GB2196263A - Board game - Google Patents

Abstract

A board game based on the acquisition of financial assets such as stocks, shares or commodities comprises a playing board 10, player tokens 12, asset cards 14 describing and valuing assets to be acquired by the players, and instruction cards 16 to 20. The game into includes dice 22 and imitation money 24. The playing board depicts a number of different playing areas defining areas of progressively higher risk for a player, and a path 32,34 for progressing from each playing area to the next. Each playing area comprises a cyclic path for a player comprising a number of player positions 36 each labelled with an instruction on what is expected of a player at that position. Instructions can authorise the acquisition of the asset cards in exchange for the imitation money; or the turning up of one or other of the instruction cards and following the instruction contained thereon. Progression from one playing area to the next, or back, is governed by rules referring to the value of the asset cards owned by the respective players. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Board game The invention relates to equipment for playing a board game based on the acquisition of financial assets such as stocks, shares or commodities.

The problem faced by the Applicants was to device a game which was indicative of the risk, excitement and rewards of dealing on the stock, share or commodity markets; and to include in that game elements of educational value to the players, representative of the socio-economic consequencies of stock or share ownership or commodity dealing.

The invention provides equipment for playing a game based on the acquisition of financial assets such as stocks, shares or commodities comprising a playing board defining a number of different playing areas defining areas of progressively higher risk for a playing, and a path for progressing from each playing area to the next, each playing area comprising a cyclic path for a player consisting of a number of player positions each labelled with an instruction on what is expected of a player at that position; player tokens for moving around the player areas to indicate the positions of the different players; random number selection means for determining the extent of each player movement; asset cards to be purchased by the players representing ownership of stocks, shares or commodities; imitation money to effect those purchases; and three sets of instruction cards to be selected in accordance with the instructions printed on the player areas, respectively for advancing the progress of the player, for retarding the progress of the player, and for dictating the financial consequences of ownership of given asset cards.

The invention meets the above problem in that the different playing areas of the board represent different risk areas such as progressively higher tax brackets. Progress from one risk area to the next in accordance with rules of the game is preferably dependent upon the player's ownership of selected asset cards or a selected proportion of the available asset cards. Preferably the rewards in a higher risk area are also higher, commensurate with the higher risks. In a preferred embodiment the playing board defines three playing areas representing progressively higher tax brackets.

These may be defined as concentric circular paths on the board, with the path representing the highest risk area (highest tax bracket) at the centre.

Each circuit of one cyclic path around one playing area represents the completion of one financial year in commerce during the playing of the game, but it is not necessary for all playing areas to be formed from the same number of player positions. Indeed it is preferable for the number of player positions around the central, highest risk, path to be less than that around each outer path. Typically there may be twentyeight player positions making up the central path, and thirtysix player positions making up each outer path. This has the effect that changes in the fortunes of the players in the central, highest risk, playing area change more rapidly than those of the players in the outer, lower risk, playing areas.

The instructions labelled on the different player positions preferably include instructions to a player at that position to purchase an asset card; instructions to a player at that position relating to income derived from ownership of different asset cards; instructions to a player at that position relating to taxation resulting from ownership of different asset cards; and instructions to a player at that position to select from one or other of the sets of instruction cards. The labelled instructions may also include instructions to the player at that posi tionto repeat his turn or to miss a turn.

The random number selection means may be one or more dice, but preferably enable the selection of numbers from 1 to 8, indicating from 1 to 8 steps forward per player. This may be achieved by the use of an eight-sided die, or by the use of a pair of tetrahedral dice, each carrying the numbers from 1 to 4.

DRA WINGS: Figure 1 illustrates a playing board an ancillary equipment according to this invention; Figure 2 illustrates a typical asset card, both sides of the card being illustrated; and Figures 3 to 5 illustrate typical instruction cards, one from each of the three sets, both sides of the card being illustrated in each figure.

The equipment illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a playing board 10 on which are placed player tokens 12, a pile of asset cards 14, and three piles of instruction cards 16 to 20.

Also illustrated in Fig. 1 is a pair of tetrahedral dice 22 and a pile of imitation money 24, which make up the remainder of the equipment according to this invention.

Printed on the board are three playing areas 26 to 30, as represented by three concentric circles. A path 32 is defined from the outermost circle to the midddle circle, and a path 34 is defined from the middle circle to the innermost circle. A player START position is defined on the board at 38, and players move their counters or player tokens 12 around the board in the clockwise direction, each move being over a number of player positions 36 as defined by the random number total generated by a throw of the dice 22.

Each player position 36 has printed thereon an instruction to the player. The range of instructions is as follows.

Nice -Nasty Stockmarket Bank Insurance "XXXX" income "Throw Again" Strike (miss a turn) Meal (miss a turn) Petrol (miss a turn) Hand in a share card Tax April 1st income The players follow the various instructions printed at their positions as follows.

NICE and NASTY Cards A player landing at a position marked NICE is required to pick up an instruction card from the pile 18, and a player landing on a position marked NASTY is required to pick up an instruction card from the pile 20. Typical instruction cards are shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The player is then required to move his player token, acquire or dispose of share cards 14, or acquire or dispose of money 24 as instructed by the card. To add interest, the NICE and NASTY cards are placed facedown on the board, but some cards are labelled VERY NICE or VERY NASTY, so that players can anticipate either a high reward or a high penalty if they have cause to turn up the next card from the respective piles: Stockmarket A player landing on a player position marked Stockmarket is required to purchase, at its nominal value, one share card from the pile 14. A typical share card is shown in Fig.

2. The share cards define four major industries, each being colour coded. Each industry is subdivided into four major sectors, with one share card for each sector. For example, the fuel industry could be represented by the market sectors Gas, Electricity, Oil and Coal; and each share card represents a twentyfive percent share of one sector of one industry.

There are thus sixtyfour share cards in the complete set.

The different industries represented by the share cards are Farming, Service industries, Manufacturing industries and the Fuel industries.

It is an object of the game to own one hundred percent of one sector of an industry.

This would be represented by four matching share cards, each representing-twentyfive percent of the same sector of that industry.

Bank When a player lands on a player position marked "Bank" he is obliged to turn up the top card on the pile 16, and follow the instructions written on that card. A typical bank card is illustrated in Fig. 5. The instructions contained on that card may include the compulsory sale of any share cards held in a particular industry, or may impose financial rewards or penalties, either dependent on the ownership of particular share cards or independently or such ownership.

Insurance The instruction on a player position marked "Insurance" is typically an instruction to pay, from a player's own funds, either a set amount or an amount that varies based on the number of share cards held by that player.

"XXXX" Income The player positions marked "Income" may instruct a player to accept a certain income as general income, dependent on the number of share cards held but independently of the nature or identity of the share cards held, or may. instruct the payment of a set amount of income per share card held in a particular industry. Any such income is paid from a central reserve, held by one player who is nominated as "Banker".

"Throw again" and "Miss a turn" The instructions contained at these player positions are self-explanatory.

Hand in a share card A player landing on a player position thus marked must shuffle all of the share cards in his possession and offer them face downwards to another player who will select at random the share card to be surrendered.

There is no income generated from such a surrender, and the card is returned face up to a central portion 40 of the board marked "Stock Exchange" . In subsequent play, any player landed on a 'Stockmarket' square may select, at his option, either the top card from the pile 14 or any one card so offered on the Stock Exchange.

Tax Each time a player passes the player position marked "Tax" he must pay to the central fund an amount of tax dictated by his share ownership. If a player lands directly on this player positions, he must pay double that tax.

April 1st Income Each time a player passes the player position marked "April 1st income" he receives income which is related in part to the number of share cards held. If a player lands directly on such a player position, then he receives double that amount of income.

The APRIL 1ST INCOME and TAX player positions are displaced 180 around each playing area, to indicate to the players the concept that in real life commerce income and tax liability are displaced in time.

Advancement from one playing area to another The different playing areas 26 to 30 represent different tax brackets, with the tax liability rising as the player progresses towards the innermost circuit 30. The three playing areas thus represent playing areas of progressively increasing risk to the players. Also the number of "stockmarket" player positions is greatest on the outermost circuit 26, and the proportion of NICE to NASTY player positions is greatest on that outermost circuit. The rewards are, however, similarly weighted. The penalities for landing on an "Insurance'' or "XXXX Income" player position also rise progressively for players advancing from one tax bracket to the next, as does the April 1st Income.

A player is required to advance from the lowest tax bracket circuit 26 to the middle circuit 28 when he owns fifty percent of one industry. That move is made when the player passes the "April 1st Income" player position, as directed by the "Transfer" player position 32. Similarly a player is required to move up from the middle tax bracket 28 to the highest tax bracket 30 via the player position 34 when, on passing the appropriate April 1st income square, he owns seventyfive percent of any one industry.

When a player loses some or all of his shares so that his share ownership falls below the fifty percent or seventyfive percent thresholds indicated above, he is required to move down to the next lowest tax bracket via the player position 33 or 35. The player positions 33 and 35 are preferably located immediately after a player position with the instruction "Tax" printed thereon, so that tax liability and demotion to a lower tax bracket go hand in hand.

Bankruptcy If a player is unable to meet his debts from the imitation money in his possession, then he may sell share cards to any other player or, at his discretion to the bank at half their face value. When a player is unable to pay his debts having sold all his share cards, then he is deemed bankrupt and retires from the game.

Claims (9)

1. Equipment for playing a game based on the acquisition of financial assets such as stocks, shares or commodites comprising a playing board defining a number of different playing areas defining areas of progressively higher risk for a player, and a path for progressing from each playing area to the next, each playing area comprising a cyclic path for a player consisting of a number of player positions each labelled with an instruction on what is expected of a player at that position; player tokens for moving around the player areas to indicate the positions of the different players; random number selection means for determining the extent of each player movement; asset cards to be purchased by the players representing ownership of stocks, shares or commodities; imitation money to effect those purchases; and three sets of instruction cards to be selected in accordance with the instructions printed on the player areas, respectively, for advancing the progress of the player, for retarding the progress of the player, and for dictating the financial consequences of ownership of given asset cards.

2. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the playing board defines three playing areas respresenting progressively higher tax brackets.

3. Equipment according to either preceding claim, wherein the playing areas are defined as concentric circular paths on the board, with the path representing the highest risk area at the centre.

4. Equipment according to claim 3, wherein the number of player positions around the central, highest risk, path is less than that around each outer path.

5. Equipment according to claim 4, wherein there are 28 player positions making up the central path, and 36 player positions making up each outer path.

6. Equipment according to any preceding claim, wherein the instructions labelled on the different player positions include instructions to purchase an asset card; instructions relating to income derived from ownership of different asset cards; instructions relating to taxation resulting from ownership of different asset cards; and instructions to select from one or other of the sets of instruction cards.

7. Equipment according to any preceding claim, wherein the random number selection means comprises means for selecting between 1 and 8 steps forward per player.

8. Equipment according to claim 7, wherein the random number selection means comprises a pair of tetrahedral dice, each carrying the numbers from 1 to 4.

9. Equipment for playing a game based on the acquisition of stocks and shares, substantially as described herein with reference to the drawings.