Round board game for 3 players

Abstract

A round strategy board game for three players played on three rings with sixteen balls of three sizes and four colors. Each player places one playing piece per turn upon an unoccupied playing position. Once all playing pieces are on the board the players may then move their playing pieces according to the proper order of play. Positional play is of the most importance since playing pieces are never eliminated but “bumped” to other playing positions. The game ends when all playing pieces that are of the same size as the playing piece occupying the center of the board, have an unobstructed path along an implied diameter to the playing piece occupying the center of the board. When the game ends, the positions of the playing pieces determine an eliminated player.

1 . A method of playing a 3 player strategy board game, comprising the following steps: 
 a) providing a round game board having markings implying 12 radii, with the markings alternating as thin and thick and being at an equal distance from each other implying six diameters; having 3 sizes of concentric rings with the center being a playing position and the intersections of rings and implied radii as playing positions;    b) requiring each player to consider each concentric ring to be an exact circle and to consider the center playing position to be the exact center;    c) designating a first player, a second player, and a third player and the corresponding order of play;    d) providing a first set, a second set, and a third set of playing pieces with each set differing in color and comprised of 5 flat bottomed balls of three sizes: 1 being largest, 2 being of a medium size, and 2 being smallest;    e) further providing 1 medium sized playing piece of a different color than all the playing pieces on the board;    f) requiring each player to consider each playing piece of the same size, when occupying their playing positions, to be at the same height and all playing pieces to be exactly spherical even though they are represented by flat bottomed balls for ease of placement;    g) assigning each player to one set of 5 playing pieces so that all three of the playing sets are assigned;    h) placing, at the start of a game, the medium sized playing piece, that is of a different color than all the other playing pieces on the board, in the center of the board;    i) each player, then, placing 1 playing piece per turn, from a set that is assigned to him, upon an unoccupied playing position until all the playing pieces are on the playing area;    j) each player, then, in turn, choosing either to not move for a turn or moving as follows: 
 i) moving an assigned playing piece along a chosen path, unobstructed by playing pieces, either clockwise or counter-clockwise along a ring or either left or right along an implied diameter provided the center of the board is not unoccupied after the move is completed;  
 ii) requiring, as the result of the end of every move, the moved playing piece to occupy a playing position and that it be considered perfectly centered beneath the playing piece;  
 iii) allowing, as the result of an end of a move, a playing piece to occupy a playing position that is unoccupied by a playing piece;  
 iv) allowing, as the result of an end of a move across an even or odd number of spaces, a playing piece to force out another playing piece from its playing position by occupying its playing position provided both of these playing pieces are assigned to the same player;  
 v) allowing, as the result of an end of a move across an even number of spaces, a playing piece to force out a playing piece of the same size from its playing position by occupying that playing position;  
 vi) requiring a player to complete a move, by further moving any forced out playing piece, to the first unoccupied playing position along the same path and in the same direction which the assigned playing piece was moving to force out the playing piece;  
 vii) each time assigning the medium sized playing piece, that is of a different color than all the other playing pieces, to the player who moves a playing piece, that is assigned to him, to the playing position in the center of the board;  
   k) ending the game once all playing pieces, that are of the same size as the playing piece occupying the center of the board, have an unobstructed path along an implied diameter to the playing piece that is occupying the center of the board.    
   
   
       2 . The method of play according to  claim 1 , which includes as an additional step, allowing implied diametrical paths to lead beyond the limits of the board re-entering the playing area at the opposite end of the same implied diameter; thus, having the same continuous effect as the rings.  
   
   
       3 . The method of play according to  claim 2 , which includes as an additional step, requiring each player to consider that 1 space exists between a playing position and the next playing position along a ring or an implied diameter.  
   
   
       4 . The method of play according to  claim 3  which includes as an additional step, requiring, once the game has ended, each player, who did not execute the last move, to choose a path leading from a playing piece, that is assigned to him and of the same size as the playing piece occupying the center of the board to the playing piece occupying the center of the board.  
   
   
       5 . The method of play according to  claim 4 , which includes as an additional step, declaring the player, whose chosen path to the playing piece occupying the center of the board is the shortest of the two chosen paths, as the eliminated player.  
   
   
       6 . The method of play according to  claim 4 , which includes as an additional step, declaring the player who executed the last move as the eliminated player when both chosen paths to the playing piece occupying the center of the board are of equal distance.  
   
   
       7 . The method of play according to  claim 5 , which includes as an additional step, requiring a player to end the game when another player declares that there is an opportunity to end the game and there is, in fact, an opportunity to do so.