Board game apparatus

A board game designed arounda "monster" theme wherein the object of the game is to proceed from a starting area to a weapons pickup area while avoiding capture by the monster and after pick up of a weapon to be the first to hunt down and destroy the monster. The board game apparatus includes a game board having a playing surface and a travel path defined by a plurality of spaced apart play stations extending between a starting area and the pickup area for weapons. A plurality of playing pieces are adapted to be moved along the travel path between the play stations and a chance device is utilized for directing the movement of the playing pieces along the travel path. The game board playing surface also includes a plurality of spaced apart foot spaces arranged in pairs to straddle the travel path. A toy figure in the form of a monster having spaced apart feet is adapted to stand on pairs of the foot spaces and straddle the travel path when the monster is in a standing position. The monster includes a body having a pan for holding a quantity of cohesive gelatinous material or gel and the pan includes at least one opening which permits the gel material to drool downwardly into contact with the playing surface to provide a cohesive strand which forms an impediment to the movement or placement of the playing pieces along the path that is straddled by the monster. The cohesive strands of gel may pass over and knock down a playing piece. If a player is successful in moving his playing piece to the weapons pickup area, he is permitted to take a "mine" which may be operated as a lever to upset the monster and thereby win the game. The player who destroys the monster is declared the winner of the game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates to a board game apparatus and board games 
generally. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
A wide variety of board games have enjoyed popularity with children and 
adults for many years. These games have been developed about a wide 
variety of themes and some of the themes have included various types of 
monsters or fictional characters, with an object being to avoid capture or 
destruction by the monster and the winner of the game being the player 
last remaining in play after all of the other players have been captured 
or destroyed by the monster. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
entertaining board game and more particularly it is an object to provide a 
new and improved board game of the character described wherein a plurality 
of playing pieces are movable between play stations on a travel path on a 
playing surface between a starting area and a weapons pickup area with a 
monster-like toy figure also being movable over the playing surface 
between a plurality of different foot stations which straddle portions of 
the travel path at several locations. 
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved board 
game of the character described in the foregoing paragraph wherein it is 
an object of the game to avoid the monster-like creature while moving 
along the travel path from the starting area to the weapons area and 
wherein the playing pieces reaching the pickup area are then afforded a 
weapon with which to hunt and eventually upset and destroy the monster. 
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved board 
game wherein it is an object of the game to avoid the monster while 
traveling from a starting area to a remote area and thereafter the object 
changes to one of hunting down and destroying or upsetting the monster 
with a weapon. 
It is an object of the present invention to provide a board game with a 
novel monster-like playing piece which utilizes a cohesive strand of 
viscous, mucous-like, gelatinous material or gel in combination with the 
playing surface of a game board for causing other playing pieces to be 
upset. 
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and 
improved game of the character described wherein novel means including gel 
is provided for upsetting the playing pieces used in the game. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention are 
accomplished in one embodiment which includes a game board having a 
playing surface thereon with a travel path defined by a plurality of 
spaced apart play stations. A plurality of playing pieces including one 
for each player are adapted to be moved along the travel path between the 
play stations thereon from a starting area to a weapons pickup area. A 
chance device in the form of a spinner is provided for directing the 
movement of the playing pieces during each player's turn for a randomly 
determined number of play spaces along the travel path. When a playing 
piece reaches the weapons area, a weapon is provided. 
A plurality of spaced apart foot spaces are provided over the playing 
surface and are arranged in pairs which straddle the travel path at 
several positions. A toy figure in the shape of a monster has a pair of 
spaced apart feet adapted to rest on selected pairs of foot spaces and is 
movable around the board as directed by the spinner. The monster includes 
a body supported on a pair of spaced apart upwardly extending legs and 
includes a pan for holding a quantity of viscous, mucous-like, highly 
cohesive gelatinous material or gel. The pan includes at least one opening 
which permits the gel material to flow downwardly out of the pan to 
contact the playing surface thereby forming one or more cohesive strands 
of drool which at least partially block the path of relative movement of 
the other playing pieces along the travel path between the legs of the 
monster. The spinner is used by each player in turn to direct the movement 
of the players and the monster around the different pairs of spaced apart 
foot spaces. During movement of the monster, the strands of gelatinous 
material or gel may engage the individual playing pieces are cause them to 
be knocked down whereupon the player must then return the playing piece 
back to the starting area. When a player successfully reaches the weapons 
pickup area, a weapon in the form of a "mine" is awarded and he then may 
use the weapon for upsetting and destroying the monster when he reaches a 
playing space close enough so that the weapon which is in the form of a 
lever may be manually operated to lift the foot of the monster to upset 
the same and thereby win the game.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring now more particularly to the drawings, therein is illustrated a 
new and improved board game developed around a theme wherein several 
playing pieces (each associated with a player) are moved around a playing 
board with the object of avoiding capture or upset by another larger 
playing piece fashioned in the form of a fictitious monster. After 
reaching a destination area termed an "armory," each player is given a 
weapon or mine and then seeks to be the first to reach and upset the 
monster with the mine and win the game. 
In accordance with the invention, the game includes a relatively large, 
square or rectangular game board 12 having an animated playing surface 14 
provided on one side thereof. On the playing surface, there is defined a 
starting area 16 designated as the "high school" and a tortuous travel 
path 18 leads from the starting area toward a destination area 20 at an 
adjacent corner represented as the armory. Along the travel path, the game 
board playing surface 14 is decorated to resemble a city scene with trees, 
buildings, houses, etc. with an ocean area 22 along one side. Along 
another side of the board, a river area 24 is designated and a highway 
area 26 is designated along another side. Along a fourth side is 
designated a forest area 28 running along an initial portion of the travel 
path 18 from the high school or starting area 16. 
At intervals, the travel path is provided with a plurality of spaced apart, 
play stations 30 which are generally diamond-shaped and each play station 
provides a spot or space for one or more playing pieces 32 which resemble 
human figures, with one being provided for each of the players in the 
game. A total of four of the playing pieces 32 may be provided in the game 
and preferably they are formed of molded plastic material, with each one 
having a different color so that each player of the game is readily 
identified. 
In order to direct the movement of the playing pieces 32 around the travel 
path 18, the game includes a chance device in the form of a spinner 
apparatus 34 having a manually operated, rotatable spinner 36 mounted at 
the center of a board or base 38 as shown in FIG. 1. The spinner is 
provided with a sharpened point 36a and a plurality of radial fingers 
which are used for manually spinning the device to point in a randomly 
determined direction after each spin. The game also includes another 
larger playing piece 40 formed as a fictional monster or prehistoric 
creature. 
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the monster includes a pair of relatively tall, 
upstanding legs 42 widely spaced apart in order to permit passage of a 
playing piece 32. Each leg has a relatively large oval shaped foot at the 
lower end such as to provide a relatively stable base for supporting the 
upstanding figure on a game board. At the upper ends, the legs 42 are 
joined to the opposite side walls of a generally rectangular pan or box 46 
which is adapted to contain a volume of highly viscous, cohesive, 
gelatinous or mucous-like material or gel. The pan is open at the upper 
end to facilitate the placement of the gelatinous material in the pan and 
a loosely fitting top or back shell 48 is placed over the pan to cover the 
open upper end. 
As illustrated, the removable back or shell 48 is irregularly shaped and at 
the forward end is decorated to resemble a head portion 50 of a 
pre-historic monster with a pair of spaced apart eyes 52 and a long 
downwardly and forwardly extending beak-like snout or nose 54 (FIG. 2). In 
addition, the back or shell also includes a pair of spaced apart, 
forwardly extending arms 56 with claw-like hands 58 at the outer ends. The 
pan for containing the viscous cohesive gelatinous material or gel 
includes a front wall sloping upwardly and rearwardly as shown in FIG. 2 
and the front wall is formed with a pair of spaced apart, openings 46a 
along the lower edge thereof and a pair of outwardly extending troughs 47 
so that the gel will pass outwardly and downwardly in one or more cohesive 
strands 60 of gel as shown in FIG. 1. Because of the cohesiveness nature 
and high viscosity of the gel, the individual strands of gel 60 do not 
break away from the body of material in the pan and additionally, a 
quantity of the viscous material forms in an irregular mass 62 at the 
lower end of the strands on the playing surface 14 of the game board 12. 
Because of the cohesiveness, the strands 60 and mass 62 of gel move along 
with the monster 40. When this material contacts or touches one of the 
human figures, playing pieces 32, the gel will often upset or knock over 
the playing piece which then, in accordance with the rules of the game, 
must be returned to the starting area 16 to begin afresh. 
The monster 40 is movable around the playing surface 14 between pairs of 
spaced apart, elliptically shaped, foot spaces 64 which are disposed in 
parallel pairs to straddle or cross the travel path 18 at a plurality of 
different locations thereon. The foot spaces are dimensioned to 
accommodate the size of the large foot 44 of the monster and the spacing 
in one direction between pairs of the foot spaces is substantially equal 
to the spacing between the opposite feet of the monster 40. As illustrated 
in FIG. 1, all of the foot spaces are oriented with the long axes of the 
ellipse facing in a common direction. However, the monster is movable in 
all cardinal direction, forwardly, backwardly and sideways in either 
direction between the adjacent pairs of foot spaces 64. 
When each player is successful in negotiating the tortuous travel path 18 
from the starting area at the high school 16 all the way to the 
destination area or armory 20, the player is then provided with a weapon 
or mine 66 in the form of a lever as shown in FIG. 4. The player then 
proceeds to seek and upset or destroy the monster 40 to win the game. At 
least one mine 66 is provided for each of the playing pieces 32 and as 
shown in FIG. 4, each mine includes a circular, flat lower end portion 68 
which is adapted to fit beneath one of the enlarged feet 44 of the 
monster. 
Each mine includes an elongated body portion 70 sloping upwardly from the 
circular lower end 68 with a heel-type fulcrum 72 utilized for pivotal 
contact against the game board playing surface 14 when the mine is 
actuated by pivotal movement. At the upper end of the body, there is 
provided a pair of spaced apart fingers 74 forming a slot for 
accommodating the body portion of one of the human figure playing pieces 
32. When a mine 66 is fired, the fingers 74 at the upper end are manually 
depressed downwardly as shown by the arrow "A" in FIG. 4, and this causes 
the lower, circular end or mine to tip upwardly as shown by the arrow "B." 
If the circular mine is positioned below one foot 44 of the monster 40, 
the monster will be upset or toppled over causing the back 48 to be 
knocked off of the monster so that the remaining gel in the cavity 46 is 
spilled on the board simulating complete destruction of the monster 40, 
and the player effecting this action is then the winner of the game. 
In order to direct the movements of the individual playing pieces 32 and 
the monster 40 around the playing surface 14 on a "random" or "chance" 
basis, the spinner 34 is operated by the players on successive turns by 
manually spinning the pointer element 36. The upper surface 76 of the 
spinner board 38 is decorated or provided with indicia in a first or inner 
circular ring 78 divided into a plurality of radial segments each having a 
"number" therein for indicating the number of playing spaces 30 that each 
playing piece 32 is moved along the travel path 18 on a turn. Outwardly of 
the inner circle of numbers, the spinner board surface includes an outer 
circular ring 80 also having a plurality of segments radially aligned with 
each of the segments of the inner circle. The outer circle of radial 
segments include printed indicia for directing the movement of the monster 
40 forwardly or rearwardly and laterally in either direction. The monster 
is movable laterally between the ocean area 22 and the highway area 26 on 
the one hand and longitudinally between the river area 24 and the forest 
area 28 on the other hand. Certain of the radial segments in the outer 
circle direct the movement of the monster for two consecutive spaces 64 on 
a selected axis of direction. 
Around the outer circle 80, the spinner board surface 76 is provided with a 
plurality of circumferentially, radially, spaced apart, indicia areas 82 
which are aligned with only a few of the radially aligned spaces of the 
inner and outer circles and accordingly a lesser number of the outer 
indicia spaces 82 are provided as shown. These indicia spaces direct the 
"blast" of the mines 66 for upsetting the monster when the mine circle is 
in position beneath a foot 44 of the monster 40 and is in contact with the 
playing piece 32 of a player. 
In accordance with the game, each player chooses one of the human figure 
playing pieces 32 in a color that he likes. It is an object of the game to 
successfully negotiate the playing piece around the travel path 18 from 
the high school 16 or starting area to the armory 20 at the adjacent 
corner of the board, all the time avoiding the monster 40 and the drooling 
strands of gel 60 and the mass of gel 62. Once a player is successful in 
reaching the destination or armory 20, the player picks up one of the 
mines 66 and proceeds to track the monster and upset the monster by firing 
his mine. 
In preparation for the game, the monster's top shell or back 48 is removed 
and the pan 46 is filled with the gelatinous viscous material. The 
material flows out through the front openings 46a in the pan and forms a 
pair of cohesive strands of drool 60 and a mass of gel material 62 on the 
surface 14 of the game board. The monster is initially positioned on a 
pair of the foot spaces 64 which are marked "start" and is set to face 
towards the forest area 28 as shown. All of the playing pieces 32 start 
from the high school area 16 and the player chosen first then manually 
spins the spinner 36 of the spinning device 34. As the pointer 36a of the 
spinner comes to rest on a radial segment of the inner circle 78, play is 
begun. As shown, for example in FIG. 1, when the pointer 36a comes to rest 
on a particular segment in the inner circle 78, that segment plus the 
adjacent segment in the outer circle directs the movement of the player's 
individual playing piece 32 and the monster 40. The player first moves the 
monster one or more foot spaces laterally in either direction toward or 
away from the highway area 26 or ocean area 22. The player then moves his 
own playing piece 32 along the diamond-shaped playing spaces 30 of the 
travel path 18 leading towards the armory area 20 by the number of spaces 
indicated on the segment in the inner circle. 
If the monster is blocking the travel path 18 in front of a playing piece 
32, the piece may not be moved past the space on which the gel strands 60 
and 62 are present even though the number that is obtained on the spinner 
board 34 would permit movement beyond the monster. For each player's spin 
of the spinner 34, both the monster 40 and the player's individual playing 
piece 32 are moved. The monster is moved first and each player tries to 
move the monster in a direction hoping that strands 60 or mass of gel 62 
will pass over one of the opponent's playing pieces 32 and cause the 
playing piece to be pulled down or knocked over. In moving the monster, 
the players must slide the monster quickly to the next pair of spaces and 
not beyond. If the playing piece 32 of an opponent is still standing after 
this is done, the player may continue without penalty. However, if a 
playing piece 32 is knocked over by the gel, then the player must return 
to the high school starting area 16 and start afresh. If a player's own 
playing piece is contacted by the gel strands from the monster, he may 
then move his playing piece out of the gel and block the path of the next 
player behind him. 
After a player reaches the armory area 20, he waits until his next turn and 
then takes a mine 66 of an appropriate color matching his own playing 
piece and attempts to reach and then upset the monster. The player 
possessing a mine may be moved in either direction along the travel path 
18 but can only move in one direction during a turn. The lower end or 
circle portion 68 is placed on any foot space 64 around the individual 
diamond-shaped playing space 30 occupied by the player. If the monster is 
forced to move onto the mine, the player owning the mine then gets to spin 
the spinning device 34. If the spinner pointer 36a points to one of the 
outer segments 82, the player may then press down on the finger portion 74 
of his mine to upset and destroy the monster and thereby win the game. 
During a player's turn, if his playing piece 32 is moved close enough to 
the position of the monster, the player can then slip his mine 66 into 
position and spin the spinning device hoping for a chance to blast his 
mine. The first player to successfully upset and thereby destroy the 
monster 40 wins the game. 
Although the present invention has been described with reference to a 
single illustrated embodiment thereof, it should be understood that 
numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those 
skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the 
principles of this invention.