All of my 'Light Reviews' aim to offer a brief overview that allows people to get a good feel for what the game may offer them. I feel that other reviews can be sought if detailed game mechanics is what you are after.
Summary
Game Type - Abstract Dexterity Game
Play Time : 5-30 minutes
Number of Players: 2
Mechanics - Positional Play, Magnetic Forces
Difficulty - Moderate (Takes a few plays to learn and get the hang of)
Components - Very Good
Polarity is a rather unique abstract dexterity game as it is based on the concepts of magnetism and magnetic fields created by the magnetic poles found within each disc, hence the name. Skill is high on the agenda here but thankfully a person’s skill can increase with each new play and experience.
The Components
Polarity comes in a light canvas bag of essentially cylindrical proportions. In terms of storage in a collection, this poses a small problem as it won’t stack neatly with other game boxes. But in the end this is something of a non-issue as clever gamers will always find a way.
EDIT - I have found out since writing the review that there is also a boxed version, so take your pick.
Inside the bag is the play mat, also made of the same light canvas material. The mat takes a minimalist approach and depicts a circle 45cms (just over 17.5 inches for my American readers) in diameter. In the centre is a dot, which denotes where the red centre disc is placed. The circle forms the play area and all discs must be placed within the play area (on the line is in).
Inside the play mat (the mat is wrapped around it when packing up) is a sturdy cardboard cylinder. Inside this are the game pieces or discs. In all there are 52 discs and each disc has a white and black side. The discs are made of a hard plastic casing, which serves to hold the magnet within each disc. They are roughly the size of the pieces found in Othello but obviously much heavier. The texture of the pieces is also very pleasing, as the outer edges offer a rough surface that is a delight to touch. I can fondle these babies for hours but then again I am known for my fondling....dice being my specialty
The last piece is the center disc (so there are 53 discs to be totally accurate), which is red in colour.
The rules are the only poor component of the game. Without pictures and detailed descriptions it can be quite unclear what is meant by the many terms and descriptions that have been written. Thankfully there is a strategy guide and rules summary that can be downloaded at the following site -
http://polaritygame.com.au/
Overall the components shout out ‘classic abstract game’. 336
How you rate them is a matter of opinion. Some will cry ‘simple’ and others will call them ‘elegant’. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I’ll go with elegant.
The Aim
The aim of Polarity is to get as many pieces onto the playing area as possible in order to score the most points. But unlike many games, success comes by forcing your opponent into error. With each new disc that is placed, the magnetic field is altered. By altering the magnetic field in your favour, your opponent will find it harder to place pieces without causing a 'Fault'.
When a player makes an error, called a ‘Fault’, it may allow their opponent to take a bonus turn in order to form a Tower. Each piece within a Tower is worth 1 point and all Tower points are added together at the end of the game.
From this total, 1 point must be deducted for each piece still in a player’s supply. This also makes getting as many of your pieces into play very important. The greater score is then declared the winner.
The Set up
Each player chooses a colour and takes 26 discs which form their supply (discs not in play). The red center disc is then tossed and will land on either its North or South side. This helps to alter the state of the magnetic field with every play and it is placed on the centre dot.
The white player must place 5 of their discs white side up, anywhere within the playing area. Black then follows suit. Once this setup is complete, white can start by placing their first disc.
The Strategy and Terminology
The play alternates with each player having the chance to put 1 more disc into play. When attempting to put a new disc into play it is important that a player holds their disc with their colour on top, or facing up. This allows the pole of the opposing colour below to interact with your pieces favourbly. In effect each piece that is successfully placed in this way is floating on a cushion of air created by the magnetic force. 597