A New or Improved Game.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1896-Accepted, 7th Mar., 1896
A New or Improved Game.
I, EDWIN WEBLIN HOPKINS, Actor, of 7 Selwood Place, Onslow Gardens,
South Kensington, London, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to that kind of game which is played on a board or
surface divided into compartments, with pieces which are moved according to
certain rules from one division or compartment to another, and it consists in certain
arrangements of a board and pieces, and method of moving the latter on the
board, whereby a game can be played which represents a naval battle fought at
sea between two contending fleets of war vessels.
And in order that the invention may be fully understood I will now proceed to
describe the same with the aid of the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which
Figure 1 represents the board or surface on which the game is played, Figure 2 a
side elevation of one of the pieces representing a war vessel called an "Ironclad,"
and Figure 3 a side elevation of another of the pieces representing a war vessel
called a "Cruiser."
The board or surface Figure 1 has marked upon it, at or near each of two
opposite corners, two squares which represent forts, and which are preferably each
marked with the word "Fort." The corner spaces bounded to a certain extent
by these forts, are called "Dockyards and may be so marked. The space
outside the Forts is supposed to represent the open sea, and this space, as well as
those spaces comprising the Dockyards, are marked with sets of arrows of
segmental shape crossing each other, and each of these sets of arrows is or may
be called a "Star." In the drawing the board is shown provided with 8 stars in
each direction or 64 in all, less the four divisions which are marked as Forts; but
it will be obvious that the board may have a greater or lesser number of stars or
divisions marked upon it if preferred. For a board divided as shown in the
drawing I prefer to use four pieces on each side, namely three pieces representing
Ironclads, and one piece representing a Cruiser, and these pieces are placed, at
the commencement of the game, at opposite sides of the board in the positions
shown by dotted lines, that is to say the Cruiser next the fort and the three
Ironclads to the left in each case.
The game is played by two persons who place the board so that each has a
Dockyard with its two Forts at his right hand, and his fleet of three Ironclads
and one Cruiser placed in line on the back row of stars as shown by the dotted
lines. The players, having arranged who shall move first, begin to manoeuvre
their ships, each moving alternately. The object of each player is to disable
or sink his opponent's ships, and the only way he can do this is by making
certain moves with his pieces against his opponent's ships which may be called
ramming. The moves of the pieces may be somewhat varied without departing
from the general character of the invention; but I prefer that the moves shall be
made as follows:-
An Ironclad may move forward to the star ahead, or turn round one quarter of
a revolution to the right (following the direction of the arrows), but may not
move backwards, except in making the ramming move, when she must move back
to the star behind.
A Cruiser may move forward to the star ahead, or turn round one quarter of a
revolution either to the right or to the left; may not move backwards except in
making the ramming move when she must move back to the star behind.

page_text: Should a player move an Ironclad or Cruiser, which has not been disabled by
being rammed, immediately behind his opponent's ship so that her bows are close
to the stern of the opponent's ship, as shown at A in Figure 1 for example, the
opponent is compelled to move his ship even if his only move is to turn one quarter
round and thereby expuse his broadside to the other player's ram.
A player must not make a move which would bring the bows of his ship opposite
to the bows of his opponent's ship as shown at B in Figure 1, that is to say the
bows of hostile ships must never meet as at B, but those of ships belonging to the
same fleet may do so.
An Ironclad may ram an opponent's ship whether it be an Ironclad or a Cruiser,
if the latter be broadside on to her bows, as shown at C in Figure 1, but there
must be a vacant star immediately behind the ramming ship for her to move back
on to alter ramming as shown at D in Figure 1.
A Cruiser may ram a hostile Cruiser but not a hostile Ironclad, unless the latter
is already disabled by having been previously rammed. In either case there must
be a vacant star behind the ramming ship for her to move back on to after
ramming, as shown at D in Figure 1.
When a ship has been rammed she must remove her mast to show she is
disabled.
A disabled ship should work her way, move by move, to her Dockyard, and
then round inside the Forts and out again. She is then considered to have been
fully repaired, and replacing her mast, can be moved out again to renew the attack
at sea.
A disabled ship may not ram another ship, and is useless at sea, except to
hamper the movements of the hostile ships.
A disabled ship cannot compel a vessel immediately ahead of her to move.
A ship is said to have founded when she has been rammed twice before reaching
her Dockyard, and she must in that case, be withdrawn from the board.
The stars marked M at the entrance to each Dockyard indicate submarine
Mines which can be supposed to he fired from the adjacent Forts. A hostile
vessel moved on to one of these stars can be considered as blown up, and in that
case it must be removed from the board.
The supposed act of blowing up a hostile ship counts as a move.
The game is won by the player who has sunk all his opponent's ships, or, by
preventing any that may be still afloat from leaving their Dockyard, obtains full
command of the sea.
The ships of the two opposing fleets should be painted different colours, or be
otherwise provided with distinctive marks by which each player can distinguish
his own ships from those of his opponent.
The game can be played equally well on a board divided into squares like an
ordinary chess or draught board, the arrows being used on each square or
dispensed with as may be preferred, and the pieces need not necessarily be repre-
sentations of actual ships, as pieces of any shape may be used having a line or
other mark on them indicating the centre liue and bow for instance of a vessel,
in order to assure the piece being moved in the proper direction forward or
backward and to show whether and when it has been turned a quarter round on its
star or square.
The Forts need not necessarily be placed so as to form the Dockyards at the
corners of the board, as they may be placed so as to form the Dockyards at
the sides of the board for example, but I prefer to place them as shown in
Figure 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
First., The new or improved game representing a naval battle, which consists of
a board or surface marked with store or divisions and partly enclosed spaces

page_text: representing Dockyards, in combination with pieces representing war vessels.
moved from one star or division to another of the said board, or turned one
quarter round thereon, substantially as described.
Second. For the purposes of a game of the kind herein described, the apparatus.
consisting of a board or surface marked with stars or divisions and partly enclosed
spaces representing Dockyards, and pieces representing war vessels intended to be
moved on the said board or surface, substantially as described.
Third. The new or improved game constructed and used substantially as
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 4th day of February 1896.
E. W. HOPKINS,
Per W. H. Beck,
115 Cannon Street, London, E.C., Agent.