US 6,276,685 B1Granted

Three dimensional board game

OwnerJohn B. Sterlinginventor

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Abstract

Disclosed is a three dimensional board game comprised of multiple parallel horizontal levels aligned one atop the other, each level comprising a “grid” of play areas. The game is played with a number of color coded game pieces, each color being associated with a single player, and a plurality of game pieces having a different color from all player's game pieces designated as “neutral” game pieces. The game begins with each one of a player's game pieces positioned in a single play area aligned along a vertical plane of the game board structure. In a two player gaming scenario, each player's game pieces are set up on the game board intermingled with neutral game pieces on two opposing ends of the game board structure. For gaming scenarios comprising more than two players, each player's game pieces are set up along an outer vertical plane of the game board structure without neutral game pieces. The player's game pieces and the neutral game pieces are assigned particular three dimensional movements involving multiple horizontal levels, and players may choose among those movements as they see fit during game play. Certain movements of a player's game piece in a path that intersects or passes over another player's game piece allows the moving player to remove the other player's game piece. The game is won when one player has used the allowed game piece movements to eliminate all opposing players' game pieces from the game board structure.

Claims23

Dependent claims

A method of playing a three dimensional board game comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a three dimensional game board comprising a plurality of horizontal levels, each of said horizontal levels further comprising a plurality of game piece placement areas, and each of said horizontal levels being defined as having a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge, and a corner at the intersection of each adjacent edge;
(b) providing a plurality of player sets of player game pieces arranged on said game board, each of said player sets of player game pieces bearing indicia to identify each said player game piece with a single one of said player sets, said number of player sets equating to a number of players of said board game;
(c) providing a neutral set of neutral game pieces arranged on said game board bearing indicia to identify each said neutral game piece with said neutral set;
(d) defining the movement of said player game pieces as having five modes, a linear mode, a corner mode, an angular mode, a nonlinear mode, and a bump mode, and defining the movement of said neutral game pieces as having four modes, a linear mode, a corner mode, an angular mode, and a nonlinear mode;
(e) allowing a moving player to move one of a player game piece and a neutral game piece through one of said modes from a first position to a second position;
and
(f) allowing a moving player to remove from said game board another player's game piece when said moving player moves a game piece through either of said linear mode and said angular mode, and said another player's game piece lies within an imaginary path of travel of said moving player's game piece from said first position to said second position;
said bump mode being defined as movement of one of a player game piece and a neutral game piece from a first placement area in any direction to a second placement area adjacent said first placement area and holding an opposing player game piece.

5 more elements

A method of playing a three dimensional board game comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a three dimensional game board comprising a plurality of horizontal levels, each of said horizontal levels further comprising a plurality of game piece placement areas, and each of said horizontal levels being defined as having a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge, and a corner at an intersection of each adjacent edge;
(b) providing a plurality of player sets of player game pieces arranged on said game board, each of said player game pieces having a common structure, and each of said player sets of player game pieces bearing indicia to identify each said player game piece with a single one of said player sets, said number of player sets equating to a number of players of said board game;
(c) providing a neutral set of neutral game pieces arranged on said game board bearing indicia to identify each said neutral game piece with said neutral set;
(d) defining the movement of said player game pieces as having five distinct modes, and defining the movement of said neutral game pieces as having four of said five distinct modes;
(e) allowing a moving player to move one of a player game piece and a neutral game piece through one of said modes from a first position to a second position;
(f) allowing a moving player to remove from said game board another player's game piece when said moving player moves a game piece through at least one of said modes, and said another player's game piece lies within an imaginary path of travel of said moving player's game piece from said first position to said second position;
and
(g) allowing a moving player to remove all opposing player game pieces from a single horizontal level when said moving player simultaneously occupies all four corner placement area on said single horizontal level.

5 more elements

A method of playing a three dimensional board game comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a three dimensional game board comprising a plurality of horizontal levels, each of said horizontal levels further comprising a plurality of game piece placement areas, and each of said horizontal levels being defined as having a front edge, a rear edge, a left edge, and a right edge, and a corner at the intersection of each adjacent edge;
(b) providing a plurality of player sets of player game pieces arranged on said game board, each of said player sets of player game pieces bearing indicia to identify each said player game piece with a single one of said player sets, said number of player sets equating to a number of players of said board game;
(c) providing a neutral set of neutral game pieces arranged on said game board bearing indicia to identify each said neutral game piece with said neutral set;
(d) defining the movement of said player game pieces as having five modes, a linear mode, a corner mode, an angular mode, a nonlinear mode, and a bump mode, and defining the movement of said neutral game pieces as having four modes, a linear mode, a corner mode, an angular mode, and a nonlinear mode;
(e) allowing a moving player to move one of a player game piece and a neutral game piece through one of said modes from a first position to a second position;
(f) allowing a moving player to remove from said game board another player's game piece when said moving player moves a game piece through either of said linear mode and said angular mode, and said another player's game piece lies within an imaginary path of travel of said moving player's game piece from said first position to said second position;
and
(g) allowing a moving player to remove all opposing player game pieces from a single horizontal level when said moving player simultaneously occupies all placement areas on a single horizontal level that do not coincide with said corner, said front edge, said rear edge, said left edge, and said right edge of said single horizontal level.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.