Abstract:
A method of playing a board game that simulates physical combat between two players uses game equipment including: a game board having a board surface indicia recognizable as a fighting ring with at least two separate fighting areas, the fighting areas each are closed circuits of spaces wherein game pieces are moved and a majority of the spaces define a specific fight action. Fight cards are used to keep score by marking each fight action that a player identifies when moving to a square during each turn. Once it is determined which fighting area is to be used, each player rolls a die in turn and moves around the board which resembles a ring. The player that is able to mark the most fight action squares on his card wins the game. Other features of the game board moves allow changing from one fighting area to another and an instant win.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    Not applicable. 
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable. 
       THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTTED ON A COMPACT DISC 
       [0004]    Not applicable. 
       REFERENCE TO A “MICROFICHE APPENDIX” 
       [0005]    Not applicable. 
       SEQUENCE LISTING 
       [0006]    Not applicable. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    1. Field of the Present Disclosure 
         [0008]    This disclosure relates generally to recreational board games and more particularly to a board game having a martial arts theme simulating actual combat wherein one portion of the board relates to standing combat while a further portion of the game relates to mat action such as wrestling. 
         [0009]    2. Description of Related Art including information disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
         [0010]    Alvey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,036 discloses an apparatus and method for playing a board game including a playing board having a playing surface comprised of five concentric rings, each ring being divided into eight game piece areas. A circle in the center of the playing surface is divided into two semi-circles and define the inner fortress for each player. Each ring has two designated game piece areas for each player which indicate the position at which game pieces advance into the next innermost ring and the initial game piece area moved into to start movement about that ring. Each player&#39;s designated areas are on opposite sides of the ring from the other player to eliminate congestion and enhance play. Each player is assigned a plurality of game pieces including warriors, scouts, archers, shield bearers, captains, and one king. A catapult is available to each player as a means of capturing opposing game pieces. 
         [0011]    Quiroz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,420 discloses a chess-like board game for use by two players comprises a checker board having a peripheral checker playing area with rows and columns of bilaterally alternating colored spaces. A central playing area comprising a checker area with rows and columns of bilaterally alternating colored spaces of a different color (i.e. blue) indicating the sea. The checkered areas are aligned both in rows and columns for movement of pieces along the outer peripheral area or through the central area. A set of chess-like pieces are provided on each side of the playing board including a plurality of different pieces having different moving characteristics. Each side of the board is provided with a marked area indicated as the target area for occupation by pieces of the opposing side. The central playing area (i.e. the sea) is provided with pieces functioning as boats for movement of the playing pieces across the sea. 
         [0012]    McNeil, U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,410 discloses equipment for a board game including a game board depicting the map of a geographic area divided into a multiplicity of adjoining individual areas, preferably of varying sizes. Some of these areas are marked with the names of towns. A plurality of playing pieces are provided for the use of the players, a first group of these playing pieces representing two rival contending power blocs to be controlled by respective ones of the players, and a second group of playing pieces representing units of power to be moved by the players at their turn of play. A first pack of cards to be dealt to the players includes at least some cards marked with indicia each representing units of power allocated to the players holding the cards. The indicia on these cards is identical to indicia on the playing pieces of the second group, and some of the individual map areas are marked with these indicia to indicate home sites for the playing pieces marked with the same indicia. 
         [0013]    Yu-Gi-Oh is an animated television series for children. In the show, Yugi and his friends compete in the Duel Monsters tournament against Maximillion Pegasus to stop him from obtaining the power of the mystical Millennium Items. The goal of Yu-Gi-Oh Millennium (2 to 4 players, ages 7 and up) is to collect all five pieces of the Millennium Puzzle. Each player begins the game with one piece; the other pieces are placed in the Arena. In order to win the puzzle pieces, players challenge each other to duels in the Arena. These combat games are further described at the following web site: http://boardgames.about.com/od/yugioh/a/millennium.htm. 
         [0014]    The related art described above discloses typical board games. However, the prior art fails to disclose a board game that relates to mixed martial arts. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary. 
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    This disclosure teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below. 
         [0016]    The present invention is a method of playing a board game that simulates physical combat between two players and uses game equipment including: a game board having a board surface indicia recognizable as a fighting ring with at least two separate fighting areas, the fighting areas each are closed circuits of spaces wherein game pieces are moved and a majority of the spaces each defines a specific fight action. Fight cards are used to keep score by marking each fight action that a player identifies when landing on a square during each turn. Once it is determined which fighting area is to be used, each player rolls a die in turn and moves around the board landing on squares as the game proceeds. The player that is able to mark the most fight action squares on his card wins each round within certain limiting rules of the game. Other squares of the game board allow benefits or penalties to the player that lands on them and a 30 sided die is used to force play to move from one fight venue to the other, and to determine an early win or loss for the player that lands on “knock-out” or “submission.” 
         [0017]    A primary objective inherent in the above described apparatus and method of use is to provide advantages not taught by the prior art. 
         [0018]    Another objective is to provide a board game that simulates mixed martial arts action between two combatants. 
         [0019]    A further objective is to provide such a board game wherein stand-up combat is simulated on a first circuit of spaces on which game pieces move according to a die roll, and wherein ground (wrestling) combat is simulated on a second circuit of spaces. 
         [0020]    A further objective is to provide such a board game wherein the spaces on which game pieces land indicate various fighting actions and score cards are used to keep track of which actions each player has conducted. 
         [0021]    A further objective is to provide such a board game wherein a player who has conducted a certain number of fight actions before his/her adversary is able to win a round of play, and if the game is not ended otherwise, the player winning the most rounds is declared the winner of the game overall. 
         [0022]    Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the presently described apparatus and method of its use. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
         [0023]    Illustrated in the accompanying drawing(s) is at least one of the best mode embodiments of the present invention In such drawing(s): 
           [0024]      FIG. 1  is a plan view of a game playing board of the presently described apparatus; 
           [0025]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of one portion of the board of  FIG. 1  showing typical details thereof; 
           [0026]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of an upper portion of a player&#39;s score card of the presently described apparatus; 
           [0027]      FIG. 4  is a plan view of a lower portion thereof; 
           [0028]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a pair of typical game pieces of the apparatus; 
           [0029]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a pair of dice of the apparatus; 
           [0030]      FIGS. 7-10  are illustrations of the preferred appearances of four game pieces of the apparatus of the present invention; and 
           [0031]      FIGS. 11-14  are illustrations of alternate appearances of the game board apparatus. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0032]    The above described drawing figures illustrate the described apparatus and its method of use in at least one of its preferred, best mode embodiment, which is further defined in detail in the following description. Those having ordinary skill in the art may be able to make alterations and modifications to what is described herein without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, it should be understood that what is illustrated is set forth only for the purposes of example and should not be taken as a limitation on the scope of the present apparatus and its method of use. 
         [0033]    Described now in detail is a board game apparatus and method of play that simulates physical combat between players of the board game. Game equipment includes: a game board  10  as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  having a board surface indicia  12  recognizable as a six-sided fighting ring with at least two separate fighting areas, an outer area  14  and an inner area  16 , although the two fight areas  14  and  16  may be placed comprised of a closed circuit of spaces  18 , wherein the spaces  18  are laid in sequence in a side-by-side relationship similar to other board games such as Monopoly®. Each of the spaces  18  in the outer area  14  is marked with words or phrases  15  related to a well known fight action in stand-up fighting like kick boxing, such as “punch,” “kick,” “knee,” “elbow,” “head butt,” “body blow,” and each of the spaces  18  in the inner area  16  is marked with words or phrases  15  related to mat action, such as “choke,” “Kimura,” “triangle,” “arm bar,” “full mount” and “ankle lock.” Obviously, other fight action descriptors may be used. Other legends in certain of the spaces  18  may be otherwise marked and examples are: “roll again,” “cheap shot,” “start,” and “point deduction.” The meaning for these other legends will be described in the method of play of the present invention as detailed below. 
         [0034]    The game equipment further comprises a pair of fight score cards  20  as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , which figures, together, represent a single said fight card  20 , but have been shown in two separate figures so as to enlarge details. Each one of the fight cards  20  has a card surface indicia  22  clearly shown as a plurality of sections  24 , i.e., vertical columns. Each of these sections  24  represents a “round” of play in the present game invention, and, also a virtual “round” in the virtual combat that belies the present game. In  FIGS. 3 and 4 , at the top of the sections  24 , each of the rounds is indicted from left to right with one of the round numbers, 1-5. The sections  24  are also split horizontally with their upper portions, shown in  FIG. 3 , representing and indicated as “stand up” fighting, and with their lower portions, shown in  FIG. 4 , representing and indicated as “ground” fighting, or fighting in a non-standing form on the mat.  FIG. 3  presents the same fight words or phrases  15  as found on the outer area  14  of game board  10 , and  FIG. 4  presents the same fight words or phrases  15  as found on the inner area  16  of game board  10 . The words or phrases  15  found on the fight score cards  20  are enclosed within small boxes  26 . 
         [0035]    The game equipment also includes game pieces  30  as exemplified in  FIG. 5  and of which two are used during play.  FIGS. 7-10  represent the preferred appearances of the game pieces  30 . At least one die is used in the present game, and preferably two dice are used, a standard six sided game die  40 , and a 30 sided game die  42  as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
         [0036]    The fighting ring indicia shown in  FIG. 1  has 6 sides, but this indicia may also be shown as a fighting ring with any number of sides as shown in  FIGS. 11-14 , and alternately it may be round in shape, as long as it is represented by a closed figure such as is an actual fighting ring. As previously described and for each alternative shape of the ring represented by the board indicia  12 , the outer area  14  is related to stand-up combat of the type that is well known in standard boxing and kick boxing matches, while the inner area  16  is identified as related to ground combat, or wrestling, as is well known in standard American wrestling matches including college wrestling, Judo and other martial arts. As is also well known, mixed martial arts encompasses boxing, wrestling and various throws, aerial moves, and a variety of punches, kicks and other combat movements. 
         [0037]    Preferably, the spaces  18 , beside indicting combat moves, are also employed to indicate player piece starting positions, see spaces  18 -A, when the game is first started, and other aspects of the game such as a player benefit, see spaces  18 -B, “cheap shot” and “roll again.” Also, the board  10  may have a player deduction or penalty space, see space  18 -C, “point deduction.” Further still, one or more of the spaces  18  may be used to indicate that a respective player must roll the 30 sided die and accept the outcome; see space  18 -D, “fight dice.” For instance, the 30 sided die is marked with the legends: “stand-up,” “ground,” “submission,” and “knock-out.” 
         [0038]    The above disclosure identifies the apparatus used in the present board game and will be referred to in describing the method of play below. The present game is played by only two players who are virtual competitive combatants involved in virtually overcoming each other. The present game is essentially a fighting match with virtual fighting moves underlying mutual attacks and which takes place during a given number of rounds where a score is kept by each player until one player overcomes the other in one of several possible ways. 
         [0039]    Play proceeds as each players, in turn, rolls the six-sided die  40  and moves his/her selected game piece  30  along one of the two circuits  14  or  16  by the number of spaces indicated on die. If the space that a game piece  30  lands on has a fight action legend, the corresponding small box  26  on the player&#39;s fight score card  20  is marked. When one player marks all twelve small boxes  26  in either the stand-up or ground portions of his/her fight score card  20 , the round is over and the players move on to the next round. If all rounds are completed, a winner is declared by comparing the two fight score cards  20 . 
         [0040]    As each player moves his game piece  30  around the board  10  the game piece  30  will land on spaces  18  that indicate a fighting move such as “punch.” After each such move, the small box  26  on the game card  20  that has the corresponding legend may be filled-in or otherwise indicated using a marking implement such as a highlighter or marker pen. If a game piece  30  lands on the space  18  with the legend “Cheap Shot,” any small box  26  in the section  24  that relates to current play, may be marked. If a game piece  30  lands on the space  18  with legend “Point Deduction,” a previously marked box  26  must be unmarked. If a game piece  30  lands on the space  18  with legend “roll again,” the same player continues to move a second time in a row. When a game piece  30  lands on the space  26  marked “fight dice” that player rolls the die  42 . 
         [0041]    Rounds are won by completing the marking of all of the small boxes  26  in either the stand-up section or the ground section before the opponent. When a round is won, both opponents move to the next round, and so on, and if no winner is determined by knock-out or through submission when all rounds are won, the player with the most small boxes  26  marked is the winner by decision. Alternately, the winner may be declared as that opponent winning the most rounds. 
         [0042]    Each section  24  in both the stand-up and the ground portions is divided into two parts and each part has six small boxes  26 . Each time a player marks six small boxes  26  in one of the parts of a section  24 , that player will roll the 30 sides die  42 . If this die  42  lands on “ground” play moves to the inner area  16  if currently in the outer area  14  and if it lands on “stand-up,” play moves to the outer area  16  if currently in the inner area  16 . If die  42  lands on either knock-out or submission, the game ends immediately. 
         [0043]    One of the players wins the game by defeating his/her opponent. This can occur when the 30 sided die  42  is rolled to show either “knock-out” or “submission,” in which case a winner is immediately declared, or by marking more small boxes  26  then the opponent or by winning more rounds so as to win by a decision. 
         [0044]    The enablements described in detail above are considered novel over the prior art of record and are considered critical to the operation of at least one aspect of the apparatus and its method of use and to the achievement of the above described objectives. The words used in this specification to describe the instant embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification: structure, material or acts beyond the scope of the commonly defined meanings. Thus if an element can be understood in the context of this specification as including more than one meaning, then its use must be understood as being generic to all possible meanings supported by the specification and by the word or words describing the element. 
         [0045]    The definitions of the words or drawing elements described herein are meant to include not only the combination of elements which are literally set forth, but all equivalent structure, material or acts for performing substantially the same function in substantially the same way to obtain substantially the same result. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements described and its various embodiments or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. 
         [0046]    Changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalents within the scope intended and its various embodiments. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. This disclosure is thus meant to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted, and also what incorporates the essential ideas. 
         [0047]    The scope of this description is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims and it is made clear, here, that each named inventor believes that the claimed subject matter is what is intended to be patented.