“Parker Brothers Game of Crazy Inventions!”
Published by Parker Brothers in 1974, The Inventors board game challenged players to build their fortunes by buying and patenting inventions and identifying smart investment opportunities.
GAMEPLAY
To start, the plastic “Incredible Patent Picker Move Maker Machine” was placed in the centre of the game board. The machine was used to roll the dice and dispense patent claim chips.
Players were given 3 Eureka! cards and $125,000 worth of inventor’s money from the bank. With their pawns placed on the corner space to their right, a player was chosen to start the game.
At the start of each turn, players had three options: 1) drop the two dice into the machine, press the plunger to release the dice, and move their pawn along the board, 2) play a Eureka! card, or 3) exchange all three Eureka! cards for three new ones. Eureka! cards offered both advancements and penalties that strategy-minded players could use at opportune moments throughout the game.
There were two pathways along the game board: the Inventors track and the Royalty track.
The Inventors track allowed players to acquire new inventions by purchase or theft. There were three categories of inventions: A, B, and C. The A category cost the most to purchase but offered the highest return on investment. The B and C categories were more budget-friendly purchases and offered a lower return. Inventions across all three categories included the E-Z Wake Alarm, Automatic Hat Tipper, Parachute Hat, Air-conditioned Rocking Chair, Dimple Maker, Light-up Mouse Frightener, Eye Protector for Chickens, and other unusual objects.
In addition to acquiring inventions, the Inventors track offered gains and setbacks, such as collecting money from the bank, losing an invention, and winning a patent claim. Patent claims were an important element of the game as they increased the payout when it came time to collect cash or count the winnings at the end of the game.
The Inventors track included gateways to the inside Royalty track where players could earn money on the inventions the possess by collecting royalties or selling them entirely. Players could also access the Royalty track by playing a Eureka! card.
Cash exchanged hands as players moved through the two tracks of the game. Opponents could become silent partners — granting them a payout on royalties and sales — or have to pay dues when landing on an invention already claimed.
The game continued until all the patent clips were claimed. Once that happened, players totaled the value of their inventions and cash on hand to determine the winner.
IN THE BOX
A complete game included a game board, four pawns (blue, yellow, red, and green), inventor’s money, patent claim chips, eureka cards, invention cards, the Incredible Patent Picker Move Maker Machine, and two dice. An instruction insert was also included.
COLLECTOR CONSIDERATIONS
The Inventors was created at Marvin Glass & Associates, a prolific toy and game design firm based in Chicago, Illinois. The company created childhood favourites such as King Zor, Mouse Trap, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Moon Blast Off, Simon, and many others.
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