http://www.polaritygame.com/tips Latest Tips en-us 2005 Temple Games, Inc. http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:41:56 PDT http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/31/Red_as_a_base%3F This is more of a question than a tip, but because the Forums are offline, I have no other options but to ask here. Is it possible to use the central red disc as a base for my Leaner? For instance, when playing White with South polarity (red dot on top). If I am not mistaken, there is nothing written about this situation in the rulebook. Using red as Base brings significant advantage to the happy player, as it increases the amount of his bases by 1/5 :) Please let me know what do you think abou this. Fri, 28 Dec 2007 09:41:56 PDT ondras http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/30/playing_the_red_disc Here's a couple of usefull things to do with the red disc. 1) Shift it toward your opponent. If you're using the space close to the center on one side of the board, it can be extremely useful to have that extra half an inch of space. If the red disc is equal in polarity to yours, than it's easy. Just lay your action disc flat on the canvas and move it toward the red until it is repelled. If your playing with opposite polarity, approach from the side about an inch above the canvas at a 45 degree angle. Do this early on in the game, cos there's a lot of leaners nearby, you really don't want to go screwing around with the Disc of Sudden Death. And when you're satisfied with its new position, don't forget to immediately place a steap leaner close to it, in order to prevent your opponent from just sliding it back again. 2) Use it as a stabilizer. If your playing with opposite polarity, you can use it to stabilize a leaner. Place a leaner directly between the red disc and a nearby foundation disc. Notice that if you try to roll your leaner around the foundation, it will return to its origional position, due to attraction from the red disc. This situation is very stable and it prevents your opponent from sliding the red disc in your direction. 3) Use it as a way in. Defensive players often stay away from the middle. So it's not uncommen to end up with a nice foundation somewhere near the middle and no way to get to it, because the outer rim is one big mayhem of leaners just waiting to snap. If the situation permits, it can be a good idea to come in with your action disc directly above the red disc and thus as far away from the mayhem as possible. When playing with polarity equal to the red disc, beware not to let it snap to your action disc, don't get to close. 4) Use it to set a trap. When playing with opposite polarity, the red disc attracts yours. Use this. Place a steap leaner on a foundation disc at a 90 degree angle to the direction of the red disc, so that if it starts rolling it will do so directly toward the red disc. The trick is to place it just right, so that the slightest nudge will make it roll and snap to the red disc. This is the A-bomb of all traps and it can render a large area of the canvas unusable for anyone. Thu, 09 Mar 2006 14:24:20 PDT J.. http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/29/I'll_take_that_tower_now,_thank_you This is a nice little tactical move. Let's say you're down to your last disc in hand, but your opponent's got the jump on you in points. Now you can end the game, but then you'll still loose, so what do you do? Easy, just snatch one of your opponents towers. The rules state that you must hold your action disc with your own colour up, but you can tilt it to a maximum of 90 degrees (vertical). That's enough to make your opponents tower snap to your disc if you get close. When this happens, you must extract all the discs and put them in your stock (according to the rulebook). So now you've bought yourself some time (or, specifically, discs in hand) and your opponent loses points and a tactical position. Especially defensively placed towers are easy pickings, as they are usually not defended by a melee of magnetic fields and instable leaners. But it's also a nice way of getting rid of a particularly pesky offensively placed tower. Another good thing is that you don't have to worry to much about creating faults when removing the tower, since you've already did that. Just try not to give anymore points away. Thu, 09 Mar 2006 13:34:36 PDT J.. http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/28/Is_this_site_totally_broken%3F%3F The forums don't work. Does this feature? Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:53:50 PDT dino http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/27/Is_a_fault_inevitable%3F_Consider_the_result. Sometimes, during the course of a game of Polarity, you'll find yourself in the position where you have to place a leaner, yet you can't find a good spot to place one -- virtually guaranteeing that you'll create a fault. This disruption is good for your opponent who will get to convert all touching pieces into towers of his/her own color. This is a scenario we normally don't like to think about, since we'd feel powerless to prevent a fault. Unfortunately, it's a very real scenario that happens to us on occasion, so we might as well think about how to best deal with it. If you should find yourself in such a scenario (where you think you'll create a disruption no matter where you try to place a leaner), consider the outcome of each conceivable disruption; some outcomes will cost you considerably more points than others. Let me give an example: Suppose you are playing white and both you and your opponent each have one tower of six discs on the board. You are limited to placing a leaner next to one of those two towers. No matter which tower you try to place a leaner next to, you are confident that a fault will occur. Which tower should you place next to? The answer, I believe, is to place next to your opponent's tower. That way, if your white disc should touch his black tower, your opponent just gets one extra point, as he/she will convert your white disc to just another black point. If you decide instead to place a leaner that creates a fault which touches your own tower, then your opponent will get your white piece and your tower, resulting in seven more points for him/her, and six less points for you! This gives your opponent a net gain of thirteen points! So it's clear that, should you accidentally create a fault/disruption, it's best that it should come in contact with your opponent's towers rather than your own. There's one more benefit to this approach, however: After you create a disruption, there is still a chance that your opponent may cause another disruption (when trying to convert the pieces you faulted during your own turn). If this should happen, instead of gaining one point, your opponent may end up losing around six points! In conclusion, if you want to risk placing a leaner that will most certainly result in a fault, consider playing next to your opponent's towers instead of your own. That way, the consequences will be much less painful for you. Sun, 18 Sep 2005 09:46:50 PDT Fantomius http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/26/Playing_on_the_Canvas. This is a tip I find that everyone should follow. I notice some people like to practice doing leaners, conversions and the such on other types of fabric. When practicing you must do it on the canvas because it's the offical "fabric" you are using, you cannot use another surface as the surface is not the same, you might be able to do a triple leaner on the carpet, but on the canvas it's a different story. So if you're gonna practice do it on the canvas. Fri, 26 Aug 2005 13:51:02 PDT opticalsky http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/25/Double_Conversions!! I just got done playing a game where I tested out playing double conversions. An example of a double conversion is: / _ \ and then you come in to convert, just like you would convert a single leaner, but you do it from straight above so that both of the leaners fall at the same time. The best way to set up your leaners to make a double conversion happen is by placing them at as low an angle as possible against the foundation so that they fall at the same time. You may be asking yourself "Why convert two at a time?" Well this is a good question. But think about a normal conversion, it wastes your entire turn just to get one foundation. But with a double conversion you can gain TWO foundations with one wasted turn, therefore gaining two additional routes for which to place standing discs. This is especially helpful when you need extra foundational "real estate" to unload your discs from your hand. It takes a little practice to get the double conversions down, but I practiced with it for about 5 minutes before the game and then during the game it worked like a charm every time. I even had one foundation with three leaners up against it and *almost* got a triple converion. If anyone figures out how to do a triple conversion, please let me know :-) Thu, 25 Aug 2005 19:48:21 PDT opie http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/24/Testing_the_Field When placing a chip near leaners, it is always good to test the field. By this i mean, see if you placing the chip on the board will affect chips nearby. To do this, slowly lower the chip strait down to the location you wish to place it, and when you feel the proximity of the chip in your hand is close enough to the chips, mainly leaners, on the board that you are afraid it might affect, slightly move your hand up and down a few times and see if and nearby pieces start to shake. As long as the pieces are not precariously teetering ont eh edge of stability, they should not be affected. If you see the leaners start to wobble up and down, you can get an idea of how your placement of the chip will affect nearby pieces. Thu, 25 Aug 2005 08:03:49 PDT Pojodojo http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/23/Choose_Same_Polarity_as_Red_Disc This is a well-known tip, but I didn't see it posted here. The flip of the red disc determines its polarity during the game. For example, if you flip it and get | (north) you should choose to be Black (north) and the opposite goes for South with White. The reason for this is that it if you are the same polarity as the red disc your discs will only push the red disc away instead of be attracted to it. It is easier to lose by touching the red disc than it is to lose by pushing the red disc off the center dot completely, so you thusly gain an advantage by playing as the same polarity as the red disc. But you all knew that, didn't you? And you shouldn't have to worry about touching the red disc anyway because you are all skilled players, right... ? ;-) Wed, 24 Aug 2005 17:58:43 PDT opie http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/22/Be_Quick_to_Force_Opponent's_Conversion If your opponent is playing a leaner and it leans at first but then falls and turns into a foundation and they have already pulled their hand out of the playing circle, if you start your turn before they can reach their hand back in to "re-lean" the fallen leaner then it will remain a foundation! This is not useful in most, or even many cases, as foundations are typically a good thing for their owner, but it may be a good strategic move if you know the opponent wanted a leaner for a certain reason and nothing will make them more frustrated then seeing that they could have had their leaner had they not screwed up in the first place and had they been a little quicker getting their hand back in the circle to relean the foundation. Wed, 24 Aug 2005 13:13:52 PDT opie http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/21/Use_the_"Tower_Power" It has been suggested that hiding your towers away on the edge of the circle to protect them from loss is a good strategy. True, for a defensive player this can be a solid way to play, but it doesn't take advantage of the true power of towers. Towers can be used for many offensively strategic purposes such as placing them near a group of the opponents foundations so that it is difficult for them to place leaners in that area. Once you learn how to do this correctly, you can effectively block off the opponent from playing in that area where they had otherwise perfectly good foundations ready to be leaned upon! I use this strategy against Opticalsky to force him to run out of places to play and lose because he will have several foundations but it is impossible for him to play off of them so he ends up "committing suicide" by touching the red disc to end the game. Now, this "tower power" is not without risk. I have often carelessly placed down a tower too quickly in an area that I thought would be strategic, only to cause secondary actions and end up sucking the tower right back into my hand. So if you use the more aggressive "tower power" strategy, be careful! I hope this helps some people who never realized the true power of towers and only treat them as points to be protected. Wed, 24 Aug 2005 12:26:39 PDT opie http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/20/Keeping_your_distance. One suggestion I have for when you are playing the game is to keep an eye on the distance of the tower in your hands and the discs that are currently in play on the board, because of the combined strength of the tower in your hand it does not take much to cause chaos among the board, and you could even have your hand be 7+ inches away Mon, 22 Aug 2005 23:50:24 PDT opticalsky http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/19/Three_Leaners_on_One_Foundation With a little bit of practice, you can get good enough to balance 3 leaners on one foundation. This is a great way to get those extra chips out of your hand without having to waste a turn converting a leaner into a foundation. For example, in order to dump some extra chips out of your hand on successive turns you might lean one against an empty foundation, then on your next turn convert that leaner into a foundation and play off of that, continuing this pattern. However, if you can fit three leaners on one foundation, you can then dump 3 chips right in a row instead of waiting a turn in between for conversion. This strategy is not appropriate in all situations, as it does not create sustainable foundational chains, but it does make better use of your foundational real estate and it also creates greater potential for chaos. Thu, 18 Aug 2005 10:32:32 PDT opie http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/18/Expand_your_playing_area Don't forget that legal play only requires the disk to be touching the circle to be in play. If you start to run out of space or are trying to stall, you can play disks that on the border. Be very careful not to push any completly outside of course. This is also a great place to put any towers that you don't want anything to happen to. Mostly out, but still in. Fri, 05 Aug 2005 08:51:06 PDT Furrball http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/17/Nub's_the_word Those 52 black and white disks may look completely smooth and identical, but there is one notable feature. They all possess --to differing degrees-- small nubs of plastic, which I assume are a byproduct of the molding process the black and white cover pieces go through. These nubs can be used to your advantage. I will describe one situation in which I will often use a nub, but I am sure y'all can come up with a bunch more, the most important thing is to be aware of them and be willing to use them to your advantage. EXAMPLE: A leaner (standing disk) has just been converted resulting in two foundations in close proximity. You now want to play a leaner directly between those two foundations, but the active disk is prone to rolling towards one of the foundation disks. You can use the nub to help stabilize the placement. When you are attempting to place the disk take note of which way it is attempting to roll, then turn the disk in your hand so that a nub is positioned such that it will make contact with the playing surface if the disk rolls in its favored direction. The nub will act to stop the disk from rolling away from this placement. Thu, 04 Aug 2005 13:38:02 PDT JonBen http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/16/Newbie_Tip:_Manual_and_Tables When you and friends are learning the game for the first time: 1) Mind the manual... try to keep those players who are looking up rules and instructions from putting it on the table, or worse, hitting the mat. Your first couple games will probably consist of quite a bit of blank stares and grabbing for the manual to solve the 'um... now what' moments that follow rather explosive moves. 2) Depending on how sturdy your table/surface is, be mindful of not only the manual being put down, but also how you handle your stack of unused pieces. The stack is quite heavy... try not to leave it on the table, pick it up, put it back down, etc. Pick a home and leave them there. Note too, although they seem like a rod of steel, they will fall apart if lifted without generous support. Shockwaves are bad. 3) Coworkers. They have yet to experience a game that involves psychic powers to see and feel the magnetic fields of game pieces that must hover like angels in the clouds. Bubba grabbing a seat and putting his 40 oz. coffee mug down may not register as a 7.0 quake, but it'll be enough to destroy your hard work. Make sure they can see the fun... but don't let them get too close. Wed, 03 Aug 2005 18:09:30 PDT CodeSlapper http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/15/Hunt_or_chase_down_your_opponent If you ever find your opponet too far away with too much freedom you just "hunt" or "chase" them down. From anywhere play a standing disc (obviuosly) but in the direction of your opponent's pieces. Then on your next turn, convert that into a foundation. After that, play a standing disc on that foundation disc (also in the direction of your oponent) and next turn convert it into a foundation. Continue this until you have gotten to where you want your pieces, close to your opponet so you can affect thier playing. And besides, at the end you'll have given them a smaller playing space because you have just made a giant line on the board Mon, 01 Aug 2005 12:36:26 PDT Geph Mortis http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/13/Killer_Move:_Offensive_use_of_Force_and_Contact There is one great _legal_ offensive use of force/contact move in Polarity. The Situation: Black has a Tower (or a Foundation) with a Leaner. White has a Foundation (or a Tower) with a Leaner, in close proximity to the Black Tower/Leaner. White's turn to play. White applies pressure to his/her Leaner, causing it to 'roll around' the White foundation and causing the Leaner to come into contact with the Black Foundation, without causing the Black Leaner to convert. Can you tell what *must* happen next? Black must now attempt to Capture the newly connecting discs. Because there is still a Black Leaner, Black cannot complete the Capture without causing the Leaner to fall - which would require that Black now take the failed-capture discs and place them in their hand! This move, while hard to set up and hard to execute, can be a game-saver. It is especially sweet when you make your opponent pick up their own Towers! Sat, 30 Jul 2005 11:45:51 PDT Polarity Geek http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/12/Creating_a_double-leaner It has been said that creating a double-leaner in Polarity is next to impossible, even for experts. However, I've found that with practice, double-leaners can be made rather easily. In fact, I was even able to teach my mother how to make a double-leaner during her very first introduction to Polarity! With practice, it is not difficult to make a double-leaner (once you know how). Therefore, practice creating double-leaners by following these steps: 1. Clear the playing area of all playing discs: It will be easier to practice the maneuver of creating a double-leaner if no other pieces can interfere with the magnetic fields you will be using. 2. Place a foundation disc near the middle of the playing field: For now, make sure the disc is white-side-up. 3. Place a leaner on the foundation disc: Make sure the leaner is white-side-up (as you would expect). It is best to place the leaner far from the foundation disc, but not as far as possible. In other words, you want the leaner to be a little resilient by giving it some room to wobble -- otherwise it will most likely fall flat to the ground when you try to place the second leaner. 4. Place another disc flat on the mat far away from the leaner: Place another disc flat on the mat (white side up, of course) in line with the other two discs, so that the leaner disc (that you placed in the previous step) is the middle disc. Be sure to place this third disc far away from the other discs, so as not to cause any disruption. 5. Tilting it slightly, slide the third disc close to the second disc: Lift up one edge of the third disc, but not by very much. Slowly slide this disc towards the leaner until the leaner starts "sense" the disc you are moving. If the first leaner falls flat to the ground, then you probably placed it too far from the foundation disc. 6. Slowly increase the angle of the third disc: Very slowly, increase the angle (or tilt) of the third disc. The more vertical you make the third disc, the more vertical the second disc (the first leaner) will tend to become. And the more vertical the second and third discs are, the more their attraction will be to each other. Therefore, be sure to stop increasing the angle of the third disc as soon as you see the angle of the second disc increase. 7. Slide the third disc back and at the same time lift it up some more: This is a tricky step: At the same time, you want to both barely tilt the third disc and barely move it away. Increasing the angle of the third disc increases the attraction it has to the second disc (preventing it from falling flat), while moving it away prevents the leaner discs from snapping together. It is important to note, however, that the movements in this step are very small. Any movement more than a millimeter is too large. 8. Gently let go of the third disc: If everything goes according to plan, you should be able to let go of the third disc and have a double-leaner! You probably won't succeed on the first try, so try again if you're not successful. When you do succeed, congratulations! Keep practicing, and pretty soon you'll be successful in most of your attempts. You can see a .MOV file of this maneuver at: http://www.nyx.net/~jlromano/polarity_double_leaner.zip (It is meant to be a silent video clip, so don't worry if you don't hear any sound.) You may freely distribute this video clip provided that the accompanying HTML file is distributed along with it. The ideal times to make a double-leaner are: * after lots of practice * at the beginning of the game, when there are few discs on the playing area that can interfere with your attempt * when you want to impress someone with your skill (but be very careful -- this can backfire if you make a mistake!) What are some of the advantages of creating double-leaners? For one thing, double-leaners tend to be rather unstable, much like high-leaners (leaners with a high vertical angle). Therefore, you might want to make one where an almost-vertical leaner disc would be a good idea. Almost-vertical leaner discs usually require stacks of discs to lean against (which are not normally available near the beginning of the game), but double-leaners do not. Also, double-leaners are easy to convert to foundation discs with practice (at least, easier to convert than some high-standing vertical leaners). Double-leaners are convenient in case you ever have an urgent need for more foundation discs. You can convert the double-leaner into more foundation discs for yourself, and since there is a good chance that your opponent has not played near your double-leaner (otherwise it wouldn't likely still exist), your new foundation discs will be (for a short time, at least) relatively far away from the magnetic forces of other discs in play. In other words, creating a double-leaner early in the game creates a sort of a "keep-away" zone that your opponent would be wise to avoid. This means that, when you finally do convert your double-leaners to foundation discs, that particular area of the board will be mostly free of your opponent's pieces. As with most dexterity games, practice will help you get better at this maneuver. Who knows, with this knowledge of creating double-leaners, you may be able to perfect a method of creating triple-leaners! Written by Jean-Luc Romano (Saturday, June 25, 2005) Sat, 25 Jun 2005 08:49:04 PDT Fantomius http://www.polaritygame.com/tips/view/11/Stacks_of_3 It is very hard to balance a piece against a stack of 3 unless you have a bubble in the board to hold the piece in. If your opponent already has a stack of 3, however, it is a trivial matter to place your stack about 4 or 5 inches away, then immediately place your next piece almost vertically between the two stacks. The opposing magnetic forces make these a cinch. I actually had always wondered if this is legal, but the pic on the cover of the rulebook shows an example of this placement. Fri, 17 Jun 2005 09:55:10 PDT moofrank