A Game.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1896-Accepted, 5th Sept., 1896
A Game.
I, RUDOLF WILHELM BALKE, of 23 Köhlhöfen, Hamburg in the German
Empire, Restaurateur, 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 :-
The subject of this invention is a game, which resembles the well-known one
played with dice, but differs therefrom in the fact that in this case there are not
dots, but letters on the faces of the dice.
The object of the invention is to teach with ease to children while at play, the
letters of the alphabet and the way to combine them to form words and sentences.
It can also act as an amusement for grown-ups.
The game consists of preferably five dice or cubes on the faces of which all the
letters of the alphabet and ordinarily occurring signs such as ?,' (apostrople) note
of exclamation, and the various foreign accents, etc., are marked. To the above
dice or cubes are added numerous small discs, on which are letters and the usual
punctuation marks. Instead of separate letters it is also possible to use strips of
cardboard on which all the letters of a sentence are marked.
At the commencement of each game, dice are thrown to determine the order of
play; then any desired sentence is taken and the letters and signs occurring in it
are divided among the players in such a way that each player has the same number
of characters. For instance, with three players and a sentence of six words, after
the first player has put together the first two words in front of him, the second
player has put together the next two words in front of him, etc., and the dice
throwing commences, at which each player may throw three times in succession.
If a player has thrown any of his letters, he places it or them on the place where
the sentence is to be written. When in this way he has placed all his letters in the
middle of the table, he begins to play backwards, while the others, who have not yet
succeeded in doing so, continue to play to get their letters to the middle of the
table. The player, who still has letters left after the others have finished, has
lost.
To make a quicker game, it can be played so that each player places any letter
as soon as thrown by anybody, in the middle, but in disputed cases the player
throwing is to have the preference. In the case in which instead of separate
letters, strips having letters connected to sentences are used, the letters on the strips
are covered with glass discs, which on further dice throwing are again removed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. A game of alphabetical dice, characterised by several dice furnished with letters
of the alphabet and signs, and separate letters and signs belonging to it, such letters
and signs being either separate or combined in the form of sentences, in the latter
case being used with covering discs.
2. The game of alphabetical dice substantially as described herein.
Dated this wontieth day of In 1906
Dated this Twentieth day of Inle 1906
For the Applicant,
GEDGE & FEENY,
60 Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Chartered Patent Agents.