JP7720243B2 - Board games - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a board game in which multiple players move their pieces using dice or other devices.

A board game known as Sugoroku is known in which a player moves a piece along a path marked on a board according to the roll of a dice to reach a goal. The path of the piece's movement varies, from one that is fixed in advance to one that the player can select based on rules. A typical Sugoroku game, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, has a starting point set at the end of the board, a spiral path from the starting point to the goal, the piece moves along the path according to the roll of the dice, and the player progresses through the game and reaches the goal according to the instructions of where the piece stops.
Furthermore, since a fixed path along which the pieces move would lack gameplay, Patent Document 2 also discloses a board game in which the route changes in a variety of ways as the game progresses.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-261442 JP 2014-42787 A

However, in the conventional Sugoroku game disclosed in Patent Document 1, the route from the starting point to the goal point is fixed, so the playability of the game depends on the chance of the dice roll. In addition, in the board game disclosed in Patent Document 2, the layout of the board on which the route is written is changed to form a new route during the game, but since the route may change each time a game is played, the game has a high playability but lacks strategy.
The present invention applies a cover, which is an auxiliary board selected by the player according to predetermined rules, to the game board, thereby varying the movement paths of the pieces in a variety of ways, thereby increasing the playability and unexpectedness of the board game, and also providing a highly entertaining board game that requires strategy, as the movement paths can be determined at the start of the game.

To solve this problem, the invention of claim 1 is a board game comprising: a first board having at least a first starting point, a path, and intermediate goals displayed on one surface; a second board having at least a second starting point, a path, and a final goal displayed on one surface; a first obstacle-placing cover having an opening that allows obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the first board when positioned in a specific alignment on one surface of the first board; a second obstacle-placing cover having an opening that allows obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the second board when positioned in a specific alignment on one surface of the second board; a plurality of pieces that can be placed on, moved on, or removed from each board by a player; and polyhedral dice having information displayed on each surface for identifying and specifying each of the pieces.

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration described in claim 1, the first and second boards are provided with reference position marks in multiple locations as indicators for positioning the first cover and the second cover, respectively, and the first and second covers are provided with alignment marks as indicators for aligning with any of the reference position marks, and by aligning the alignment marks with any of the reference position marks, the openings can be positioned in different positions on the first and second boards.

According to the present invention, by placing a first cover and a second cover on the first board and the second board, respectively, and placing obstacles in the openings formed in the first cover and the second cover, and then removing the first cover and the second cover, the obstacles are placed on the paths of the first and second boards. Furthermore, by making the positions at which the first cover and the second cover are placed on the first board and the second board, respectively, variable as the game progresses, the positions of the obstacles change, resulting in a highly engaging game.

1 is a diagram showing a first board 1 used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a second board 20 used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a first board 1 and a second board 20 used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a first cover 50 used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention, where FIG. 1A shows the front side and FIG. 1B shows the back side. (a) is a surface view showing the state in which a first cover 50 is superimposed on a first board 1 used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a surface view showing the state in which the first cover has been removed after an obstacle has been placed in the opening. 1 is a perspective view of an obstacle tile used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing dice used in a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the dice, and FIG. 1B is a development view of the dice.

1 to 8 show a board game according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First board and second board]
Fig. 1 is a surface view showing a first board 1 in this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a surface view showing a second board 20. The first board 1 and the second board 20 have a configuration in which lines, patterns, symbols, etc., which will be described later, are displayed on the surface of a plate-like base material that serves as a base material.
The board game of the present invention is characterized by its configuration comprising a first board 1 having at least a first starting point 9, a passage route, and an intermediate goal 7 displayed on one surface thereof; a second board 20 having at least a second starting point 29, a passage route, and a final goal 27 displayed on one surface thereof; a first obstacle-placing cover 50 having an opening on one surface of the first board that allows obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the first board when positioned in a specific alignment state; a second obstacle-placing cover 60 having an opening on one surface of the second board that allows obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the second board when positioned in a specific alignment state; a plurality of pieces 70 that can be placed on, moved on, or removed from each board by a player; and polyhedral dice 69 having information displayed on each face for identifying and specifying each of the pieces.
Furthermore, in the board game of the present invention, the first and second boards 1 and 20 are displayed with reference position marks 11 and 31 in multiple locations as indicators for positioning the first cover 50 and the second cover 60, respectively, and the first and second covers are displayed with alignment marks 53 as indicators for aligning with any of the reference position marks, and the board game is characterized in that by aligning the alignment marks with any of the reference position marks, each opening can be positioned in a different position on the first and second boards.
The first board 1 has an outer periphery 3 made up of lines shaped like a regular hexagon, and a plurality of circular passages 5 arranged in a tree-ring pattern inside the outer periphery 3. The outer periphery 3 and the circular passages 5 are used as passageways. In this embodiment, there are six circular passages 5, each designated 5a to 5f, with a relay goal (heliport) 7 located further inside the innermost circular passage 5f.

A first starting point 9 of the game is located on each side of the outer edge 3 of the first board 1, and reference position marks 11 (numbered [1] to [6]) are displayed at each vertex of the outer edge 3. In addition, a plurality of progress points 13 (black circles "●") indicating positions for pieces to progress (stop or pass) are located on the outer edge 3 and the circular passage 5. The black triangle "▲" located on the innermost circular passage 5f is also a type of progress point 13, and different rules can be set depending on the shape of the progress point.
Between the outer peripheral edge 3 and the annular passage 5, there are provided transition passages 15 that connect the outer peripheral edge 3 and the outermost annular passage 5a, as well as transition passages 15 that connect the annular passages together. The transition passage 15 that connects the annular passages 5d and 5e is depicted with a dotted line, allowing for a different rule to be set for this transition passage 15 from the other transition passages 15 depicted with solid lines.

Similar to the first board 1, the second board 20 shown in Fig. 2 also has a hexagonal outer periphery 23 and a plurality of circular passages 25 arranged in a tree-ring pattern inside the outer periphery 23. The outer periphery 23 and the circular passages 25 are used as passageways. In this embodiment, there are seven circular passages 25, each designated by 25a to 25g, with the final goal (local emergency headquarters) 27 located further inside the innermost circular passage 25g.
A second starting point (heliport) 29 of the game is located on each side of the outer edge 23 of the second board 20, and reference position marks 31 (numbered [1] through [6]) are displayed at each vertex of the outer edge 23. In addition, multiple progress points 13 (black circles "●") are located on the outer edge 23 and the circular path 25, indicating positions for the pieces to progress (stop or pass through). The black triangles "▲" located on the circular path 25g are also a type of progress point 13, and different rules can be set depending on the shape of the progress point.

The outer peripheral edge 23 and the annular passage 25 are provided with transition passages 15 that connect the outer peripheral edge 23 to the annular passage 25a, as well as transition passages 15 that connect the annular passages to each other. Note that a portion of the transition passage connecting the annular passage 25c to the annular passage 25d and the transition passage 15 connecting the annular passage 25f to the annular passage 25g are indicated by dotted lines, allowing different rules to be set for these transition passages 15 than for the other transition passages 15 indicated by solid lines.

Figures 3(a) and (b) show an example of the first board 1 and second board 20 displayed on a single board. It can be seen that the area of the second board 20 is larger than that of the first board 1 and that the configuration of the transition paths 15 connecting the circular paths is different. Furthermore, when moving a piece from the intermediate goal 7 on the first board 1 to the second start point 29 on the second board 20, depending on the progress of the game, there is a route 41 that must pass through a location 40 set as a waypoint, and a route 42 that allows movement from the intermediate goal 7 to the second start point 29 without passing through a waypoint. Note that the size relationship between the first board 1 and the second board 20 is not limited to this embodiment, and the arrangement of the progress points 13 on the periphery of each board and on the circular path, and the arrangement and configuration of the transition paths 15 are not limited to this embodiment.

[First cover and second cover]
Next, the first cover and the second cover used in this embodiment will be described.
4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams showing a first cover 50 used in this embodiment, with FIG. 4(a) showing the front surface of the first cover and FIG. 4(b) showing the back surface of the first cover. The first cover 50 has openings 52a-52e of any shape and number at any positions. Furthermore, alignment marks 53 are displayed at appropriate locations near the outer periphery on both the front and back surfaces of the first cover. The first cover 50 has approximately the same outer dimensions as the first board 1. By aligning the alignment marks 53 on the first cover 50 with the reference position marks 11 on the first board 1 and placing the first cover 50 over the first board 1, portions of the annular passage 5 and transition passage 15 provided on the first board 1 can be confirmed (visually recognized) through the openings 52a-52e of the first cover 50, allowing portions of the annular passage 5 and transition passage 15 to be identified.

Fig. 5(a) shows the state in which the first cover 50 is superimposed on the first board 1, and Fig. 5(b) shows the state in which the first cover has been removed after an obstacle has been placed in the opening. Note that the shape of the opening in Fig. 4 is different from the shape of the opening in Fig. 5.
By overlapping the first cover 50 on the first board 1, a portion of the annular passage 5 and the transition passage 15 formed in the first board 1 are exposed from each of the openings 52a to 52e of the first cover 50, and their locations can be identified. The position identified by the opening 52 of the first cover 50 changes depending on which of the multiple reference position marks 11 provided on the first board 1 the alignment mark 53 is aligned with.

In this embodiment, the first board 1 has a hexagonal outer shape, and the reference position marks 11 are set at each vertex of the hexagon from [1] to [6], resulting in six variations in the opening placement position.Furthermore, depending on whether the front or back surface of the first cover 50 is used, six more variations can be created, for a total of 12 variations.
Furthermore, for example, by using multiple first covers 50 and changing the shape, size, and location of the openings 52 formed in each cover, the variety of positions specified by the openings 52 can be increased. The number of first covers 50 used can be half the number of dice rolls used in the game. For example, when regular hexahedral dice are used, three first covers 50 can be used, and a total of six variations can be selected by using the front and back sides of each first cover 50, and the first cover 50 to be used can be selected according to the number of dice rolls. Note that while the above embodiment has been described using the front and back sides of the first covers 50 as an example, this is not limited to this. A desired number of first covers 50, each with a different arrangement or size of the openings 52, can be prepared and used. Furthermore, the shape of the dice 60 is not limited to a regular hexahedron, and various shapes such as a regular tetrahedron, a regular octahedron, and a regular dodecahedron can be used, and the number of first covers 50 used does not necessarily have to be related to the number of dice rolls. For example, even when using a regular dodecahedral die, it is sufficient to use one or more first covers 50. Furthermore, the shape of the opening 52 is not limited to that of this embodiment, and various shapes and sizes can be used.

Like the first cover 50, the second cover 60 (not shown) also covers the second board 20. It has approximately the same external dimensions as the second board 20 it covers (is placed over in a predetermined alignment and positional relationship), and has an opening 52 of any shape and at any position. Furthermore, alignment marks 53 are located on both the front and back of the second cover 60. Therefore, by aligning the alignment marks 53 of the second cover 60 with the reference position marks 11 of the second board 20 and placing the second cover 60 over the second board 20, portions of the annular passage 5 and transition passage 15 provided on the second board 20 can be seen through the opening 52 of the second cover 60, allowing portions of the annular passage 5 and transition passage 15 to be identified. Using both sides of the second cover 60, or preparing multiple second covers 60, can increase the variety of positions that can be identified by the openings.

In this embodiment, the first board 1 and the second board 20 each have a hexagonal outer shape, with reference position marks 11 ([1] to [6]) located at each vertex of the hexagon. Furthermore, the first cover 50 and the second cover 60, which cover the first board 1 and the second board 20 (so that they are covered in a predetermined alignment and positional relationship), each have a reference position mark 53 located at one vertex. However, the outer shapes of the first board 1, the second board 20, the first cover 50, and the second cover 60 are not limited to a hexagon. For example, polygons other than hexagons, such as triangles and squares, can also be used, and various outer shapes, such as circles and stars, can also be adopted. Furthermore, while the first cover 50 and the second cover 60 have the same shape as the first board 1 and the second board 20, respectively, this is not a limitation. As long as they each have openings 52 and alignment marks 53, they do not have to have the same shape as the first and second boards. Furthermore, the first board 1 and the second board 20 also have the same external shape, but for example, the first board 1 may be hexagonal and the second board 20 may be a shape other than hexagonal.

[Obstacle tiles]
6 is a perspective view of obstacle tiles (obstacles) used in the board game according to the present invention. Tile 70 can be placed in openings 52d and 52e, tile 72 can be placed in opening 52a, tile (obstacle) 74 can be placed in opening 52c, and tile 76 can be placed in opening 52b. By using obstacle tiles 70-76 with bottom surfaces similar in shape to the openings 52 provided in first cover 50 and second cover 60, it is possible to easily determine which obstacle tile should be placed in which opening 52, and to identify which parts of the circular passage 5 and transition passage 15 are impassable. While the obstacle tiles 70-76 are shown as being rectangular or cylindrical, the shape is not limited thereto. For example, if the first and second boards are made of metal, magnetic sheets or the like may be used as obstacle tiles and attached to the first and second boards.

[Dice]
FIG. 7( a ) is a perspective view of a die used in the board game according to the present invention, and FIG. 7( b ) is a development view of the die. The die 60 is, for example, a regular hexahedron, with each face colored in three colors, and odd and even numbers assigned to each color. The three colors are used as identification information. In this embodiment, numbers 1 and 2 are the same color, numbers 3 and 4 are the same color, and numbers 5 and 6 are the same color. Note that in this embodiment, the same color is assigned to two consecutive numbers. However, for example, numbers 1 and 4, numbers 2 and 5, and numbers 3 and 6 may be paired with the same color, or numbers 1 and 6, numbers 2 and 5, and numbers 3 and 4 may be paired with the same color. As will be described later, because this is not a board game in which the pieces 70 are moved based on the roll of the die 60, the total number of opposing faces does not need to be seven, as with a typical regular hexahedron die.

[Game Progression]
Next, the game progress of the board game according to the present invention will be briefly explained.
(1) In the board game of this embodiment, two to three players are appropriate, and each player selects their own identification information, such as a color. As described above, when regular hexahedral dice are used, the colors serving as identification information are three colors (red, blue, and green). Therefore, players who select red are assigned numbers 1 and 2, players who select blue are assigned numbers 3 and 4, and players who select green are assigned numbers 5 and 6. Each player selects one of the assigned numbers. The color and number assignments themselves can be easily understood by checking the faces of the dice. However, to make it easier for players to understand the numbers they have selected during the game, player cards displaying their numbers and colors may be prepared, and players may select one of these. For example, player cards may be prepared with the numbers 1 and 2 written on them, each in red, the numbers 3 and 4 written on them, and the numbers 5 and 6 written on them, each in green. Each player can easily understand their identification information (color) and selected number by selecting one of the two cards they selected as their color.

(2) Next, after determining the order of play, the players place their pieces 70 at the first starting points 9 located on the outer periphery 23 of the first board 1 in accordance with the order of play. At this time, each player is dealt two pieces 70, so they place one piece at each of two locations of their choice on the first starting points 9.

(3) Next, the player who goes first (first in the playing order) selects either the first cover 50 or the second cover 60, and also selects whether to use the front or back side of the cover, declares this to the other players, and rolls the dice.
For example, if the first player to bat declares that he will use the surface of the first cover 50 and rolls a 1 on the dice, the first cover 50 is placed on the surface of the first board 1 in a predetermined alignment with the alignment mark 53 on the surface of the first cover 50 aligned with the reference position mark 11 (1) on the first board 1, and obstacle tiles corresponding to the opening shapes of the openings 52 in the first cover 50 are placed in each of the openings 52a to 52e, and then the first cover 50 is removed, leaving obstacle tiles 70 to 76 placed in part of the circular passage 5 and transition passage 15 of the first board 1 (Figure 5(b)).
As mentioned above, for example, if the first and second boards are made of metal, magnetic sheets can be used as the obstacle tiles 70 to 76, or if magnets are attached to the bottom surfaces of the obstacle tiles 70 to 76, the obstacle tiles 70 to 76 will stick to the first and second boards, allowing the first cover 50 and the second cover 60 to be removed without the obstacle tiles shifting.

(4) Next, the player in second place in the playing order selects a cover to be applied to a board on which no obstacle tiles have been placed, declares whether to use the front or back of the cover, rolls the dice, and places obstacle tiles on the board in the same manner as described in (3) above. In the above example, since the player in first place in the playing order has already selected the first cover 50, the player in second place selects the second cover 60, declares whether to use the front or back of the cover, rolls the dice, aligns the alignment marks 53 on the front of the second cover 60 with the reference position marks 31 on the second board 20, places the second cover 60 on the openings 52 of the second cover 60, and places obstacle tiles 70 to 76 in each of the openings 52 a to 52 e according to the shape of the openings 52. Then, the second cover 60 is removed, leaving the obstacle tiles 70 to 76 placed in the circular passage 5 and part of the transition passage 15 on the second board 20.
In the above explanation, the player ranked second in the playing order places obstacle tiles on the board that was not selected by the player ranked first, but it is also possible for the player ranked third in the playing order to place obstacle tiles on the board.

(5) Next, each player rolls the dice according to their playing order and moves their piece 70 onto the progress point 13. At this time, the following rules apply to the amount of movement of the piece.
If the top of the die is different from the player's identification information (if it is a different color from the color selected by the player), the player is awarded 1 point and can move one of the two pieces by 1 point.

If the top of the die matches the player's identification information (the same color as the player's selected color), the player can move the piece by two points. Note that since the player has two pieces, it is also possible to move each piece by one point.
If the top of the die matches the player's identification (the same color as the player's selected color) and is the number selected by the player, the player can move the piece by 3 points. In this case, the points can be split between two pieces.
In any of the above cases, a player cannot pass through a path on which an obstacle tile has been placed, nor can a player's piece pass through or join another player's progress point 13. However, by providing cards or the like to exercise the right to remove obstacle tiles and distributing them to each player at the start of the game, the rules may be set so that each player can remove one of the obstacle tiles 70 to 76 and move their own piece at their own discretion.

(6) Each player takes turns rolling the dice and, according to the above rules, moves their piece from the starting point 9 toward the relay goal (heliport) 7 on the first board 1. A rule could be set that two points are required to pass through the transition path 15, indicated by the dotted line connecting circular paths 5d and 5e, or that an obstacle other than an obstacle tile (for example, an obstacle marked "Under Construction") can be placed at the progress point during a player's turn to roll the dice, and that other players can remove that obstacle by using two points. In this way, the playability of the game can be enhanced by using obstacles that impede other players' progress during the game, in addition to the obstacle tiles set up at the beginning of the game.

When placing obstacles during the game, a rule may be set that allows them to be placed at the progress points 13 marked with a "●" but not at the progress points 13 marked with a "▲." In this embodiment, the progress points 13 marked with a "▲" are placed on the passing route 5f on the periphery of the relay goal (heliport) 7 on the first board 1 and on the movement route 25g on the periphery of the final goal 27 on the second board 20. This is because there are few route options for reaching the relay goal 7 or the final goal 27 from the passing routes 5f and 25g, and placing many obstacles when there are few options can prevent the game from being played or slow down the progress of the game.

Also, a rule can be set that requires two or more points to board a helicopter after arriving at the relay goal (heliport) 7; in other words, a player cannot board unless the same identification information as the player's selected appears on the top of the dice. Furthermore, a rule can be set in which multiple "helicopter boarding cards" are prepared in advance, with the rules for game progress written on the back of each card, and when boarding a helicopter, the player draws a card and the game progresses based on the rules written on the back. Possible rules written on the back include "The helicopter will not fly due to bad weather," "It's fine. The helicopter will fly shortly. Head directly to the local heliport," "It's fine. The helicopter will fly shortly. We'll stop at the hospital on the way, so please go to the local heliport next time," and other rules that specify whether or not helicopter travel is possible and the route to take if so.

Therefore, even if the player arrives at the relay goal (heliport) 7 set on the first board 1, the piece cannot be moved from the relay goal 7 on the first board 1 to the heliport 29 on the second board 20. Alternatively, the playability of the game can be enhanced by setting a route 41 in which the player must temporarily stop at a location 40 set as a waypoint when moving the piece to the heliport 29 on the second board 20, and a route 42 that passes through the waypoint and allows the player to move the piece directly to the second starting point (heliport) 29 on the second board 20.

The player who gets two of his/her pieces to the final goal 27 first wins the game.
While the above embodiment features two to three players, each player may move one piece at a time, and the maximum number of players may be set to six. While the first board 1 and the second board 20 have a hexagonal outer shape to optimize the game for two to three players, the first board 1 and the second board 20 may have a polygonal outer shape other than a hexagon or a circle depending on the number of players and the number of pieces each player possesses. When changing the outer shape of the first board 1 and the second board 20 in this way depending on the number of players, the dice must also be changed so that they have faces on which identification information can be assigned depending on the number of players. However, by assigning multiple identification information and numbers to each face of a regular hexahedral dice, the outer shape of the dice themselves may not be changed, and the required number of identification information and numbers may be assigned to the dice. Furthermore, while the game progresses using dice with identification information and numbers attached, this is not limited to this example. A roulette with identification information and numbers written on it may also be used, and the identification information and numbers may be determined by spinning the roulette.

[Action and effect]
As described above, in this embodiment, by using first and second boards with reference position marks, and first and second covers with openings into which obstacle tiles are inserted and alignment marks, the positions of obstacle tiles placed on the game path can be changed according to the results of dice rolls and instructions on the front and back faces of players, thereby enhancing the playability of the board game.
It goes without saying that the above embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

1...First board 3, 23...Outer perimeter 5, 25...Circular passage 7...Relay goal (heliport)
9...First starting point 11, 31...Reference position mark 13...Proceeding point 15...Transition passage 20...Second board 27...Final goal (local emergency headquarters)
29...Second starting point (relay starting point)
40...waypoints 41, 42...route 50...first cover 52...opening 53...alignment mark 60...dice 70...piece

Claims (2)

a first board on which at least a first starting point, a passing route, and a relay goal are displayed;
a second board having at least a second starting point, a route, and a final goal displayed on one side thereof;
a first cover for placing obstacles, the first cover having openings that allow obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the first board when positioned in a specific alignment on one side of the first board;
a second cover for placing obstacles, the second cover having openings that, when positioned in a specific alignment on one side of the second board, allow obstacles to be placed at specific locations on the second board;
a plurality of pieces that can be placed on, moved around, or removed from each of the boards by a player;
A polyhedral die on each side of which information for identifying and specifying each of the pieces is displayed;
A board game comprising: a plurality of reference position marks are displayed on the first and second boards as indicators for positioning the first cover and the second cover, respectively;
alignment marks are displayed on the first and second covers as indicators for aligning with either of the reference position marks;
The board game of claim 1, characterized in that each of the openings is configured to be positioned at a different position on the first and second boards by aligning the alignment marks with any of the reference position marks.