Polarity



As many of the Flock know, I suffer from a severe case of gaming. In addition to my RPG addiction, I have a pretty good collection of "board" games. Of these games, my absolute favorites are the type loosely categorized as "abstract" strategy games - games with simple rules, unlimited play possibilities, and open-ended victory conditions. Things like Zendo and Space Traders (those little pyramid games that everyone but me hates) are excellent examples of this sort of game, but it is often difficult to involve my less game-crazed friends (i.e. those who lack the gaming gene).

Rarely do I get really excited about a new game. Even more rarely do I carry a new game around with me to work and all social gatherings in the hope of getting someone, ANYone to play it with me. Polarity is such a game. I have had it with me almost nonstop since I got it two weekends ago. It is probably the most clever game concept I've come across in a long time.

The basic idea of the game is to place the highly magnetic playing pieces on a canvas mat, balancing them on the magnetic forces of other pieces. Players attempt to lay traps for their opponent, setting up fields of magnetism across the board in ways that make it impossible for their opponent to play a piece without causing a magnetic chain reaction that rearranges the board. It sounds complex, but the rules are really quite simple - most new players pick them up in about 5 minutes.



A board in mid-game looks like some sort of abstract sculpture. You begin to feel the forces at work as you place your pieces, and regular players can "see" the magnetic fields created by various structures. Every game is unique - you can never play the same game twice. It's all very Jedi...



So far, everyone I've shown it to enjoys it, and some are developing little addictions of their very own. The really good news is that at about $22 a set it is around half the price of other adult strategy games. A perfect stocking stuffer for all the good little boys and girls who read my blog (all three of them).



For more information and pictures, click here. A nifty animated tutorial (that I tried ever-so-hard to steal and post on on this page...) is located here.

15 comments:

Ben Corley said...

For those of you who haven't seen us in the union around 2ish... we bust out some mad Polarity over lunch.

Not only is it fun, but fucking addictive, stay away or be forever hooked.

Mandyfish said...

I want it! Please Santa...err...Rev. Please....

Modig said...

So, what are the chances that G-Log can pick it up in 5 minutes? ;)

Linus said...

modig,

I'm sure G-Log will pick it up quite quickly... several times. It's not that he's slow, he just has a condition that I like to "rulesheimer's disease". It's like Alzheimers, so every game is a new game - even if we've played it dozens of times before...

Dr. Smith said...

\*"*"*/
\*"*/
0_o science+games= Brian's fucking head go SPLODEY

ZEUS said...

OMG THAT LOOKS FUCKING AWESEOME!

Linus said...

It IS awesome! Although I did discover a possible situation that is not covered by the rules. I am good like that...

Tessa K. said...

i love zendo - it's like master mind but way cooler and with more possible combinations - it is very fun!!! this new one looks fun too - the peices remind me of this game othelo we had (may still have, i don't know) - do the pieces make a lot of noise when they rearrange themselves? that would be fun... =)

Linus said...

The pieces are rubberized, so there's not much noise. It's pretty interesting when they snap together though - it makes G-Fresh jump every time. :)

Benjamin said...

Actually, I rather liked the pyramid game...

Linus said...

Thanks Benny! I have just become accustomed to everyone rolling their eyes when they see the pyramids come out...

Anonymous said...

Martian chess rocks!

Linus said...

So maybe I should do a favorite games post...?

Anonymous said...

You should dig around and find out the dirt on the publisher, Temple Games. Check out how many lawsuits are filed against them.. and from how many countries they have sprung. Temple Games has stolen games from designers and left suppliers and former employees perpetually unpaid. And what is up with all of their other company names?

Linus said...

I don't know anything about them. In fact, I had never heard of them before I bought the game. If you have dirt on them feel free to share, but give us some documentation to go with it, please.

I don't know if Polarity is one of the "stolen" games, but they are using the creator's name, likeness, and a quote from him in their materials. Is he suing them?

Regardless of whatever sins the company may be guilty of, the game still rocks.

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