Maze tag game

Abstract

Marble Tag is a lively and highly interactive game played in, on, and above a board or maze with marbles guided by sticks. The game may be played either indoors or outdoors. Players of all ages from four years old to more than eighty-four are attracted to participate. Much of the excitement and exercise common to the age-old game of tag are included in the game, however the game requires both less vigor and less space than tag. A certain dexterity to manipulate the sticks and marbles is advantageous, but not necessary. The existence of various strategies of play gives multiple levels of interest to the game. Three qualitatively different ways to play Marble Tag are: as individuals, as partnerships, and with handicaps. Furthermore, other games can be played with the same Marble Tag apparatus or on mazes with minor modifications.

1 - 3 . (cancelled).  
   
   
       4 . An amusement game of “tag” intended to be played by a plurality of players, one of whom is originally designated as “it”, comprising a display having a plurality of pathways and open spaces therebetween, some of the pathways and open spaces intersecting each other and at least one pathway being non-intersecting and standing alone, wherein a plurality of objects are guided in the respective pathways, there being at least one object per player, and the objects being manipulated along the plurality of pathways by the respective players, continuously or intermittently at the discretion of each respective player, so as to pursue another player's object in the case of the “it” player or to avoid pursuit of the “it” player in the case of the other players, wherein the “it” player attempts to guide and propel his or her object so as to “hit” a respective object of one of the other players, thereby to “tag” that respective player as the new “it” player; and wherein a player is allowed to expel his or her object out of a respective pathway, jump over an intermediate open space, and into another pathway.  
   
   
       5 . The amusement game of  claim 4 , wherein the display comprises a board.  
   
   
       6 . The amusement game of  claim 5 , wherein the board is octagonally shaped and sized to fit over a conventional card table.  
   
   
       7 . The amusement game of  claim 6 , wherein the board is hinged at the center thereof and may be folded into complementary halves for compact storage and carrying purposes.  
   
   
       8 . The amusement game of  claim 7 , wherein the board is molded.  
   
   
       9 . The amusement game of  claim 4 , wherein the pathways are selected from the group consisting of spiral, curved, straight, angular, irregular and random pathways.  
   
   
       10 . The amusement game of  claim 4 , wherein the objects are balls.  
   
   
       11 . The amusement game of  claim 10 , wherein the balls are colored marbles.  
   
   
       12 . The amusement game of  claim 4 , wherein if a player's object completely leaves the board and lands off the board, then that player is the new “it”, and his or her object is returned to the board.  
   
   
       13 . The amusement game of  claim 4 , wherein the objects are manipulated along the respective pathways by hand-held implements.  
   
   
       14 . The amusement game of  claim 13 , wherein the hand-held implements comprise sticks.  
   
   
       15 . An amusement game of “tag” intended to be played by a plurality of players, one of whom is originally designated as “it”, comprising a board having a plurality of pathways and open spaces therebetween, some of the pathways and open spaces intersecting each other and at least one pathway being non-intersecting and standing alone, wherein a plurality of objects are guided within the respective pathways, there being at least one object per player, and the objects being manipulated along the plurality of pathways, or over the open spaces by the respective players, continuously or intermittently at the discretion of each respective player, so as to pursue another player's object in the case of the “it” player or to avoid pursuit of the “it” player in the case of the other players, wherein the “it” player attempts to guide and propel his or her object so as to “hit” a respective object of one of the other players, thereby to “tag” that respective player as the new “it” player, wherein one player may expel his or her object completely out of the respective pathway, jump over an open space, and into another pathway on the board; wherein the objects are balls, and wherein if one player's ball completely leaves the board, then that one player becomes the new “it”.  
   
   
       16 . The amusement game of  claim 15 , wherein the board is molded and is hinged at the center thereof and may be folded into complementary halves for compact storage and carrying purposes, wherein the pathways are selected from the group consisting of spiral, angular, irregular and random pathways, and wherein the balls comprise colored marbles.  
   
   
       17 . The amusement game of  claim 15 , further including teams of players.  
   
   
       18 . The amusement game of  claim 15 , wherein a player controls more than one marble.