four sets of coloured playing pieces; one set per player. The four colours are red, green, blue and yellow. The board comprises four big dens and the main playing area, referred to thereafter as the zapping zone. A big den is an area of eight coloured squares in which a player keeps their nonactive playing pieces. One big den is located in each of the corners. The zapping zone, defined in claim 5, is a grid of one hundred and five squares arranged into five intersecting rows and columns of thirteen squares each. Each row and column is delimited by an area two squares by two squares. The zapping zone, defined in claim 5, is the main playing area of the board and contains eight wee dens per player. A wee den is a single coloured square that bears the same colour as a player's big den (and playing pieces). A wee den also acts as an optional doubling square. An automatic doubling square is a square containing a number. Pieces are moved around the board in accordance with the number shown on a single dice, which is thrown by each player in turn, or by using doubling squares. In a three or four player game, each player assumes control of a single big den, defined in claim 6. Before play starts, each player throws the dice. If two or more players throw the same number, they (alone) take turns to throw the dice again until a single player has thrown the highest number. The player who throws the highest number chooses their big den. The other players then assume the big den adjacent to their position at the board. The player on the left of the person who chose their big den (by throwing the highest number) takes the first turn by throwing the dice. The player who chose their big den therefore takes the last turn. Each player starts the game with eight coloured playing pieces in their big den, defined in claim 6. Players take their turns in a clockwise direction from the first player in claim 14. Moves are made by throwing the dice and counting squares on the board. A player must move their piece in accordance with the number shown on the dice. Playing pieces must be moved in a continuous manner. Rounding corners is regarded as continuous movement. However, moving forward then backward in the same move is not regarded as continuous and is therefore not allowed. When entering the zapping zone from their big den, players start counting from one in their corner square. The squares inside a big den do not count as playing squares. A player may have any number of playing pieces in the zapping zone. Players cannot move their pieces into the big den of another player. When a playing piece ends a move on an automatic doubling square, defined in claim 11, and the number in the square is the same as the number on the dice, then that player is required to move the same playing piece the same number of squares again. This is referred to as an automatic double. When a playing piece ends a move in one of its own wee dens, defined in claim 9, the player may elect to move the same number of squares again. This is referred to as an optional double. Only one optional double, defined in claim 23, may be taken per turn. A doubling move, defined in claims 10 and 11, is regarded as a separate move from a dice move; hence it is permissible to move in one direction in the first move and in the opposite direction in the second move. A player may even elect to return to the originating square in the doubling move. A player may combine an optional double, defined in claim 10, and an automatic double, defined in claim 11, in the same turn. This is derived from the fact that there are specific squares where an optional double would place a player's piece on an automatic doubling square. Combining the two doubles in the same turn is referred to as Finn's rule. A playing piece is not allowed to jump over another playing piece (of any colour). A playing piece which is blocked by another piece (of any colour) can only move towards that piece if the number directed by a dice move, defined in claim 17, or a doubling move, defined in claims 10 and 11, is equal to or less than the number of squares to the other piece. A playing piece captures an opponent's piece (or pieces) by landing directly on top at the end of either a dice move, defined in claim 17, or a doubling move, defined in claims 10 and 11. The capturing piece is then placed over the captured piece (or pieces) and the pile is subsequently controlled by the player whose colour is on the top. Any number of pieces (of any colour) can reside in a pile. When a player ends a move by placing a pile of pieces in one of their own wee dens, defined in claim 9, all of their opponents' pieces in the pile are eliminated from the game; however any of the player's own pieces remain in the pile. For example, if a pile is sequenced red (on top), blue, red, yellow, green and blue, and red lands the pile in a wee red den, the blue, green and yellow pieces are eliminated from the game, leaving a pile of two red pieces in the den. Captured pieces are held by the captor as trophies to be counted up at the end of the game. A pile of pieces of the same colour, defined in claim 30, can only be split back into single playing pieces on return to the player's big den. Until such time as the pile has reached the big den, the pieces must move around the board as a single unit. If captured, all of the pieces are captured simultaneously. A player may only move into their big den, defined in claim 6, to split a pile into separate pieces. It is not permissible to move single playing pieces back into a big den. A pile cannot return to its big den, defined in claim 6, if the pile contains any pieces of another player. If a player elects to move a pile of pieces back into their big den, defined in claim 6, their turn ends with that move. There is no optional double on offer. If a player cannot move any of their pieces (because they are blocked), then that player's turn is forfeited. The game ends when there is only one active playing piece in the zapping zone. The player who owns that piece is the winner. In a two player game, each player adopts two big dens along a single side of the board. The players throw the dice as defined in claim 14. The player who throws the highest number chooses their two adjacent colours. The other player then takes the other two colours and proceeds to take the first turn. The two player game proceeds according to the rules for the three or four player game, defined in claims 4 to 37, with the following specific exceptions: Players take alternate turns instead of the clockwise oriented turns defined in claim 16. A player may not capture their own playing pieces with 'their other colour'. Players may only capture their opponent's pieces. A player may however, capture a pile of pieces containing their own pieces that have previously been captured (of either of their colours), so long as the top piece in the pile is an opponent's piece. A player may only eliminate an opponent's pieces by landing the pile on a wee den corresponding to the top piece in the pile. Having eliminated the opponent's pieces from the pile, any of the player's own pieces remaining in the pile can only be split back into single pieces by returning the pile into the big den of the top piece. This is a variant of claim 32 for the two person game and allows a pile bearing both of a player's colours to be split from a single big den. All such pieces are then returned to their original big den.