Patent Grant
10307664
None.
A frequent way for people to relieve stress and have fun is to go to parties, gatherings, social outings, etc. One of the most common ways for people to enjoy their time at social gatherings is to play a party game/backyard game. When healthy competition between groups of individuals is introduced, the competition often has an ability to heighten the level of joy at a party. Not only that, but these games have the ability to improve cognitive function, teamwork, and friendship.
Plenty of games exist that have this ability including, but not limited to: Cornholes (Bags), Ladders, Washers. However, a disadvantage of most of these games that they can only be played exclusively outdoor. There are other games that may be played indoor such as darts, pool, and other amusement games such as, but they lack the ability to keep multiple users constantly involved. Another great example is U.S. Pat. No. 905,941 now known as the original “Skee-Ball” game which uses a ramp to thrust a projectile into scoring compartments, but again, only has the ability to keep one used involved at a time. One of the games that has become recently popularized is U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,807, otherwise known as “Beer Pong.” The major disadvantage of this game is the large amounts of consumption of alcohol that may be ingested during games, the mess it may create, and the users may become overly-inebriated. Also, minors may be present during this game, giving a bad influence. Currently, there are non-alcoholic versions that are played, but are much less popularized.
This invention relates to recreational amusement board games that includes accessories to play. More specifically, this invention relates to the interactive competitive branch of games in which players of any skill level face off against each other until a final score is reached according to the rules of the game. Any player that dedicates more time may be rewarded with the ability to play at a higher skill level. The game involves skill, chance, and the ability to negatively affect the other teams score.
A game board apparatus for a dice game that is made up of a base having a base front side, a base left side, a base right side and a base back side; and a front ramp on the base front side extending from the base front edge to a center scoring surface. In addition, the game board has the center scoring surface, parallel to the base, extending from the ramp back edge toward, but not reaching the base back side, the center scoring surface with two angling edges from the base left side and base right side towards a fourth scoring crevice located at the intersection of the two angling edges; and two scoring crevices in the center scoring surface, each scoring crevice equal distance from the ramp back edge and equal distance from the base left side for the scoring crevice on the left and the base right side for the scoring crevice on the right. The game board has a third scoring crevice in the center scoring surface, located equidistant between the left base side and the right base side; and a right barrier on the right base side, extending from the base back side towards, but not reaching the right scoring crevice, the right barrier extending above the center scoring surface; as well as a left barrier on the left base side, extending from the base back side towards, but not reaching the left scoring crevice, the left barrier extending above the center scoring surface.
The game board could be made of ABS, wood, or another material. And the game board could be made of one or multiple pieces. For instance, the base, right barrier, left barrier, and scoring surface could each be a separate piece of wood.
The crevices on the game board could be of any shape, for instance the crevices could be round.
The game board could be part of a kit that includes two game boards, perhaps include dice, and perhaps one or more cups for insertion into the crevices. The kit could include a table. The game boards could be positioned on opposite edges of the table, and could be built in to the table.
A method of playing a dice game comprising the placing two game boards on a table, with a base back side of each game board aligned on an edge of the table; then rolling the dice by a player such that the dice are directed at the game board on an opposite side of the table; and catching the dice that roll off of the table, by an opposing player, and adjusting a score. In some embodiments, the score is negatively adjusted if caught by the opposing player. In other embodiments, the score is only adjusted if the dice is caught in a cup held by the opposing player. If the dice are rolled such that the dice stops in a crevice in the game board on the opposite side of the table, the score is adjusted; and if the dice are rolled such that the dice stops in an area of the game board on the opposite side of the table, the score is adjusted.
The dice game wherein the game board is made up of a base having a base front side, a base left side, a base right side and a base back side; and a front ramp on the base front side extending from the base front edge to a center scoring surface. In addition, the game board has the center scoring surface, parallel to the base, extending from the ramp back edge toward, but not reaching the base back side, the center scoring surface with two angling edges from the base left side and base right side towards a fourth scoring crevice located at the intersection of the two angling edges; and two scoring crevices in the center scoring surface, each scoring crevice equal distance from the ramp back edge and equal distance from the base left side for the scoring crevice on the left and the base right side for the scoring crevice on the right. The game board has a third scoring crevice in the center scoring surface, located equidistant between the left base side and the right base side; and a right barrier on the right base side, extending from the base back side towards, but not reaching the right scoring crevice, the right barrier extending above the center scoring surface; as well as a left barrier on the left base side, extending from the base back side towards, but not reaching the left scoring crevice, the left barrier extending above the center scoring surface.
The dice game could be played such that the score is not adjusted if the dice does not stop on the opposite game board. Also, cups could be placed in one or more crevices on the game board, and the score could be adjusted if the dice stops in one of the cups. This adjustment could be negative. All or some of the scoring could be further adjusted based on the information on the top of the dice when it stops, and perhaps only if the dice stops on the game board.
The dice game could be played with two teams with multiple players on each team.
This invention relates to recreational amusement board games that includes accessories to play. More specifically, this invention relates to the interactive competitive branch of games in which players of any skill level face off against each other until a final score is reached according to the rules of the game. Any player that dedicates more time may be rewarded with the ability to play at a higher skill level. The game involves skill, chance, and the ability to negatively affect the other teams score.
Referring to
Players simply roll the dice across the table and aim to land their dice onto their opponent's game-board. This game is truly unique in the fact that it is a physically interactive game where players can lose points if a team member accidentally throws the dice off of the table. When this happens the players on defense must rush to try and catch the dice before it hits the ground. If the defensive player catches the dice before hitting the ground, then the offensive team may lose two (−2) points. Also, there are multiple game modes that can be played on this game-board. There are two in particular that are listed in the detailed description, but the listed game modes are not limited to only those games because, there are a variety of different games that can be played using this game-board. For example, rules may be adjusted that reward the defense for catching the dice, such as having the defense gain points. Having multiple game modes that can be played on the same board game is a great way to keep players from getting bored of the same old game, as is the case with many other party games. This game is small and compact with very few accessories, and can be played on any relatively flat surface of any length as long as the dice can roll freely across said surface onto the other board. This game can be played anywhere between two to six (2-6) players. Most present backyard/party games only allow up to four players to play at one time.
In one embodiment,
Shown in
All the aforementioned areas (18, 20, and 28) will all have the same color that is different from the rest of the board to signify that these areas do not count for any points, most typically that color will be red.
The present embodiment features five different areas that consist of three different scoring opportunities.
This center scoring surface has the most surface area available on this present embodiment and will most typically be worth two points and have the color blue to signify this area from the rest of the game-board.
Shown best in
Referring to
Referring to
Moving on to the game-board accessories, which are shown in
Now referring to
Referring to
Operations
There are many different ways this said invention can be used, and is not limited to this sections description. This game may be played on any relatively flat surface (most typically a raised surface), any size, anywhere. There are a few precautions to the setup of the game, but are not completely necessary. This setup merely ensures that the game can be played with very few hindrances. Firstly, there needs to be enough space between the two game-boards that the die can roll freely from one side of the table. Secondly, all objects not included in the game and not being used should be removed from the surface that would interrupt the path of the die being rolled. Thirdly, the flatter and smoother of a surface will allow the dice to roll more freely. Lastly, any chairs or objects that could get in the way of players movement should be moved away from the surface to help players be able to catch the dice freely as well, as a safety precaution.
This game can be played one vs one (1v1) player, two vs two (2v2) players, or three vs three (3v3) players. There is no limitation to how many players and teams can play (4v4, 5v5, 6v6, etc.), but there must be enough dice to go around for each player. This is a major advantage of this present invention due to the fact that more players may be involved in the game. Each player/team stands on one side of the surface, while the opponent(s) stand together on the opposite side of the table. The game-board that each team aims to roll their dice onto is the game-board that is located across the table. The game-boards are placed rear side at the very edge of the surface, but not overlapping the edge. The game-boards front ramp (
There are many different types of game play that can be used on this game-board. Only two will be described in greater detail in this section. First to be described will be Game Mode #1. Game Mode #1 begins by having the teams insert the post-cups into the left, right, and rear scoring holes 10, 12, and 14 (
To determine which player/team starts the game, a player from each team will roll a single die anywhere on the table at the same time as an opposing player does. Whichever player rolled the higher value on the die starts the game. If the dice are tied, keep rolling the dice until one player has a dice that has a greater value than the opponent. Any player on the team can start the game, and the dice can be rolled in any order. Players simply roll the dice onto the table and aim to land their dice onto the opponent's game-board. Whoever rolls the dice must be standing behind the surfaces edge, and their elbows must be behind the surfaces edge at the release point of their dice. The dice must roll and cannot be slid across the surface. Also, the dice must hit the surface before hitting the opposing team's game-board (players may not toss the die directly onto the game-board). Committing one of the previous infractions will cause the dice to be counted as invalid, and the player will lose their roll and it will not count for any points.
Now referring to
The unique part involves the fact that players can lose points. However, teams/players cannot go into negatives, unless a custom rule would like to be integrated. There may be similar alternative game modes that allow users to go into negatives, but will not be described in detail in this section. In one example, a negatives rule may likely be incorporated to help with mathematical skills for educational purposes.
Moving on, in Game Mode #1, the lowest score any team can have is zero. There are two ways in which an offense can lose points from rolling their dice. One way is to roll your dice into one of the post-cups that are already inserted into the left, right, and rear scoring holes. Referring to
Another unique aspect of the present invention is that players may lose if a player rolling the dice falls off the surface. If the dice falls anywhere off the surface after the dice has been rolled, the opposing team can attempt to catch the dice before the dice hits the ground. If the dice is caught by the defense, the defense must immediately shout out, “Diced!” Once “Diced!” is called out, the offensive team (the one who is rolling the dice) loses two points. The shouting of, “Diced!” lets the offense know that a die has been caught, and this also heightens the excitement of gameplay and is seen to be a very fulfilling reward on behalf of the defense. If the dice hits the ground in any fashion, then no point deduction can be taken from the offense's score. An alternative to the offense losing points if the defense catches the dice may be rewarding the defense points to their score instead of the offense losing points. This would be a positive reflection of the score on behalf of the defense. For instance, if the defense catches the dice and their score is already at 12 points, this would mean that their score may be 14 points—a positive gain of two points for the defense instead of the offense losing two points.
Referring to
After a team has rolled all their dice, the offensive team may then use their game-board (the one closest to them) to tally up the score using the scoring mechanism 46, as seen in
Moving on towards another example of a gameplay on this present invention is Game Mode #2. Game Mode #2 is played on the same game-board, but with different rules. Most of the rules are the same. However, the major difference between Game Mode #1 and Game Mode #2 is that the post-cups are not to be inserted into the dice game-board. This allows more spots on the game-board to be counted as points to score. Referring to
Another unique aspect of the present invention in Game Mode #2 is that each player must use one of the post-cups to roll their dice (on offense) and also catch the opposing teams dice (on defense) if the dice fall off the table. On offense, players may only roll one dice at a time in their post-cups. On defense, any dice that are caught must remain in the post-cup until the round is over in order for the point deduction to remain. If a dice falls out of the post-cup, the point deduction for that caught dice will not count. Dice may only be caught if the defense can catch it with their post-cup. Alternatively, players may choose to have the catching of the dice in the post-cups count for a positive gain of points for the defense.
To conclude, in both Game Mode #1 and #2, once a team has reached twenty-one points with a score equal to, or greater than two points of the other teams score, will then put the opposing team on game point. There is a chance for a rebuttal once game point has been reached. The game may be won when a team has put the opposing team on game point, and after the opposing team's rebuttal, they were not able to come within two points. If the team that was down two points or more comes within two points then, the game continues as normal until game point can be kept after their rebuttal.
Lastly, there is one more game mode variation that may be included in this present invention. Labeling the die with bonus attributes or features may be added to make the game more intriguing. For instance, instead of the die have dots that show their number value on them, the die may be labeled with bonus features like “+2,” “Extra Roll,” “−1”, etc. There are endless amounts of variants that may be included and are not limited to the present examples. In many instances, there can also be educational aspects incorporated into the die.
Thus, the reader will see that at least one embodiment of this interactive and competitive dice rolling table game provides a pleasantly different and creative spin on tabletop games than the present party games that exist. This game can be played by kids and adults alike, indoors and outdoors, and does not need alcohol to keep users interested and involved.
While my above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope, but rather as an exemplification of one [or several] embodiment(s) thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, this game-board may be created out of many different materials such as wood, metal, or other various types of plastic. If said materials are used it may require a different manufacturing method and may require a slightly different design in the board. Also, the game-board may come in many different shapes, colors, and sizes that are best fit for the manufacturer. All present embodiments such as the post-cup, dice, scoring crevices, and scoring surfaces are not limited to the present measurements, but are merely an approximation that may be viewed as standard. Accordingly, the scope should be determined not by the embodiment(s) illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
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