Patent Application
20070278741
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a board game and more particularly to a Christian-religious themed board game designed for the edification and entertainment of Christian players.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Board games are generally known in the art. Examples of such board games are disclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,488,283; 6,481,714; 6,454,264; 6,454,263. Such board games are known to be either recreational or educational. For example, the Monopoly® game is a well-known recreational board game. Other educational board games are known for educating players on religious subject matter. Examples of educational religious board games are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,834 and 5,224,862. The majority of Christian-themed board games reward previous knowledge, especially knowledge of Biblical scripture. These games educate players with respect to the Bible but also require previous knowledge. It is therefore difficult for young children or those players with limited Christian education to play such games. Thus, there is a need for a board game which is based on Christian themes without requiring prior knowledge of any specific subject matter for the player.
The present invention relates to a board game and in particular to a Christian-themed board game. The board game includes a game board, a plurality of games pieces, game money, a deck of “word” cards, a deck of “needs” cards, a deck of “life” cards, a deck of “unreached person” cards, and a spindle or pair of dice. The game board is divided into a number of game spaces. The maplike board design has a continuous path around its perimeter, with path tours extending internally from game spaces on the perimeter. A player is represented by a token which moves on all paths. The object of the game is to win souls for God's Kingdom. The sub-objective is to build churches. Money does not play a part in victory, but rather is just a tool to gather the things needed for the missions field.
These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily understood with reference to the following specification and attached drawing wherein:
The game board 500 is prepared by placing the Word cards 303, Needs cards 313, Unreached Person's cards 307, and Life cards 360 on their appropriate places face down on the board 500. The personal information cards are placed in the area of the same color: red for Inner City 501, blue for Gang area 502, green for the Drug area 504, and yellow for the “10\40” window 503. Each player will then pick their token that will represent them for the entirety of the game.
Each player will be given $1,930 of game money 101 in the following denominations: 2-$500's, 5-$100's, 5-$50's, 5-$20's, 5-$10's, 5-$5's, 5-$1's. Each player also receives 3 needs cards and 2 words cards. $5000 is to be placed under the “Open Heaven” 505 space on the board. Players can sell property, represented by land cards 350, Needs cards 313, and Word cards 303, but cannot raise the price at which they were purchased.
A person is selected, optionally a game-player, to be banker. Optimally, such a person will be in right standing and without reproach as a steward over the money and other transactions. It is preferable that the banker not be an active player, due to the close attention needed to be paid to the game. The bank will also monitor the purchase of property and Word cards 303 from the bookstore 202 and also Needs cards 313 from the food banks 301.
The players will decide the order in which the game will be played, and who will go first. Game play will start with every player's token on the Glory space 508. With each roll of the dice, a player will move their token the appropriate number of squares on the game board 500. The player does not need to move his game piece a full cycle around the board before purchasing land. If “doubles”, or two of the same number, are rolled on the dice, the player moves the appropriate number of squares and rolls again.
Each time a player's token lands on or passes over the Glory space 508 on the board, whether they throw the dice or a card sends them there, the bank pays them $200 and two (2) word cards 303 and two (2) needs cards 313. Each time a person receives an income in this game, they will give their tithes based on the amount given and place it under the Open Heaven space 505 (e.g. when you pass Glory 508 and receive your $200 from the bank, the tithe would be $20 to the Open Heaven 505). A player does not receive $200 for passing Glory 508 at the start of the game.
The outer part of the board is for the church; this is the part or work that is seen. The player starts out with a set amount of money and is able to purchase land, represented by land cards 350. The first objective of the game is to purchase land. Spaces marked “bus station” 206, “train station ” 207, or “airport” 205 are used for traveling into the mission fields.
The player can begin building churches once their game figure has made a full cycle around the game board 500. The player does not need matching land cards 350 to build a church. The first church built will be a storefront church. It is not necessary to own a full set of properties to begin building churches; only one property is needed. The term “a full set” refers to owning all of a group of adjacent properties on the game board represented by identical pictures. When three storefront churches are built on one property, the player is able to trade them in and pay the price for a stand-alone church, and place a stand-alone church on that property. After two stand-alone churches are acquired on one property, the player can trade them in, pay the amount for a mega-church, and place a mega church on that property. Each church has a set of souls attached to it. The storefront church has 3 souls attached, the stand-alone church has 5 souls attached, and the mega-church has 10 souls attached. The more churches, the more souls the player has attained for the kingdom. When a player lands on a property with a church, the owner of the church gives said player a word card 303. A player cannot go to the unreached area without 1 church and 3 word cards 303.
The bank controls all stations with all parking fees and the banker will collect travel tickets. When a player lands on a station, said player will need to pay a parking fee if said player chooses not to go into the mission field. If said player decides to use the station to enter the mission field, said player will then need to pay the fee for a travel ticket. The amount is shown on the property card. When a player rolls the dice and is going to pass any of the stations 206, 207, or the airport 205, and wishes to enter the mission field during their turn, said player can complete the remainder of the move into the mission field. If said player is unable to meet needs or minister in the mission field and chooses to return to the station, said player will need to add $50.00 to the initial price of the ticket.
When a player lands on a bookstore 202 or food bank 301, said player will be able to buy food, shelter, or medicine from the food bank 301 to meet needs in the mission field. The player is also able to purchase Word cards 303 from the bookstore 202 that will allow ministering in the field. The bank will monitor the purchase of items sold from the stores. A player is only able to purchase ten (10) cards per visit at $10.00 per card.
Word cards 303 are scripture cards that are separated into topics based on life issues: hope 311, faith 303, fear 309, love 312, and healing 310. A player can obtain Word cards 303 from landing on or passing the Glory square 508, a Christian bookstore 202, or from favor cards 308 that can send the player to a church or to a bookstore 202 for a free word. If the player lands on a property that contains a church, the player receives one (1) Word card 303 from the owner of the property. Word cards 303 are primarily used in the unreached areas to minister to unreached people. Through this method, souls are won over to the Lord's side. After the cards are used, they are returned to the bottom of the appropriate stack for reuse.
A player is able to buy needs cards 313 at any food bank on the board. A needs card 313 is used in the mission field to meet the needs of people in such fields. Before ministering to a person, the person's needs must be met. If the player does not have one card that can meet a person's needs, the player can use a few cards in combination. E.g. if a person's needs are three (3) units of shelter, such needs can be met by the player with a needs card 313 containing three (3) units of shelter, or with a combination of a card with one (1) unit and another with two (2) units. After the cards are used, they are returned to the stack for reuse.
The Life card 360 forces the player to deal with theoretical life issues. The player will need to act on the life issue. Sometimes, the player will need only the right word, money, or favor to get past the test. The player can get food in the mission field—a word that will meet many needs; land, buildings, debt cancelled, free plane or bus fare to go into the mission field.
There are people who do not know that the will of God is for their life. The player will go into the unreached area to minister to them and win them over to the Lord's side. The player will need to first meet their needs—food, housing, health—and then will need the appropriate Word card 303 that will minister to them. When the player wins this person over to the Lord's side, they will become a part of said player's church. This will be added to the number of souls in said player's church. Return the card face up at the bottom of the stack. A person cannot go into the unreached area without one (1) church and three (3) Word cards 303. When a player rolls doubles in the unreached areas, said player will receive two (2) needs cards. A player must go around the board twice to enter the 10\40 window 503. A player cannot enter the same mission field twice in a row.
Attending prison ministry 507 is a positive thing, as the word will work anywhere. When the player lands on the ‘attend prison ministry’ space 509, said player will stay in the prison space 507 for three turns. Each turn the player will roll and pick up an unreached person personal info card 307. This unreached person is not like the unreached in the mission field: the government meets their need with food, housing, and health. The player will need more Word 303 to win them over: this will minister to them and win them over to the Lord's side.
The unreached person is not thinking about God or the church. They are just living from day to day. The unreached person card 307 will give the player information on how to meet their needs. To enter into the unreached areas the player must have Word cards 303. On the way through this area the player will meet people with needs. The player first must meet their need, then said player can minister to them with the word. If the player wins them over to the Lord's side, the player will count them as part of said player's church, and return the card to the bottom of the stack face up. When the stack is at its end, the cards are shuffled and reused.
The format of the game can be embodied in numerous modes. In one embodiment, the game takes a physical form, with a game board and game pieces of an appropriate size. In another embodiment, the game is played in an electronic format. Such electronic format could be played on a computer, video game system, or handheld device. The game could be stored on any standard data storage device, such as a CD-ROM, diskette, or hard disk. The game could be played locally on a single machine, or over a network, such as a LAN or the internet. In an electronic embodiment, individual game players could be controlled by the electronic CPU, such that an individual would be able to play the game against virtual opponents. It would be possible to save one's progress in the game, to return at a later time to the previous game at its interrupted moment. Manners of programming the game as described above in these electronic formats are known to those skilled in the art.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above.
This application is based upon and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/801,810 filed May 19, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference in its enterity for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60801810 | May 2006 | US |
