Patent Application
20060192333
The present invention is an abstracted strategic conflict simulation game in which the field of combat and the capabilities of the units which each commander or player has at his disposal are abstracted. The board used in Chess is an example of an abstracted field of battle and the chess pieces are examples of units with abstracted capabilities. Some conflict simulation games require destruction of an opponent's forces or a portion of his forces. For example, demonstrating inevitable capture of the opponent's king (checkmate) in chess is the victory condition. In other games the capture of a key location or object is the victory condition. The present game requires capture of a key object and transport of that object to a location specific to that player.
The present game features four opposing armies placed on an imaginary field of combat abstracted to a fourteen by fourteen square board. It will be readily appreciated that similar square boards of differing dimensions could be used. Two, three, or four armies of selectively locatable and movable playing-pieces represent abstracted imaginary units. Each army consists of eight Common Droid playing-pieces, two Octlite playing-pieces, two Phobius Rider playing-pieces, two Nimrod playing-pieces, and one Emperor playing-piece. Each playing-piece has specific movement and capture capabilities. The victory objective is the capture and transport of the Goal playing-piece to the player's Home-Port.
The fourteen by fourteen, square board has wormholes at the corners, and Home-Ports identified near the center of each side. The number of squares on each side of the board is selected as fourteen to minimize the overall size while assuring that the initial contacts between the armies do not provide a decisive advantage to any one player by virtue that player's position in the sequence of play. Wormholes permit movement of pieces from one corner to the opposite corner of the board. The Home-Ports are the location to which a player must move the Goal playing-piece to win the game, adding an element of pursuit to the present game.
The present invention is a competitive board game played with a marked board, individual playing-pieces, and a Goal playing-piece.
The game is played on a square four-sided board using armies of playing-pieces distributed among four equal groups. Each player controls the playing-pieces of one of the armies.
The object of the game is for a player use his army to capture the Goal playing-piece and move it to that player's designated Home-Port.
The present invention is a competitive board game played with a marked board, individual playing-pieces, and Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4 by two, three or four players moving a single playing-piece of their army 9 in a predetermined sequence of play among the players. The players determine the sequence of play at the outset of the game by rolling dice or other suitable means. It will be readily appreciated that the present game may be implemented by any means such as cardboard or glass or even via a computer system with suitable display and processing capability. One or more of the players may be a computer system.
The game board of the present invention is in the form of a square, and divided by intersecting lines into an even number of squares. Each of the four sides of the board has a row of squares with the same number of squares. The squares are colored or otherwise suitably marked to identify two sets of squares, equal in number, with the squares interleaved on the board so that no two squares of like color share a common boundary line. The squares located at the corners of the game board are designated as Worm-Holes 2. A playing-piece ending its move on a Worm-Hole 2 immediately moves to the Worm-Hole 2 at the diagonally opposite corner of the game board 1 and is said to transit the Worm-Hole 2. When a playing-piece transits a Worm-Hole the player must immediately place the transiting playing-piece on one square within the Worm-Hole Horizon 16 of four squares in the corner containing the Worm-hole. A playing-piece which exits a Worm-hole 2 and is placed on the exit Worm-hole 2 must exit the Worm-Hole 2 and return to the Worm-hole 2 before it may re-transit the worm-hole.
The playing-pieces of this game divide into two, three or four armies and a Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4.
The initial position 6 of the Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4 is the intersection of the centermost dividing lines 5. While in its initial-position the Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4 may be captured by any playing-piece ending its movement on any of the four squares at the center of the board 7.
It is the object of the game for a player, by controlling one army, to capture the Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4 and move it to a particular square along that army's side of the board designated as the Home-Port 8 of that player's army. Each Army's Home-Port 8 is the square immediately adjacent to the centermost dividing line 5 and clockwise from that player's dividing line 5. A playing-piece in possession of the Goal playing-piece (Dieaphium Crystal Element) 4 may not capture an opponent's playing-piece when the playing-piece to be captured occupies the Home-Port 8 of the capturing playing-piece unless the playing-piece in possession of the Goal-playing piece is the only remaining member of its army.
Each army 9 is comprised of: Eight Common Droid Playing-pieces 10, Two Octlite Playing-pieces 11, Two Phobius Rider Playing-pieces 12, Two Nimrod playing-pieces 13, and one Emperor playing-piece 14. Each Army 9 is uniquely identified by color, or other suitable markings, enabling the players to distinguish the playing-pieces of their armies 9 from all other armies.
The first move of each Common Droid Playing-piece 10 may be one or two squares forward. Common Droid Playing-pieces 10 may move only one square forward or backward on each second or subsequent move. Common Droid Playing-pieces 10 capture opposing playing-pieces by moving diagonally one square forward or backward as shown in
A Common Droid Playing-piece 10 which completes its movement in any square of the back row opposite 15 the initial starting position of that Common Droid Playing-piece 10 may be promoted to any other Playing-Piece of the same army 9.
Octlite Playing-pieces 11 may move either: a) one square forward, backward, left, or right, or b) as many squares as desired in one of the four diagonal directions along unoccupied squares up to and including the first opponent occupied square.
Phobius Rider Playing-pieces 12 may move either: a) three squares forward or backward followed by one square either left or right, or b) three squares to the left or right followed by one square forward or backward. Phobius Rider Playing-pieces 12 ignore playing-pieces which occupy squares along their path of movement.
Nimrod playing-pieces 13 may move either forward, backward, left or right in a straight line across unoccupied squares or into an adversary occupied square as far as possible.
While Uncloaked, the Emperor playing-piece 14 may move in a straight line either forward, backward, left, right or diagonally up to three unoccupied squares and may end movement on an opponent occupied square.
