Board game apparatus

• US 4,890,842 A
• Filed: 11/08/1988
• Issued: 01/02/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wim C. Plange
• Original Assignee: Wim C. Plange
• Inventors: Plange, Wim C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Coven, Edward M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Layno, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US07/268,875
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 273/246, 273/251, 273/252, 273/256, 273/274, 273/278, 273/254
• US Class Current: 273/246
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00006 Board games played along a linear track, e.g. game of goose, snakes and ladders, along an endless track A63F3/00028 - A63F3/00157, A63F3/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00082 Racing games racing games characterised by figures moved by action of the player A63F9/14

Abstract

A high-risk racing game in which two to six players own racing cars represented by their pawns which they race along routes of enumerated spaces through the United States, Canada and Mexico on a gameboard. Players are given the cars, or purchase them outright or at auction by total cash or part payment with the balance financed against a car'"'"'s credit limit. A player defrays incurred expenses by cash payment or debt charged against an owned car. The first player with 100 points on the scoreboard wins the game. The scoreboard records points accumulated by players, cars owned outright and purchased, and cars available for acquisition. Each time a player lands upon or passes the gameboard'"'"'s score-line space, he collects points for cars he owns, with additional points collected for two-car racing teams of each specific group. The number of gameboard spaces a player advances his pawn corresponds to a number card picked or a certain space landed upon. Landing upon certain gameboard spaces requires a player to pick a rallye card which imposes duties or penalties requiring expenses to be defrayed, provides rewards or bonuses, or exercisable options. A player, landing upon a gameboard crash space, loses a car. The unknown factors of the operative effects of the rallye cards provide excitement and apprehension because the last ranking player in the race may become the leader, and even a player forced into bankruptcy may recover to win the race.

Claims

1. In combination, a board game apparatus comprising:

a gameboard, pawns for two to six players with each player having a separate and distinct pawn, each of said pawns being the means by which a player contemporaneously races and moves the cars he owns on said gameboard, rallye cards, scrip money, number cards bearing discrete numbers thereon, a scoreboard, pegs for two to six players with each player having separate and distinct pegs, and title cards;

said gameboard being provided with a playing area having interconnected routes throughout the United States, through Canada and through Mexico, said interconnected routes having separate and distinct enumerated spaces by means of which a player moves his pawn on said gameboard, said pawns being the means by which all the players race all their cars contemporaneously and indicate their respective moves on said gameboard, said enumerated spaces defining a start space upon which the players place their respective pawns to start the game, spaces where a car of a specific group, if available, can be purchased upon a player'"'"'s pawn landing thereon, spaces where, upon a player'"'"'s pawn landing thereon, one of the players with the highest bid has the opportunity to acquire a car by auction, spaces where a player loses a car of his choice upon his pawn landing thereon, spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, must pick one of said rallye cards imposing duties or penalties, providing rewards or bonuses, or providing exercisable options, spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, advances his pawn on said gameboard as directed by such space, spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, merely rest his pawn, spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, collects money, spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, has the option of continuing on his course or taking a different route, a space where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, has the option of gambling for points, a space where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, races only to collect bonus points, a score-line space where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon or passing same, collects points, a player, at his turn in the order of play, picking one of said number cards and advancing his pawn the number of spaces on said gameboard corresponding to the discrete number on said number card, said scoreboard having indicia thereon by which each of the players records his accumulated point score, said pegs being utilized by the players to record their respective accumulated point scores on said scoreboard, said scoreboard having further indicia thereon by which ownership of the cars is indicated, the value of each car is indicated and the credit limit for financing or charging debt to each of said owned cars is indicated, said pegs further being utilized by the players to indicate on said scoreboard their respective ownership of said cars and the extent to which the players financed or charged debt to their respectively owned cars, said scrip money being the means by which the players purchase cars outright or by part payment, pay penalties, exercise options, pay expenses or mandatory obligations, each of said title cards possessed by a player representing said player'"'"'s ownership of one of said cars and indicating the group number of each car, team number of each car in said group, the car'"'"'s country of origin, the city where each said car is manufactured or can be acquired, the name/model of said car, the value of said car, and the credit limit for financing or charging debt to said car, and the game being won by the first player to collect and accumulate a certain number of points on said scoreboard.

2. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 155 separate and distinct enumerated spaces on said gameboard.

3. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 14 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, can purchase a car of a specific group, if available.

4. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 3 spaces where, upon a player'"'"'s pawn landing thereon, one of the players with the highest bid has the opportunity to acquire an auctioned-off car.

5. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 3 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, loses a car of his choice.

6. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 67 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, must pick one of said rallye cards.

7. A board game apparatus in according with claim 1, wherein there are 24 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, advances his said pawn as directed by said space.

8. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 30 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, merely rests his said pawn.

9. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are 4 spaces where a player, upon his pawn landing thereon, collects money.

10. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said indicia on said scoreboard by which each of the players records his accumulated point score is consecutively numbered from zero to 100 and wherein the first player to collect and accumulate 100 points on said scoreboard wins the game.

11. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the points collected by a player upon his landing upon or passing said score-line space on said gameboard is based upon the number of cars said player owns.

12. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 11, wherein thirty cars are available for acquisition divided into fifteen groups with two cars in each said group, wherein said fifteen groups are subdivided into enumerated groups 1-5, 6-10 and 11-15, and wherein each time a player'"'"'s pawn lands upon or passes said score-line space, said player collects one point for each car said player owns in groups 1-5, two points for each car said player owns in group 6-10 and three points for each car said player owns in group 11-15.

13. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 12, wherein ownership by a player of two cars in an enumerated group qualifies said player as being the owner of a racing team and wherein said player collects one additional point for each racing team said player owns when, each time, said player'"'"'s pawn lands upon or passes said score-line space on said gameboard.

14. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are eighteen number cards and wherein each of said number cards separately bears discrete numbers 1 through 18 thereon.

15. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said pawns and pegs of said players are of different colors, and wherein said pawn and pegs of each player are of the same color.

16. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein said further indicia on said scoreboard provides in addition a current record of cars available for acquisition.

17. A board game apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein when a player picks a rallye card imposing a duty or penalty obligating said player to pay expenses or a penalty, respectively, and wherein said player elected to defray said expenses or penalty by charging debt represented thereby to a car or cars owned by said player, said further indicia on said scoreboard providing a current record of the debt said player elected to defray by charging same to said car or cars currently owned by said player.