DEATH AND TAXES BOARD GAME AND APPARATUS
A board game with a continuous track separated into discreet steps uses a random number device to determine an advancement of players' tokens. Designated game events reflect life occurrences and choices. A monetary currency is gained and lost. A second, non-monetary, currency is also gained and lost. That second currency is representative of a player's health status and is not freely exchangeable with any pecuniary currency. While a pecuniary currency is useful in securing the health representative currency, in scoring and in determining winners and losers only the health related currency is determinative.
This invention relates to the field of board games, particularly those in which a chance device controls the amount of movement of a token along a track.
BACKGROUNDThere are many board games involving tokens being moved along a track. Often the amount of movement is dependent upon a randomly derived value. Generally the players follow directions associated with the landed upon spaces. Often those directions involve drawing a card from one or more specialized card decks and following further directions associated with the drawn card.
Many of these games have an educational theme and many involve positional races between players. Frequently, board games involve life events particularly as they relate to money. Getting the most money to win, or losing when you are out of money, is the object a good many of these games. Other categories of games do not significantly involve a representation of a pecuniary currency at all, for example those simulating battle.
Attempts have been made to create games involving money and also including a second factor such as ranking in an organization or number of baseball games won. However, in the end the second factor is often converted into an equivalent in money to get a final scoring total. Some games include player acquisition of one or more non-pecuniary factors in addition to accumulating money. One example is a game teaching a balance between money, time, and happiness. However a game is needed that teaches the idea that money is useful but isn't everything or even the most important thing,
SUMMARYBoard games consistent with the principles of this invention allow players to encounter representations of numerous life events that affect the players' finances and as well affect a second quantity that is more important and represents a personal attribute not exchangeable with other players. The second quantity is tallied and tracked by use of a non-pecuniary currency. In a particular game these could be “health coins”. Versions might have other general or specific measures of physical or mental well being that are accounted for with a fungible representation, as in a currency.
Many of the life events represented in a game following the principles taught herein have monetary consequences. However some life events can also have consequences measured by a second currency, not directly exchangeable with money in game play or in scoring. While money is helpful in earning or retaining that second value, the degree of possession of that second value is determinative of the winner, not money. In one embodiment detailed below that second value is health. When a player is out of health, money can't help.
The principles of the teaching herein are better understood with reference to the drawings and detailed description of particular embodiments. An example board game uses a rectangular playing surface with a closed track. Players' positions are represented by tokens that are moved clockwise based upon a throw of a pair of dice.
The object in this version is to maintain or increase your physical health. Your opponent's health may deteriorate, leading to their death and expulsion from the game. Each player's current amount of health is represented by health coins. There are several ways to increase your health such as going to the gym, buying health coins or receiving them at the direction of a game play event. Option and Risk cards, as well as Holiday and Vacation spaces are ways in which those events might be triggered. However there are also many analogous ways to loose health coins. Money is very important but you can live without money. When you are out of health coins you are dead and leave the game.
Equipment:1) Playing board of
2) Eight distinctive player's tokens, four examples are shown in
3) Eight trackers, one shown in
4) Eight differently colored sets of health coins, one shown in
5) Eight sets of 12 flag markers, each set of a different color, example flags shown in
6) Play money as seen in
7) Two die, seen in
8) Six card decks as represented, respectively, in
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- Risk 50 cards, each dictating an increase or decrease in one or both of money and health;
- College Grades 30 cards, 18 passing and 12 not passing
- Option 50 cards, each directing a player to make a choice;
- Stock 50 cards with various prices;
- Bills 50 cards, each directing a loss;
- Lotto 24 cards, 2 sets of the numbers 1-12
9) Business Information cards: 12 cards as seen in
The board-playing surface mentioned above is seen in
From the Start space, the next space along the track 55 in a clockwise direction is marked Gambling 2 followed by Hardware Store 3. There is another Gambling space 39 later in the course. Hardware Store is the first of twelve Business spaces, each with the name of a different business. The Hardware store space has as small hole 56 in the board used to plant a flag when that business is owned. Each of the other business spaces also has an analogous hole. Construction Company 12, Movie Theater 17 and Hotel 45 are some other businesses on the board. As mentioned, these business spaces each have a particular monetary purchase price associated with them and a landing fee or “rent” consisting of a designated number of health coins.
Next is one of nine “pay” spaces, Jewelry Store 4. Each of these Pay spaces has the name of a business, service or goods associated with them. The spaces are designated with an amount to be paid for that service or those goods.
Some spaces, for example, the next new type encountered, Risk 7, are associated with one of the six card decks. Other Risk spaces 18 32 51 are on the other sides of the board, clockwise respectively. A particular location 65 on the board is designated for the Risk Cards. Continuing clockwise the next three new space types are College 8, Stock 10, and Bills 11. There are three more College spaces on the board 26 42 48, two more Stock spaces 30 50 and two more Bills spaces 38 49. These spaces are associated with their respective card deck locations 66 68 70. The next new type is the unique Taxes 13, followed by another space, Option 14. This Option space and the other Option space 46 are associated with the Option cards and with card deck location 67. The last space on this first side of the board is Hospital 15.
Around the corner on the second side of the board the next new type of space encountered in a continued clockwise direction is a Sick Day space 20 of which there is only this one. Two more new space types are encountered on the second side, Go to Work 22 and Lotto 24. There is one other Lotto 47 and two other Go to Work spaces 37 52.
The third side of the track introduces two new spaces, Gym 33 and Vacation 40, each one-of-a-kind. Along the fourth and last side all of the spaces are of a type already encountered other than one unique space marked Holiday 44.
Card DecksThe six cards decks, portrayed in
Each Business space on the board of
Tokens are unique with one for each player. They are of a size that can be readily used to indicate any particular space out of the fifty-two by their physical positioning. Trackers are used to indicate that a particular player has “gone to work” at some point in their current circumnavigation of the board. Flags are placed in the holes 56 in Business spaces to indicate that a particular player owns that business. Example Tokens, Trackers, Dice and Flags are portrayed in
In turn, the players throw the dice to determine a number of clockwise steps to move a token around the game board's track. Various spaces have directions to be followed including drawing cards from the various decks.
There are two types of “currency”. One is representative of money and, in this particular version, the other of a player's health. While both are important in the game you can keep playing without money, but not without health.
The currency of health is not freely interchangeable with money. For example, you can sell health coins for money at the fixed rate of $100 per health coin to the bank at any turn However a player can only buy or otherwise acquire health coins at limited times dictated by the game play.
As a player's token moves around the board's continuous track, it might land on a space marked “College”. Upon landing on a College space, a player has the option to pay tuition and buy one or two grades at $50 each and hope to get a passing grade or the player can decide to not go to college. A player that lands on a Business not owned by any other player may buy that business. However a player must already have sufficient college grades before they can purchase a business. Having a business will help a player receive both money and health coins. However, the path of college and then business ownership is not the only strategy that might win the game.
There are several ways the amount of health coins can increase or decrease. For example landing on the Gym space allows one to increase their health. Also there are many Risk cards, Option cards and even Bills that might result in gaining or losing health coins.
Money can also be accumulated and lost in several ways. For example, if you land on a “Go to Work” space you get paid money. If a particular trip around the board does not land on a Go to Work space, you can collect disability when you pass the Start spot. Disability generally pays less than working. Investing and gambling are also ways to make money. When you land on Lotto spots and Stock spots you have the option of putting money down. It will grow or shrink based on a future random event.
Detailed Instructions for a Specific Game Set UpEach player starts with six health coins and $2,000 in game money. Players chose a token and also chose a color of health coin and flag markers to indicate business ownership. The decks of cards are placed on their designated locations.
StartEach player places their token on the Start 1 spot of the game board. The order of play is determined by the role of the dice. At each player's turn they roll the dice and move their token the number of spaces indicated by the sum of the two die. Any directions indicated on a space landed upon are carried out before the next player has their turn.
If a player has not landed on a Go to Work space between the Start and the next time they land on or pass start, that player receives a disability payment. It is $100 plus an amount determined by a roll of the two die that is ten times the value shown by the dice. In addition, disability payment includes $50 for each business owned by the player. Trackers are used to keep track of who did and did not go to work on a particular round. If a player lands on, or passes Start 1 and does not have a Tracker, they collect disability. If they do have a tracker it is returned and disability is not collected.
When a player lands on a Go to Work 22 37 52 they roll both die and receive an amount equal to ten times the value shown on the dice plus $50 for each business owned. In addition they get a fixed amount designated by the particular Go to Work space. Players pick up a Tracker to indicate that they worked at least once on that tour of the board.
Directions for Specific Step Types:The value in parenthesis following the card type in the list below indicates the number of spaces on the game board of that card type.
Bills: (3) The player draws one or more Bill cards, as shown in
Business: (12) These each represent a particular business, with a particular price designated. A bowling alley and steel factory are two examples.
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- If an un-owned business—The player landing on it has the option to buy that business but only if they hold two passing ( C or better) college grades. Buying a business “uses up” those grades, which are then returned to the College deck.
- Player gets a flag to insert into the hole on the space representing that business on the game board. The Business Information card for that business indicates the financial attributes of that business.
- Already owned business—The player landing on it pays to the owner the fee, in Health coins, shown on that business's information card.
College: (4) A player landing on a college space can take none, one or two classes. Each class costs $50. After buying the desired number of classes the player draws one card for each class from the College deck, shown in
Lotto: (2) The player can choose to buy none, one, or two Lotto cards for $10, each, which are taken from the Lotto deck,
Gambling: (2) The player landing on these spaces rolls the dice. All Lotto cards matching the rolled value are winning cards. Holders of winning cards split the amount that is in the pot. Each winning Lotto card entitles its holder to an amount of the pot equal to one over the total number of winning cards. Additionally each winning card entitles its holder to get $1,000 from the bank. In any case all Lotto cards go back to the Lotto deck before the next turn.
Gym: (1) A player landing on the Gym space can optionally payone or two month's gym membership of $50 and get a health coin as shown in
Option: (2) A player takes an Option card, shown in
Risk: (4) Draw a Risk card, shown in
Stock: (3) Player draws a Stock card,
Taxes: (1) For each business owned pay $100 to the bank and one health coin. Running a business is taxing to your health.
General RulesWhen cards are to be taken, it is always from the top of the deck. They are replaced on the bottom. It is disallowed to engage in any transaction with another player other than as directed or allowed by directions on a space or card. When a player is out of money that player's game state does not change. However if that player draws a card or lands on a space requiring money, they must raise the money somehow. It could be that the only way to raise the required money might be to sell all of their health and thus be eliminated.
ScoringIn this example game winning occurs by being the “last man standing” after all of the other players have reached the cutoff value of zero health coins and have been eliminated.
Alternative EmbodimentsOne skilled in the art will recognize that many games may fall within the teaching herein. Variations might be in the number of each type of spaces or their relative locations on the track. Details of the indica and rules could be different in alternate versions of the example game presented or in other games consistent with the principles of this invention. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that the materials and techniques to make board games are well known. It is also well known to implement board games using electronic displays, computer technology and other materials other than those of a traditional board game.
Rather than money and health, an alternate embodiment might use a precious metal for the pecuniary quantity and a different measure of physical or mental well-being for the more important, personal attribute quantity. Values such as blood count, number of diseases a player has, or body temperature, and number of therapy visits per week are some possibilities. For some measures of physical or mental well-being the cutoff value to leave the game may be non-zero, such as blood count. Alternatively, for some measures such as body temperature or number of therapy visits a week, a larger value may denote a sicker person. In those games the cutoff would be a value not to be exceeded rather than a value not to be below.
Various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated are expected. In the following claims, the words “a” and “an” should be taken to mean “at least one” in all cases, even if the wording “at least one” appears in one or more claims explicitly. This description is intended to teach the invention, not to limit it. The scope of the invention is set out in the claims below.
Claims
1. A method of playing a board game teaching that money isn't everything, comprising the actions of:
- a) providing game apparatus comprising: a playing surface having a path divided into discrete steps with various designated game events associated with steps of the path, a plurality of representations of a pecuniary currency, a plurality of representations of a second, non-pecuniary currency, representative of a personal attribute;
- b) placing tokens representative of each player on an initial step;
- c) advancing tokens along the path in accordance with results from chance device and designated events associated with particular spaces;
- d) gaining or losing of amounts of a player's pecuniary currency determined by designated events representative of life choices and life occurrences;
- e) gaining or losing of amounts of a player's non-pecuniary currency determined by designated events representative of life choices and life occurrences;
- f) designating a neutral repository of said currencies as a bank,
- g) making inter-currency exchanges according to the following rules: allowing exchanges with the bank, at player's option, of non-pecuniary currency for pecuniary currency; prohibiting a player exchanging with the bank of pecuniary currency for non-pecuniary currency unless permitted be a designated event;
- h) eliminating a player from winning the game if that player's non-pecuniary currency reaches a predetermined cutoff value, independent of amounts of pecuniary currency.
2. The method of playing the game of claim 1 wherein said non-pecuniary currency is representative of an aspect of a player's personal well-being.
3. The method of playing the game of claim 1 wherein said non-pecuniary currency is representative of a player's physical health.
4. The method of playing the game of claim 2 wherein said non-pecuniary currency is representative of a specific biological measure of player's health state.
5. The method of playing the game of claim 3 wherein a players' health representing currency being reduced below a predetermined value engenders loosing.
6. A kit of items for playing a board game comprising:
- a) a playing surface having a continuous track marked into at least 30 discrete segments along its length; at least six and no more than one half of said segments defining a mounting feature so shaped and configured as to be suitable to hold an elongated indicator substantially perpendicular to the major plane of said surface;
- b) a plurality of elongated indicators suitable to be held in place by the mounting features;
- c) at least two tokens representative of players;
- d) a plurality of bills or optionally, coins, representative of a monetary currency;
- e) a plurality of coins, or optionally bills, representative of a quantitative degree of a players health;
- f) a plurality of cards representative of events tending to affect health.
7. The kit of items for playing a game of claim 6 further comprising cards reprehensive of school grades.
8. The kit of items for playing a game of claim 6 further comprising cards representative of gambling.
9. A method of playing a board game involving multiple players following indica of game directions on a board marked into discrete spaces and following indica of game directions on cards, placing and progressing game tokens along a track on the board according to randomly derived values, said game play including encountering simulations of life events involving the players' gain and loss of a pecuniary currency, wherein the improvement comprises:
- said simulations of life events further comprising: a) said players gain and loss of a second currency representative of an aspect of a players' simulated physical, or optionally, mental, well-being; said second currency not being freely exchanged with said pecuniary currency; b) simulated life events for which said pecuniary currency is instrumental in gains of said second currency;
- and said second currency being determinative of winning and losing.
10. The method of playing the game of claim 9 further limited in that said second currency is representative of a player's health.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 24, 2009
Publication Date: Jan 27, 2011
Inventor: Justin Peterson (Big Pine, CA)
Application Number: 12/509,234
International Classification: A63F 3/00 (20060101);
