Patent Publication Number: US-7896347-B1

Title: Board game

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a board game, more particularly to a board game illustrating seven chakras of enlightenment and seven deadly sins. The object of the game is to earn the most points. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention features a board game for entertainment and/or educational purposes. The game may further incorporate spiritual learning. For example, the game illustrates the seven chakras of enlightenment and the seven deadly sins. The object of the game is to earn the most points. 
     Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of the board of the board game of the present invention. 
         FIGS. 2A-2E  are top exploded views of various regions of the board of the board game of the present invention. In particular,  FIG. 2E  recites the following: 
       7 Deadly Sins 
       LUST: Intense desire or craving for self gratification 
       AVARICE: Insatiable greed for riches, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth 
       SLOTH: Spiritual and/or actual apathy or laziness 
       ENVY: Desire or wishes for another&#39;s superior duality or possession 
       ANGER: An emotional state that may range from minor irritation to intense rage 
       PRIDE: Emotion of strong sense of respect to a point of thinking one&#39;s self as better than anyone 
       GLUTTONY: The over indulgence and over consumption of food, drink or intoxicants 
       7 Chokras of Enlightenment 
       SELF LOVE: The degree to which you love yourself determines the degree of which you are able to extend love 
       SERENITY: The absence of mental stress and anxiety 
       ABUNDANCE: Overflowing fullness, an abundance of heart 
       HAPPINESS: Emotion in which one experiences feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy 
       HEALTH: A state of complete physical, mental and social well being 
       SPIRITUAL WELL BEING: The ability to experience and integrate meaning and purpose in life 
       FAMILY AND FRIENDS: Your inner core of support for all your life happenings 
         FIGS. 2F-1  is a part of and precedes  FIGS. 2F-2 , where  FIGS. 2-1  recites the following: 
       “Enlightenment” 
       You&#39;ll see it when you believe it 
       Setting Up the Board 
       Have the number of players sit around the board, spaced out as evenly as possible with each player sitting in front of a Colored CHOKRA (i.e.: Health, happiness, love etc) 
       Each player gets 7 game pieces that are identical but in seven different colors, then sets them up on the CHOKRA in front of him/her with the game pieces of their respective colored circle. 
       Pick one player to act as the distributor of the cards so they can give the cards as they are called for in the playing of the game. 
       Each player is given two REALITY CHECK cards and one GOOD SAMARITAN card to start. 
       Playing the Game 
       Each player spins one dial and the highest spin goes first then play proceeds clockwise for the rest of the game. 
       Spin both dials, one to see how many of your pieces move and the other to tell you far each piece moves, there is a marker below the dials to keep track of these moves. 
       Pick your piece to move and count them out one at a time then follow the instructions on the board, if there are no instructions then pick a card from the box for that color and read the saying/inspiration on the face of the card for all to hear. Then flip the card over and do what is on the reverse. 
       When a game piece reaches the space before a DEADLY SIN it must stop and if the player can read a REALITY CHECK card the count can continue. If that player has not got a REALITY CHECK card to read then he/she must stop at that SIN. 
       That player moves all of his/hers pieces for that spin and carries out all actions until unable to move any other pieces, then the action moves to the next player. 
         FIGS. 2F-2  is a part of and follows  FIGS. 2F-1 , where  FIGS. 2F-2  recites the following: 
       When a player is stuck at a DEADLY SIN and another player&#39;s game piece lands at that same spot and is able to cross over he/she carries the trapped player across the SIN with it but only the carrying piece gets to follow the instructions given on the space on the board. When a player helps another player over a SIN he/she gets a GOOD SAMARITAN card for doing so. 
       There are instructions on the back of the cars that tell you to move any player a certain number of spaces. If you chose to move your own piece, you just follow the instructions on where you land but if you chose to move another players you get to pick a REALITY CHECK card and a GOOD SAMARITAN card. 
       The object of the game is to get ALL pieces into the center (ENLIGHTENMENT) and to do so each game piece must move around the board until it reaches the CHOKRA of it&#39;s color then counts up to the center. Players can be moved into the ENLIGHTENMENT by others at the time of extended count. 
       If the player does not have enough pieces to continue his/her due to his/her players already being in ENLIGHTENMENT then that player can chose any others piece to move and pick up GOOD SAMARITAN cars for each other&#39;s piece that is moved. 
       The ONE CHANCE cards are played as directed by the game or board and when the question is read, the player gets one opportunity to answer. If the reader feels the question is right then the player gets a REALTY CHECK card and a GOOD SAMARITAN card. If the question is answered incorrectly then as per the instructions on the face of the card, the question is then asked of the next player and if answered correctly he/she gets the REALTY CHECK and GOOD SAMARITAN cards. 
       When told to exchange GOOD SAMARITAN cards with another player, it is simply an action of both players fanning their GOOD SAMARITAN cards with the number count hidden and choosing a card from the others pile. 
       The Object of the Game 
       The game is to played with everyone getting the opportunity to hear or read allowed as many positive affirmations as possible. Each player tries to reach ENLGIHTENMENT and to also help all other players. 
       The short version is as per above instructions but a long version with each and every game piece having to go completely around the board before turning up into ENLIGHTENMENT 
       The End of the Game 
       The game can be ended at any time and to determine the winner, each player redeems their REALITY CHECK cards that have not been used for GOOD SAMARITAN cards. The points on the back of the GOOD SAMARITAN cards are added up and the overall winner is the person with the most points. 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of the wheels of the board game of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of the playing pieces and cards of the board game of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following is a listing of numbers corresponding to a particular element refer to herein: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                 100 
                 board game 
               
               
                   
                 200 
                 board 
               
               
                   
                 205 
                 text 
               
               
                   
                 210 
                 large circle 
               
               
                   
                 215 
                 center circle 
               
               
                   
                 250 
                 playing pieces 
               
               
                   
                 280 
                 stripes 
               
               
                   
                 290 
                 dividing lines 
               
               
                   
                 295 
                 columns 
               
               
                   
                 310 
                 first wheel 
               
               
                   
                 320 
                 second wheel 
               
               
                   
                 400 
                 cards 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1-4 , the present invention features a board game  100 . The board game  100  may be an educational and entertaining game, and may incorporate spiritual learning as well. The object of the board game  100  of the present invention is to move all of one&#39;s playing pieces  250  into the center circle  215  of the board  200 . To move one&#39;s pieces  250  into the center circle  215  of the board  200 , a player must help other players. 
     Board and Playing Pieces 
     The board  200  is a generally flat panel having a decorated top surface and four corners. In some embodiments, text  205  is written on the board  200 . As shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2B ,  FIG. 2C , and  FIG. 2E , text  205  may include “7 DEADLY SINS: LUST, AVARICE, SLOTH, ENVY, ANGER, PRIDE, GLUTTONY.” Text may include “7 CHAKRAS OF ENLIGHTENMENT: SELF LOVE, SERENITY, ABUNDANCE, HAPPINESS, HEALTH, SPIRITUAL WELL BEING, FAMILY AND FRIENDS.” In some embodiments, text  205  is written in one or more corners of the board  200 . In some embodiments, text  205  includes the rules of the game. Disposed in the center of the board  200  is a large circle  210 . Evenly spaced along the outer edge of the large circle  201  are the seat numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The large circle  210  has a center circle  215 . Extending radially from the center circle  215  to the large circle  210  are fourteen stripes  280 . The stripes  280  are generally although not completely evenly spaced apart. The stripes  280  are each labeled. Labels include Envy, Abundance, Sloth, Serenity, Avarice, Self Love, Lust, Family and Friends, Gluttony, Spiritual Well Being, Pride, Health, Anger, and Happiness. These labels represent the 7 deadly sins and the 7 chakras of enlightenment in an alternating pattern. 
     In addition to the fourteen stripes  280 , twenty one dividing lines  290  extend radially from the center circle  215  to the outer circle  210 . The dividing lines  290  are generally although not completely evenly spaced apart. For example, there are two dividing lines  290  in between the stripes  280  labeled “Anger” and “Happiness” and there is one dividing line  290  in between the stripes  280  labeled “Happiness” and “Envy.:” The stripes  280  in combination with the dividing lines  290  create 35 separate columns  295 . 
     Extending outwardly from the center circle  215  toward the large circle  210  are 7 concentric circles. The concentric circles each cross over the fourteen stripes. The intersections of the concentric circles with the stripes  280  and dividing lines  290  create boxes. For example, there are 21 boxes between the stripes  280  labeled “Envy” and “Abundance.” 
     In some embodiments, one or more boxes are labeled with commands. Commands may include Pick Bonus, Pick One Chance, Give Bonus Your Choice From Pile, Give Player 2 To Left Reality, Give One Chance Your Choice, Player 1 To Left Pick One Chance, Trade Bonus Your Choice, Give Player 2 To Right Reality, Trade Bonus Player 4 To Right, or the like. The commands tell a player what to do if he/she lands on the box. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the board game  100  further comprises a first wheel  310  and a second wheel  320 . Such wheels are well known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The wheels  310  have an arrow that spins freely about an axis. The arrow has a pointed end. A player can spin the arrow about the wheel  310 . When the arrow stops, the player reads the result of his/her spin by viewing the pointed end of the arrow. The first wheel  310  determines how many spaces a player can move. The second wheel  320  determines how many playing pieces  250  a player can move. The player spins both wheels during his/her turn. The first wheel  310  is divided evenly into 7 sections, each section labeled with a number 1 through 7. The second wheel  320  is divided into seven sections, each section labeled with a number 1 through 7. 
     The board game  100  of the present invention includes a plurality of playing pieces  150 . In some embodiments, the playing pieces  250  resemble animals such as rabbits, ducks, snails, or other animal (see  FIG. 4 ). 
     The board game  100  of the present invention further comprises a plurality of cards  400 . There may be up to 1500 cards  400 . The cards  400  may display instructions or phrases. Cards  400  include “Reality Check” cards, “Good Samaritan” cards, and the like. 
     In some embodiments, the board  200  is decorated with a variety of colors. 
     Playing the Board Game 
     To play, two to seven players sit around the board  200  at each of the 7 seat numbers. Each player receives seven playing pieces  250  and lines each playing piece  250  along the stripe  280  at his seat number. The seven playing pieces  250  travel around the board in between the concentric circles. For example, a player sitting at seat number 6 places one playing piece  250  on the stripe  280  labeled “Happiness” in between the center circle  215  and the first concentric circle from the center circle  215 . He places another playing piece  250  in between the next concentric circle, and so on. 
     In some embodiments, the colors of the playing pieces  250  match the color of the players seat number. For example, the stripes  280  for the chakras may each have a different color, and playing pieces  250  are divided up according to those colors. 
     A player is chosen to be the distributor of the cards  400 . Each player is given two “Reality Check” cards and one “Good Samaritan” card. A first player is chosen. The first player may be chosen by spinning the wheels. The player to spin the highest number starts first. 
     The first player spins both the first wheel  310  and the second wheel  320 . When the player moves a playing piece  250 , the player follows the instructions in the box where the playing pieces  250  lands. If there are no instructions in the box, then the player draws a card  400  with the color that corresponds to the color of the box where he/she landed and reads the phrases on the card for all players to hear. The player then flips the card over and does what the instructions instruct him/her to do. 
     Players attempt to move each playing piece  250  around the board and get each playing piece over each of the stripes  280  labeled with the seven deadly sins. If a playing piece lands on a stripe  280  with one of the seven deadly sins, the playing piece stops there. The player must play a “Reality Check” card before he/she can move the playing piece beyond that stripe  280 . If the player cannot play a “Reality Check” card, the playing piece  250  cannot move. The player&#39;s turn continues until he/she has moved all possible playing pieces  250 . After the first player has completed his/her turn, the player clockwise to him/her begins his/her turn. 
     If a player is able to cross a Deadly Sin stripe  280  and an opponent&#39;s piece is located on that deadly sin stripe  280 , the player can carry the opponent&#39;s piece over the deadly sin strip  280  and receive a “Good Samaritan” card for doing so. 
     After a playing piece  250  has passed over all seven deadly sin stripes  280 , the playing piece  250  moves to the center circle  215  labeled “Enlightenment.” When all of the players have all of their respective playing piece  250  in the center circle  215 , each player exchanges all of his unused “Reality Check” cards for “Good Samaritan” cards. The “Good Samaritan” cards are worth varying points. All players tally up their points. The player with the most points wins. 
     The following the disclosures of the following U.S. Patents are incorporated in their entirety by reference herein: U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,133; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,606; U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,535; U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,834; U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,308; U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,991. 
     Various modifications of the invention, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Each reference cited in the present application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.