Polarity

Balance magnetic discs in mid-air against your foundations in a two-player test of steady fingers.

Designer: Douglas Seaton
Published by: Blue Opal
Editions by: Ferti, IRWIN Games, EKOS, Ekos-USA, Inc., Kids On Science, Inc., Polarity House, Inc., Tangent Toy Co., Telemotion Technologies, Temple Games, Inc.

Magnets turn a stacking game into a tiny stunt show. In Polarity (1986), a game for two, you play discs that look like Reversi pieces with a black and a white face; every disc hides a magnet, black for north and white for south. A neutral red piece sits in the middle of the game cloth, and each of you sets five discs around it as foundations. On your turn you take a disc from your stack into your hand and bring it close to one of your foundations with your own color face up, so that the opposing polarity bears against it. With care you can balance the new piece in mid-air next to its foundation. Keep it away from credit cards and watches. A twenty-minute duel for steady fingers.

Discs with a magnet inside, black north, white southBalance pieces in the air against foundationsTwo players, about twenty minutes

Who it's for

You want a quick two-player dexterity game with a physical gimmick that is satisfying to pull off, and you do not mind some fiddly handling.

Not for you if…

You keep magnet-sensitive items nearby, such as cards or watches, or you want a deep strategic game. This one is about touch and nerve.

Vibe's take

Delicate and oddly physical. You feel the magnet fight your hand as you ease a disc into place, and a slip makes the whole table groan.