Themed board game

Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor – Piece moves over board having pattern

Reexamination Certificate

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Details

C273S242000, C273S248000, C273S251000, C273S252000, C273S254000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06446968

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to board games, and more particularly to a board game including a themed game board depicting a plurality of places and two identical sets of playing cards (each card having a matching card) in which players vie with each other to solve a multi-part mystery, the mystery being based upon deducing which cards, randomly selected cards at the game start, have no match.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Board games are an excellent form of family entertainment. One of the better known board games is MONOPOLY (trademark of Parker Bros.), which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,026,082 to Darrow, dated Dec. 31, 1935. Board games include a game board having play indicia printed thereon, games pieces (usually one uniquely specific to each player), frequently other games pieces, dice or a single die to provide an element of chance, and frequently a set of cards to provide an element of chance coupled with information germane to the play of the game. Some board games also provide other articles of play, such as play money. The object of play of board games is variously related to the rules of play of the particular board game, but generally involves a single player achieving first a predetermined goal, which for example may be the acquisition of a selected game board location, collection of a certain amount of game pieces, the accumulation of a highest amount of play money, etc.
One type of board game that elicits a great deal of fun in the course of its play is the board game CLUE (trademark of Parker Bros.). In CLUE, the game starts with the murder of a game character, and the objective of the game is to solve a three part query: which game character committed the murder (selected from a group of game character “suspects”), where was the murder committed (selected from a number of rooms of a mansion indicated by a floor plan depiction on the game board), and what weapon was used to commit the murder (selected from a group of various weapons). The articles of play include: a game board with a mansion floor plan indicia thereon which depicts 9 rooms; 6 different colored token play pieces (one for each suspect), 6 different weapon play pieces, a single deck of nonidentical cards comprising three categories, one card for each of the 6 suspects (a first category), 6 weapons (a second category) and 9 rooms (a third category), a detective's notebook score sheet, a “case file” envelope, and 1 die. At the start of play, the cards are separated into three piles sorted according to the categories of cards, one card from each pile is secretly placed in the case file, the object being for the players to make an accusation which includes three categories and names the three cards in the case file. In the course of play, the die is in-turn rolled and players in-turn place their tokens on a room location. Once in a room an in-turn player makes a three-part suggestion naming that room, a suspect and a weapon. The other players then try, in-turn, to prove the three-part suggestion false by showing the in-turn player a card indicating one of the named categories. Such a card showing is proof that the card is not in the case file, and the in-turn player makes a note to that effect on his/her notebook score sheet, and his/her turn ends. As the game progresses, enough information is amassed for a player to make an accusation. If that player's accusation is correct he/she wins, if not he/she cannot win the game.
Although many prior art board games are quite entertaining, what remains needed is a themed board game which provides great fun and excitement as players compete with each other to solve a multi-part mystery based upon deducing which randomly selected cards of two identical sets of cards have no match.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a themed board game including a randomizing instrument, such as for example a die (preferred) or dice, a spinner or other random number indicating device, a plurality of game pieces, a game board having a themed place depiction which depicts a plurality of places and further including two identical sets of playing cards (each card having a matching card) in which players vie with each other to solve a multi-part mystery, the mystery being based upon deducing which cards, randomly selected cards at the start of the game, have no match. Each card of each set has mutually differing indicia thereon, wherein each card of each set has an indicia match with a respective card of the other set. The cards are divided into a plurality of categories, one category including a place category. The cards of each set of cards of the place category have place indicia corresponding to the places of the place depiction.
In operation, one card from each category is randomly selected and secreted. The indicia of these secreted “mystery” cards form the multi-part mystery to be solved. The remaining cards are distributed among the players. An in-turn player actuates the randoming instrument, as for example by rolling at least one die, and moves his/her game piece to a selected place of the place depiction consistent with moves rules. The in-turn player then queries of the players a multi-part question including at least one first part taken from a selected card indicia from at least one category other than the place category and a second part taken from the place category in the form of the place of the game board place depiction where the in-turn player's game piece is resting, and then shows a card having indicia of a part the multi-part question. The other players then sequentially show a card having indicia of the multi-part question, if such a card is held. Matching shown cards are then discarded from play, otherwise cards are returned to each player, respectively. A next go player then becomes the in-turn player and play as aforesaid continues until a player announces a solution to the multi-part mystery by saying aloud a sentence incorporating the card indicia presumed to be of the secreted “mystery” cards. If correct, this player wins; if incorrect, his/her cards are revealed and play continues until the mystery is solved by another player.
The preferred embodiment of the themed board game according to the present invention is a Halloween themed board game, hereinafter referred to simply as a “Halloween game”. The Halloween game is a family-oriented seek and find board game which recreates the fun and wonder of Halloween, preferably for 3 to 8 players (ages preferably 8 and older), and takes about one hour to play.
A game board has printed thereon a Halloween thematic scene, a preferred example of which being a “Haunted House” having Victorian and Gothic aspects with appurtenances constituting a plurality of places, as for example a porch, rooms, a balcony, an attic, etc. A plurality of game pieces, one used by each player, have a Halloween theme configuration, as for example a pumpkin, a witch, a ghost, etc. Twin sets of cards are provided (that is, each set is a duplicate of the other), each set having three category groups: a place category (wherein each place indicia card thereof has indicia thereon indicative of a respective place of the Haunted House, there being one card in each set for each place, respectively), an entity category (wherein each entity indicia card thereof has indicia thereon indicative of a respective Halloween related entity, as for example a werewolf, a witch, a ghost, etc., there being one card in each set for each entity, respectively), and an event category (wherein each event category card thereof has indicia thereon indicative of a respective Halloween related occurrence, as for example a scream, a laugh, a howl, an odor, etc., there being one card in each set for each event, respectively). At least one die is provided (one die being preferred), which preferably may uniquely include a Halloween indicia in place of the six dots face (as for example a cat or a pumpkin). A first container, preferably having a book configuration, is provided as a

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