Space battle board game

Abstract

A board game playable by two or four persons or two teams of persons utilizing a square game board with each player being assigned a plurality of ships along with a mother ship. The board is divided into diagonal moving spaces and diagonal nonmoving spaces. The ships and mother ship are a color matched set, with four sets of different colors, with each color set matching moving space indicia printed on the game board. The object of the game is to be the first to move one's mother ship from a beginning edge of the game board to an opposing edge on move spaces located on the board. Difficulty levels are provided by changing and adding move options available to the players' ships and mother ship depending on ship location and the desired level of play. The game is also easily adaptable to electronic play and use on the world wide web.

1 . A method of game board play wherein the game is playable by four players or two teams of two players where the game board is generally square and divided into a plurality of square spaces arranged in columns and which game board is selected from either a board with 10 spaces on each of four edges or a board with 11 spaces on each of four edges, and where every other space on the selected board is a move space adjacent to a non move space, move spaces are diagonal to moves spaces in a next column of spaces, a safe haven move space is positioned near a center of the game board, different color and move direction indicia are included on move spaces arranged on each of the four board edges and which diagonally terminate at the safe haven move space, and further where each player starts with a colored set of four playing pieces comprising three ships and one mother ship where the color set matches a color indicia on a starting edge of the board selected by a player, and where an object of the game is to move one's mother ship from a starting edge to an opposing edge, the game comprises the steps: 
 a) arranging a player's four playing pieces on moving spaces on a selected starting edge of the game board matching the color of the playing pieces,    b) in turn each player moving 1 desired playing piece diagonally to another move space in a direction generally to an opposing edge,    c) during a players'turn, jumping and eliminating opponent playing pieces or plurality of opponent playing pieces which are located in adjacent diagonal move spaces,    d) protecting a playing piece from elimination by moving a playing piece or a plurality of playing pieces to the safe haven moving space near the middle of the game board,    e) winning the game by first moving one's mother ship from the starting edge to an opposing edge.    
   
   
       2 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; moving any of the three ships of a given player only in a direction in diagonal spaces from a starting edge towards an opposing edge.  
   
   
       3 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; moving the mother ship of a given player in any direction in diagonal spaces.  
   
   
       4 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; losing a ship when, during a turn a player fails to jump and terminate an opponent ship.  
   
   
       5 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; prohibiting a ship from moving over a safe haven space unless the space haven space includes a ship located there of the same color as the ship moving over the safe haven space.  
   
   
       6 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; converting a player's ship to “VADOR” status by the player moving a ship, other than a mother ship, from a starting edge to an opposing edge whereby the ship which has obtained “VADOR” status may then move in turn in a “V” pattern of multiple move spaces, may jump and eliminate multiple opponent ships if open move spaces exist between jumped ships, may not use spaces on the game board edge and further wherein the ship with “VADOR” status may never jump over or use safe haven spaces and further wherein a ship which has obtained “VADOR” status is positioned so that a “V” imprinted thereon the ship is visible to other players.  
   
   
       7 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 6  further comprising; converting a player's ship to “SORE LOSER” status by the player being eliminated while having a ship remaining in safe haven whereby the “SORE LOSER” ship thereafter may move in any direction one diagonal space at a time, and further wherein the ship which has obtained “sore loser” status is positioned so that a “SL” imprinted thereon the ship is visible to other players and further wherein said “SORE LOSER” may never obtain “VADOR” status.  
   
   
       8 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 6  further comprising; converting a player's ship, other than a mother ship or a ship with “vador” status, to “rights of passage denied” status by an opposing player terminating an opponent's ship and the terminating player placing the terminated ship in an inverted position on any desired moving space thereby prohibiting opponents from moving over the space, and further wherein the ship which has been converted to “rights of passage denied” status is positioned so that a “ropd” imprinted thereon the ship is visible to other players, removing a “ropd” status ship by use of a ship with “vador” status.  
   
   
       9 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 6  further comprising; converting a mother ship to a mother ship carrier by moving ships of the same color as the mother ship to the mother ship thereby allowing the mother ship carrier to move a number of spaces equal to the sum of ships carried by the mother ship plus the mother ship, releasing carried ships from the mother ship carrier during a player's turn.  
   
   
       10 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 6  further comprising; exchanging ships, other than a mother ship, between players before play begins so that all players have a plurality of different colored ships, each player positioning the different colored ships on their starting edge along with a mother ship, selecting play with a dark side or regular side, terminating ships or mother ships playing within the side, switching from the dark side to regular side or regular side to dark side as a player's move, a mother ship wins by moving to an opposing edge in a regular side move space.  
   
   
       11 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; winning by eliminating all opponent ships, and whereby all ships may move in a forward direction toward an opposing edge and backwards towards a starting edge.  
   
   
       12 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 1  further comprising; selecting playing pieces, game board, and opponents from a world wide web site and playing the board game.  
   
   
       13 . The method of game board play as set forth in  claim 12  further comprising; paying a fee before entering a world wide web site for playing the board game.