Financial board game

Claim 2

Apparatus for playing a game wherein players conduct private and governmental financial transactions, said governmental financial transactions being determined by a player or players who serve as a governmental authority to levy taxes and/or sell government securities, comprising, two main tracks provided with a plurality of stations including property stations which are marked to represent different properties, both of said main tracks being provided with income stations which are marked to indicate that income is to be paid to a player whose marker lands thereon, one said main track having a higher proportion of property stations and a lower proportion of income stations than the other main track, whereby a player may affect his financial strategy by selecting one of the main tracks for movement of his marker, player markers movable along said main track to indicate the stations occupied by the players, means for providing a chance selection of the number of stations to be moved by the player markers on the main track, means for conducting private and governmental financial transactions, index indicating means for providing a randomly variable index of the purchasing power of currency, said index indicating means comprising a plurality of index stations which represent said index, at least one of said stations including means for dictating that the players conduct an election to select a new governmental authority.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein each of said index stations is provided with, in addition to the index indicating means, means for ordering the occurrence of an event which affects all players, one said event being a governmental election, other said events being payments to and from the players.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the index stations form an endless index track wherein, in one direction of travel, the indicies ascend from station-to-station in sequential numerical order to the highest index and then descend in non-sequential numerical order to the lowest index.

Claim 5

Apparatus for playing a game wherein players conduct financial transactions, comprising, two main tracks provided with a plurality of stations including property stations which are marked to represent different properties, both of said main tracks being provided with income stations which are marked to indicate that income is to be paid to a player whose marker lands thereon, one said main track having a higher proportion of property stations and a lower proportion of income stations than the other main track, whereby a player may affect his financial strategy by selecting one of the main tracks for movement of his marker, player markers movable along said main track to indicate the stations occupied by the players, means for providing a chance selection of the number of stations to be moved by the player markers on the main track, means for conducting financial transactions relating to properties associated with the property stations occupied by the marker of a player on the main track, index indicating means for providing a randomly variable index of the purchasing power of currency, said index indicating means comprising a plurality of index stations which represent said index, said index stations also including event-dictating means for ordering the occurrence of at least one critical event affecting all players.

Claim 6

Apparatus for playing a game wherein players conduct financial transactions, comprising, two main tracks provided with a plurality of stations including property stations which are marked to represent different properties, both of said main tracks being provided with income stations which are marked to indicate that income is to be paid to a player whose marker lands thereon, one said main track having a higher proportion of property stations and a lower proportion of income stations than the other main track, whereby a player may affect his financial strategy by selecting one of the main tracks for movement of his marker, player markers movable along said main track to indicate the stations occupied by the players, means for providing a chance selection of the number of stations to be moved by the player markers on the main track, means for conducting financial transactions relating to properties associated with the property stations occupied by the marker of a player on the main track, index indicating means for providing a randomly variable index of the purchasing power of currency, said index indicating means comprising a plurality of index stations which represent said index, said index stations also including event-dictating means for ordering the occurrence of at least one critical event affecting all players.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the event-dictating means on at least one index station is operable to order the occurrence of a governmental election.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the event-dictating means on the index stations order the occurrence of (a) a governmental election, (b) the payment of tax, (c) the payment of government salaries and (d) the payment of interest on government bonds.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the index indicating means includes an index marker which is movable along said index stations, said index marker having a direction indicator thereon so that a designated player may determine and change the direction of movement to be taken by the index marker.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7 wherein some of said stations on the main track are provided with means for dictating the number of index stations to be traversed by said index marker on said index indicating means.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the main track includes stations which are provided with means for indicating changes in the state of said index indicating means.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the index stations are arranged in a track, an index token movable along said track of index stations, said means for indicating changes in the state of said index indicating means comprising markings on the main track which indicate the number of index stations to be moved by said index token.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein there is at least one transit station linking said main tracks so that a player may move from one main track to the other by placing his marker on said transit station in lieu of his normal turn to play.

Claim 14

Apparatus according to claim 11 wherein said income stations on the one said main track are marked with means indicating higher incomes than the income stations on the other main track.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 11 whaerein said transit station is provided with means for authorizing the player to effect a transaction indicated thereby.

Claim 16

Apparatus according to claim 13 wherein there are four said transit stations, and the means for authorizing the player to effect transactions are operable respectively to authorize the player to (a) purchase life insurance, (b) take-over the property of another player upon meeting a further condition, (c) purchase business insurance and (d) do business with a bank.

Claim 17

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the main track includes property stations which are marked to indicate that a player whose player marker lands thereon may be dictated by the owner thereof to move to any other property station.

Claim 18

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein, in a plurality of said index stations, each index station both indicates said index and has a said event-dictating means.

Claim 19

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the index stations form an endless index track wherein, in one direction of travel, the indicies ascend from station-to-station in sequential numerical order to the highest index and then descend in non-sequential numerical order to the lowest index.

Claim 20

Apparatus for playing a game wherein players conduct financial transactions, comprising, index indicating means for providing a randomly variable index of the purchasing power of currency, said index indicating means comprising an index track which has a plurality of index stations representing different values of said index, and an index marker which is movable along said index track, said index marker having a direction indicator thereon so that a designated player may determine the direction of movement to be taken by the index marker, two main tracks provided with a plurality of stations including property stations, income stations and index-changing stations; said property stations being marked to represent different properties, said income stations being marked to indicate that income is to be paid to a player whose marker lands thereon, said index-changing stations being provided with means for dictating the number of index stations to be traversed by said index marker on said index track, one said main track having a higher proportion of property stations and a lower proportion of income stations then the other main track, whereby a player may affect his financial strategy by selecting one of the main tracks for movement of his marker, player markers movable along said main track to indicate the stations on said main track occupied by the players, and means for providing a chance selection of the number of track stations to be moved by the player markers on the main tracks.

Claim 21

Apparatus for playing a game wherein players conduct financial transactions, comprising, index indicating means for providing a randomly variable index of the purchasing power of currency, said index indicating means comprising an index track which has a plurality of index stations representing different values of said index, and an index marker which is movable along said index track, said index marker having a direction indicator thereon so that a designated player may determine the direction of movement to be taken by the index marker, two main tracks provided with a plurality of stations including property stations, income stations and index-changing stations; said property stations being marked to represent different properties, said income stations being marked to indicate that income is to be paid to a player whose marker lands thereon, said index-changing stations being provided with means for dictating the number of index stations to be traversed by said index marker on said index track, one said main track having a higher proportion of property stations and a lower proportion of income stations then the other main track, whereby a player may affect his financial strategy by selecting one of the main tracks for movement of his marker, player markers movable along said main track to indicate the stations on said main track occupied by the players, and means for providing a chance selection of the number of track stations to be moved by the player markers on the main tracks.

Claim 22

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said income stations on the one said main track are marked with means indicating higher incomes than the income stations on the other main track.

Claim 23

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said index track is endless and, in one direction of travel, the indicies ascend from station-to-station in sequential numerical order to the highest index and then descend in non-sequential numerical order to the lowest index.

Claim 24

Apparatus according to claim 18 wherein said index stations which represent different values for the index are also provided with means for ordering the occurrence of a critical event affecting all players, said critical events including an election, payments to the players and payments from the players.