US Patent #1 PDF
This is the mostly-original version of US Patent #1 from Cheapass Games, with PDF files for game board, cards, envelope, and rules.
As with all our print-and-play files, the price for this product is strictly optional. You may also download it for free using the first link below.
US Patent #1 was one of the original Cheapass Games, #034.
Release Year: 2001
Game Type: Board Game
Designer: James Ernest
Players: 3 to 6
Playing Time: 90 Minutes
Components to Print: Board, Cards, Rules
You Also Need: One pawn and one counter for each player, three 6-sided dice, and money
You’re all scientists who have invented time travel, each from a different point in history. But it really doesn’t matter when you started, because now you’re all racing to the day the patent office opens, July 30, 1790, to secure US Patent #1.
The concept of racing time machines to the patent office had been kicking around Cheapass Games for several years, and James Ernest actually developed three other core mechanics for this game (all of which are basically lost, though there are still some test cards). He finally settled on this simple build-it-and-patent-it racing game, in which the only “time travel mechanic” is the fellow next door to the Patent Office, who makes money fixing broken time machines.
US Patent #1 is a gorgeous neo-Victorian game with some serious mechanical issues that we hope one day to address. In the meantime, this original edition of the game is yours to print, play, and enjoy!
Links:
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