Patent Publication Number: US-2005133996-A1

Title: Board game and method of teaching religious values

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of Invention  
      The present invention relates to a board game, and in particular to a board game and method that teaches religious values, while generally educating the players about the Bible; a successful player is enable to preach the gospel around the world.  
      2. Prior Art  
      Many board games exist, but are usually played when no other activity is generally available, such as, on rainy days. Typically, such board games lack the objectives or types of stimuli that appeal to a serious person who treasures religious values.  
      Educational board games are known, for educating the players in aspects of life and business, but none are known for teaching religious values.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to educate people in a board game environment with respect to religious values and to obtain a better understanding of the Bible.  
      Many people have harbored the desire to preach the gospel around the world. The board game of the present invention provides such a person that chance. As a player move out from the “Cradle of Creation” and travels through the world, you will be able to witness to various countries by using the “Passage” cards. Preaching the gospel is not always easy. You can be sent to jail, become injured, or even be tempted by the devil. Sometimes you have to go back through countries to pray for someone or to baptize him or her in the name of Jesus. You must not become discouraged; you will receive spiritual gifts that will help you overcome these trials. You could also receive offerings that you will use to send missionaries to some countries on your behalf. With the help of your missionaries and your knowledge of the Word, you will be able to preach the gospel throughout the world.  
      According to the invention a method is provided for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible comprising the steps of: 
      providing a game board having a top surface;     providing a game path positioned on the top surface of said game board, said game path being a continuous series of spaces running from a beginning space to an ending space, each said space having a notation thereon giving a path description or instruction, the spaces of said path being divided into consecutive color groupings;     providing a plurality of game pieces for placing on said game path, each game piece having a religious connotation;     providing a plurality of missionary pieces for for placing on the said game path;     providing a spiritual gift die having spiritual gift messages on the faces of the die;     providing a token for players use in common for moving about said game path;     providing a standard die for determining movement along the said game path;     providing a spinner board having designated tasks thereon;     providing a deck of cards of passage cards containing a plurality of biblical questions of differing difficulty;     providing a deck of cards of offering cards containing indications of monetary value;     providing two timers of different duration for timing players of different playing level;     rolling the standard die by each of said players in turn, and moving the token to the designated space, and responding to the instruction notated on said designated space that may include use of a passage card or the spiritual gift die, if successfully within a time controlled by the timer, then replacing the token with the player&#39;s piece on the designated space;     placing a missionary on a space in a color group of spaces on the game path pursuant to collect a predetermined quantity of money via the offering cards to enable a player to move the playing piece through the color group whenever landing on the space occupied by the missionary;     continuing the game until at least one player arrives at the ending space whereupon the spinner board is used to successfully complete transit of the path using the spinner board.    

      The method of the invention further contemplates that the method for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above be carried out wherein the players are of beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of knowledge about the Bible.  
      The method of the invention further contemplates that the method for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible accoding to to the above be carried out wherein the timers run for 45 seconds and 30 seconds.  
      The method of the invention further contemplates that the method for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above be carried out wherein there are six player pieces.  
      The method of the invention further contemplates that the method for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above be carried out wherein there are more then 100 passage cards and more than 60 offering cards.  
      The method of the invention further contemplates that the method for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above be carried out wherein there are more than 30 missionaries.  
      The invention also embodies apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible that includes a game board having a top surface; a game path positioned on the top surface of said game board, said game path being a continuous series of spaces running from a beginning space to an ending space, each said space having a notation thereon giving a path description or instruction, the spaces of said path being divided into consecutive color groupings; a plurality of game pieces for placing on said game path, each game piece having a religious connotation; a plurality of missionary pieces for for placing on the said game path; a spiritual gift die having spiritual gift messages on the faces of the die; a token for players use in common for moving about said game path; a standard die for determining movement along the said game path; a spinner board having designated tasks thereon; a deck of cards of passage cards containing a plurality of biblical questions of differing difficulty; a deck of cards of offering cards containing indications of monetary value; two timers of different duration for timing players of different playing level; whereby the game is played by rolling the standard die by each of said players in turn, and moving the token to the designated space, and responding to the instruction notated on said designated space that may include use of a passage card or the spiritual gift die, if successfully within a time controlled by the timer, then replacing the token with the player&#39;s piece on the designated space; placing a missionary on a space in a color group of spaces on the game path pursuant to collect a predetermined quantity of money via the offering cards to enable a player to move the playing piece through the color group whenever landing on the space occupied by the missionary; and continuing the game until at least one player arrives at the ending space whereupon the spinner board is used to successfully complete transit of the path using the spinner board.  
      In addition, the apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above is designed wherein the players are of beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of knowledge about the Bible.  
      Further, the apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above functions wherein the timers run for 45 seconds and 30 seconds.  
      The apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above is designed wherein there are six player pieces.  
      The apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above functions using more then 100 passage cards and more than 60 offering cards.  
      The apparatus for playing a multi-level game for teaching religious values by a plurality of players of differing ability with respect to knowledge of the Bible according to the above is carried out wherein there are more than 30 missionaries.  
      The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.  
      The foregoing and other features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In the drawings, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements through the several views:  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of a preferred embodiment of the playing board in accordance with the subject invention, the component parts of which are shown in detail in  FIGS. 1A  to  1 H;  
       FIG. 2  is a top view of the spinner board, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the subject invention.  
       FIG. 3  is view of the six player pieces of the game.  
       FIG. 4  is a view of one of the missionaries.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the timers.  
       FIG. 6A  is a view of the stack of Passage cards.  
       FIG. 6B  is a view of text that appears on a Passage card.  
       FIG. 7A  is a view of the stack of Offering cards.  
       FIG. 7B  is a view of text that appears on an Offering card.  
       FIG. 8  is a view of a die used in playing the game.  
       FIG. 9  is a view of the Spiritual Gift die used in playing the game.  
       FIG. 10  is token used in playing the game. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      In accordance with the subject invention, and with particular reference to  FIG. 1 , and  FIGS. 1A  to  1 H, a game board  10  is shown describing a path  20  around the world. The Start block or step  22  is shown in  FIG. 1C , and the path moves continuously block by block or step by step or space by space  24 , until the end of the path  20  is reached at a block or step  26  notated STOP &amp; SPIN. In the center areas of the board is a gaming area  30  in which Passage cards are placed and a gaming area  32  in which Offering cards are placed, as described in greater detail below. Each of the blocks or steps is imprinted with notation related to quoting scripture or naming a book in the Bible, or other notation, as will be readily evident from the drawings, which show every step or block of path  20 . The path  20  is divided into a plurality of color groups of successive blocks or steps.  
      It should be appreciated that the configuration of the board can be altered, without deviating from the letter or spirit of the subject invention, provided the method and mechanism are maintained for accomplishing the objectives of the game as will be now explained in detail.  
      The number of PLAYERS can vary from 2,3,4,5,6 or up to 6 teams. The contents of the game consist of (1) One Game Board  10 , (1) One spinner board  36 , (1) One or Two standard die  38 , (1) One Spiritual Gift die  34 , (1) One token  42 , (6) Six player pieces  44 , (42) Forty-two missionaries  46 , (167) one hundred sixty seven “Passage” cards  48 , (99) ninety nine “Offering” cards  50  (33 each: $5000, $2000, $1000), One (1) 30 second white sand timer  52 , (1) One 45 second blue sand timer  54 , Forty-eight (48) player and missionary stands  56 .  
      The object of the game is to be the first to preach the gospel around the world.  
      The Scriptures in “The Passage” are taken from the New King James Version Holy Bible (NKJV). One may use any other Holy Bible and a concordance. Scriptures may vary slightly in words between different versions of the Bible, as can be noted from the following.  
      New King James Version (NKJV): Acts 2:38  
      Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  
      New International Version (NIV): Acts 2:38  
      Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  
      King James Version (KJV): Acts 2:38  
      Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
          receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.        

      Amplified Bible (AMP): Acts 2:38  
      And Peter answered them, Repent (change your views and purpose to accept the will of God in your inner selves instead of rejecting it) and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of and release from your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  
      The Spiritual gift die  34  ( FIG. 9 ) comes into play when a player lands on a Spiritual gift space on the path  20 . His/her player piece  44 , one selected from the six provided in  FIG. 3 , advances to that location, not the token  40  shown in  FIG. 10 . He/she will then roll the spiritual gift die  34 . The face (top) of the gift die  34  must match the spiritual gift space  24  the player has landed on. If the player is successful, he/she will then roll the standard die(s)  38  and continue normal play. If it does not match the spiritual gift  34 , the player will stay there until it is his/her turn again. On the players next turn, he/she will attempt to roll the matching spiritual gift  34  again. If not successful, after (2) two attempts with the spiritual gift die  34 , on the players next turn he/she will continue with normal play by rolling the standard die(s)  38 .  
      The Spinner Board  36  ( FIG. 2 ) is only used when the player has reached the end of the path. Upon reaching the end of the path, spin the pointer and complete the task first to win the game.  
      The Token  42  ( FIG. 10 ) is used by all players. It is used to mark the location on the path that corresponds to the number the player rolled on the standard die  38 . If the player is successful in completing the task in the allotted time the player replaces the token with his/her player piece  44 . If the player is not successful the player piece  44  does not advance and his/her player piece remains where it was prior to his/her roll.  
      The Timers  52  and  54  ( FIG. 5 ) consist of the blue sand timer  52  (45 second) is used by beginner players, and the white sand timer  54  (30 seconds) is used by intermediate and advanced players. These players must complete the tasks in the allotted time to advance.  
      The purpose of the missionaries  46  is to allow a player to advance through an entire color group on the path. However he/she must collected $5000.00 in offering cards to support each missionary. It is possible to have more than one missionary on the path at the same time.  
      The game is played on the following levels. The beginner level plays only from the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). This level is color coded in red on the back of the Passage cards  48 . The beginners only use the 45-second timer. All other rules will apply. The intermediate plays only from the New Testament. This level is color coded in blue on the back of the Passage cards  48 . The intermediate players use the 30-second timer. All other rules will apply. The advanced level plays from the entire Bible (both Old and New Testaments). This level is color coded in green on the back of the Passage cards. The advanced players use the 30-second timer. All other rules will apply.  
      In getting ready to play, the Game Board is set up with player pieces  44  for each player. Choose one for each player, Harp, Scroll, Bible, Cross, Noah&#39;s Ark, Ten Commandment Tablets. Each player puts the player piece  44  into a stand  56  and places it at “START”  22  on the game board  10 . “Passage”  48  and “Offering” cards  50  are also placed at the indicated locations  30 ,  32  on the game board  10 . Each player receives seven (7) Missionaries  46  that match the color of their selected playing piece, and places these missionaries into individual stands  56 . The missionaries are set aside (not on the game board) where they will not interfere with regular play. The “Spiritual Gift” die  34  can be placed anywhere as long as it will not interfere with regular play and is accessible to all players. The spinner board  36  is also placed anywhere that it will not interfere with regular play (it will only be used at the end of the game). The Token  40  goes to the first player (which is determined). The timers  52  and  54  are accessible to all players. Each player must decide and announce the level of difficulty he or she wishes to play at (beginner, intermediate, or advanced). All players should agree on optional ways of playing, as discussed below.  
      As noted, the level of play include (1) Beginner: Plays only from the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). This level is color coded in red on the back of the Passage cards. The beginners only use the 45 second blue sand timer. All other rules will apply. (2) Intermediate: Plays only from the New Testament. This level is color coded in blue on the back of the Passage cards. The intermediate players use the 30 second white sand timer. All other rules will apply. (3) Advanced: Plays from the entire Bible (both Old and New Testaments). This level is color coded in green on the back of the Passage cards. The 30 second white sand timer is used by the advanced players. All other rules will apply.  
      To determine who goes first, each player rolls the standard die(s)  38  once. The person who rolls the highest number goes first. In the event of a highest number tie, those tied will roll again to decide the highest number. The game proceeds in a clockwise direction. The first player rolls the standard die(s)  38  and moves the token  40  from the “START” position to the location indicated by the standard die(s)  38  (from one to six spaces), counting the spaces along the path. The player must then do what it says on the space in which the token landed. Whenever a player successfully completes any task, the token is always replaced with the player piece.  
      To reach the end of your journey you must get to “Stop and Spin” space  26 . You can decide at the start of the game to get to “Stop and Spin” by rolling any number that will get you there (if you only need a three and you roll a three, four, five or six you will advance there), or you can choose to roll the exact number that you need to get there (if you need a three and you roll a four, five or six you will not advance there). Once you reach “Stop and Spin” space  26  you must spin the pointer on the spinner board  2  and play as directed. If you are successful, you have just preached the Gospel around the world. The game can end here with one winner or you can continue to play to see who comes in second, third, etc. You are now ready to play! 
      The MISSIONARIES  46  function in the following manner. It costs $5000 to support a missionary. You can give more but not less. When you support a missionary, you do not get change back. If you have collected three (3) $2000 offering cards  50  and you wish to support a missionary, you must use all $6000. You will not get $1000 back. The money used to support missionaries is returned to the bottom of the offering card pile  50 . Once you can support your missionary  46 , you may place it at the beginning of any new color group ahead of you. It is possible to have more than one missionary  46 . You may place as many missionaries  46  on the game board  10  as your offering cards  50  allow you to support. When the player that supports a missionary  46  enters the space where the missionary is, the player slides through the entire color group counting only the first space, and then continuing his or her count immediately after that color group. For example: if you roll a six and the missionary  46  is three spaces ahead of you, you would count 1, 2, 3 (at this point you are sharing a space with your missionary), you then “slide” through the entire color group and continue counting on the next color group, 4, 5, 6, landing in the third space in the next color group. If the player is successful by doing what is written on the space that he or she landed on in the time allotted, he or she replaces the token  40  with his/her player piece  44  and the missionary will be removed. If the player is not successful, his/her playing piece remains where it was before the roll of the die and the missionary or missionaries  46  remain where they were.  
      The path  20  has a series of spaces  24  with various notation. These notations constitute descriptions of actions and/or additional instructions. The notations for the spaces  24  are as follows.  
      One notation is OFFERING, GO AGAIN. When you land on a space marked “Offering, Go Again”, on the path  10 , your player piece  44  advances to that location replacing the token  40 . You will take one offering card  50  from the top of the Offering Card deck  50 . You will also roll the standard die(s)  38  again. All other rules will apply.  
      Another notation is NAME THAT BOOK, CHAPTER AND VERSE. When you land on a space  24  marked “NAME THAT BOOK, CHAPTER AND VERSE”, the person to your left will read a scripture to you from a passage card  48  using your selected level of play (for example; Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.). You must identify the Book, Chapter, and Verse (i.e. Acts 2:38). If you use your Bible, the timer starts as soon as you open your Bible. The timer  52 ,  54  stops as soon as you start reading only if you begin naming the correct Book, Chapter and Verse. If not, the timer continues until you name the correct Book, Chapter and Verse or you run out of time. If you are successful while using your bible, you then replace the token  40  with your player piece  44 . If you choose not to use your Bible, you get three (3) guesses and there is no time limit. If you are successful WITHOUT using your Bible, you may move your player piece two additional spaces  24  beyond the token  40  (you may choose not to accept the additional spaces; they may hurt you instead of helping). Your answer will be verified by the person who read the scripture to you.  
      Another notation is NAME THAT BOOK. When you land on a space  24  marked “NAME THAT BOOK”, the person to your left will read a scripture to you from a passage card  48  using your selected level of play (for example; Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.). All you need to identify is the book (Acts). If you use your Bible, the timer  52 ,  54  starts as soon as you open your Bible. The timer  52 ,  54  stops as soon as you start reading only if you begin naming the correct book. If not, the timer  52 ,  54  continues until you begin to name the correct book or you run out of time. If you choose not to use your Bible, you get three (3) guesses and there is no time limit. If you are successful WITHOUT using your Bible, you then move your player piece two additional spaces  24  beyond the token  40  (you may choose not to accept the additional spaces; they may hurt you instead of helping). Your answer will be verified by the person who read the scripture to you.  
      Another notation is QUOTE THAT SCRIPTURE. When you land on a space  24  marked “QUOTE THAT SCRIPTURE”, you will be read a Book, Chapter, and Verse from a Passage Card  48  by the person to your left (i.e. Acts 2:38). You must then recite the exact scripture in order to advance. If you use your Bible, the timer  52 ,  54  starts as soon as you open your Bible. The timer  52 , 54  stops as soon as you start reading only if you begin reading the correct scripture. If not, the timer  52 , 54  continues until the correct scripture is being read or you run out of time. If you are successful, you will move your player piece  44  to that space  24 . Remove the token  40  and pass it to the player on your left. If you choose not to use your Bible, you get three (3) chances to recite the scripture and there is no time limit. If you are successful WITHOUT using your Bible, you may move your player piece two additional spaces beyond the token (you may choose not to accept the additional spaces; they may hurt you instead of helping). Your recital must accurately convey the message of the scripture. Your answer will be verified by the person who read to you the Book, Chapter and Verse.  
      Another notation is YOU CHOOSE. You may choose “Name That Book, Chapter and Verse”, “Name That Book”, or “Quote That Scripture” using the rules outlined above.  
      Another notation is GO BACK SPACES. When you land on a space marked “GO BACK SPACES”, you must go back the designated number of spaces. You must then do whatever that space  24  says to do using the rules outlined above. If you are successful, you may move your player piece  44  to that space  24  and then remove the token  40  and pass it to the player on your left. If you are not successful, you will not advance and your player piece  44  will remain in the space  24  prior to your roll.  
      Another notation is GIVE ALL YOUR MONEY TO THE PERSON ON YOUR LEFT. If you land on this space  24 , move your player piece  44  to that space  24  and give all your money (the offering cards  50  you may have collected) to the person on your left. If you do not have any money (offering cards  50 ) to give, pass the standard die(s)  38  and token  40  to the next player on your left.  
      Another notation is SPIRITUAL GIFTS. When a player lands on a Spiritual gift space  24  on the path  20 , (i.e. Working of a Miracle, Discerning Spirits, Faith &amp; Wisdom, Healing, Prophecy &amp; Knowledge, Interpretation of Tongues &amp; Different Kinds of Tongues) your player piece  44  advances to that location, replacing the token  40 . He/she will then roll the spiritual gift die  34 . The face (top) of the gift die  34  must match the spiritual gift space  24  the player has landed on. If you are successful, you will then roll the standard die(s)  38  and continue normal play. If the spiritual gift die  34  does not match the scripture, the player will stay there until it is his/her turn again. On the player&#39;s next turn, he/she will attempt to roll the matching scripture again. If the player is not successful after his/her second attempt with the spiritual gift die  34 , on the players next turn the player will continue with normal play by rolling the standard die(s)  38 .  
      The game proceeds in the manner described above until at least one player succeeds in correctly spinning the spinner board  36  and moving off the Stop and Spin space  26 , thereby succeeding in preaching the gospel around the world.  
      Although the invention has been described in terms of a specific preferred embodiment, changes are possible that do not depart from the teachings herein. Such changes are deemed to fall within the purview of the invention as recited in the appended claims.