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TorKings Super-Tactile Connect 4 In A Row - Info for the Blind and Vision Impaired

TorKings Game - Welcome, intro and assembly instructions for blind and vision impaired users:

Hi, thank you for your purchase of the TorKings game. Welcome to the TorKings – the very best connect class game in the world. 

Index:

White TorKings tokens (in background) and tactile orange tokens in foreground. The tactile tokens look very similar to the white tokens but are easy to differentiate by touch.
Pic above: White TorKings tokens (in background) and tactile orange tokens in foreground.  The tactile tokens look very similar in shape to the white tokens but are easy to differentiate by touch.
TorKings unique robust design allows you to remove one side of the game skins so you have the ultimate direct rapid access to all the game tokens.
Pic above: TorKings unique robust design allows you to remove one side of the game skins so you have the ultimate direct rapid access to all the game tokens.

About TorKings


    1.  Self-Sorting Tokens. Now your tokens sort and return themselves back to you in an instant! Simply amazing, very cool, very handy and giving all players a load more time to play. Of course a load more convenient for blind and visually impaired players who benefit from this feature more than anyone else.

    2.  Optimised Tactile Accessibility. The tokens are designed to be differentiated in four different ways which makes playing easier and opens up new dynamic gameplay options for evolving players.

           a. 3D Tactile Tokens: Rather than being flat, every token has a sculpted 3D shape that makes it easy to distinguish between the Orb, King and Delta token type.

           b. Shaping Up: Each of a player’s 26 Orb tokens has a spherical orb shape on one side and an inverted orb shape on the opposite side. When each side places the Orb tokens in the game with the Orb facing away from them they feel the obvious difference between the each players tokens. Adding another level of tactile differentiation to their set of Orb Tokens. The Delta tokens are similarly designed.

           c. Deeply Different: Each side’s tokens are offset from each other in the game grid by about 5mm making it easy to locate your set of tokens in the game grid. That super-charges the tactile definition of your tokens for the side. Even more so when you remove a game skin on one side (see Flexible Design below)

            d. Subtle Tactile Differentiation: Each of the orange tokens also has subtle but distinctive tactile detail to differentiate from the white tokens.

    3.  Flexible Design - Optimising Accessibility: TorKings unique new design allows you to remove a skin on one side of the game. The tokens don’t fall out because they are securely held on the token rails. That allows the player on the side with a skin off to have full unimpeded access with all their finger to all the tokens in the game grid without having to poke fingers through holes one at a time. That means a player can simply and very quickly brush their hand over the whole game in a few seconds to get a coherent updated picture. All the token differentiations are accessible at once making it many times easier to build up a rapid tactile picture of the gameplay and allowing players to expand into new more dynamic game options.

    4.  Lifestyle Magazines: The new token magazines feature raised tactile stubs that locate to the edge groove of each token. The stubs make life easier by holding your tokens in place and allowing to quickly judge your token count and winnings. A full magazine means you have 26 tokens – which is 26 tokens you don’t have to manually count every time you start a new game.

    5. New Snap-Latch: Snaps to a closed position to prevent the random release of tokens while playing.

    6.  Delightful Tactile Landscape: The unique 3D sculpted tokens are made from silky smooth high density engineered plastic. The token magazines are a contrasting mix of smooth undulating outer forms and internal ribbing and the game skins have accentuated polished smooth rings. It’s inviting, beautiful to touch, to play and to display.

    7.  Word Up: There is also a brail TorKings label on the top left side of the embossed game box lid.

    Quality you can hear – TorKings is a more robust solid design all round. Drop a token into the top and you’ll hear the distinctive solid clack of a typewriter type rather than the shallow plastic rattle of lesser games. It’s the sound of quality. You’re playing the very best connect class game in the world.

     

      Games: There is now a new spectrum of games to play. Starting with the classic 4 In A Row and adding new games that build on that strategic alignment principle. TorKings also introduces cooperative team play that builds both enhanced STEM and interactive Social IQ skills.

      General Description:

      The game hardware consists of 2 separate outer skins with a 6 by 7 grid of 25mm holes.  The skins are held together by eight vertical columns that weave into small channels on the back face of the skins. The skins and the columns form the main vertical board game shape.

      There is a latch beam that slides through slots in the bottom of the columns with two snap fit triangular ends that locate the latch beam between the open and closed position. Push the latch beam firmly so it snaps to the closed position and secures your game from random release of your tokens.

      When assembled your game has separator fins at the top that help you guide your tokens into your side of the game. When you insert your tokens they engage on rails on the columns that keep your tokens on your side of the board inside the game but overlap close enough with your opponent’s tokens so that they can stack on each other inside the game.  When you release the snap-latch, the tokens rush down the internal column rails and out of the bottom of the game straight back to you - so you don’t have to waste your valuable game time sorting tokens.

       Purchase Tactile TorKings Edition Game

       

      Unboxing, Part Description and Assembly:

      TorKings’ new design is a massive improvement in accessibility for blind and vision impaired players, however achieving that giant leap forward resulted in a more challenging assembly. If you enjoy a challenge that’s great. However if you get stuck you may need to get the assistance of a sighted friend for assembly.  They can make their life a lot easier too by watching the short assembly video on the TorKings Youtube Channel  here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA11Qn5NJkxL7ob1p1gwAug

       

      1. There should be a TorKings brail label on the top left face of the game box lid. To open the box - cut through or peel off the two round coin sized sealing stickers on opposite edges on the bottom of the box.
      2. Take the main bundle of components (bound with two lacky bands) out of the box and place on a table or flat surface. There is likely to be some loose components in the box which can be placed in the box base or lid till required.
      3. Remove the bands from around the game rectangular skin-grids (which are about 260mm x 210mm each). Put the game skins to one side.
        1. There are two grid skins: They rectangular grids (about 260mm x 210mm) rectangular grids with 42  large 20mm diameter holes in a regular 6 x 7 grid pattern. The font face of each grid has smooth raised edges to the holes. The bottom of the front face of each skin grid kicks out slightly. That curved lower shape helps fit the wider base of the 8 columns that fit in between these two grids.
      4. There are 8 Columns (approx 230mm long) in two bundles of 4 bound with lacky bands. Remove the lacky bands and put the columns to one side.
        1. The columns are generally flatish with ridges that run along a uniform mid-section. They have a small perpendicular rounded fin shape on the top and the bottom end has a wider inverted T shaped base with small rectangular feet.
          1. There are two types of columns – two end columns and six middle columns.
          2. The two end columns that have a quarter round top. When assembled the quarter round top of the end column face towards one another on the ends of the game grids
      • The 6 other middle columns are identical and have a half round fin at the top.
      1. All columns have thin edge 5mm rail along the long straight edge of each side of a column. That rail slides into grooves on the back of the skin-grids and lock the game grid together. Feel about two finger widths down from the top section of the columns to locate the top of these two thin rails. Keep in mind that it’s the top of these thin rails that will be sliding into the channels on the back of the skins.
      2. All columns also have two smooth inner rails on either side of the columns that run from the top fin don to the exit point above the feet of the columns. These interior rails (about 3mm high on either side of each column) engage with the token perimeter grooves and guide the tokens in and out of the assembled game grid. That’s part of the cool token return system that sorts and returns your tokens back to you when you release them at the end of your game.
      1. Assembling the columns with the game skins:
        1. Grab a skin grid and place it in front of you with the curved edge of the bottom of the skin grid facing downwards and closest to you. The raised ring edges of the holes will be also be facing down.
        2. Feel the back of the skin grid to locate the eight  5mm wide channels that run from the bottom to about 2cm from the top of the skin grid. If you run a finger along each channel you will feel  5 pairs of small tabs overhanging the channel spaced 32mm apart. These tabs locate around the thin outer rail of the columns and locate the  columns to the skins.  
        3. Locate one of the two end columns. There are two identical end columns with a quarter round top fin. Grab the top of the end column with your right hand with the top fin pointing into the palm of your hand and your right thumb on the top of the column. Then slide your hand down from the top of the end column slightly with your thumb running down along the edge of the end column as you slide down. About 35mm (two finger widths) down from the top you will feel the beginning of that thin rail on either side.
        4. Locate the lower most tab on the left most channel on the back of your skin grid. Then slide the top of the thin rail in that channel and under that tab. Keep sliding the column up in that channel until the column legs locate against the bottom curved of the skin grid.
        5. Do the same for the other end column on the rear right hand side of the skin but this time the top quarter round of the end column will be pointing away from the palm of your hand.
        6. Then stand your current assembly upright on the column feet of the two end columns you have just assembled with a grid skin. Orient the assembly so that the columns are closest to you and the skin further away.
        7. Check again that the two quarter round top fins are facing inwards towards each other.
        8. Now grab the other skin grid and orient it vertically it in front of you with the curved lower edge facing towards you. Grab the bottom left hand side with your left hand and the bottom right hand side with your right hand.
        9. Align and lightly press the lower straight portion of the skin grid you are holding against the top of both upright columns that a facing you. Try to slide the skin grid down on the top of the end column thin rails at the same time. Remember the skin grid and columns are sliding in the same plane which is vertical. If you achieve that then well done! – It gets easier from here.
        10. You now need to slide the other six middle columns into the remaining channels of the two skins. They can be a bit jammy when they are inserted part way into the channels of either skin grid. If so you can use the bottom fleshy part of your palm to gently hammer or karate chop the columns into the skins.
        11. When you have all the columns inserted into the skin channels – stand the game vertically on the column feet and adjust all the columns so that all their feet they sitting flat on the table and the skins are pushed down evenly and the circular tops of the columns are generally protruding from the top of the skins.
      2. Installing the Latch beam : The latch beam is a 220mm long rod with 7 x 15mm high raised token stoppers every 35mm. The latch beam has a flat bottom edge that slides into the lowest slot in the middle section near the wide base of the columns. One end of the latch beam has a double stepped end with the other end being single stepped.
        1. The latch beam has two extra smaller latch pieces that fit into either end of the latch beam to constrain the beam in the bottom of the game. The two latch ends slide into the end of the beam and snap fit into place.
        2. Latch End A: is about 70mm long with a triangular end section on one end and a rounded catch tooth on the other end of a flat arm section. With latch end A - slide the end with the catch tooth into the single stepped end of the latch beam until it clicks into place. The join between the latch beam and the latch ends should be smooth with no gaps. If you can feel a gap between the latch end and the beam you need to swap the latch ends around.
        3. Latch End B: Is about a fingers width longer than Latch End A. It also has a triangular end and a rounded catch tooth on the other end of a flat arm section. Latch end B has a double stepped interface that matches the double stepped end of the latch beam.
        4. When the latch beam has been slid into the bottom end of the game grid the other latch end (shorter and lighter) snap fits in the other end of the beam and securely locates the latch into place in the assembled game grid.

       

      1. Other game part descriptions:
        1. Token Descriptions: Each side has 32 tokens consisting of
          1. 26 Orb tokens – with a spherical orb on one side and a spherical dimple on the reverse side. For a bit of fun you can spin the Orb tokens with their Orb side down.
          2. 4 King tokens – which have large voids around a central fluted/ ridged king crown.
      • And 2 Delta Tokens that have an embossed TorKings logo on both sides with one side having a pronounced spin tip at the centre.
      1. Token Magazines: There are two token magazines each about 230mm long with a smooth undulating outer sides and a semi-circular cut-out interior to hold tokens in. The open half cylinder has lots of raised bumps that fit into the edge groove of the tokens. The tokens fit side by side neatly over these bumps. The magazines fit up to 26 tokens which is equal to the number of Orb tokens. - Making it easy to keep track of all your orb tokens without having to count them out.

       

      1. Multi-board adapter pieces:
        1. The Top Key - is a flatish piece about 40mm long with a semi-circular ring on  on one end and a series of small regular protrusions on the other end. The top key is used to clamp together the top of the skins of the two games.
        2. The Leg Brace – Is a flatish rectangular grid about 100mm x 20mm that is snug fits under the end feet of two abutting games. The leg brace fixes the legs of two joined boards together.
      • The latch adapter - is used to join the game boards together. The multi-boards are great for expanding the gameplay and also allows exciting new interactive cooperative team play.
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