Board game

• US 20050093235A1
• Filed: 11/01/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Mattel Incorporated
• Inventors: Yu, Brian, Hardie, Jeannie Burns, Keifer, Jim
• Application Number:
  US10/979,550
• Publication Number:
  US 20050093235A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 273/243
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/0483 having symbols or direction indicators for playing the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00466 with indications, e.g. directions for playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00839 The characteristic being size or shape
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2003/00842 The characteristic being a graphical marking
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00148 Board games concerning westerns, detectives, espionage, pirates, murder, disasters, shipwreck rescue operations rodeo A63F3/00028; history A63F3/0449
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00895 Accessories for board games A63F3/00697 takes precedence; game accessories of general use A63F11/00

Abstract

Apparatus and rules for a game played with at least two teams of players are disclosed. A first team has a first objective and a second team has a second objective. In some embodiments, a first objective is to collect a predetermined set of items, and a second objective is to determine a piece of information, which may be based at least in part on the items the first team attempts to collect. The game may be played according to a predetermined theme, such as good vs. evil, “cops and robbers,” or the like, and may be based on characters, events, locations portrayed in a particular popular culture phenomenon, i.e. in a book, comic book, movie, TV show, or the like.

Claims

1. A game for at least two teams, comprising:

a game board with a plurality of location spaces;

a plurality of moveable game pieces for movement on the game board, each game piece having team alignment indicia;

a plurality of mission cards, each mission card including a unique mission identifier and a set of unique item identifiers;

a plurality of item cards, each item card including an item identifier, encoded data, and a location identifier indicating a location space; and

a decoder adapted to decode the encoded data.

2. The game of claim 1, wherein the game board further includes a plurality of movement spaces interconnecting the plurality of location spaces.

3. The game of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of movement spaces bear indicia designating a movement space as one or more of an entrance space for a location space, a start space for one or more game pieces, a jump space allowing a game piece to be moved to a specified movement space, and an exit space allowing a game piece to be moved off of the playing surface.

4. The game of claim 1, further including a random number generator to indicate a number of movement spaces a game piece may be moved.

5. The game of claim 1, wherein the team alignment indicia includes first team alignment indicia and second team alignment indicia differentiable from the first team alignment indicia, wherein a first game piece has first team alignment indicia, and wherein a second game piece has second team alignment indicia.

6. The game of claim 5, wherein first team alignment indicia includes being shaped to resemble a superhero figurine, and wherein second team alignment indicia includes being shaped to resemble a minion figurine.

7. The game of claim 5, wherein each game piece has secondary indicia such that game pieces having the same team alignment indicia are distinguishable from each other.

8. The game of claim 7, wherein the secondary indicia includes an embossed number.

9. The game of claim 7, wherein the secondary indicia includes being shaped to resemble an identifiably distinct superhero figurine.

10. The game of claim 1, wherein the mission identifier includes a graphical depiction of a villain character.

11. The game of claim 1, wherein the set of item identifiers on each mission card correspond to the mission identifier on the mission card.

12. The game of claim 1, wherein each item identifier includes a graphical depiction of an item.

13. The game of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of mission cards includes a first face and a second face, and wherein the first face includes the mission identifier and the set of item identifiers.

14. The game of claim 13, wherein the second faces of each of the plurality of mission cards are indistinguishable from each other.

15. The game of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of item cards includes a first face and a second face, wherein the first face includes the item identifier and the encoded data, and wherein the second face includes the location identifier.

16. The game of claim 1, wherein the encoded data includes at least one of a light region and a dark region.

17. The game of claim 1, wherein the encoded data, when decoded, indicates which of the mission cards include a mission identifier corresponding to the item identifier on the item card.

18. The game of claim 1, wherein the decoder includes a top surface and a front surface, wherein the top surface further includes at least one slot sized to accommodate insertion of an item card into the decoder, and wherein the front surface includes a plurality of windows, each window being configured to display at least a predetermined portion of the encoded data on the item card.

19. The game of claim 18, wherein the decoder is configured to simultaneously accommodate insertion of a plurality of item cards into the decoder such that at least a predetermined portion of the encoded data on each item card inserted into the decoder is displayed.

20. The game of claim 18, wherein the front surface of the decoder further includes a plurality of mission identifiers, positioned to indicate whether the displayed encoded data on each item card inserted into the decoder indicates one or more of the plurality of mission identifiers.

21. The game of claim 1, further including a plurality of command cards, each command card indicating a manner in which one or more moveable game pieces may be moved on the game board.

22. The game of claim 21, wherein each of the plurality of command cards includes team alignment indicia.

23. The game of claim 1, further including a random number generator to indicate movement of a game piece on the game board.

24. A set of components for a game for at least two teams, the set comprising:

a plurality of mission cards, each mission card including a unique mission identifier and a corresponding set of unique item identifiers;

a plurality of item cards, each item card including an item identifier and information indicating which of the mission cards include a mission identifier corresponding to the item identifier on the item card.

25. The set of claim 24, further including a set of rules for playing the game, wherein the rules provide that:

one of the plurality of mission cards is selected and displayed to a first team and concealed from a second team;

the first team is assigned the objective of collecting item cards that include the item identifiers on the selected mission card; and

the second team is assigned the objective of determining the mission identifier on the selected mission card.

26. The set of claim 24, wherein the information includes encoded data.

27. The set of claim 26, further including a decoder adapted to decode the encoded data.

28. The set of claim 26, wherein the encoded data includes at least one of a light region and a dark region.

29. The set of claim 24, wherein one or more item cards include an item identifier that does not correspond to a mission identifier.

30. The set of claim 24, further including a game board with a plurality of location spaces, wherein each location space is associated with one or more item cards.

31. The set of claim 30, wherein each of the plurality of item cards includes a location identifier to indicate the location space with which the item card is associated.

32. The set of claim 31, wherein each of the plurality of item cards includes a first face and a second face, wherein the first face includes the item identifier and the information, and wherein the second face includes the location identifier.

33. The set of claim 24, wherein the number of item cards is greater than or equal to the number of unique item identifiers included on the plurality of mission cards.

34. A method of playing a game, comprising:

providing game components, including;

a game board with a plurality of location spaces;

a plurality of moveable game pieces, including at least a first game piece having first team alignment indicia and at least a second game piece having second team alignment indicia differentiable from the first team alignment indicia;

a plurality of mission cards, each mission card including a unique mission identifier and a corresponding set of unique item identifiers; and

a plurality of item cards associated with each location space, each item card including an item identifier and information indicating which of the mission cards include a mission identifier corresponding to the item identifier on the item card;

associating the at least one game piece having first team alignment indicia with a first team of at least one player and associating the at least one game piece having second team alignment indicia with a second team of at least one player;

displaying the mission identifier and corresponding set of item identifiers on a randomly selected one of the plurality of mission cards to the first team, and concealing the mission identifier and corresponding set of item identifiers on the selected mission card from the second team;

assigning a first objective to the first team and assigning a second objective, different from the first objective, to the second team;

allowing each team to manipulate its associated game pieces on a game board in an attempt to accomplish its objective;

declaring the first team to accomplish its objective as the winning team.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein assigning a first objective includes assigning the objective of attempting to collect item cards that include item identifiers corresponding to the mission identifier on the selected mission card, and wherein assigning a second objective includes assigning the objective of determining the mission identifier on the selected mission card.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein allowing each team to manipulate its associated plurality of game pieces on a game board in an attempt to accomplish its objective includes:

allowing the first team to move a moveable game piece including first team alignment indicia to one of the plurality of location spaces, select one of the plurality of item card associated with the location space, and move the moveable game piece with the selected item card off of the game board; and

allowing the second team to move a moveable game piece including second team alignment indicia to intercept a game piece including first team alignment indicia with a selected item card, take the selected item card, and use the information on the item card to determine the mission identifier associated with the selected mission card.

37. A game for at least two teams, comprising:

a game board with a plurality of location spaces interconnected by a plurality of movement spaces;

a plurality of moveable game pieces for movement on the game board, each game piece having team alignment indicia;

a plurality of mission cards, each mission card including a unique mission identifier and a set of unique item identifiers;

a plurality of item cards, each item card including an item identifier, encoded data, and a location identifier indicating a location space;

a decoder to decode the encoded data;

a random number generator to indicate a number of movement spaces a game piece may be moved;

a plurality of command cards, each command card indicating a manner in which one or more moveable game pieces may be moved on the game board; and

a set of rules for playing the game.

38. A set of game components, comprising:

a plurality of game items including a first game item and a second game item, each game item including a corresponding plurality of individually distinguishable indicia such that the plurality of indicia on the first game item is different from the plurality of indicia on the second game item; and

a plurality of cards, each including at least one of the indicia included with one or more of the plurality of game items.

39. The set of claim 38, wherein the game items are cards.

40. The set of claim 38, wherein the game components further includes a set of rules for playing the game, which provides a first objective for a first team and a second objective for a second team.

41. The set of claim 40, wherein the first objective is to select one of the plurality of game items and to collect a quantity of the plurality of cards sufficient that all of the indicia on the selected game item is included with at least one of the collected quantity of the plurality of cards.

42. The set of claim 41, wherein the second objective is to retrieve a subset of the collected quantity of the plurality of cards sufficient to determine which of the plurality of game items is the selected game item.

43. A set of game components, comprising:

a first plurality of cards, each including at least one of a first type of indicia and at least one of a second type of indicia different from the first type of indicia; and

a second plurality of cards, each including at least one of the second type of indicia included with one or more of the first plurality of cards;

wherein each of the second plurality of cards includes none of the first type of indicia.

44. A game for at least two teams, comprising:

a plurality of game items, at least two game items including a first common characteristic, and at least two game items including a second common characteristic different from the first common characteristic; and

a set of rules for playing the game, which provides that a first objective for a first team is to collect a predetermined quantity of the plurality of game items that include a common characteristic, and which also provides that a second objective is for a second team is to determine the common characteristic.

45. A method of playing a game, comprising:

providing a plurality of game items, at least two of the plurality of game items including a first common characteristic, and at least two of the plurality of game items including a second common characteristic different from the first common characteristic;

assigning a first objective to a first team of at least one player of collecting a predetermined quantity of the plurality of game items that include a common characteristic; and

assigning a second objective to a second team of at least one player of determining the common characteristic.