US20110101610A1

US20110101610A1 - Transportation Game for Simulating Movement About a City or Other Area

Info

Publication number: US20110101610A1
Application number: US12/610,114
Authority: US
Inventors: Salih Murat Mayalidag
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-10-30
Filing date: 2009-10-30
Publication date: 2011-05-05

Abstract

A transportation game that simulates movement about a city, town or other area using different modes of transportation and different station locations as stops for the modes of transportation. In a preferred embodiment, the game is configured as a board game with a map of the area on the surface of the game board. The map has a plurality of transportation paths comprised of individual path segments and station locations. Each path segment includes a mechanism for identifying the mode of transportation which can move along the path segment and a direction indicator indicating the direction of travel for the player's token. Each station location is associated with at least one mode of transportation. The players move their token along the game paths to accomplish a mission. In a preferred embodiment, the area is an actual city and the transportation paths and modes correspond to those in that city.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to games in which players advance tokens along one or more game paths, typically on a surface such as a game board, that are each comprised of a plurality of path segments. In particular, the present invention relates to such games that allow each player to advance along the game paths using two or more modes of transportation to accomplish an objective. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to such games that can be used to simulate the various paths which a person can use to move about an area, with the game paths being provided in the form of a map indicating the paths for the different modes of transportation utilized in an actual area.
B. Background
There is a long history of people playing competitive games, such as board games and the like. In fact, competitive board games are known to have been played in most cultures and societies, even predating the development of literacy in some of the earliest civilizations. To a certain extent, the popularity of board games is based on the fact that they provide a relatively high degree of entertainment and social interaction, which typically results from the combination of competition and comradery which is intrinsic to the game play. In addition to, and perhaps because of the entertainment value inherent in game playing, board games are also useful as a forum for the development of many types of social cohesion, from family unity to community building. Another attribute of many board games is the ability to use the various social and entertainment factors of the game as an educational tool.
As is commonly known, most board games are played on a game board that has a playing surface which is delineated by a closed path divided into more or less equally-sized segments, each of which can be occupied by one or more game pieces or tokens controlled by a player. Each player moves his or her token as determined by specific rules that govern the actual moves that a player is permitted or prohibited from making and the occupancy of different areas of the game path and/or game board. For example, a player may be allowed to move a token to an adjacent area, but not one further away. In addition, the direction of the game play, that is, the direction in which players move their tokens, is often restricted according to the rules or goals of the game. The factors governing how far a token is moved along the game path and what happens when a player's token lands on a particular part of the game path are often outside of the player's control. As is well known, chance or luck often dictates how a game is played within the structural context of the rules and, as such, forms the basis for how players move their tokens along the game path. For example, the throwing of dice, the spinning of a wheel or other chance mechanism that is segmented into numerical or other indicators, or the drawing of lots or other devices, such as playing cards that indicate varying incremental values or specific instructions, are sometimes used to randomize the allowable movements of the tokens.
There are many board games in which the game path is intended to at least generally represent an area and/or the features of one or more area that is commonly known to most persons. As an example, the original configuration of the game of Monopoly® is intended to at least generally represent being in New York City by utilizing features and locations thereof in the game. Later versions of this game incorporate features of other cities, areas or other locations. The layout of this board game, however, does not and is not intended to represent the actual relative location of the various features and locations that exist in the represented area (i.e., New York City). There are other games in which the game play generally takes place in a geographic location and which utilizes places, persons or other features of the geographical location. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,671 to Barratt describes a board game that has at least one game path that is overlayed over a map of a geographical area, such as the northwestern United States. The players move their tokens along the game path and utilize activity cards that describe a vacation activity that can be performed at various locations along the game path to gain points. Trivia cards are also utilized to gain points. U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,011 to Jarvis describes a transportation game that includes a game board having a map showing cities interconnected by routes that are divided into segments. Players move their tokens, which represent trucks, along the routes to pickup and deliver loads. The cities to pickup and deliver loads is determined by contract cards.
As most people know, navigating their way around a city or other area can be difficult, particularly if the person is new to the area. The difficulty with finding ones way around an area is compounded by the fact that there are usually a number of different modes of transportation, such as walking, riding a bicycle, driving a car and taking a taxi, bus, train, subway or helicopter, that a person can use to move between locations in the area. Use of the different modes of transportation generally requires the person to abide by certain limitations that are associated with the selected mode of transportation, such as the fact that walking requires more time, cars and taxis must follow the rules of the road (such as traveling on one-way streets) and buses, trains and subway cars can only follow certain paths and only stop at certain locations. If a person can learn the various limitations of the different modes of transportation he or she can more effectively and efficiently navigate his or her way around the area. Unfortunately, typically the only way a person has to learn the different transportation paths, limitations, stops and other factors associates with the various modes of transportation is to either study a map of each mode of transportation, which is not very easy or practical, or to actually go out travel through the area to learn this information by trial and error, which is not very efficient and can take a lot of time.
Presently, there are no games, particularly board games, that utilize the actual transportation paths of the various modes of transportation that exist in a particular city or other area as part of the game play. In addition to being fun to play, particularly if configured in a competitive manner, such a game would be very helpful to educate persons about the various ways of getting around his or her area, such as the city in which they live. Persons who already know the different transportation paths and are familiar with the places where the various modes of transportation stop would enjoy such a game due to its familiar paths and landmarks.
What is needed, therefore, is a game that combines the excitement associated with the unpredictability of games of chance with the learning and/or familiar benefits of having a map of an area with the area's transportation paths and features thereon. More specifically, what is needed is a game that is fun to play and which, if it is configured as an actual existing area instead of a generic area, either helps the person playing the game learn the transportation routes of his or her area or allows the player to enjoy the familiarity of the area. Although such a game can be configured as a generic area having features such as rivers, tunnels, airports and the like, preferably the game would be of a specific actual area and have the various transportation paths of that area. The preferred game should be challenging and entertaining by requiring the player to overcome obstacles through knowledge, skill and luck. Preferably, the game should be adaptable to a wide range of game formats, including being configured as a board game and an electronic or computer game.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The transportation game for simulating movement about a city or other area of the present invention, provides the benefits and solves the problems identified above. That is to say, the present invention discloses a game which combines the features of chance with the movement limitations of a variety of different transportation types to meet the entertainment and/or educational needs of a wide and diverse population of players. More specifically, the game of the present invention provides a map of an area having a variety of transportation paths thereon which are traveled by different modes of transportation that each have their own movement rules and limitations which must be adhered to by the player as he or she navigates around the area. The map includes stations or stops that are associated with specific modes of transportation and bridges, tunnels and other transportation features that can only be utilized by those modes of transportation to which they apply. In a preferred embodiment of the game of the present invention, the area is an actual area, such as a specific city or the like, and the transportation paths through the area are laid out the same as that which exists in that area. In addition, the stations, stops and transportation features are positioned as they exist in that area. The transportation game of the present invention is entertaining and competitive by providing the challenge of accomplishing various travel-related missions and overcoming obstacles through the player's knowledge, skill and luck. The game of the present invention is adaptable to a wide range of game formats, including being configured as a board game, an electronic or a computer game.
In one general aspect of the present invention, the transportation game comprises a plurality of modes of transportation, a map of the area having a plurality of transportation paths, two or more player tokens for movement along the transportation paths and a mission identifying means for identifying a mission that must be accomplished by each of the player by tokens. In one embodiment, the modes of transportation include at least two that are selected from the group comprising walker, bicycle, taxi, bus, subway, ferry and helicopter. Each of the transportation paths comprise a plurality of path segments and at least one station location. Each path segment has a mode identifying means associated therewith that identifies the one or more modes of transportation that are allowed to move along the transportation paths and a direction indicator associated therewith to indicate the allowed direction of travel along the transportation path for one or more of the modes of transportation. Each station location has one of the mode identifying means to identify a stop for the station location. A plurality of the station locations have a location indicia associated therewith that is unique to that station location. The mission identifying means corresponds to the various location indicia and each of the missions selected thereby comprises movement of one player token on the transportation path between one station location that has the location indicia thereon and another station locations that has the location indicia thereon. In the preferred embodiment, the game also comprises a plurality of transportation cards, with each of the transportation cards having one of the modes of transportation thereon. In this embodiment, the transportation cards area utilized to determine on which of the path segments the player tokens may move and on which of the station locations the player tokens may stop. In the preferred embodiment, the game also includes one or more action devices and the map is divided into zones. Each of the action devices comprise one or more categories of action that affect movement of each player's token along one or more of the transportation paths for at least one of the modes of transportation.
In a preferred embodiment, the action devices comprise cards and the categories of action comprises a plurality of road cards and a plurality of weather cards. The zones, which can represent areas of the city or adjacent cities, can be used to help define a mission. In a preferred embodiment, a mission requires the player to move his or her token from one zone to another zone.
In one embodiment, the game of the present invention is configured as a board game and the map is disposed on a playing surface of a game board. Alternatively, the game can be played on an electronic or computer system. In a preferred embodiment of the game, the area is a city and the map is a map of the city, preferably with the city being an actual existing city, such as New York City. If this embodiment, the modes of transportation used in the game correspond to the actual transportation types that are utilized in the city and the transportation paths on the map at least generally represent the paths utilized by the actual transportation in the city. Preferably, each of the modes of transportation have rules of the road associated therewith that correspond to actual rules of the road used in the actual city to closely mimic real life movement through the city.
The object of the game of the present invention is to accumulate the most money while completing the required number of missions. In a preferred embodiment, the required number of missions is five. At the start of the game, each player is provided with a quantity of transportation cards and money and each player selects his or her player token. Each player's mission has one station location the start point and another station location as the end point. In a preferred embodiment, the mission selecting means comprises a plurality of location markers disposed in a container such as a bag so each player can be randomly assigned a mission by blindly drawing the location markers from the bag or other container. The first location marker drawn by a player is used to identify his or her start point and the second location marker drawn by the player is used to identify his or her end point for a mission. In a preferred embodiment, the players let each other see which zone has the end point, but not the specific station location that is the end point. To complete the mission, the player moves along one or more transportation paths following the movement rules set forth in the game. The player can switch between modes of transportation from one turn to another, but not in the middle of a turn, to move from the start point to the end point, just as a person would in a real city using the various real transportation types available in the city. Each player attempts to complete his or her missions in a manner that results in as much money at the end of the required number of missions. During his or her turn, a player can draw a transportation card, trade transportation cards, buy a transportation card or an express card or move at least one route, which is the length between adjacent station locations, using the transportation cards and, if necessary, money in his or her hand. When the player finishes a mission, he or she discloses the end point to the other players and collects his or her reward, which in the preferred embodiment is determined from a mission-reward chart. If it is not the player's last mission, he or she draws another location marker to identify a new end point and starts moving to complete the next mission.
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a new transportation game for simulating movement about a city or other area that provides the advantages discussed above and which overcomes the disadvantages and limitations associated with presently available games.
An important objective of the present invention is to provide a new transportation-related game that includes a map of an area that has a plurality of transportation paths thereon along which a player moves his or her player token in a manner to accomplish missions and acquire rewards.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a new transportation-related game that simulates movement about a city or other area using a plurality of modes of transportation and different types of stops and stations that have particular movement rules and requirements with regard to how a player moves his or her player token.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a new transportation-related game that includes a map that lays out the actual transportation paths of a real city or other area to help the player learn his or her way around the city or to provide the transportation knowledgeable player with a sense of familiarity regarding locations and landmarks on the map.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a new transportation-related game having a map comprising a plurality of various transportation paths made up of individual path segments and station locations that allow movement of one or more modes of transportation along the subject transportation path so the player may accomplish a mission or other objective.
The above and other objectives of the present invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and the description of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forth herein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operation and combination of processes presently described and understood by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiments and the best modes presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a game board showing an exemplary configuration of the game of the present invention configured as a board game and using a map of a city;

FIG. 2 is a legend utilized with the game of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a plurality of action cards configured as road cards which are utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a plurality of action card configured as weather cards which are utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a variety of transportation cards utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is exemplary money that is utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of a challenge card that is utilized with the preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of an example player token that can be utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of an example blocking device that can be utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a side view of an example location marker that can be utilized with the game of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a mission-reward chart utilized with a preferred embodiment of the game of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention;

FIG. 14 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention;

FIG. 15 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention when one or more station locations are occupied;

FIG. 17 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention when one or more station locations are occupied;

FIG. 18 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention when one or more station locations are occupied;

FIG. 19 is another segment of a transportation path showing an example move by a walker that is counter to the direction indicators;

FIG. 20 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention with a challenge stop and a heliport;

FIG. 21 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention; and

FIG. 22 is another segment of a transportation path showing example moves that can be made in the game of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to the figures where like elements have been given like numerical designations to facilitate the reader's understanding of the present invention, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are set forth below. The enclosed figures and drawings are merely illustrative of a preferred embodiment and represent one of several different ways of configuring the present invention. Although specific components, materials, configurations and uses are illustrated, it should be understood that a number of variations to the components and to the configuration of those components described herein and in the accompanying figures can be made without changing the scope and function of the invention set forth herein. For purposes of this disclosure, references are generally made to the use of the present invention as a board game played on typical game board surface. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the disclosure of the present invention will apply to other types of gaming devices, such as electronic and computer games, that are configured to utilize the advantages and objectives of the present invention.
A transportation game that is manufactured out of the components and configured pursuant to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as 10 in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, in a preferred embodiment game 10 is configured as a board game that is played on game board 12 having an upper or playing surface 14 with a map 16 of an area 18, such as a city or the like, thereon that is configured with the various attributes necessary to play the present game 10. As set forth above, the present game 10 is adaptable to a wide variety of different arrangements, from which the various components and play of the present game 10 are adapted to correspond. Although use of specific geographical areas 18 are not necessary to play or understand the game 10 of the present invention, setting forth an example context will provide a foundation for explaining the principles and configuration of the present game 10. As such, the discussion herein is primarily directed to the area 18 being a city. The city 18 shown in the figures is adapted from the actual transportation system of New York City and the surrounding area. Although the game 10 can utilize a map 16 of a generic or “made-up” city as the area 18, in the preferred embodiment the map 16 represents an actual area 18, typically a city such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angles, London or the like. A wide variety of actual cities, towns or other areas can be used with the game 10 of the present invention. An important advantage of using the map of an actual city as the map 16 is that persons playing the game can become more familiar with the transportation system of the subject city and persons who are already very knowledgeable of the city's transportation can play a game that has familiar places and landmarks, both of which increase the enjoyment and utility of the game 10.
In the embodiment shown in the figures and described herein, the map 16 of area 18 has a plurality of transportation paths 20 that each comprise a plurality of individual path segments 22 and one or more station locations 24. A single transportation path 20 typically comprises a plurality of interconnected path segments 22 and station locations 24, which may be provided in a wide variety of different combinations of path segments 22 and station locations 24. As set forth in more detail below, a single transportation path 20 may have a portion where there is a station location 24 located between each path segment 22, another portion where two or more path segments 22 are joined together before there is a station location 24, another portion where there is a series of path segments 22 with no station locations 24 and yet another portion where there are two or more station locations 24 and no path segments 22. As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the transportation paths 20 can be straight, angled, curved or a wide variety of other shapes, as may actually exist in many cities or other areas 18. For purposes of the present disclosure, the term transportation path 20 applies to any grouping of path segments 22 and/or station locations 24 that a player can move along from one position to another and may comprise one or more interconnected path segments 22 and/or one or more station locations 24. Example transportation paths 20 are set forth in FIGS. 12 through 22 and described in detail below.
Each player selects a player token 26, an example of which is shown in FIG. 8, that represents the player on the game board 12 during play of the game 10. The basic objective of the game 10 of the present invention is that the players will move their respective player tokens 26 along the transportation paths 20 to accomplish a mission 28, shown in FIG. 12 and described in more detail below. The player accomplishes a mission 28 by moving his or her player token 26 along one or more transportation paths 20 applying the various rules that apply to the different path segments 22 and station locations 24. The various path segments 22 and station locations 24 have a mode identifying means 30 that identifies one or more modes of transportation 32 that apply to that portion of the transportation path 20, as best shown in the legend of FIG. 2. The path segments 22 also have a direction indicator 34 which indicates the direction of travel for that path segment 22, which when the path segments are connected together identify the direction of travel along that portion of the transportation path 20. The mode identifying means 30 identify for the player which one or more modes of transportation 32 are allowed to move along that portion of the transportation path 20, which he or she may desire to move the player token 26 to accomplish their mission 28.
In one embodiment of the present invention, in which the area 18 is an actual city (such as New York City) and the map 16 represents a person's way around the city, the various modes of transportation 32 that are utilized with game 10 should correspond to the actual modes of transportation that are available in that city along the various transportation paths 20. In the example shown in the figures, the principal modes of transportation 32 include walking and riding a bicycle, bus, taxi, subway or ferry. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the various path segments 22 generally allow more than one mode of transportation 32, as is typical in a real city or other area. The legend shown in FIG. 2 indicates which modes of transportation 32 are allowed on which path segments 22. In the present disclosure of game 10, the mode identifying means 30 are different types of shading, such that the allowed modes of transportation 32 which are allowed on a particular path segment 22, which are shown in the legend of FIG. 2, correspond to the map 16 shown in FIG. 1. Although shading is used herein as the mode identifying means 30, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that a wide variety of identifying devices can be utilized to distinguish one set of path segments and/or station locations 24 from another. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mode identifying means is are various colors that are used to distinguish one set of path segments 22 and station locations 24 from another. To further distinguish these components, the color of direction indicator 34 can be different for different modes of transportation 32. Alternatively, or in addition thereto, different shapes and/or sizes can be utilized as an identifying means. In the preferred embodiment of game 10, the walker, bicycle, bus and taxi modes of transportation 32 are grouped together and utilize a common mode identifying means 30, as shown in FIG. 2, due to the fact that a person can often travel along the same pathway using any one of these modes of transportation 32. In certain locations, the walker, bicycle, bus, taxi and subway modes of transportation 32 for path segments 22 are grouped together with a common mode identifying means 30. In other locations, path segments 22 for the subway mode of transportation 32 and the ferry mode of transportation 32 are singular, meaning that only this mode of transportation 32 can travel along those path segments 22, as is usual for certain locations in most cities 18.
To better simulate an actual city or to match the characteristics of an actual city, the map 16 of area 18 preferably includes one or more map features, such as a river 36, island 38, park 40 or like features. In addition to providing an improved map 16 of area 18, the various map features 36/38/40 or the like add interest and excitement to game 10. As with the various modes of transportation 32, the various map features will have rules of travel that are associated therewith that are unique or at least somewhat unique to that feature. For instance, the river 36 can only be traveled along using the ferry mode of transportation 32. In addition, the map 16 includes transportation features, such as bridges 42 and tunnels 44, that are utilized by particular modes of transportation to cross or go under the river 30 to access an island 38 or other areas of the map 16. As with actual bridges and tunnels in real cities, certain bridges 42 and tunnels 44 of game 10 can only be utilized by particular modes of transportation 32. To assist with identifying which of the path portions are bridges 42 or tunnels 44, the map 16 includes different mode identifying means 30, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for these transportation features. In the embodiment of the present invention, as in a real city, some of the bridges 42 are for walkers, bicycles, buses and taxis and other are for walkers, bicycles, buses, taxis and subway. As noted on the map 16 some of the river subway crossings are by a bridge 42 that is also utilized by other modes of transportation 32 while other bridges 42 are subway only routes, which may cross either under or above the river 36.
As set forth above, each of the path segments 22 have a direction indicator 34 associated therewith that indicate the allowed direction of travel for the mode of transportation 32 which can move along the transportation path 20 made up of the subject path segments 22. In a preferred embodiment, the direction indicators 34 are arrows that point in the direction or directions the mode of transportation 32 moves. As shown in the map 16, and which corresponds to most real cities or other areas 18, some of the direction indicators 34 indicate that the direction of travel is in one direction only (i.e., such as a one-way street) and other direction indicators 34 indicate that the allowed direction of travel is in both opposite directions (i.e., indicating a two-way street). As with an actual city, the various modes of transportation 32 that move along a particular transportation path 20 must follow the rules of travel related to that path 20. As in real life, however, walking and bicycling are the only modes of transportation which can move counter to the direction indicators 34, meaning the walker can walk or the bicyclist can ride his or her bicycle with the traffic flow or against the traffic flow.
Another aspect of the present invention is that each of the modes of transportation 32 must abide by certain features that are commonly associated with the particular mode of transportation 32. For instance, walkers can walk virtually anywhere, with the exception being certain tunnels 44 and subway-only paths, but do so at a generally much slower pace than the other modes of transportation 32. In addition, walking and bicycling are less expensive modes of transportation 32 than the bus, taxi, subway and ferry. As set forth below, this affects the amount of money a player has to spend to move about transportation paths 20 to accomplish his or her mission 28. Another feature is that certain modes of transportation 32, such as the bus and subway, must stop at certain designated station locations 24 and cannot pass them by, as is allowed for a taxi. In addition, certain modes of transportation 32 are blocked from any further movement along the transportation path 20 if another player's player token 26 is on one of the path segments 22 that make up the transportation path 20. As with real transportation paths, a subway or bus cannot pass over someone else stopped along the path 20, whereas a walker, bicycle or taxi can. In the preferred embodiment of the game 10 of the present invention, the operational rules are consistent with the “real life” modes of transportation 32 with which most people are familiar. In general, these features are referred to herein as the “rules of the road” and are the action features that control the movement of the player's player tokens 26.
In a preferred embodiment, the map 16 utilized with game 10 of the present invention divides the area 18 into two or more distinct, non-overlapping zones, shown generally as 46. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the map 16 is divided into five distinct zones 46, shown as 46 a, 46 b, 46 c, 46 d and 46 e, which are collectively referred to as zones 46. The zones 46 can represent sub-areas of area 18, such as Queens, Bronx, Harlem, Uptown and Midtown of the New York City area. As set forth below, in the preferred embodiment of the play of game 10 the zones 46 are utilized in determining the mission 28 that must be accomplished by each player. The zones 46 can be neighborhoods, adjoining cities or other areas that can be characterized as sub-areas of the area 18 which is shown collectively on map 16 and which is utilized by game 10.
The game 10 of the present invention also includes one or more sets of action devices 48 that are utilized in the game 10 to affect the ability of players to freely move around on the various transportation paths 20. In a preferred embodiment, the action devices 48 are card sets. Various other types of chance mechanisms, including a spinning wheel, dice, dice-like objects or the like, may be utilized as the action device 48. In the preferred embodiment, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the action devices 48 include a first set of action cards 50 that are designated as road cards and a second set of action cards 52 that are designated as weather cards. The road cards 50 show roads or zones that are affected by activities such as marathons, parades or road construction (shown left to right in FIG. 3). Preferably, the road cards 50 will also indicate which of the modes of transportation 32 are affected by the activity and which zones 46 travel it applies, as shown in the examples of FIG. 3. If no mode of transportation 32 is shown, then all modes of transportation area affected. The road cards 50 prevent movement along the affected transportation paths 20 while the subject road card 50 is in effect, as set forth below. Weather cards 52 operate in much the same way as road cards 50 except the problems of traveling along certain transportation paths 20 is caused by the weather condition that is shown on the weather card 52, such as fog, rain or sunshine (as shown left to right in FIG. 4). The modes of transportation 32 affected by the weather condition shown on the weather card 52 is listed on the weather card 52. If no mode of transportation 32 is listed of the weather card 52, such as for a sunny day weather card 52, then all modes of transportation 32 are equally affected (i.e., sunny day causes no problems for any mode of transportation 32).
The game 10 of the present invention also includes a plurality of transportation cards 54, examples of which are shown in FIG. 5. Displayed on each transportation card 54 is a the mode of transportation 32 affected by the card 54 and the amount of units, shown as 56, that are associated with the subject transportation card 54. As set forth in more detail below, the units 56 are utilized to allow the player to move his or her player token 26 along one or more transportation paths 20 to complete a mission 28. The game 10 also includes money, shown as 58 in FIG. 6, and a plurality of challenge cards, shown as 60 in FIG. 7. The purpose and use of the money 58 and the challenge cards 60 are described below.
The game 10 is started by placing the game board 12 on a table or other generally flat surface. The road cards 50 and weather cards 52 that make up the action devices 48 are shuffled and placed face down on the table next to the game board 12. The transportation cards 54 are shuffled and each player is dealt a certain number of these cards 54, such as five cards per player. The remaining transportation cards 54 are placed face down on the table next to the game board 12. Each player is provided with a certain amount of starting money, such as $50 each (which may be in the form of fake bills and/or poker-type chips). Each player selects a player token 26 to use for his or her play. One player is assigned to be the dealer. The dealer is in charge of the money 58, missions 28 and a score pad that is utilized to keep score of the game 10. Another player is assigned to be responsible for the action devices 48 (road 50 and weather 52 cards). In an advanced version of the game 10, each player also receives a plurality of blocking devices, shown as 62 in FIG. 9, that he or she can utilize in the game, as set forth in more detail below. Preferably, the blocking devices 62 have the same color or are otherwise easily associated with the player's player token 26. Once the game 10 is set-up, game play can begin.
To begin game play, the players utilize a mission identifying means to identify a mission 28 that each player must accomplish during play of the game 10. As set forth in more detail below, a mission 28 comprises moving from a start location to an end location on the map 16 utilizing the transportation cards 54 and money 58. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, a wide variety of mission identifying means can be utilized with game 10. For instance, the mission identifying means can be dice, dice-like objects, cards, spinning wheels, random number generators or other devices that identify a start location, which is one of the numbered station locations 24, and an end location, which is another numbered station location 24. In the preferred embodiment of game 10, the mission identifying means comprises a plurality of location markers 64, shown in FIG. 10, that each has a number on an upper surface 66 thereof that corresponds to one of the numbered station locations 24 on the map, with all of the location markers 64 placed in a bag or other container so each player can blindly draw one of the location markers 64 from the container. In this embodiment, each player draws a location marker 64, from the bag full of such location markers 64 without looking at the location marker 64 as he or she draws the location marker 64 (i.e., a blind draw). The first location marker 64 drawn by the player is his or her start point, which is the position on the map 16 from which the player will start his or her game, and places his/her player token 26 on the station location 24 identified by the location marker 64. This location marker 64 is then placed back in the bag. Each player draws a second location marker 64 from the bag, again without looking at the location marker 64 as he or she draws it out of the bag. The second location marker 64 drawn by the player identifies the end point for his or her mission 28, that being the location to which he or she must move the player token 26 along one or more transportation paths 20. In a preferred embodiment, the player lets each of the other players see the color of his or her second location marker 64, but not the number on this location marker. The color of the location marker 64 is associated with the color used to identify one of the zones 46 on the map 16. This means that the other players will know which zone 46 a player is heading towards to complete his or her mission 28, but not the specific station location 24. A player's mission end point must be in a different zone 46 than his or her start point. The dealer then circles each player's mission 28 on the score pad and records the amount of the player's “reward” that he or she receives for completing the mission 28. The amount of reward is based on a chart, such as the mission-reward chart shown as 68 having reward 70 in FIG. 11. The amount of reward 70 is based on the difficulty in moving from one zone 46 to another. Generally, the further away a zone 46 for completing the mission 28 and/or the amount of path segments 22 or transportation paths 20 necessary to move between zones 46, the higher the reward 70 on mission-reward chart 68. Once the player completes the mission 28, he or she claims the reward 70 and then draws another location marker 64 from the bag to begin his or her next mission 28. In a preferred embodiment, each player must complete five missions. The object of the game 10 of the present invention is to have the highest money at the end of the game 10. The winner of the game 10 is not always the player who completes his or her five missions first.
A player moves his or her player token 26 during his/her turn toward the end point for the mission 28. During their turn, each player must perform one, and only one, of the following tasks: (1) draw a transportation card 54 from the top of the deck of transportation cards 54; (2) trade off two transportation cards 54 with two transportation cards 54 from the top of the deck and discard the cards traded in; (3) buy two or more transportation cards 54, maximum $20 in a single turn, from the dealer (who has a separate stack of transportation cards 54 that are for sale); or (4) move along a route (described below) on the map 16 by playing a set of transportation cards 54 from his or hand and paying the required fees (if needed). For purposes of the present invention, “route” (shown as 72 in FIG. 12) is defined as the path segments 22 between adjacent station locations 24, no matter how many path segments 22 are between the adjacent station locations 24 (i.e., one or more than one). Examples of routes 72 and movement thereon are described below and shown in FIGS. 12 through 22. In a preferred embodiment of the game 10, a player may only use one type of transportation card 54 and must complete at least one route 72 during his or her turn. Movement along each path segment 22 requires ten units and each station location 24 (with or without numbers) requires five units. As shown in the legend of FIG. 2, the station locations 24 without numbers are walking areas and others are bus stops or combination bus stop and subway stop, collectively referred to as “stops” and shown as 74 in FIG. 2. Examples of movement along the path segments 22 and station locations 24 are described below. Each turn requires the player to start at one station location 24 and end at another.
To move along one or more path segments 22 and/or station locations 24 requires the player to turn in (or “pay”) with units on transportation cards 54. In order to move one path segment 22, the player must give either one of the ten point transportation cards 54, such as one with a bicycle, bus, subway, taxi, ferry or ten point express card, or two of the five point walker cards. With regard to station locations 24, with or without numbers, the player must give one of the five point walker cards. In fact, only walker and bicycle cards can be used to move on the station locations 24. Various other movement rules are applicable to the game 10 of the present invention. For instance, only walker, bicycle, taxi and ferry cards can be used to stop on the walking areas (the non-numbered station locations 24). As a result, only these cards can be used to start moving or to stop at the walking areas. The locations where the ferry path segments 22 contact the non-numbered station locations 24 are considered ferry stops. Another rule is that all transportation cards 54 except the subway card can be used to stop at the bus stop station locations 24. All transportation cards 54, including the subway card, can be used to stop at the bus stop/subway station location 24. As set forth above, the rules of movement along the various transportation paths 20 are intended to mimic real life situations and movement through a city or other area.
As noted above, each path segment 22 requires ten units and each station location 24, including the one the player stops at when walking, requires five units. All modes of transportation 32 require a fee associated with use of the transportation card 54 for that mode of transportation 32 except the walker cards, walkers can walk for free (no separate fee charge). The fee for the other modes of transportation 32 can vary by the mode and in which zone 46 the player is moving in. Walker and bicycle cards allow the player to move the player token 26 in any direction, including against the direction indicated by the direction indicator 34 on the path segments 22 he or she will be traversing. A “disadvantage” of the walker and bicycle cards is that the player must give up two walker cards or one bicycle card for each path segment 22 and also one walker card or one bicycle card for each station location he or she passes and stops. Although only one bicycle card is required for each path segment 22, use of the bicycle cards requires the player to give up one bicycle card for each station location 24 he or she passes and where he or she stops. Use of the walker cards and bicycle cards are in contrast with the other transportation cards 54, which do not require use of any transportation card 54 for the station locations 24 that are the stops 74, as the stops 74 are included with the use of these other transportation cards 54. Walker and bicycle transportation cards also cannot be utilized to move through a tunnel 42 in which only buses and taxis can go, move through a tunnel 42 in which only a subway can move or move on the ferry lines. Taxis, buses, subways and ferries must obey the direction indicated by the direction indicators 34 on the path segments 22 and pay the fee associated with use of the cards. Taxis may move only three routes 72 per turn, except when moving across a bridge 42 or through a tunnel 44. Movement across a bridge 42 or through a tunnel 44 does not count toward the number of routes, thereby in effect a player may move four routes when crossing a bridge 42 or moving through a tunnel 44. Use of taxi cards require a fee, which may be different for different zones 46, for using the card and requires an additional fee for crossing a bridge 42 or passing through a tunnel 44 (use of all other transportation cards 54 does not require a fee to cross bridge 42 or move through tunnel 44). Although the taxi card allows the player to stop at a walking area station location 24, he or she can not pass by two adjacent stops 74 using the taxi card. Instead, such movement would require use of walker or bicycle cards. Use of walker, bicycle and taxi transportation cards 54 allow the player to pass over a stop 74 even if the stop 74 is occupied by another player. The other modes of transportation 32 cannot pass over occupied stops 74.
Use of bus transportation cards 54 require the player to obey all traffic flows, as indicated by the direction indicators 34 and only allow the player to move one route 72, comprising the path segments 22 between adjacent station locations 24, during a single turn. As with taxi cards, use of bus transportation cards 54 require the player to pay a fee when he or she begins use of the bus card. As long as the player continually uses bus transportation cards 54, even during one or more subsequent turns, he or she does not have to pay a new fee (basically, as long as the player stays on the bus, no additional fee is required). If the player changes to a different mode of transportation 32 and then resumes using bus cards, then he or she will have to pay a new bus fee. A player using bus cards can only stop at a bus stop 74 or a combination bus/subway stop 74. A walking area stop 74, including heliports and challenge stops, cannot be utilized as a bus stop and a player's player token 26 cannot pass over a walking area stop 74 when using a bus card.
A player can use subway transportation cards 54 to move along any of the designated subway path segments 22. Each subway card allows the player to move his or her player token one path segment. When using a subway card, however, the player is only allowed to stop at station locations 24 that are identified as subway stops 74. In addition, use of the subway cards requires the player to pay a subway fee when he or she starts using the subway cards, which simulates getting on the subway. As long as the player continues to use the subway card, he or she does not have to pay another fee. As with the use of bus cards, however, if the player starts using another mode of transportation 32 and then resumes using subway cards, then he or she must pay the subway fee at the start of such use. Using subway cards, the player can move a maximum of two routes 72 per turn and can only move between open subway station locations 24. The player cannot pass over an occupied subway station location 24 on his way to another subway station location 24, even if the latter station location 24 is open (i.e., not occupied). Certain tunnels 44 are designated only for use by subway transportation cards 54.
Ferry transportation cards 54 are used by the player to move his or her player token 26 along the transportation paths 24 having path segments 22 with the mode identifying means 30 designating the ferry, which are in waterways such as the rivers 36. Ferry transportation paths 24 generally allow the player to move in either direction, meaning the direction indicator 34 has arrows pointing both directions. Each ferry card allows the player to move one path segment 22. As with buses, use of the ferry cards allows the player to only move one route 72 per turn. A player cannot stop moving his or her player token 26 on a path segment 22 that is located in between station locations 24 (i.e., cannot stop in the middle of the waterway). All stops 72 along the waterways, including the walking area stops 72, can be stops for ferries. Use of the ferry transportation cards require payment of a boarding fee, which is preferably set for each route 72 that the ferry can travel. Some of the ferry stops 72 are on islands 38, which may require the player to use one or more walker or bicycle transportation cards 54 to move across the island 38. Boarding a ferry at the opposite end of the island 38 typically requires a new boarding fee, which may be different amounts or otherwise be adjusted for different islands 38.
The map 16 also includes two or more heliport stops 74, which can typically be accessed by walkers, bicycles or taxis. A player can only move between heliports by using a helicopter card, which must be purchased from the dealer before the player arrives at the heliport. In a preferred embodiment, a player cannot go to a heliport stop 74 unless he or she has a helicopter card. With the helicopter card, the player can move to any open heliport. Although the move is done in one turn, getting the helicopter card, moving to the heliport and then moving between heliports will require a total of three turns. If a heliport is occupied by another player, the player cannot move his or her game piece to that heliport.
Another group of transportation cards 54 are referred to as express cards and can be utilized in place of any other transportation card 54 except the walker and bicycle cards (i.e., an express card cannot be used as a walker card or a bicycle card). In effect, an express card is used like a wildcard in place of another transportation card 54. The express cards can be in different unit denominations, such as the ten unit, twenty unit and thirty unit denominations shown in FIG. 5. Express cards can be utilized by themselves or in combination with one or more other transportation cards 54 (which must be of the same type, such as all bus cards). The Express-30 cards are for sale only. A player desiring an Express-30 card must purchase the card from the dealer. The Express-10 and Express-20 cards are in the transportation deck. Like Express-30 cards, some Express-20 cards and Walker-5 cards can be purchased from the dealer. As noted on the map 16 of FIG. 1 and the legend of FIG. 2, certain stops 72 are identified with a “?” and referred to as challenge stops. A player can only reach the challenge stops 72 by using walker, bicycle or taxi transportation cards 54. These stops cannot be reached by bus, metro or ferry cards. When a player stops on a challenge stop he or she must draw one challenge card 60 from the deck of such cards and let the other players see the drawn challenge card 60.
In a preferred embodiment, when a player stops at a challenge stop 72 and draws a challenge card 60, a challenge block (which can be a block-like device sized to fit on the challenge stop space) is placed on the challenge stop 72. Challenge cards 60 are used, as described below, only once by the player who draws the challenge card 60 and then the card is discarded. Different challenge cards 60 can have different impacts on the player or other players. Some of these cards 60 can provide the player with money, create a challenge mission for the player drawing the card 60, create a challenge mission for other players or be designated as a power card. In the preferred embodiment of the present game 10, if a player draws a challenge card 60 requiring a mission, he or she must complete an extra mission 28. These challenge missions have the attributes of the originally assigned missions 28, except the starting point will be the challenge stop 72 for the player drawing the challenge card 60 or a player's current position if he or she did not draw the challenge card 60. Any player who has to complete a challenge mission 28, must complete that mission 28 before his or her regular mission 28. The reward 70 for completing a challenge mission 28 can be the same as, double or some other factor of the reward for completing a regular mission 28. A player cannot have two challenge missions 28 at the same time, even if he or she draws another challenge card 60 having a challenge mission or if another player draws such a card 60. A player can use a power challenge card 60 to avoid having to complete a challenge mission 28 when drawing a mission challenge card 60 or when another player draws such a card. Power cards can also be used to move onto an occupied stop 72, to pass over a subway station when using subway cards, to use a heliport even if it is in use by another player or for other possible benefits. Preferably, any unused power cards can be valued and turned in for money at the end of the game.
Examples of movement along the various path segments 22 and station locations 24 of the transportation paths 20 of map 16 are illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 22. FIG. 12 illustrates the situation where the station location 24 identified as 1 is the start point, shown with the player token 26 associated therewith, and the station location identified as 3 is the end point of the mission 28. One route 72 is shown as between the station locations 24 identified as 1 and 2 and between the station locations 24 identified as 2 and 3. The player can move two routes 72, from station location 1 to 2 and then station location 2 to 3, which can be done in a single turn, with the upper arrow, or in two turns, the lower arrow. To move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to station location 3 in one move requires eight walkers or four bicycle cards and the fee or three taxi cards and the fee. Note that no card is needed for the middle or end station locations for taxi or other non-walker or non-bicycle movement, as the stop 74 is included in the use of these other transportation cards 54. A player cannot use a bus transportation card 54 in a single turn because the bus cannot move two stops in a single turn. A subway card cannot be used because the routes 72 are not subway routes. If the player only desires to move from 1 to 2, he or she can use three walkers or two bicycle cards and the fee or one bus or taxi card and the required fee. To move from 2 to 3 requires the use of five walker cards or three bicycle cards and the fee or two of either the bus or taxi cards (but not mixed) and the required fee. The player cannot use a subway transportation card because this is not a subway route. FIG. 13 illustrates a similar example, except the end point is a blank walker area station location 24. In this move the player can use either five walker cards or three bicycle cards and the fee or two taxi cards and the fee to generate the units needed to move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to the blank walker area station location 24. The player cannot use a bus transportation card 54 because the bus card cannot move to a blank walker area station location 24. The player cannot use a subway transportation card 54 because this is not a subway route. FIG. 14 illustrates use of walker, bicycle or taxi transportation cards 54, with the bus and subway cards being inapplicable due to the walking area station location 24 (shown as the blank station location 24). To move from station location 24 identified as 1 to the blank walking area station location 24 requires the use of one walker card, worth five units, or one bicycle card with the appropriate fee. To move from walking area station location 24 to the station location 24 identified as 2 requires the use of either three walker cards or two bicycle cards and the fee or one taxi card and the appropriate fee. To move directly from station location 1 to station location 2, skipping over the walking area station location 24, requires four walker cards or two bicycle cards and the fee. Use of a taxi transportation card 54 is not allowed because the player cannot move over two adjacent stops 74 with the taxi card.
FIG. 15 illustrates movement from a station location 24 that is bus stop to station locations 24 that are bus and subway stops with corresponding path segments 22 therebetween. Various combinations are shown with the arrows and in the rows of examples. In the top row of FIG. 15, the player moves from station location 24 identified as 1 to station location 24 identified as 4 in one single move, requiring eleven walker cards or six bicycle cards with fee or four taxi cards with fee. Bus and subway cards cannot be utilized due to the fact that a bus cannot move more than one stop in a single turn and the starting point is not on the subway route. The lower arrows show movement of each of the routes 72 individually. The first arrow can be moved with the player providing three walker cards or two bicycle cards with the fee or one bus or taxi transportation cards 54 with the fee. No subway cards can be used. The second arrow can be moved with the player providing either five walker or three bicycle cards with the fee or two bus, taxi or subway transportation cards 54 with the appropriate fee. The third arrow can be moved with the player providing either three walker cards or two bicycle cards with the fee or one bus, taxi or subway transportation card with the fee 54. The arrow in the middle row, moving from the station location 24 identified as 1 to the station location identified as 3, thereby skipping the station location 2, requires eight walker cards, four bicycle cards with fee or three taxi transportation cards 54 with fee. Neither bus nor subway cards can be utilized for this move. The arrow on the bottom row of FIG. 15, moving from the station location 24 identified as 2 to the station location identified as 4, thereby skipping 3, requires eight walkers or four bicycle cards with the fee or three taxi or subway cards 54 with the appropriate fee. Bus transportation cards 54 cannot be utilized for this move because a bus cannot skip a station location 24.
FIG. 16 illustrates movement along a transportation path 20 using walker, bicycle, taxi, bus or subway transportation cards 54. In the upper row of FIG. 16, the player can move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to either the station locations 24 identified as 2 or 3. Movement from station 1 to station 2 requires either three walker cards or two bicycle cards with fee or one taxi, bus or subway transportation card 54 with the appropriate fee. Movement from station 1 to station 3 requires eight walker cards or four bicycle cards with fee or three taxi or subway cards with fee. Bus transportation cards 54 cannot be utilized to move from station 1 to station 3 because this would require skipping station 2, which is not allowed when using bus transportation cards 54. The middle row of FIG. 16 illustrates the issue of another player being on the station location 24 identified as 3. As with the above, movement from station 1 to station 2 requires the player to use either three walker cards or two bicycle cards with fee or one taxi, bus or subway transportation card 54 with the appropriate fee. Because the station location 24 identified as 3 is occupied, no move is allowed to that station with any transportation card 54. The bottom row of FIG. 16, illustrates another example of the situation where an opposing player occupies one of the station locations 24 in the player's intended path. In this example, the station location 24 identified as 2 is occupied. As a result, no move is allowed from station 1 to the occupied station 2. A player can move from station 1 to station 3 if he or she utilizes eight walker cards or four bicycle cards with fee or three taxi cards with fee. These modes of transportation 32 are allowed to skip or pass over an occupied station location 24. The player cannot use either a bus or a subway transportation card 54 because these modes of transportation 32 are not allowed to skip or pass over an occupied station location 24 (i.e., the station location 24 identified as 2).
FIGS. 17 and 18 are provided to illustrate movement of a player's player token 26 by utilizing taxi transportation cards 54. In the example of FIG. 17, the station locations 24 identified as 2 and 3 are occupied by another player's player token 26. As a result, the player cannot move his or her player token 26 to either station 2 or 3. Because the player is using taxi transportation cards 54, he or she can move to the station location 24 identified as 4 by skipping or passing over the station locations 24 identified as 2 and 3. As set forth above, a taxi card allows the player to move past occupied stations and the player can move up to three routes 72 (i.e., groups of path segments 22 between station locations 24) per turn. In the example of FIG. 18, the player can move his or her player token 26 to the station locations 24 identified as 3, 5 and 6, but cannot move the player token 26 to the station locations 24 identified as 2, 4, 7 and 8. The player can skip or pass over the occupied station 2 to get to stations 3, 5 and 6, but cannot land on stations 2 or 4 or 7 because those stations are occupied by other players. In addition, the player cannot move his or her player token 26 to the station location 24 identified as 8 because that station location 24 is too far. As set forth above, use of taxi transportation cards 54 only allows the user to move his or her player token 26 up to three routes 72 during a single turn. Whether the player moves from station 1 to 8 via stations 2 and 6 or via stations 2 and 3, these would required the player to move four routes during a single turn. To move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to the station location 24 identified as 3 requires five taxi transportation cards 54. To move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to the station location 24 identified as 5 requires seven taxi transportation cards 54 with fee. To move from the station location 24 identified as 1 to station location 24 identified as 6 requires five taxi transportation cards 54 with fee.
FIG. 19 shows an example use of walker and bicycle transportation cards 54 to move against the direction indicators 34 on path segments 22 along the route 72 selected by the player to move his or her player token 26. As set forth above, walker and bicycle transportation cards 54 allow the player to move the player token 26 in any direction he or she desires as long as the mode identifying means 30 allows walking as the mode of transportation 32. FIG. 20 shows the use of a challenge stop. A player can move his or her player token 26 from the station location 24 identified as 1 to the blank walking area station location 24 using three walker cards, two bicycle cards with fee or one taxi card with fee. The player can only move from the walking area station location 24 to the challenge stop by using one walker card or one bicycle card with fee. The player can skip the challenge stop, moving from the walking area station location 24 to the station location 24 identified as 2, only by using two walker cards or one bicycle card with fee. The player can move from the station location 24 identified as 2 to the heliport station location 24 by using three walker cards, two bicycle cards with fee or one taxi card with fee. In the example of FIG. 21, the player starting at the station location 24 identified as 1 can move to the station location 24 identified as 2 by using five walker cards, three bicycle cards with fee, or two bus or taxi cards with fee. The player can move from station 1 to station 3 using ten walker cards, five bicycle cards with fee or four taxi cards with fee. The player cannot move from station 1 to station 3 using bus cards because he or she cannot skip or pass by the station location identified as 2. The player cannot move from station 1 to station 3 using subway cards because the starting station is not on the subway route. The player can move from station 1 to station 4 using thirteen walker cards, seven bicycle cards with fee or five taxi cards with fee. As with the move to station 3, the player cannot move to station 4 using bus cards. The player cannot, with any transportation card 54, move to the station location 24 identified as 5 in a single turn as the rules only allow the player to move up to three routes 72 on a single turn. The moves of FIG. 21 are contrasted with the moves of FIG. 22, where the player starts at the station location 24 identified as 2. From this position, the player can move to station 1 by using five walker cards, three bicycle cards with fee, or two bus or taxi cards with fee. The player can move from station 2 to station 3 using five walker cards, three bicycle cards with fee or two bus, subway or taxi cards with fee. The player can move from station 2 to station 4 using eight walker cards, four bicycle cards with fee or three subway or taxi cards with fee. The player cannot move from station 2 to station 4 using bus cards because he or she cannot skip or pass by the station location identified as 3. From station 2, the player can move to station 5 using thirteen walker cards, seven bicycle cards with fee or five taxi cards with fee. As with the move to station 4, the player cannot move to station 5 using bus cards.
As set forth above, the object of the game 10 of the present invention is to accumulate the most money while completing the required number of missions 28, which in a preferred embodiment is five missions 28. Each player is provided with a number of transportation cards 54 and a certain amount of money to start the game 10 and selects his or her player token 26. A player's mission 28 has one station location 24 as its start point and another station location 24 as the end point. The start and end points for each player are randomly assigned by using location markers 64 that are drawn blindly from a bag or other container and are used to identify the start point and a corresponding end point for a particular mission 28. The first location marker 64 drawn indicates the start point and the second location marker 64 drawn indicates the end point. The start and end points are station locations 24 that are printed or otherwise provided on the upper surface 66 of the location markers 64. In a preferred embodiment, the players let each other see which zone 46 has the end point, but not the specific station location 24 that is the end point.
To complete the mission 28, the player moves along one or more transportation paths 20, comprising a series of path segments 22 and station locations 24, following the movement rules set forth above. From one turn to another, but not in the middle of a turn, the player can switch between different modes of transportation 32 to move from the start point to the end point, just as a person would in a real city using the various real transportation types available in the city. Each player attempts to complete his or her missions 28 in a manner that results in as much money at the end of the required number of missions 28 as possible. The player's ability to move through the area 18 using map 16 will be limited by his or her available money and/or transportation cards 54. During his or her turn, a player can draw a transportation card 54 from the deck of cards, trade transportation cards 54 with those in the deck, buy transportation cards 54 or an express card or move at least one route using the cards and money, if necessary, in his or her hand. Upon completion of a mission 28, the player discloses the end point to the other players and collects his or her reward 70, which is determined from the mission-reward chart 68 of FIG. 11. If it is not the player's last mission 28, he or she draws another location marker 64 to identify a new end point, the start point being the station location 24 that was the previous end point. In another embodiment, the player can draw two location markers 64 to specify a new start point and a new end point for the next mission 28.
Various modifications can be made to the game 10 of the present invention. In one advance level of play, players can apply various strategies in more challenging situations, such as blocking the routes they use to complete their missions 28 to create handicaps for their opponents. In this embodiment, each player gets a certain number of blocking devices 62, some of which can be regular blocks and some of which can be super blocks, at the beginning of the game 10. In one embodiment, each player gets 20 regular blocks and 10 super blocks. The players use the blocking devices 62 when moving from a stop 74 to block or close the route for other players by placing a blocking device 62 on a path segment 22. The rules can allow for a player to use a route previously blocked by another player by playing one of the super blocks and/or paying a fee to the player who previously placed the block. In one embodiment, only super blocks can be used to block bridges 42 and tunnels 44 and super blocks can be used like a regular block (but not the other way around). If desired, power cards can be used to move on a route that is blocked. A player who completes a mission, whether it is a regular mission 28 or challenge mission 28, may reposition his or her blocking devices 62 or remove them from the playing surface 14 for later placement. In a preferred embodiment of the advanced version of game 10, each of the blocked path segments 22 has a pre-determined value and the player's reward 70 takes into account that value. As a result, the actual amount of the reward 70 will not be known until he or she completes the mission 28, at which time the value of all blocked path segments 22 will be calculated. The reward determination in this advanced version of game 10 is in contrast to the non-advanced version of the game 10 described above where the amount of the player's reward 70 for completing a mission 28 is known and based on the mission-reward chart 68.
While there are shown and described herein a specific form of the invention, it will be readily apparent to individuals skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited, but is susceptible to, various modifications and rearrangements in design and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. In particular, it should be noted that the present invention is subject to modification with regard to any dimensional relationships set forth herein and modifications in assembly, materials, size, shape, and use. For instance, there are numerous components described herein that can be replaced with equivalent functioning components to accomplish the objectives of the present invention.

Claims

1. A transportation game for simulating movement about an area, said game comprising:

a plurality of modes of transportation;

a map of said area having a plurality of transportation paths, each of said transportation paths comprising a plurality of path segments and one or more station locations, each of said path segments of said transportation paths having a mode identifying means associated therewith for identifying one or more of said modes of transportation allowed to move along said transportation paths, each of said station locations having one of said mode identifying means to identify a stop for said station location;

a direction indicator associated with each of said path segments and configured to indicate the allowed direction of travel along said transportation path for one or more of said modes of transportation;

a location indicia associated with a plurality of said station locations, each of said location indicia being unique for each one of said station locations having said location indicia;

two or more player tokens for movement along said transportation paths; and

mission identifying means corresponding to said location indicia for identifying a mission that must be accomplished by each of said player tokens, each of said missions comprising movement of one of said player tokens on said transportation path between one of said station locations having said location indicia thereon and another of said station locations having said location indicia thereon.

2. The game according to claim 1, wherein said map is on a playing surface of a game board.

3. The game according to claim 1, wherein said area is a city and said map is a map of the city.

4. The game according to claim 3, wherein the city is an actual existing city, said modes of transportation correspond to actual transportation utilized in the city and said transportation paths on said map at least generally represent paths used by the actual transportation in the city.

5. The game according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of transportation cards, each of said transportation cards having one of said modes of transportation thereon, said transportation cards utilized to determine on which of said path segments said player tokens may move and on which of said station locations said player tokens may stop.

6. The game according to claim 1, wherein each of said modes of transportation have rules of the road associated therewith.

7. The game according to claim 1 further comprising one or more action devices, each of said action devices comprising one or more categories of action that affect movement along one or more of said transportation paths for one or more of said modes of transportation.

8. The game according to claim 7, wherein said action devices comprises cards and said categories of action comprises a plurality of road cards and a plurality of weather cards.

9. The game according to claim 1, wherein said map is divided into two or more zones.

10. The game according to claim 2, wherein said missions require movement of said player token between different of said zones.

11. The game according to claim 1, wherein said modes of transportation include at least two selected from the group comprising walker, bicycle, taxi, bus, subway, ferry and helicopter.

12. A transportation game for simulating movement about an area, said game comprising:

a plurality of modes of transportation;

a map of said area having a plurality of transportation paths, each of said transportation paths comprising a plurality of path segments and one or more station locations, each of said path segments of said transportation paths having a mode identifying means associated therewith for identifying one or more of said modes of transportation allowed to move along said transportation paths, each of said station locations having one of said mode identifying means to identify a stop for said station location, each of said modes of transportation having rules of the road associated therewith;

two or more player tokens for movement along said transportation paths;

a plurality of transportation cards, each of said transportation cards having one of said modes of transportation thereon, said transportation cards utilized to determine on which of said path segments said player tokens may move and on which of said station locations said player tokens may stop;

one or more action devices, each of said action devices comprising one or more categories of action that affect movement along one or more of said transportation paths for one or more of said modes of transportation; and

13. The game according to claim 12, wherein said area is a city and said map is a map of the city.

14. The game according to claim 13, wherein the city is an actual existing city, said modes of transportation correspond to actual transportation utilized in the city, said rules of the road represent actual movement of the actual transportation in the city and said transportation paths on said map at least generally represent paths used by the actual transportation in the city.

15. The game according to claim 12, wherein said action devices comprises cards and said categories of action comprises a plurality of road cards and a plurality of weather cards.

16. The game according to claim 12, wherein said map is divided into two or more zones.

17. The game according to claim 16, wherein said missions require movement of said player token between different of said zones.

18. A method of playing a transportation game for simulating movement about an area, said method comprising the steps of:

a. providing a map of said area having a plurality of transportation paths, each of said transportation paths comprising a plurality of path segments and one or more station locations, each of said path segments of said transportation paths having a mode identifying means associated therewith for identifying one or more modes of transportation allowed to move along said transportation paths, each of said station locations having one of said mode identifying means to identify a stop for said station location, a plurality of said station locations having a location indicia associated therewith, each of said location indicia being unique for each one of said station locations having said location indicia, each of said modes of transportation having rules of the road associated therewith;

b. selecting a player token for each of two or more players and providing each of the players with a plurality of transportation cards and a quantity of money, each of said transportation cards having one of said modes of transportation thereon, said transportation cards utilized to determine on which of said path segments said player tokens may move and on which of said station locations said player tokens may stop;

c. utilizing a mission identifying means corresponding to said location indicia for identifying a mission that must be accomplished by each of the players, each of said missions comprising movement of one of said player tokens on said transportation path between one of said station locations having said location indicia thereon and another of said station locations having said location indicia thereon;

d. determining one of said transportation paths to move said player token along based on one or more of said transportation cards held by the player so that said mode identifying means of said path segments and said station locations of said transportation path correspond to said transportation cards;

e. moving said player tokens along said transportation path in accordance with said rules of the road, said mode identifying means associated with said path segments and with said station locations, said transportation cards and a direction indicator associated with each of said path segments, said direction indicator configured to indicate the allowed direction of travel along said transportation path for one or more of said modes of transportation;

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said area is a city and the city is an actual existing city, said modes of transportation correspond to actual transportation utilized in the city, said rules of the road represent actual movement of the actual transportation in the city and said transportation paths on said map at least generally represent paths used by the actual transportation in the city.

20. The method according to claim 18 further comprising the step of drawing one or more action devices before said moving step, each of said action devices comprising one or more categories of action that affect movement along one or more of said transportation paths for one or more of said modes of transportation.