Board Game with Levitating Magnetic Game Pieces in a Race

Abstract

The game consists of a planar game board ( 10 ), a series of vertically extended pegs ( 18 ) along a track, and magnetic game pieces ( 20 ) that freely slide down pegs ( 18 ). Each player selects a plurality of game pieces ( 20 ) of one color to differentiate from other players' game pieces ( 20 ). The object of the game is to be the first player to move all of his game pieces ( 20 ) from start ( 14 ) to finish ( 16 ). Players, in turn, roll dice, a chance device, and move game pieces ( 20 ) as indicated. Players' magnetic game pieces ( 20 ) interact in exciting and unexpected ways. A game piece ( 20 ) landing on a peg ( 18 ) above another game piece ( 20 ) will either attract and capture, or repel and levitate, depending on their relative magnetic orientations, another element of chance. When a game piece lands on particular pegs ( 18 ) or tiles ( 12 ), the player draws a random card, another element of chance, which directs surprise moves such as forward, backward or flipping.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:
 providing a game board ( 10 ) with a planar surface;   providing a racetrack on the game board ( 10 ), the race track comprising at least fourteen tiles ( 12 ) positioned side-by-side and edge-to-edge on the game board ( 10 ) and over the planar surface in order from a first tile to at least a fourteen tile, said race track including a designated starting tile ( 14 ) as the first tile and a designated finishing tile ( 16 ) as the fourteenth tile;   providing a vertically extending peg ( 18 ) on each tile ( 12 ,  14 ,  16 ) of the race track, each peg ( 18 ) positioned in the center of the associated title ( 12 ,  14 ,  16 );   rolling a three on at least one dice and placing a peg ( 18 ) through a magnetic game piece ( 20 ) and setting the magnetic game piece on the third tile;
 drawing a card and, under the direction of the card, moving the game piece ( 20 ) along the race track to the finishing tile ( 16 ) and passing the peg ( 18 ) associated with the finishing tile ( 16 ) through the magnetic game piece ( 20 ) such that magnetic properties of the magnetic game piece ( 20 ) cause the game piece ( 20 ) to float via repulsion over a second magnetic game piece ( 20 ) that had the peg ( 18 ) on the finishing tile passed therethrough. 
   
     
     
         2 . A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:
 providing a game board with a planar surface;   providing a racetrack on the game board, the race track comprising a plurality of contiguous tiles including a designated starting tile and a designated finishing tile;   providing a plurality of vertically extending pegs, each peg positioned in the center of one of the plurality of contiguous tiles along the race track;   providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set having a distinct color, wherein each magnetic game piece comprises:   a disk-shaped body with a top surface and a bottom surface,   a center hole configured to slide down the vertically extending pegs, and magnetic properties such that the top surface and bottom surface have opposite magnetic polarities;   providing at least one pair of dice;   providing a stack of instruction cards;   assigning each player a set of magnetic game pieces;   determining a play order among players;   each player, in turn:
 selecting one of their magnetic game pieces to move; 
 rolling the dice to determine a number of tiles to move; 
 moving the selected piece along the race track according to the dice roll; 
 if landing on an occupied peg, allowing magnetic interaction between pieces; 
 if landing on a designated tile, drawing a card and following its instructions; 
 continuing play until one player moves all their pieces to the finishing tile or until all players' pieces reach the finishing tile, at which point the player with the most pieces on the finishing tile wins. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the magnetic properties of each magnetic game piece are not visually indicated, adding an element of chance to magnetic interactions. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising the step of strategically choosing the orientation of a magnetic game piece's polarity before introducing it into play. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein when a player's magnetic game piece lands on a designated tile, the player draws an instruction card and follows its directions. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein magnetic interaction between magnetic game pieces includes attraction resulting in capture of one piece by another. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein magnetic interaction between magnetic game pieces includes repulsion resulting in levitation of one piece above another. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising the step of a player designating which magnetic game piece will be moved before rolling the dice. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein captured pieces belonging to the player with the top piece count when reaching the finishing tile. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein captured pieces not belonging to the player with the top piece do not count when reaching the finishing tile. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising the step of flipping a magnetic game piece when instructed by a drawn card, potentially changing the magnetic interaction with other pieces. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the number of magnetic game pieces per player is adjustable to modify the duration of gameplay. 
     
     
         13 . A method of playing a magnetic board game, the method comprising:
 providing a game board with a planar surface;   forming on the planar surface a racetrack of contiguous tiles defined by vertically extending pegs, the race track being bounded by a designated starting tile and a designated finishing tile;   providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set distinguished by color and each magnetic game piece having (i) a center hole sized to slide freely down any of the pegs and (ii) two opposite-polarity surfaces;   providing at least one pair of dice and a stack of instruction cards;   assigning a first of the sets to a first player and a second of the sets to a second player;   alternately, for each player's turn:
 selecting one magnetic game piece of that player's set for movement; 
 rolling the dice to generate a movement value; 
 moving the selected magnetic game piece from a current peg to another peg along the race track toward the finishing tile in accordance with the movement value; 
 when the moved magnetic game piece lands on a peg already occupied by at least one other magnetic game piece, allowing magnetic interaction between the moved magnetic game piece and the at least one other magnetic game piece such that:
 (a) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically attaches to another of that player's magnetic game pieces, whereby the attached pieces move together in later turns, 
 (b) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically attaches to an opponent's magnetic game piece whereby the attached pieces move together in later turns, 
 (c) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically repels another of that player's magnetic game pieces, whereby the repelled pieces move separately in later turns, or 
 (d) the moved magnetic game piece magnetically repels an opponent's magnetic game piece, whereby the repelled pieces move separately in later turns; 
 
 when the moved magnetic game piece lands on a tile designated for card play, drawing an instruction card from the stack and performing the action specified on the drawn card; and 
   continuing the alternating turns until one of the players moves all of that player's magnetic game pieces from the starting tile to the finishing tile.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising, upon drawing an instruction card that directs flipping of attached magnetic game pieces so as to reverse, when present, a captor-captive relationship between the attached magnetic game pieces. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein, when a magnetic game piece that is magnetically attached to an opponent's magnetic game piece lands on a tile that requires drawing an instruction card, both of the attached magnetic game pieces are subject to the instructions on the card. 
     
     
         16 . A method of playing a board game, the method comprising:
 providing a game board having a plurality of contiguous tiles arranged to form a track from a start position to a finish position, each tile having a peg;   providing at least two sets of magnetic game pieces, each set having a distinct color and each magnetic game piece being configured to slide over a peg;   prior to the start of play, selecting at least one set of designated tiles according to color, wherein landing upon a designated tile requires the active player to draw a card from a shuffled stack of cards;   on a player's turn, selecting one of the player's magnetic game pieces to move and rolling dice to determine movement along the tiles;   drawing and following a card instruction when a game piece lands on a designated tile, the instruction including at least one of: moving forward, moving backward, returning to the start, or flipping the orientation of the magnetic game piece such that its magnetic polarity reverses;   wherein magnetic interaction between game pieces on the same peg includes attraction resulting in capture such that one game piece becomes a captor positioned above a captive game piece, and wherein flipping the captor causes cooperative flipping of attached game pieces; and   determining winners by counting each player's magnetic game pieces that are not captive of other player's game pieces, that reach the finish position.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the designated tiles comprise tiles of a particular color, and the players collectively agree prior to the start of play which color tiles require card draws during the game. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein at least one card instruction directs a player not only to flip the orientation of a magnetic game piece, but also to select whether the game piece is introduced into play with its polarity oriented in a first orientation or a second orientation. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein before rolling dice on a player's turn, the player is required to indicate with a marker which one of their magnetic game pieces is intended to be moved during that turn. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein a player may strategically decline to move a selected captor game piece in order to prevent one or more captive game pieces or one or more controlled game pieces beneath it from advancing toward the finish position.