GB2182572A - Games - Google Patents

Abstract

A playing surface for a game comprises a plurality of defined areas (circles, as shown) and indications (arrows, as shown) of paths between the areas and indications of allowability criteria for passing along the paths. As shown, three differently coloured paths extend from starting location 2 to finish locations 101-103, and progress from one area to the next along a given path is dependent upon correct answering of a question. Participants may move correspondingly coloured counter or themselves from area to area along their allocated path. Allocation of a path may be dependent on the throw of a die. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Games The present invention relates to games and to games having a useful function as teaching aidsforthe instruction of children in a play context.

According to the present invention there is provided a playing surface for a game, the playing surface having a plurality of defined areas and indications of a path between the or some ofthe areas and indications ofallowabilitycriteria for passing along the path or paths.

The playing surface may take various forms. In one form it is a board and the player's progressthroughthe path is denoted by a piece representing the player. In anotherform the playing surface is afloor mat and the defined areas are ofa size appropriate for a person, e.g. a child, to stand on and the player steps from area to area during the progression of the game.

In one specificform ofthe invention the playing surface comprises a sheet material on which is laid outa plurality of paths comprising discrete areas or steps and means indicating the areas comprising a path, each area or step defining a test, each area or step being defined by a location on the playing surface and separated from adjoining steps in the sequence, the said areas orsteps being arranged in sequence along the playing surface. In one form ofthe invention, a zig-zag path is produced by arrangingthatthree adjacentareasor steps in a path do notfall on a straight line.When the playing surface is a floor mat adjoining steps inthe sequence may be separated by a distance such asto enable a playerto step from one area to the nextalong the path, e.g. a distance not in excess of one pace of an eightyearold child.

Alternatively different paths may have the steps separated by different distances, e.g. for the floor mat version a short step for one path, a longer step for another path and a hop for another path.

A player selects a path to follow and progresses along the path only on giving the correct answertothe problem set at each area or step in the chosen path.

The invention also extends to the combination of a playing surface in which there are three or more paths which the player can follow and a die affording indicia by which the route to be followed is determined atthe beginning of the game by a playerthrough the die.

A die which easily enables the pathway to be chosen is one which when there are N paths on the playing surface and N equals 2to 6, and when N=6, has six faces of different colour, and when N=2to 5, has N faces of different colours matching the colours ofthe paths, and which, on coming up, determine the path and 6 N faces which do not match the colours ofthe paths and so do notdetermine a path, orwhich are one ofthe N colours and increase the chance of a particular path coming up there being no more than two faces of the same colourfrom the N colours.

The invention thus extends to a die having Zfaces and having faces coloured with N differentcolours,one colourperface and N equals 2to Z and when N=Z hasZ different coloured faces, and when N=2to (Z-1) has N faces coloured with the N colours and ZN faces coloured with a colour or colours which is not one ofthe N colours, or coloured with one of the N colours, there being no more than two faces ofthesame colourchosen fromthe N colours.

In a preferred form of the game in which there are three paths the die has opposed matched faces so that each throw of the die gives two chances of a particular condition coming up. The relationship between the condition and the path determined is prearranged, e.g. they may be given the same colour. Thus, a path is chosen on each throw of the die.

Alternatively, a conventional die can be used and the paths chosen by being allotted a conventional number from oneto six and access to the path being permitted on the die coming up with the appropriate numberor that number also being paired with another number so that each throw of the die will determine a path (when the three path version is being used). The defined areas may be from one to three orten cm across in the board version and fifteen to twenty orthirty cms across inthefloor mat version, and may beforexample, circular, triangular or square.In one version of the invention the area are arranged in rows oftwo orthree per row across the playing surface a path progressing up the playing surface from row to row and a given pathway zig-zagging up the playing surface, but only involving one area in each row down the playing sur- face.

In anotherversion the defined areas are spaced down the playing surface by different distances so that the distance moved between adjacent areas on each path is substantially different from that on each of the other paths.

The question to be answered at each step may be ofthe same natureforexample addition sums or multi- plication sums division sums fractions or other mathematical or algebraictests orthey might be language tests to test vocabulary or might be simplertestsforexample,to do with colourorshapesforrecognition, such as pictures of animals. It is not necessaryfora given playing surface to have the same type oftest throughout all the areas and they could be mixed together.

The routes and areas and questions may be printed permanently on the playing surface or embossed on it if the playing surface is made of embossable thermoplastic material.

The questions which constitute the tests are preferably at least partially randomised ratherthan being a set progression such as a mathematical table, though this is not excluded.

The invention may be put into practice in various ways and one specific embodimentwill be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure lisa plan view of a board in accordance with the present invention, and Figure2 is an expanded plan view of a first embodiment of a die in accordance with the presentinvention and Referring nowto Figure 1 the board 1 has a printed surface and a stiff board support underlying it and is about3ft(91 cm)by1.2ft(37cm).

The board in this embodiment has printed on ita start location 2 and ten rows (10,20, 30to 100) ofdefined areas11 1213;2122;3132,33;41,4243;51 5253,61,6272,73,73,8182,83;91,92and101 102103Aplayer arriving at any of areas 101,102 or 103 has finished the gamewhen he has answered the question posed by that defined area The board also has arrows defining three paths, theA, B and C paths upthe playing surfacefrom thestart2.

PathAwhich is coloured green takes the player along arrow8Aarea 11 by 18Ato 22; by28Ato 31 by38Ato 41 by48Ato 53; by 58Ato 73; by 78A to 81; and by 88A to 101. It can thus be noted that this path A skips rows 60 and 90.

Path Which is coloured blacktakesthe player along arrow 8B to area 12; by 18to32; by 38B to 43; by48Bto 52, by 58B to 61, by68Bto71, by 78B to 83; by 88B to 91 and by 989 to 103. Path Bthus only skips row20.

Path Cwhich is coloured red takes the player along arrow 8C to area 13, by 18C to 21; by 28C to 33; by 38Cto 42;-by48Cto 51; by 58Cto 62, by 68C to 72 by 78C to 82, by 88C to 92 and by 98C to 102. Path Cthus does not skip any rows.

Each path has a playing piece denoting that that path is being used, i.e. the green path has a green counter.

The tests set in each area row by row are as set out in Table 1 below.

The answers are also given in Table 1 and may be held by a referee orteacher.

The path to be followed buy a player is chosen at will or by chance using the die shown in Figure 2.

This die has two opposed faces 211 and 214 coloured green, two opposed faces 212 and 213 coloured black and the othertwo opposed faces 210 and 215 coloured red. The colourofthefacewhich is uppermost isthe colouroftheroutewhich mustbefollowed.

Table 1 Row Area Test Answer 10 11 3x2 6 12 3x3 9 13 2x5 10 20 21 4x4 16 22 3x4 12 30 31 2x6 12 32 3x8 24 33 5x5 25 40 41 3x5 15 42 4x2 8 43 2x7 14 50 51 2x8 16 52 3x6 18 53 4x5 20 60 61 3x7 21 62 2x9 18 70 71 2x3 6 72 4x3 12 73 4x6 24 80 81 5x6 30 82 6x6 36 83 5x3 15 90 91 7x2 14 92 2x10 20 100 101 7x7 49 102 10x10 100 103 6x7 42 Clearly othercolourcombinations can be used or letter or othercombinations.

The rules ofthe game are that the player must choose a path and take the appropriate counter for that path and then can only progress from the start down the predetermined path 8 to the first row when he has correctlyansweredthetestposed in his relevant area in row 10.

Thus, if he isfollowing theA path thefirstquestion he must answer is that in area 11 namely what is3x2, answer 6. On giving thecorrectanswerthe player moves his counter from the start area 2 onto area 1 The playercanthen only progress to the next area on path A, namely area 22 in a row 20 (and move his counterto that area) by answering the question in area 22, namely 3x4, answer 12.

If more than one player is playing at the sametime on the same or different board, players take it inturnsto attempt to answer a question and miss a turn if give the wrong answer.

In another embodiment not shown the playing surface instead of being a board is a floor mat and is a large sheet of plastics covered fabric about 14ft (423 cm) by 6ft (183 cm).

This embodiment is otherwise the same as described for the board version except that the player steps from area to area in progressing through the game rather than moving a counter.

Claims (16)

1. A playing surfacefora game, the playing surface having a plurality of defined areas and indications of a path between the or some of the areas and indications ofallowability criteria for passing along the path or paths.

2. A playing surfacefor a game comprising a sheet material on which is laid out a plurality of paths comprising discrete areas orsteps and means indicating the areas comprising a path, each area orstep defining a test each area or step being defined by location on the playing surface and separated from adjoining steps in the sequence, the said areas ortests being arranged in a sequence along the playing surface.

3. A playing surface as claimed in Claim 2, in which three adjacent areas or steps in a path do notfall on a straight line.

4. A playing surface as claimed in anyone of the preceding claims in which the defined areas are arranged in rows of two orthree per row across the playing surface, a path progressing up the playing surface from row to row and a given pathway zig-zagging up the playing surface, but only involving one area in each row.

5. A playing surface as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the paths and areas and questions are printed permanently on the playing surface.

6. A playing surface as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the playing surface is made ofemb- ossablethermoplastic material, and the paths, areas and questions are embossed on or in it.

7. A playing surface as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the areas are defined by colours and the paths by all areas on a path being the same colour.

8. A playing surface as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 7 intheform of a board.

9. A playing surface as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 8 in theform of a floor mat.

10. The combination of a board as claimed in Claim 8 or a floor mat as claimed in Claim 9 in which there are two or more paths which the player can follow and a die affording indicia by which the route to be followed is determined at the beginning ofthe game bythe player throwing the die.

11. Adie having Zfaces, and having faces coloured with N different colours, one colour perface, and N equals 2to Z, and when N=Z,the die has Zdifferentcolouredfaces, and when N=2to (Z-1 )the die has Nfaces coloured with the N colours and Z-N faces coloured with a colour or colours which is not one of the N colours, or coloured with one ofthe N colours the die having no more than two faces of the same colour chosen from the N colours.

12. A die having opposed matched faces so that each throw ofthe die gives two chances of a particular condition coming up.

13. A board as claimed in Claim 8substantially as specifically described herein with reference to Figure 1 ofthe accompanying drawings.

14. Afloor mat as claimed in Claim 9 substantially as specifically described herein with reference to Figure 1 ofthe accompanying drawings.

15. A die as claimed in Claim 11 substantially as specifically described herein with reference to Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.

16. The combination of a board as claimed in Claim 8or 13, or a floor mat as claimed in Claim 9 or 14, and a die as claimed in Claims 11,12 or 15.