DE20020611U1 - Parlor game - Google Patents

Description

Registrant: Thomas Müller, Wiesenstrasse 17, 53909 Zülpich Description: Board game

The invention relates to a parlor game, comprising a game board, a dice, game pieces, a stack of event cards and a stack of field cards.

Many of these types of board games are already known from the state of the art. Board games of this type are very popular with young and old, and their popularity has continued unabated over the years. The well-known board games usually have a start and a goal marked on a playing area of the board. Whoever reaches the goal first, i.e. brings at least one of their playing pieces to the goal, wins. The course of the game is therefore essentially determined by bringing at least one playing piece to the goal over obstacles created by other players and other events.

The game is unpredictable and therefore random because each player throws new numbers on the dice, which leads to different images of the individual game pieces on the playing area. The total length of the individual game sequences does not vary greatly, however, because the task to be completed by the winner remains the same. The influence of strategic considerations is limited.

Reference number: MUE 1/OCt*

: Registration documents

This is where the invention comes in. Its aim is to make the outcome of the game even more dependent on chance and to make the course of the entire game, and in particular the victory of an individual player, less predictable. Strategic considerations should have a greater influence on the outcome of the game.

Based on this, the invention is based on the object of specifying a parlor game of the type mentioned at the outset, which has a game course that is more dependent on chance, in particular has an end that is clearly defined by the game rules but cannot be predicted in detail, and in which strategic considerations continue to have a considerable influence on the game.

This task is solved by a parlor game with a game board, a dice, game pieces, a stack of event cards and a stack of field cards, in which

- the game board has a playing area with individual, numbered fields which a) are connected to each other by dividing lines, b) each of which can accommodate a playing piece, c) some of which are marked as event fields and d) are composed of a group of edge fields and a group of inner fields, with the inner fields each having four adjacent fields,

- there are as many fields as field cards, the field cards are numbered, whereby a number only occurs once and for each field there is a field card with the same numbering, and

- there is a first group of event cards containing instructions to take a field card from the field card deck and a second group containing instructions on the rest of the game.

Reference number: MUE 1/OCT

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• Dfiteo registration documents

In this parlor game, the game ends when, upon drawing a special event card, a player's playing piece is on a field whose number matches a field card that he has already drawn and which therefore belongs to him.

This means that the game is no longer a linear process of completing individual tasks, such as gradually moving at least one playing piece to a goal. The inventive board game does not have a marked goal on the playing area that must be reached during the game. Rather, any field on which a playing piece is located can be the goal field and the game can therefore be over if the player has the field card with the corresponding number and the special event card is drawn.

As the individual players receive and collect field cards during the game, the chance of being on the "right" field when drawing the special event card increases as the game progresses. The individual player can increase his chance of winning the game by placing his playing piece as often as possible on the fields for which he has the corresponding, identically numbered field cards. A fellow player can further increase his chance of winning by collecting as many field cards as possible. In a preferred version, the game board is essentially two-dimensional. It is preferably between DIN A4 and DIN A2 in size. It can be made of cardboard, foil, fabric, etc. It is printed in color. The playing area takes up a large part of the surface of the game board.

A normal die with six eyes is used as the dice. The playing pieces have different colors so that they can be easily assigned to the respective players in the usual way. Each player has only one playing piece. The event cards and the field cards have a handy

Reference number: MUE l/OCC". I*** .**..*·..". .**..**. .** ♦ ! .1 &iacgr; Data registration documents

or size, for example the format of a credit card. It is advantageous if the event cards differ in format from the field cards. For example, the event cards are long rectangles, while the field cards are square. These cards should be designed in such a way that they are robust. For example, sealing them in plastic film is suitable.

The playing area preferably consists of sixteen square fields, the individual fields are separated from each other by net lines. The net lines are formed by two sets of lines, these sets preferably run parallel so that they form rectangular or square fields. In any case, the fields and thus the net lines are regular. A design of the playing area in the shape of a trapezoid is preferred because this also improves the spatial impression on the playing field.

Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the remaining claims and the following description of a non-limiting embodiment of the invention, which is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing. In this drawing:

Figure 1: a top view of the game board,

Figure 2: a top view of an event card "cow pile", Figure 3: a top view of an event card "draw field card", Figure 4: a top view of a field card "12" and Figure 5: a perspective view of a game piece.

The game board 20 shown in Figure 1 has a square shape. In principle, it can have any shape, for example, it can be round, oval, polygonal and limited by a freehand line. It is

Reference number: MUE 1/OCf *.;··· .". ."..**. .**..**. .** .1 .&iacgr;'· DftteiS application documents

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made of a flat material, such as strong paper, cardboard, foil or the like. It can also be made of fabric, other materials are possible.

A playing area 22 takes up a relatively large area on the game board. In the version shown, it consists of sixteen fields 24 to 26. They are individually numbered. The numbering is not in a predetermined order or along a systematic path, but rather statistically. Fields 24 to 26 are large enough for a playing piece 28 (see Figure 5) to be located on them. Since the rules of the game exclude more than one playing piece 28 from being located on one and the same field 24 to 26, fields 24 to 26 only have to be designed in such a way that a playing piece 28 can be positioned comfortably and clearly on each of them.

The fields 24 to 26 are clearly identified by their numbering; there are no two fields 24 to 26 with identical numbering. The individual fields 24 to 26 are separated from one another by net lines 30. There are five parallel, transverse net lines that form a first group, and five transverse net lines that form a second group and that intersect in the specific design at a point above the game board 20. The playing area 22 has the shape of an isosceles trapezoid. There are twelve edge fields 24 and four inner fields 25. The inner fields 25 each have four directly adjacent fields 24 and 25.

Finally, three event fields 26 are provided. In the actual design, they are numbered 4, 8 and 12. They are well distributed in the playing area 22. In the actual design, one moves from one event field to the next by means of knight's moves, as is known from chess.

Reference number: MUE 1/OCt··.:··· .".."..". .**..**. .** ·&idigr; ·! ' FILE REGISTRATION DOCUMENTS

The design of the playing area 22 is arbitrary. A larger number of fields can also be provided. It is important that you can move from one field directly into at least two neighboring fields, this applies to the edge fields 24, or into four neighboring fields, this applies to the inner fields 25. It has proven particularly useful if the neighboring fields are directly adjacent to each other, separated by a line of the net lines 30. In principle, however, they could also be connected in some other way via bridges or the like. It just has to be clear to the player that he can move from one field to the neighboring field. A move in a diagonal direction is not permitted.

There are also four starting fields 32 on the game board. They are arranged in the corners of the game board 20 and each has a color; the colors available are blue, red, yellow and green. There is one game piece 28 in each of the same colors.

Finally, there is a first area 34 on the game board 20 for accommodating a stack of event cards. A second area can also be provided for accommodating a stack of field cards.

Possible moves are shown in Figure 1. Starting from the field numbered 6, a player who rolls a four can reach very different fields. Since the direction can be changed as often as desired within a move, he can reach a large number of fields, e.g. fields 2, 13, 15, 7, 16, etc., but especially the event field "eight" or "twelve". Two possible moves are shown, one dashed and one dash-dotted. In principle, the player could also return to his field numbered 6 by making a circuit, from which

Reference number: MUE l/0(>··, ;·

; D^participation documents

he started the move. However, this is prohibited by the rules of the game.

Each player who reaches an event field must take an event card 36, 37. In the pile of event cards 36, 37 there are two different groups. A first group of event cards 36 contains the instruction to take another field card 38 from the pile of field cards. A second group of event cards 37 contains instructions for the game. An example of the first group is given in Figure 3. Figure 2 shows an example of the second group. While the event cards 36 of the first group are all designed as in Figure 2, there are different event cards 37 of the second group. There are cards "Return to starting field", "Roll again", "Pass when rolling" and especially "Cow pile", which is shown in Figure 2. The latter is available in the four game colors, the hatched field stands for blue, red, yellow and green respectively. If one of these event cards is drawn and the playing piece of the same color is on a field 24 to 26 with a number that corresponds to a field card that the player of this playing piece already has in front of him, this player has won.

Figure 4 shows a possible formation of the game pieces. The game progresses as follows:

At the beginning of the game, the event cards 36, 37 and the field cards 38 are shuffled and a stack is formed for each one. The stack of event cards is placed on the first area 34. Each player chooses a playing piece, which is placed on the starting field 32 of the same color. Each player may draw a field card 38, and places the drawn field card face up in front of him.

Reference number: MUE 1/ OQ* '. "".".."..".."..". .** ·&iacgr;·&iacgr;&iacgr; File registration documents

A player begins to roll the dice. To get from the starting square 32 to the playing area 22, a six must first be rolled. As long as the playing piece is in the starting square 32, a player can roll the dice three times. If he rolls a six, he moves his playing piece to the nearest square 24 - 26 and can now roll the dice again. The player uses the number of points rolled to move his piece across the playing area 22. Occupied squares may not be occupied twice, so there is no "kick-out".

The players should collect as many field cards 38 as possible so that they can reserve many fields 24 - 26 of the game board 20 for themselves. The player who has the most field cards has a higher chance of winning than other players. Accordingly, each player will try to reach an event field 26 as often as possible. If he succeeds, he can take an event card from the pile. Depending on which group the event card he draws belongs to, this event card simply determines the course of the game, or instructs him to take a field card 38.

The drawn event cards are placed separately and then, when the stack of event cards has been processed, they are shuffled and placed as a new stack.

The game can be created and played in different variations. For example, you can remove individual field cards, such as those from event fields 25, which makes the game last a little longer. You can always start in field 1 after leaving the starting field 32.

Overall, the aim of the game is to own as many field cards as possible in order to increase the chance of landing your playing piece on one of the

Reference number: MUE l/00:··.:**· .··..·*..**. .**..**. ." .i ·&iacgr;' File«tapplication documents

own, previously drawn field numbers when a player draws the special event card. In a preferred version of the game, the special event card is a pile of cows in the color of your own playing piece.

Reference number: MUE

ii registration documents

Claims (10)

1. Board game with a game board ( 20 ), a dice, game pieces ( 28 ), a stack of event cards ( 36 , 37 ) and a stack of field cards ( 38 ), in which - the game board ( 20 ) has a playing area ( 22 ) with individual, numbered fields ( 24-26 ), a) which are connected to one another via dividing lines, b) on each of which a playing figure ( 28 ) can be located, c) of which some fields ( 26 ) are marked as event fields and which d) are composed of a group of edge fields ( 24 ) and a group of inner fields ( 25 ), whereby the inner fields ( 25 ) each have four adjacent fields, - there are as many fields ( 24-26 ) as field cards ( 38 ), the field cards ( 38 ) are numbered, whereby a number occurs only once and for each field ( 24-26 ) there is a field card ( 38 ) with the same numbering, and - there is a first group of event cards ( 36 , 37 ) containing instructions to take a field card ( 38 ) from the stack of field cards ( 38 ) and a second group of event cards ( 36 , 37 ) containing instructions on the rest of the game. 2. Board game according to claim 1, characterized in that the playing area ( 22 ) on the game board ( 20 ) has four corners and the individual fields ( 24-26 ) are separated from one another by grid lines ( 30 ). 3. Board game according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fields ( 24-26 ) of the playing area ( 22 ) have four corners and that the individual fields ( 24-26 ) in the playing area ( 22 ) are regularly arranged. 4. Board game according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that there are four rows and four lines of a total of sixteen fields ( 24-26 ) on the playing area ( 22 ). 5. Parlor game according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a total of three event fields ( 26 ) are provided and that these are separated from one another by at least two, preferably by at least three inner fields ( 25 ). 6. Board game according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a first surface ( 34 ) for accommodating a stack of event cards ( 36 , 37 ) is located on the game board ( 20 ). 7. Board game according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a second surface for accommodating a stack of field cards ( 38 ) is located on the game board ( 20 ). 8. Board game according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that at least the playing area ( 22 ), preferably the game board ( 20 ), is designed as a depiction of a lush, green meadow and that each individual playing figure ( 28 ) has the head of a cow. 9. Board game according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that on the game board ( 20 ) there are four starting fields ( 32 ) marked in different colors, which are located outside the playing area ( 22 ) and which are preferably arranged in the corners of the game board ( 20 ). 10. Parlor game according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that one playing figure ( 28 ) is provided per player.