Board game

A game apparatus comprising a novel game board and playing accessories is suitable for play by two persons in a short period of time. The game board comprises an elongated board divided into checkered squares of three different colors and having base strips at opposite ends of the board and a neutral strip across the center of the board from side to side. There are positioned at the base strips at opposite ends of the board the playing pieces of each player. The board simulates a space war. The playing pieces are of three distinct types, command ships, cargo ships and fighter ships. Movement of the pieces is first from the base strip onto the playing area of the board, with additional playing pieces being moved into the base strip as spaces are available. Movement of the pieces is determined by three dice having distinctive indicia. One die has the numerals 1, 2 and 3 thereon. A second die has indicia for the three different playing pieces. The third die has indicia for the colors of the board on which movement is permitted (movement is permitted on only two colors) and indicia indicating destruction of an opposing piece and the color of the square where such piece is located. Play continues until the opposing base is occupied or the two opposing command ship pieces are destroyed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates to a new and useful improvements in board games and 
more particularly to board games involving the movement of playing pieces 
on a checkered board. 
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art 
Miller U.S. Pat. No. 1,595,906 discloses a game played on a board having a 
plurality of peripheral paths and a plurality of radial paths in which the 
playing pieces, shaped like a checker, are moved according to colored 
dice. 
Haggard et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,316,862 discloses a war game having a 
plurality of playing pieces movable between various playing spaces 
according to preselected rules. 
Clark U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,022 discloses a board game having a plurality of 
paths of playing positions associated with marking of different colors and 
arranged with major and minor playing pieces movable according to a 
plurality of special dice. 
Liston U.S. Pat. No. 3,709,498 discloses a board game apparatus including 
special apparatus for programing play. 
Patterson U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,648 discloses a board game having a surface 
made up of circular spaces disposed about the board in 9 files and 12 
ranks and playing pieces movable thereon according to the role of certain 
dice. 
Comeaux U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,381 discloses a board game having a plurality 
of playing spaces arranged in a hierarchy and playing pieces movable 
according to a coded set of dice. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a new and improved board game simulating a war in 
outer space. The game comprises a game board having two distinct checkered 
areas with a neutral strip separating said areas and base strips at 
opposite ends of the board along the opposite ends of the checkered areas 
from the neutral strip. The base areas include a command base portion and 
a fleet base portion for movement of playing pieces on to the playing 
board. The checkered areas comprise a plurality of squares of equal size 
arranged in rectangular pattern and of three different colors, e.g. red, 
yellow and white or void. Alternate squares in each column and row, 
constituting half of the squares, are of one color, such as white or void, 
representing squares on which the playing pieces cannot move. The 
remaining squares are divided into squares of the other two colors 
arranged with squares of the same color lying along diagonal lines of 
squares alternating with diagonal lines of the other color and of the 
first named color. The game is played with three distinct types of playing 
pieces positioned initially at the end strip providing the fleet base 
portion or the command base portion. The playing pieces are of different 
color for each player. The playing pieces simulate in shape or indicia the 
command ship, a cargo ship and a fighter ship. Three distinctly different 
dice are used for directing movement of the playing pieces or the 
destruction or capture or opposing playing pieces. One die has two sets of 
the numerals 1, 2 and 3 on opposite sides thereof. The second die has 
indicia indicating each of the three types of playing pieces. The third 
die has four faces bearing the color or indicia of the color of each of 
the respective squares on which the playing pieces move. One color is on 
two opposite faces of the die and another color on two other opposite 
faces. The remaining two opposite faces bear indicia of the destruction of 
an opposing playing piece and one face is of one color and the other face 
of the other color of the squares on which the playing pieces move. The 
operation of the dice is the means for directing movement of the playing 
pieces and destruction of opposing pieces. The game is terminated when one 
side either occupies the other side's command base with at least three 
fighter ships or destroys both of the other side's command ships.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
Referring to the drawing by numerals of reference, and more particularly to 
FIG. 1, there is shown a game board 10 of solid, sheet material, such as 
cardboard or the like. Game board 10 has a boundary line 11 enclosing a 
playing area and base area generally designated 12. 
The game board is divided into two checkered areas 13 and 14 separated by a 
stripe 15 constituting a neutral zone. At opposite ends of the board are 
positioned stripes 16 and 17 which are base areas from which the playing 
pieces are initially moved. 
Checkered playing area 13 consists of a plurality of squares 18 which are 
of equal size and comprise six rows of ten columns of squares. The squares 
18 are of three different colors, viz. white or void, yellow and red and 
the colors are indicated by the initial letters of those colors. The 
checkered area consists of alternate white squares making up half of the 
area 13. The white or void squares are ones on which playing pieces are 
not permitted to move. The remaining squares are of red and yellow and are 
arranged with squares of the same color in diagonal rows alternating with 
diagonal rows of white or void squares and diagonal rows of the other 
color. In the particular board layout shown there are thirty white or void 
squares, sixteen yellow squares and fourteen red squares. 
The base strip portion 16 is divided into two portions, a strip 19 
representing a command base area and having a particularly designated 
command base portion 20 thereon. The other portion of the base strip is 
arranged in a plurality of squares 21 which are identified in size to the 
squares 18 in the main playing area 13. The squares 21 alternate red and 
yellow in color as indicated in the drawing. This area is indicated to be 
the fleet base. Also, the squares 21 to the left of the longitudinal 
center line are numbered from 1 to 5 as are the squares to the right of 
the center line. 
The playing area 14 at the opposite end of the board has checkered squares 
22 which are identical to the squares 18 and are arranged in the same 
manner with respect to color. Likewise, at the opposite end of the board 
the base stripe 17 is divided into a strip 23 which is the command base 
portion and a particularly designated command base area 24. There is also 
provided a fleet base strip consisting of squares 25 which alternate in 
color between red and yellow as in the case of the fleet base portion at 
the lower end of the board as viewed in FIG. 1. 
The board may be decorated, as desired, with illustrations of space ships 
representing the types of ships used in the game, viz, command ship, cargo 
ship and fighter ship. It may also be decorated with illustrations of 
invader ships and destroyed ships. In this particular embodiment, the 
playing pieces on one side are of blue and on the other side are of gray. 
In FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 there are shown isometric views of the playing pieces 
used in this board game. In FIG. 7 there is shown a playing piece 26 in 
the shape of a checker-like disc having indicia 27 indicating a fighter 
ship. In FIG. 6, the playing piece 28 is provided with indicia 29 
indicating a cargo ship and consists of a smaller disc shaped piece 30 
secured on an integral with a larger disc shaped piece 31. The other 
playing piece 32 bears indicia illustrating a command ship 33 and consists 
of a small disc 34 secured on an intermediate disc 35 which is turn 
secured on a larger disc 36. The discs 34, 35 and 36 are secured together 
as a single playing piece. The discs 26, 31 and 36 are preferably 
identical in size. 
The dice used in moving the playing pieces 26, 28 and 32 are three 
different types. The first die 37 has the numeral 1 on opposite faces 38 
and 39. It has the numeral 2 on opposite faces 40 and 41. It has the 
numeral 3 on opposite faces 42 and 43. The second die 44 has indicia of a 
fighter ship on four faces 45, 46, 47 and 48. It has indicia of a command 
ship on upper face 49. It has indicia of a cargo ship on bottom face 50 
(not shown). The third die 51 carries indicia of the playing square 
colors, i.e. red and yellow. In the view shown in FIG. 4, the upper face 
52 and lower face 53 are colored red. The left face 54 and right face 55 
are colored yellow. The front face 56 is red and carries indicia of a 
destroyed space ship. The rear face 57 is colored yellow and carries 
indicia of a destroyed space ship. 
In FIG. 8, there is shown a standard set up of playing pieces for the start 
of the game. The game uses eighteen playing pieces consisting of two of 
the command ships 32, four of the cargo ships 28 and twelve of the fighter 
ships 26. In the initial set up, the two command ships 28 are positioned 
in squares one left and one right in the fleet base. Two of the cargo 
ships 28 are positioned in spaces or squares two left and two right in the 
fleet base. Three of the fighter ships 26 are positioned in squares three, 
four and five left and three fighter ships 26 are positioned in squares 
three, four and five right in the fleet base. Additional fighter ships 26 
and cargo ships 28 are positioned in the command base strip 19 immediately 
behind the pieces of the same type in the fleet base. 
PLAY OF THE GAME 
At the start of the game, each player would choose the color of space ship 
playing pieces desired, e.g. blue or gray (or any other color which may be 
given to the playing pieces). The playing pieces indicating the space 
ships 26, 28 and 32 are positioned in the fleet base and command base as 
just described above. 
Each player has two command ships 32 of his particular playing color. 
Command ships can destroy command ships of the other side on either side 
of the neutral zone strip 15 by a move of a playing piece. Command ships, 
however, cannot be destroyed by a throw of the dice (which will be 
described hereafter) as long as the command ship is not in opponent's 
territory. After a command ship has crossed the neutral zone, it can be 
destroyed by an appropriate roll of the dice. 
A command ship can destroy another command ship or a cargo ship or a 
fighter ship. A command ship is permitted movement both forward and 
backward on both sides of the neutral zone. However, once a command ship 
crosses the neutral zone, it cannot move backwards into the neutral zone 
or into its own territory again. A command ship can move laterally on 
fleet base but cannot destroy another ship by such a lateral move. An 
opponent's space ship, of any kind, cannot move laterally on fleet base 
and then into command base on a single throw of the dice. 
Each opponent has four of the cargo ships 28 of his selected playing color. 
Cargo ships can destroy cargo ships and fighter ships on both sides of the 
neutral zone 15 by either a forward or backward move depending upon the 
side of the neutral zone on which they are positioned. Cargo ships can be 
destroyed by an opponent by throw of the dice whether located on either 
side of the neutral zone. Cargo ships cannot move backward in their own 
playing area or territory. Cargo ships may move laterally on fleet base 
but cannot destroy other ships by such a move. Once a cargo ship crosses 
the neutral zone it cannot move backward into its own playing area or 
territory. A cargo ship must move forward by the exact number indicated by 
the dice in order to invade the opponent's command base. A cargo ship 
cannot move laterally on the opponent's fleet base and then invade the 
command base on a single throw of the dice. A cargo ship cannot destroy a 
command ship by a move. 
Each player has twelve fighter ships 26 of his selected color. A fighter 
ship can destroy an opponent's fighter ship on a forward or backward move 
depending on the side of the neutral zone on which the ship is positioned. 
It cannot destroy a cargo ship or a command ship by any move. A fighter 
ship can move laterally on fleet base but cannot destroy another ship by 
such a lateral move. A fighter ship cannot move backwards into its own 
playing area or territory. A fighter ship cannot be destroyed in the 
neutral zone by a move or a throw of the dice. Once a fighter ship crosses 
the neutral zone it cannot move backwards into the neutral zone or its own 
playing area or territory. Once a fighter ship crosses the neutral zone 
into the opponent's playing area or territory it can move backwards as 
well as forward. A fighter ship can destroy fighter ships of the opponent 
on their own fleet base by a forward move only. A fighter ship and a cargo 
ship may destroy the opponent's ships by moving out of their own command 
base and landing on the exact number and color of square the opponent's 
ship is occupying. 
The dice 37, 44 and 51 determine the procedure in which the game is played 
in advancing the space ship playing pieces 26, 28 and 32 forward or 
backward from one colored square to the next square and also destroying 
the opponent's space ship pieces. The numbered die 37 has the numerals 
one, two and three as described above. This die determines the exact 
number of squares that a player can move his space ship pieces forward or 
backward. The fleet die 44 has the three different types of space ship 
playing pieces on the sides thereof. There is one face having a command 
space ship, one face having a cargo space ship and four faces having 
fighter space ship indicia. This die determines the type of space ship 
that is to be moved from one square to the next. The fleet die 44 also 
determines the type of space ship that can be destroyed by movement of the 
color/destroy die 51. The color/destroy die 51 has two red colored faces 
and two yellow colored faces as previously described. These colors 
determine the color of the square to which a space ship playing piece can 
be moved. The red and yellow squares of the playing area are the only ones 
on which the space ship playing pieces can be moved and the pieces can 
move across yellow or red squares as long as the last square reached is 
the color thrown on the die. The two remaining faces of the color/destroy 
die 51 bear indicia of a destroyed space ship, one face being yellow and 
the other face being red. One side of the die is called Red Destroy Space 
Ship and the other is called Yellow Destroy Space Ship. The only function 
of these faces of the die is to indicate that a space ship of the 
opponent's has been destroyed if the opponent's space ship is occupying a 
square of that particular color on the playing board corresponding to the 
color shown on the color/destroy die 51. A player has the option of using 
the colored side of the die indicating destruction of an opposing space 
ship for moving his own space ship playing piece if that is to his 
strategic advantage. 
The following examples illustrate movement of space ship playing pieces in 
accordance with the throw of the dice. In the first case, the dice are 
thrown. A fighter space ship shows on die 44, the fleet die, a 2 shows on 
die 37, the numeral die, and a red color shows on the color/destroy die 
51. The dice would ordinarily be read out as "fighter 2 red" this means 
that the player will move one of his fighters two squares to end on a red 
square. Movement of the playing pieces would be within the limitations of 
movement described above for each of the respective playing pieces. 
In a second example, the dice are thrown. On fleet die 44 a fighter space 
ship shows. A 2 shows on the numeral die 37. On the color/destroy die 51 
the space ship destroyed shows on a red background. This sequence of dice 
would be read "fighter 2 red destroy." At this point, the player who that 
threw the dice has two options. If his opponent has a fighter on a red 
square he may destory the fighter by picking it up off the playing board 
and placing it in the area of the playing board for destroyed ships. If 
the opponent does not have a fighter on a red square, the player who threw 
the dice can play his other option by moving one of his fighters two 
squares ending on a red square. The same sequence of moves or destruction 
of pieces would apply if the ship shown on the fleet die 44 were a cargo 
ship or a command ship, with the limitation that a command ship may not be 
destroyed by a roll of the die before it has crossed the neutral zone into 
opponent's territory. 
Movement of playing pieces 26, 28 and 32 from fleet base on to the playing 
board and across the board are in accordance with the throw of the dice. 
As squares are vacated on fleet base, it is then possible to move 
additional playing pieces from the command base strip 19 into the vacated 
squares for movement on to the playing portion of the board. When playing 
pieces reach the far side of the opponent's playing area they may enter 
the opponent's fleet base on direct moves and may move laterally within 
fleet base. Playing pieces may move into the opponent's command base on a 
direct forward move or on a lateral move followed by a forward move on a 
subsequent roll of the dice. Movement into the command base, fleet base or 
the neutral zone count as a single square on moving the playing pieces. 
Movement of playing pieces in the neutral zone may be made laterally 
without counting the lateral move, so that the piece may move forward 
according to the roll of the dice from any desired position in the 
opponent's territory. 
Playing pieces of an opponent are destroyed by movement of one player's 
playing piece on to a square occupied by the opponent's playing piece, 
provided that the opponent's piece is one that can be attacked thereby. 
The limitations set forth above are that a command ship can destroy 
another command ship but cannot be destroyed by a fighter ship or a cargo 
ship. A cargo ship can destroy another cargo ship or a fighter but cannot 
be destroyed only other fighters. Playing pieces of all types can be 
destroyed by moves of the opponent's pieces as described above or by roll 
of the color/destroy die 51, as described above. All ships are safe in the 
neutral zone where they cannot be destroyed by a move or a throw of the 
dice. Likewise, a space ship cannot be destroyed while occupying its own 
fleet base strip by a throw of the color/destroy die 51 by the opponent. 
The space ship pieces must have a clear square or series of squares in 
which to move. At no time can a playing piece jump over another playing 
piece. It must either move to a clear square or must be capable of 
destroying the piece on the square to which it is to move. 
The objective of the game is to destroy the maximum number of opponent's 
playing pieces and particularly to destroy opponent's command ships or to 
occupy the opponent's command base. A player wins the game when he has 
destroyed both of his opponent's command ships. A player may also win the 
game by occupying the opponent's command base with one of his command 
ships or two cargo ships or one cargo ship and two fighter ships or three 
fighter ships. 
The game, as described, is a simple board game which is played by two 
players and takes a relatively short amount of time. The play of the game 
is determined by the throw of the numeral die 37, with the highest number 
thrown being the first to play. The play of the game is determined by the 
throw of the special dice 37, 44 and 51 and the tactics used by a player 
in moving his space ship playing pieces from square to square. The first 
objective is to occupy the neutral zone or strip 15 where the playing 
pieces are safe and a further line of offense can be planned. The player 
then continues forward to invade opponent's territory and eventually 
occupying the opponent's command base with a certain type of space ship or 
combination or number of space ships which will win the game as previously 
described. Once a player has destroyed both of opponent's command ships 
the game is over. The players take turns in throwing the dice and move 
space ship playing pieces in sequence only on the red and yellow squares. 
At the same time, tactics must be used in moving space ships to block and 
destroy opponent's space ships from invading his territory. At the same 
time, the player is attempting to invade the opponent's command base and 
win the game. 
While this invention has been described fully and completely with special 
emphasis upon a single preferred embodiment, it should be understood that 
within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced 
otherwise than as specifically described herein.