Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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1 FOOTBALL GAME BO~RD
3 BACKGROUND O~ TllE INVENTION
The popularity of the sport of football has resulted in the development of
6 many board games designed to simulate the strategy and rules of the real game.
7 Many of these board games use standard, six-sided dice to generate random plays
8 and outcomes. This severely limits the range of possible plays and outcomes, and
9 results in a gross oversimplification of the game. Other board games utilize data
10 sheets or a "statistically weighted" card system to create a greater range of plays
11 and outcomes. While these games do approach realism in terms of likelihood of
12 outcome, they generally lack the excitement and spontaneity desired in a board game.
13
14 OBJECIS O~ THE INVENTION
16 It is an object of this invention to provide a football game board that replicates
17 the range of possible plays and the probability of their outcomes in the game of
18 f ootball.
19 It is a further object of this invention to provide a football game board that
20 can be played without the use of comprehensive data sheets or cards to generate
21 the plays and outcomes.
22 It is a further object of this invention to provide a football game board that
23 instructs the players in the concepts and rules of the official game.
24 It is a further object of this invention to provide a football game board that
25 is compact, portable and easily set up f or play.
26 Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from
27 the description to follow, particularly when read in conjunction with the accompanying
28 drawings.
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1 S~JMlllARY OY TH~ I~ENTION
3 The invention comprises a football type game board ut;liæing specially designed,
4 dice-like casting solids to represent the various plays used in the game of footbal~.
5 Each solid or die has a plurality of sides or facets, with markings on each side
6 denoting a particular outcome to that play. The number of sides and their markings
7 are designed to reflect the range of possible outcomes and their probability of
8 occurring, so ~hat the throwing of the solids in a dice-like manner ~enerates results
9 similar to those which could be expected in a real football game.
Also provided is a penalty card system organized into four categories (rushing,
11 passing, Icicldng and return), so that when a penalty is indicated by the casting
12 solids, selection of a card from the appropriate category will produce a realistic
13 penalty for that type of play.
14 Also provided is a first down marker system with a down indicator sleeve,
15 f or easy player ref erence.
16
17 BRIEI~ DESCRIPTION OP THE DRA~INGS
18
19 FIGS. lA - lF are perspective views of the casting solids and penalty cards
2~ used in the football game board;
21 FIG. lA illustrates the referee casting solid and penalty cards;
22 FIG. lB illustrates the various kicking casting solids;
23 FIG. lC illustrates the off ensive casting solids;
2 FIG. lD illustrates the optional off ensive/return casting solid;
2 FIG. lE illustrates the recovery casting solid; and
2 FIG. lF illustrates the various def ensive casting solids.
2 FIG. 2 is a top view of the game board and first down marker system used in
28 ¦ f ootb~ll g~me bo~rd.
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1 D~TAILED DESCRIP~ON Ol~ ~ PR13PERRED ~MB~DIMEN~ -
3 Referring now to FIGS. lA through lF with greater particularity, the football
4 type game board of this invention includes speeial dice-like casting solids used to
5 represent the types of plays in football. These solids are used in a logical order,
6 following official football rules and replicating the action of a real game.
7 To initiate play, the players may toss a coin to determine which player will
8 kick and which player will receive the ball. The kicking player then uses a kickoff
9 random selection device, which may be in the form of a casting solid or die 2 (FIG.
10 lB) which has a plurality of sides or facets 4 each of which is marked with a
11 different number 6, denoting the length of the kick. In addition, one of the sides
12 is marked "outt' for out of bounds. A decahedron, or ten-sided polyhedron, was
13 chosen for the kickoff die to give a representative range of kickoff distances, e.g.
14 from 4~ to 70 yards, with an average of 57 yards, and one out of ten kickoffs going
15 out of bounds. This is believed to be reflective of actual kickoff statistics, but a
16 different number of sides on the casting solid and/or different yardage indicated on
17 those sides could of course be chosen within the scope of this invention.
18 On every play, including the kickoff, the player also throws the referee die
19 8 (FIG. lA), at least one side 10 of which is marked with some indicia 12, such as a
"P" to indicate a penalty. A decahedron was also chosen for the referee die 8 so
21 that, with only one side marked "P", the odds are that a penalty will be called in
22 10% of the plays, believed to be a realistic statistic.
23 When a penalty is called by throw of the referee die 8, the player must draw
24 a card from one of four categories of penalty cards, 14, 16, 18 and 20 depending on
25 the type of play during which the penalty was called; e.g. rushing, passing, kicking
2 or return. These cards are variously labeled with typical penalties that occur for
27 the given type of play, so that a realistic penalty is given. For example, the kicking
2 play category includes cards that indieate an offensive fifteen yard penalty for
29 clipping, a defensive fifteen yard penalty for piling on, and other kicking play related
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1 ~ penalties. The passing play category, by contrast, includes cards that indicate an
2 ¦ of~ensive ten yard penalty for an ineligible receiver down field, a defensive point-
3 ~ of-infraction/first down penalty for pass interference and so on.
4 j The player receiving the kickoff may, at his option, choose to attempt a kick
5 ¦ return. This is accomplished by the casting of the optional offensive/return casting
6 ~ solid 22 (FIG. lD). The option to throw this offense/return die 22 is with the
7 ¦ offensive player in possession of the football, i.e. the offensive player on scrimmage
8 ~ plays and the receiving player in a change of possession, as in returning a kick,
9 ¦ recovering a fumble or a blocked kick, or intercepting a pass. An icosahedron, or
10 ¦ twenty-sided polyhedron, was chosen for this optional die, and its sides 24 are
ll ¦ marked with indicia 26 to reflect the outcome of the runback. For example, one
12 ¦ side may show a fumble l'F"; one side may show a touchdown "TD"; fourteen sides
13 ¦ may show yardage gained over a range of, say, 1 to 30 yards; and the remaining
14 ¦ sides may have indicia reflecting no gains or losses.
15 ¦ If, in throwing the optional offensive/return die 22, a fumble is generated,
16 one player must additionally throw the recovery die 28 to determine which player
17 recovers the fumble. In the preferred embodiment, the player responsible for the
18 throwing of recovery die 28 is that player who first picks up said die after observing
19 the indication of a fumble. As shown in FIG. lE, the recovery die may be football
20 shaped, with four sides 30 having indicia 32 thereon to denote the recovery. Two
21 sides may be marked "DEP. REC." and two sides marked "OFF. REC." to give each
22 player an even chance of recovery, but this could also be varied. The player thus
23 awarded the recovery of such a fumble may, at his option, attempt to advance the
24 ball by casting the previously described optional off ensive/return die 2~.
2~ When the kickoff is completed, play from scrimmage is initiated by the
26 offensive player by casting offensive casting solids 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42. In FIG.
lC, these offensive casting solids 34, 36, 38, 4() and 42 are shown to be football-
28 shaped with four sides 44 marked at 46 either "pass" or "run" and with a number
29 ¦ representing a sh t gain. The offensive player ca~s "pass" or "run" as he throws
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1 the solids and only those numbers on the correct sides are totalled to show the net
2 gain passing or running.
3 This resLdts in a range of offensive outcomes of from 0 to 10 yards (average
4 3 to 4 yards) running~ and from 0 to 21 yards (average 6 to 7 yards~ passing, to
~ be reflective of actual offensive statistics. The offensive player may, at his option,
6 also throw the optional die 22 which may produce -5 to +30 yards to be added to
7 the already generated offensive outcome, with a 5% chance of a fumble, and a 5%
8 chance of a touchdown.
9 As before, if a fumble is indicated, one player must then additionally throw
the recovery casting solid 28, to determine who recovered the fumble, and the
11 recovering player may, at his option, attempt to advance the ball by casting the
12 optional off ensive/return die 22.
13 In an appropriate situation, the off ensive player may throw the punting die
14 35, the sides 37 of which are marked with indicia 39 to indicate the success of the
~ punt. The punting die 35 (FIG. lB) may also be a twenty-sided polyhedron, with
16 one side marked "B" to show the punt was blocked and the remaining sides marked
17 with numbers reflective of a realistic punting performance, e.g. 20 to 65 yards,
18 with an average of about 39 yards.
19 When using the punting die 35, the player must also cast an in bounds/out
of bounds die 41, the sides 43 of which are marked with some indicia 45 denoting21 either an in bounds or out of bounds punt. The in bounds/out of bounds die 40 may be
22 a four-sided, football shaped solid with two sides marked "IN" and two sides marked
23 "OUT", giving a 50% chance of a kick going out of bounds.
24 If a blocked punt is indicated, and the punt did not go out of bounds, one
player must then additionally throw the recovery die 28 to determine who recovered
2 the ball, and then the player recovering the ball may attempt to advance it by
2 throwing the optional offensive/return die 22. An unblocked, in bounds punt may
2d ¦ eturned by the receiving player, by casùng the offensive/return die 22.
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1 The offensive player may wish to cast field goal die 47, the sides 48 of which
2 are marked with some indicia 50 to denote the success or failure of the attempt.
3 The field goal die 47 may also have twenty sides marked to provide a one-in-twenty
chance of being blocked, a three-in-twenty chance of missing wide and the remaining
sides calling for a range of field goal kick distances of, say, 35 to 65 yards.
6 In order f or a particular field goal attempt to be successful, the yardage
7 shown on indicia 50 must be equal to or greater than the distance from the line
8 of scrimmage to the goal post (10 yards deep in the end zone). For example, an
9 indication of a 35 yard kick would result in a successful field goal if such a kick
had been attempted from the ten yard line, but the same kick would be unsuccessful
11 if it had been attempted from the 30 yard line.
12 If a field goal attempt is blocked, one player must then cast the recovery die
13 28 to determine either an offensive or defensive recovery, and the player recovering
14 the ball may attempt to advance the ball by casting the optional offensive/return
die 22.
16 After scoring a touchdown, the off ensive player may throw an extra point
17 die 52, the sides 54 of which are marked with indicia 56 to denote either a successful
18 or unsuccessful extra point attempt. As shown, the extra point die 52 may also be
19 a twenty-sided polyhedron, with one side marked "B" for a blocked attempt, one
side marked "miss" and the remaining sides marked "G" for good, giving a 9096
21 chance of a successful extra point.
22 The offensive player rnay, in a kickoff situation, cast an onside kick die 58
23 the sides 60 each of which are marked with indicia 62 to indicate the distance of
24 the kick, and whether it was recovered by the kicking player. For example, the
onside kick die 58 may be an octahedron, or eight-s;ded polyhedron, with its sides
26 marked to show the distance, e.g. 9 to 16 yards, and some of the sides, e.g. three
27 of them, are also marked with an asterisk to denote recovery of the ball by the
28 kicking player. The player recs)vering the onside kick may attempt to advance the
29 11 by throwing the optionel offensVreturn ùie 22.
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1 ¦ The defensive player also participates in the game by use of certain defensive
2 ¦ maneuvers. For example, a goal line/penetrating defense die 64 (FIG. lF) may be
3 ~ thrown when such a defensive strategy is desired7 its sides 66 being marked with
4 j some indicia 68 thereon, to denote some effect to the outcome as generated by
5 ¦ the off ensive casting solids 34 through 42. As shown, it may have twelve sides,
6 ~ with one side being marked "F" for fumble, one side marked "no gain" to negate
7 ~ any gain shown by the offensive solids, and five sides marked with short negative
8 ¦ yardage to offset the offensive outcome. The remaining sides may be left blank
9 ¦ to produce no effect on the offensive outcome.
10 ¦ As before, if a fumble is indicated, one player must then additionally cast
11 ¦ the recovery die 28, described earlier, to determine who recovered, and the player
12 ¦ recovering such a fumble may, at his option, attempt to advance the ball by throwing
13 ¦ the offensive/return die 22.
14 In another situation, the defensive player may cast a nickle defense die 70,
15 the sides 72 of which are marked with indicia 74 to indicate some effect to the
16 offensive outcome as generated by the offensive casting solids. The nickle defense
17 casting solid 70 may also have twelve sides, one marked "I" to denote an interception,
18 one with negative yardage, say -9, to denote a sacking of the quarterback, six sides
19 '~nc" for incomplete and the others marked "C" to show pass completion. If an
20 interception is indicated, the defensive player may, at his option, attempt to advance
21 the ball by throwing the optional off ensive/return die 22.
22 Alternatively, the defensive player may cast a blitz/red dog defense die 76
23 the sides 78 of which are marked with indicia 80 to indicate its effect on the
24 offensive outcome. The blitz/red dog defense die 76 may also have twelve sides,
25 two marked with negative yardage, e.g. -12 and -6, to denote quarterback sflcks,
2b one marked "no gain," one marked "Inc" for incomplete and the others marked "C"
27 f or com pl ete.
2 Referring now to FIG. 2 with greater particularity, a game board 82 is
29 p ided to represent a frotball field. Playing piece 84 is moved up and down the
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1 ¦ field according to the outcomes. generated. by the. casting solids.. The first down
2 ¦ marker system 86 utilizes a sideline-mounted shaft 88 with a slidable sleeve 90 "ten
3 ¦ yards" in length to indicate the remaining yardage required for a first down. Sleeve
4 ~ 90 is further marked into four sections 92 which are labelled "first down", "second
5 ~ down", "third down" and "fourth down", and are used to indicate the down by rotating
6 ~ the sleeve about the shaft axis.
7 ~ While this invention has been described in conjunction with a preferred
8 ¦ embodiment thereof, it is obvious that modifications and changes therein may be
9 ¦ made by those skilled in the art to which it pertains without departing from the
3 spirit ~md scope this invenhon, as defined by the Clrims rppended hereto.
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