Patent Application
20050046111
Various word games and puzzles are known. Some games employ dice with letters which are used to form words. Many word games utilize some type of selection object such as dice or a spinning wheel. Many of the games are based upon vocabulary and word recognition. Some of these games are focused on younger individuals with a basic skill level, while other games focus on adults with more advanced skills. Several of these games also require writing answers on paper and keeping score. It would be useful to provide a word game which combines competitive verbal interaction and creative thinking in a board game format that is challenging to individuals of varying skill levels.
The invention relates to a word game which is played using one or more sets of colored dice with letters. Pawns, a game board, a deck of cards, one or more timers, and a numbered die are also employed. Each set of colored lettered dice comprise 4 dice, each with six faces, each face thereof containing one letter of the alphabet, covering the full 26 letter alphabet, excluding X and Z. No letter is repeated within a set, though within a game there may be several sets of dice having various combinations of letters. Each set of lettered dice is colored so as to make it distinguishable from each other set.
The pawns comprise 4 colored pawns, each colored distinctively from the other 3 pawns. The pawns are used to distinguish one team from another and track the forward progress of each team on the game board. For example, if the 4 pawns are distinctly colored red, blue, green, and yellow respectively, then there can exist only one red team, one blue team, one green team, and one yellow team, respectively.
A team comprises 2 or more players, consisting of a translator and guessers.
The game board comprises a flat cross-shaped board with 4 equally shaped arms. Printed or drawn on the board are linked spaces along a linear path. The spaces contain start and finish indicia, numbers, and colors. Each arm of the board contains a pair of start and finish indicia corresponding to each respective team color.
The cards each contain a category title and four or more answers numbered sequentially. The numbered answers on the cards correspond to numbers on the game board. A timer is used to limit time during various turns. A numbered die contains numbers on respective faces and is used to indicate the number of spaces to advance a pawn.
The object of the word game is for a translator to verbally convey answers to his teammates, using hints beginning only with letters specified on the lettered dice. As an example, a team lands on a space with the number 7; the corresponding 7th answer on a card is “Boston”. For this example, the lettered dice are showing C, L, O, and P. The translator must think of words beginning with C, L, O, or P and convey the answer “Boston” to his teammates; for example, the translator can say “city”, “original colony”, “Celtics play” and so on, as long as each word starts with a valid letter. If the guessers say “Boston” within the time limit, they win the turn and roll the numbered die to advance.
Colors within spaces on the board indicate which teams may compete during a turn. As an example, the four colors on the board may be red, blue, green and yellow, each corresponding to a respective pawn color. If the team with a green pawn, which we will call the green team, lands on a space with the colors blue and red on it, the green team competes with the blue team and the red team. In another example, if the green team lands on a space with yellow on it, the green team competes with the yellow team.
When multiple teams compete during a turn, each team designates its own translator and guessers. As an example, the green team lands on a space with yellow, blue and the number 3 on it. The 3rd answer on a selected card is “zero,” and the letters showing on the dice are S, W, E, and I. The green team designates its translator, the yellow team designates its translator, and the blue team designates its translator. The non-translators on each team are guessers. Once the translating begins, valid words spoken by any translator could include, “seven without seven”, “I subtract everything” and so on, as long as each word starts with a letter showing on the dice. The guessers may say anything they wish. The team with the first guesser to say, “zero” wins the turn and rolls the numbered die to advance.
The game board also contains “Challenge!” spaces. When landing on a “Challenge!” space, a translator chooses two answers on a card to translate. Upon guessing both answers within the time limit, the translator's team rolls the numbered die twice to advance. As an example, the green team lands on a “Challenge!” space and their translator chooses “fox” and “fir tree” as two answers to translate from a selected card. If the translator gives good hints and his teammates guess the answers “fox” and “fir tree” within the time limit, their team rolls the numbered die to advance; for example, if they roll a 3, they move forward 3 spaces.
The invention will be more fully described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:
The word game is played using 2 to 4 pawns.
In
Numbers 18 are printed within various spaces 12. Depending on the total spaces 12 existing on the board 10, the numbers 18 within the spaces 12 may range from 1 through 4 or greater and may appear on more than one space 12.
Spaces 12 with the word “Challenge!” 28 exist throughout the board.
Each space 12 on the board 10, other than a “Challenge!” space 28, contains one or more colors on it corresponding with pawn colors 2, 4, 6, 8. For example, there are spaces on the board 10 which contain yellow 20, the same color as the yellow pawn 2. There are spaces on the board 10 which contain red 22, the same color as the red pawn 4. There are spaces on the board 10 which contain blue 24, the same color as the blue pawn 6. There are spaces on the board 10 which contain green 26, the same color as the green pawn 8. Each space 12 can have one more of these colors in it. For example, one space may have yellow and blue, a second space may have green and blue, a third space may have red, yellow and green, a fourth space may have green, a fifth space may have red and blue, and so on. Any combination of the pawn colors may be represented in a space 12, so long as each color is clearly defined.
In the illustrated embodiment, sets of 4 lettered dice are employed. A first possible set of 4 lettered dice is shown in
The lettered dice designate valid letters to begin words with. These letters apply to words spoken by the translator on each team. For example, as illustrated in
A timer, such as one of the three sand timers depicted in
The game challenges players to exercise their vocabularies and problem solving skills and can provide both entertainment and educational benefit.
The game is played in the following manner. An appropriate timer is selected based on the skill level of the players. The game board is placed face-up on a playing table. The answer cards may either be placed faced-down on the table or put vertically in a box capable of hiding the answers. Two to four teams are formed. Each team consists of two or more players. Within each team there is a translator; the remaining teammates are guessers. Each team chooses a pawn and a set of similarly colored letter dice. Each team is defined by their pawn color. For example, if two teams are playing and they choose a red pawn and a green pawn respectively, they become the red team and the green team respectively. Each pawn is placed on a corresponding colored start space on the board. The numbered die as shown in
For example, the green team rolls the highest number, then rolls a 5 to advance. They move their green pawn forward 5 spaces. In this example the green team lands on a space with a number and colors. The colors on the space represent each team allowed to compete with the green team on this turn. Since it's their turn, the green team participates in the turn whether or not their color is on the space. The green team designates a translator who selects a card. The translator looks at the title and the numbered answer on the card that matches the number on the space. This is the answer for the turn. The translator tells everyone the title of the card. Each team with a color represented on the space participates by designating its own respective translator. The green team's translator shows the card to the other teams' translators. The green team's translator rolls his lettered dice. All translators then begin describing the answer, using only words beginning with letters facing up on the rolled dice. The guessers on each team can say anything they want. If all teams are participating, no timer is used. If one or more teams are not participating because their color isn't on the space, a timer is used. The team with guessers who say the answer first win the turn and roll the numbered die to advance. If a team's translator says the answer on the card their team is dismissed from the turn. If a team's translator says any word not beginning with letters facing up on the dice, their team is dismissed from the turn. If the turn is being timed, and time runs out, play passes to the team to the left The translator role may shift to a new member within a team for each new turn. Each team may decide when and if a translator role shifts within their team.
Another type of space on the board is a “Challenge!” space. A team landing on this space plays the turn by themselves. For a “Challenge!” space the team's translator selects two answers on a card and attempts to translate them to the rest of the team within the regular time limit. If both answers are guessed within the time limit, the team rolls the numbered die to advance their pawn the indicated number of spaces.
Various rules are employed, including the following. In order to win the game, a team must guess the correct answer on their turn, on their finish space. To reach the finish, an exact roll isn't required; just a number greater than or equal to the distance to the finish. A translator can never say the answer on a card, even if it begins with a letter facing up on the dice. When a team plays a turn by themselves and their translator uses any invalid word, their turn ends and play passes to the left. When a team's translator uses any invalid word during a turn where two teams are competing, the other team wins the turn. When a team's translator uses any invalid word during a turn where three or four teams are competing, the violating team is dismissed from the turn and the remaining teams replay the space using a new card.
To further increase competition, more limiting rules can be employed. Translators can never say the answer on the card or words that begin with letters NOT facing up on the 4 alpha dice. Acronyms can be used if they consist only of letters showing on the 4 alpha dice. Proper names are permitted. Fake words can never be used. Non-English words cannot be used unless agreed upon prior to the game starting. Translators can NOT say words with a similar spelling and similar meaning as the answer—for example if the answer is “THROW” translators can't say THREW or THROWING. If the answer is a compound word such as “DOGHOUSE” translators can't say DOG or HOUSE since both words are part of the meaning of “DOGHOUSE.” Likewise, if the answer is a multiple word answer such as “GEORGE WASHINGTON” translators can't say GEORGE or WASHINGTON, but could say WASH and WASHING because neither one directly gives away the meaning. If the answer is “CATERPILLAR” it is permissible to say CATER, PILLAR, and PILL, since although these words sound like part of the answer, none of them give away the meaning of “CATERPILLAR.” It is assumed that the appropriate letters are facing up on the dice in order for any of the above answers to be spoken by the translator.
