Abstract:
The invention provides a novel games which permits a player to combine elements of a game of skill and chance, such as a variation of poker, with the strategy of a board game, in which movements of game pieces on the game board are based in part on the results of hands of the game of skill and chance. Games of this invention may be played using, e.g., playing cards, playing pieces, and a game board, which may be tangible or represented electronically.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent Application Ser. No. 61/010,432, filed on Jan. 8, 2008, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates generally to a game and methods of playing a game. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    A inventive game having various embodiments, and various inventive methods of playing a game, have been developed and are disclosed herein. The games and methods of game play of this invention combine the elements of skill and chance of a card game and the elements of skill of movement of pieces of a board game. 
         [0004]    In one aspect of this invention, the game combines elements of a variation of poker with movements of pieces that represent items of warfare on a board similar to a board that might be used in a game of checkers or poker. 
         [0005]    Embodiments of this invention include games and methods of game play using physical playing cards, game pieces, and a game board as well as embodiments in which the playing cards, game pieces, and/or game board are digitally represented, e.g., as in a game played on a general purpose computer, on a computing device adapted more specifically for game play (e.g., such as systems sold under the trademarks Nintendo DS, PSP, GameBoy, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3, and the like), and/or on a computing device adapted for play of a single game of the present invention (or one or more variations of a game of this invention). 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
         [0006]    The invention will be better understood from a reading of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying Figures in the drawings in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  is a left, isometric view of a playing board, according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  is a top, isometric view of a first set of playing pieces, according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front, isometric view of a second set of playing pieces, according to a first embodiment of the invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 4  is a left, isometric view of a third playing piece, according to a first embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0011]      FIG. 5  is a top, isometric view of a playing board and playing pieces, according to a first embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
       [0012]    The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in the description, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms “include,” “have,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. 
         [0013]    The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,” “under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]    Examples of two preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below. Although these embodiments describe using tanks (in a first “basic” embodiment) and tanks, supply trucks, and aircraft (in a second “advanced” embodiment) as playing pieces, other playing pieces may be used. For example, playing pieces could take the form of or otherwise represent persons, weaponry, vehicles, and/or other munitions of battle of another real (e.g., medieval times) or imagined (e.g., a “space battle”) era. Alternatively, playing pieces need not represent another thing; for example, square playing pieces could be used as an alternative to tanks in an embodiment of the present invention similar to the first embodiment (the “basic game”) described hereafter and square, triangular and circular pieces could be used as an alternative to the tanks, supply trucks, and aircraft of the subsequently-described second embodiment (the “advanced” Assault Poker™). 
         [0015]    As hereinafter described, results of poker hands are used to determine the number of moves of the playing pieces. The examples of types of poker that can be used in an embodiment of a game of the present invention are exemplary; other known types of poker and/or similar card games and/or other modifications and/or variations of known types of poker and/or similar card games may be used in a other embodiments of the present invention. Also exemplary are the table of moves and the specific moves allowed by a particular playing piece described in the following examples. Other moves may be awarded based on the results of the card game used in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention and specific moves of the playing pieces (which, again, need not be tanks or tanks, supply trucks and aircraft) other than those described in the following examples may be used in other embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0016]    Looking to the Figures,  FIG. 1  illustrates a game board  2  according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIGS. 2 and 3 , respectively, illustrate a set of playing pieces depicting aircraft  4  and a set of playing pieces depicting tanks  6 , in each case according to an embodiment of the invention.  FIG. 4  illustrates a playing piece depicting a supply truck  8  according to an embodiment of the invention. Finally,  FIG. 5  illustrates a game board  2  on which playing pieces  4 ,  6 ,  8  are placed in position for the start of game play according to an embodiment of the invention. 
       EXAMPLES OF EMBODIMENTS OF GAMES OF THE INVENTION 
       [0017]    Rules of Engagement 
         [0018]    Objective: To wipe out all of the tanks, aircraft, and supply trucks of the other side. The winner is the player who achieves total victory and unconditional surrender. You win when the other player has no pieces left on the board. 
         [0019]    Premise: Assault Poker™ is a fast-moving game that combines the principles of poker and checkers (Basic Assault Poker™) or chess (Advanced Assault Poker™. By winning poker hands, you can move your board pieces into positions where they will corner and defeat the board pieces controlled by the enemy player. The game requires both strategic planning and tactical battle skills designed to mimic the actual process of war fighting. 
         [0020]    Levels of Assault Poker™: There are two levels of Assault Poker™: Basic Assault Poker™ combines the rules of poker with a board configured only for tank battles, resulting in a simple, fast-paced game suitable for both children over 7 years of age and adults. It resembles a combination of poker and checkers in that there is only one type of board piece—tanks—and one set of rules for movement of those pieces. Advanced Assault Poker™ adds supply convoys and air support and their more complex chess-like movements and capabilities, and is designed for adults and older children with good analytic skills. Rules of poker are included separately. 
         [0021]    Number of Players: Two or four players. Two players is the standard. However, the game can be very exciting with four players, who may play with two to a team, one player taking the lead for the poker and the other taking the lead for the movement of the pieces. 
         [0022]    Assault Poker™: Basic Game 
         [0023]    1. Summary: You move your tanks based on how high your previous poker hand was. You “engage” enemy tanks by moving your pieces next to the enemy tanks. You bet your opponent that you will defeat one or more engaged tanks in the same way you bet a variable number of chips in a normal poker game. You defeat and remove “engaged” and “bet” enemy tanks by winning the poker hand. Both parties then again move their tanks based on how good their hands were. 
         [0024]    2. Board Layout: Each player has 16 tanks total, laid out with 8 in each of the two back rows of the board. 
         [0025]    3. Tank Movements: Each tank may move forward, backward, and sideways but not diagonally. The number of squares your tanks may move is determined by how high your hand is in each game of poker, as described in the Table of Moves below. The higher your hand in poker, the more tank movements you get after each hand. Tank “movements” are determined by how high your hand is regardless of whether you win the hand or not; however, tank “victories” occur only when you win the hand. 
         [0026]    4. Tanks Engagements: Tanks may “engage” enemy tanks in battle only when the opposing tanks are in squares that are next to each other (but not diagonally so). You can defeat an enemy tank only by winning a poker hand when tanks are next to each other. If multiple opposing tanks are next to each other (i.e. “engaged”), you may defeat in a single poker hand up to the total number of tanks you have engaged, depending on how many engaged tanks are “bet” during the game of poker, as described below. 
         [0027]    5. Earning New Tanks: When your tank has moved all the way across the board—to the point where it is on a square in the enemy&#39;s back line (last row)—you win another tank which you place on your own back row, and your victorious tank turns around to head back toward your own territory. While heading back, your tank may continue to engage enemy tanks, and may move in any non-diagonal direction, but your tank cannot win another new tank until it reaches a square on your own back row, turns around, and again moves to the enemy&#39;s back row. (Note: tanks should always face “forward” even when they move sideways or backwards, so that players can keep track of which ones are heading toward the enemy lines and which ones are heading home.) 
         [0028]    6. Poker Game for Level One: The basic level one poker game is Five-Card Draw. The game will proceed faster with deuces (two&#39;s) serving as wild cards (which increases the average value of the hands and, therefore, the speed of the game), but this is optional. To increase the potential number of tanks bet, you may also play seven card stud, five card stud, or Texas Hold &#39;Em. 
         [0029]    7. Betting: You defeat tanks by engaging them (moving them next to each other) and then betting them during a hand of poker. Tanks may be defeated and removed from the board only if they are both engaged and bet during the hand. The maximum amount that the players can “bet” on a hand is the total number of tanks engaged (i.e. tanks in spaces next to one another, as described above), which, as the game proceeds, can be as many as seven or eight tanks in a single hand. 
         [0030]    8. Marching to Battle: The dealer deals the five-card hand. After looking at his or her cards, the non-dealing player may then bet zero tanks (a “check” in poker), one engaged tank or two engaged tanks—but the betting may never exceed the total number of tanks engaged (i.e. opposing tanks situated next to each other). The dealer may either accept the bet, fold, or raise by up to one engaged tank. The players then discard unwanted cards and receive new ones in accordance with the rules of poker (included herein). After the players have their final hands, the non-dealing party may bet zero or one additional engaged tank, and the dealer may accept the bet, fold, or raise by one engaged tank. The winner of the hand removes the total number of engaged enemy tanks (of his choice) that the players have bet during the hand. 
         [0031]    9. Ante: If any pieces are engaged, there is a one piece ante, meaning that even if no one bets a tank during the hand, the winner gets one engaged piece of his or her choice. 
         [0032]    10. Folding: A player may fold at any time. If the opposing player folds, you defeat and take the number of engaged tanks that the combatants have bet, and you may at your option move your tanks a total of 3 spaces. If you decline the three spaces, the opposing player may not fold at any time during the next hand. If no tanks have been bet, the winner takes the ante plus three spaces, if desired. 
         [0033]    11. Tank Movements: After the victor removes the losing tanks, both the victor and the loser move their pieces. The victor decides who moves first. 
         [0034]    12. Number of Moves: The total number of spaces you can move—which you can execute with one tank or a combination of tanks—depends on how good your last poker hand was—regardless of whether you won or lost the hand. The number of spaces you can move are as follows (and remember, the loser gets to move too if he or she has at least a pair): 
         [0035]    Table of Moves 
         [0036]    High Card 
         [0037]    (winner only): one move 
         [0038]    Pair: two moves 
         [0039]    Two Pair: four moves 
         [0040]    Three of a Kind: six moves 
         [0041]    Straight: nine moves 
         [0042]    Flush: eleven moves 
         [0043]    Full House: thirteen moves 
         [0044]    Four of a Kind: fifteen moves 
         [0045]    Straight Flush: twenty moves 
         [0046]    13. Completing the Game: Players alternate dealing hands until one player has no more tanks on the board. The only victory is total victory. 
         [0047]    Advanced Assault Poker™ 
         [0048]    1. Board Layout with Additional Pieces: In Advance Assault Poker, each side gets eight fewer tanks, which are replaced with four aircraft and four supply trucks respectively. At the start of the game, the four aircraft occupy the middle four spaces in the forward row and the supply trucks alternate with the tanks in the back row. 
         [0049]    2. Aircraft Properties: The major advantages of aircraft is that they may move diagonally, they can engage tanks and supply trucks unilaterally in a diagonal position, they may move double the normal number of moves permitted in the Table of Moves, and they must be defeated twice in order to be removed from the board. The major disadvantages of aircraft is that they cannot ever win new aircraft and they lose all of their advantageous capabilities if you have lost all of your supply trucks. 
         [0050]    3. Aircraft movements. Aircraft may move forward, backward, and diagonally—or a combination of such moves. They may also move double the number of spaces on the chart of movements listed above—if you want them to. So, if you get a poker hand of Three of a Kind, you may move tanks and supply trucks a total of six moves in accordance with the Table of Moves above. However, if you move aircraft, you may make up to twelve moves. Alternatively, you could move tanks or supply trucks four moves, and keep your last two moves for the aircraft, which could then move up to four spaces (the two remaining moves, doubled). When you choose to move a plane “double” the authorized number of moves, each double move may only be in a single direction (forward, backward, or diagonally two spaces); but if you have multiple double moves, you may move the piece in a different direction for the second, third, and later double moves than you did for the previous moves. 
         [0051]    4. Defeating Air Power: These are stealth aircraft. They must be defeated twice to be removed from the board. The first defeat destroys the aircraft&#39;s radar jamming capability; the second hit destroys the aircraft. Therefore, if you defeat a stealth aircraft once, turn it over and the markings will indicate that it is now vulnerable to the second attack. 
         [0052]    5. Aircraft Battle Engagements: Aircraft may engage enemy pieces on neighboring spaces, adjacent or diagonally. Tanks and supply trunks may not engage aircraft diagonally, and can escape diagonal engagement only by winning the hand and moving away. 
         [0053]    6. Supply Convoy Properties: Supply trucks move the same as tanks—forward and backward but not diagonally. Their major advantageous property is that your own tanks and planes may “jump” over them without using up a move. They also may earn new supply trucks the same way new tanks are earned. But their major disadvantage is that they may not engage and defeat either enemy tanks or planes unless they have contiguous “support” from a tank or plane of their own, as described below. 
         [0054]    7. Engaging Supply Trucks in Battle: Supply trucks are lightly armed. They may defeat other supply trucks the same way tanks defeat each other. But a supply truck may only defeat a tank or an aircraft if it has one of its own tanks on a space next to the supply truck, or one of its own aircraft on a neighboring or diagonal space—giving it protection and back up. 
         [0055]    8. Elimination of All the Enemy&#39;s Supply Trucks: At the point when you eliminate all of the enemy supply trucks, your enemy&#39;s aircraft lose much of their capabilities because they cannot be readily refueled. At that point, the planes can move only like tanks (no diagonal moves, no two-spaced moves), but, unlike tanks, they cannot be used to earn more pieces. They go from being the strongest pieces on the board to being the weakest. They may still engage enemy pieces as tanks do. 
         [0056]    9. Supply Trucks as Convoy Transports for Other Pieces: At any time when you are moving your pieces, you planes or tanks may jump over your own convoys without using up a move. Tanks can only jump straight over; planes can jump straight or diagonally—consistent with their normal movements. Convoys cannot jump over other convoys. 
         [0057]    10. Basic Rules Still Apply: Other rules of Basic Assault Poker™ apply to Advanced Assault Poker™, including folding and ante rules and the Table of Moves. 
         [0058]    11. Win. 
         [0059]    Although the above examples of embodiments of games and methods of game play of this invention are described in terms of physical playing cards, playing pieces, and game board, it will be understood by those with skill in the art that games of this invention may be provided in other formats, such as electronically. Games of this invention may be provided for play via software to be executed on a programmable device, using input and output devices known in the art (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touch pad, touch screen, game controller, joy stick, voice commands, and the like, as input devices, and screen, monitor, voice output, and the like, as output devices). For example, embodiments of games of this invention may be played on a general purpose computer, on a computing device adapted more specifically for game play (e.g., such as systems sold under the trademarks Nintendo DS, PSP, GameBoy, GameCube, Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3, and the like), and/or on a computing device adapted for play of a single game of the present invention (or one or more variations of a game of this invention). 
         [0060]    Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Various examples of such changes have been given in the foregoing description and are giving in the following description. Accordingly, the disclosure of embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative of the scope of the invention and is not intended to be limiting. For example, to one of ordinary skill in the art, it will be readily apparent that the game and method of playing a game discussed herein may be implemented in a variety of embodiments, and that the foregoing discussion of certain of these embodiments does not necessarily represent a complete description of all possible embodiments.