Finity basics

Finity is an abstract strategy game for 2 to 4 players ages 9 and up.

Setup

At the beginning of the game, players randomly select 8 black and white cone-shaped path indicators and stack them in the middle of the board. The black and white pattern of these indicators, read from bottom to top, becomes the path pattern for the game.

Objective

The object of the game is to build a legal full path of black and white arrow-shaped bridges from the station holding your own base post to the center station such that the pattern of bridges crossed is exactly the same as the black and white path pattern of the game.

The center station is the final destination of the path and cannot be passed through on the way.

Bridges and rings

Bridges (arrow-shaped pieces) are shared resources. Bridges may be crossed multiple times as part of a path. Stations may be passed through in a path no more times than the number of the players rings on the station.

A player's rings can only occupy stations to which there is a legal partial path from the player's base post.

Playing the game

Once the board has been set up and the path pattern is established, players take turns making one move at a time. Allowable moves are as follows:

1. Place a bridge of any color in any unobstructed slot between any two stations on the board, provided there is not already a bridge of the same color going the same direction between the same two stations. No two bridges may ever be the same color and direction between the same two stations.

2. Reverse any bridge anywhere on the board, provided the resulting bridge color and direction would not be redundant between two stations as described previously.

3. Place one of the player's own colored rings on any station reachable by a legal partial path, as long as the station is not occupied by the player's own base post. A legal partial path means that the black and white pattern of bridges follows the black and white path pattern from the beginning (bottom of the tower) and that the partial path to a station contains enough rings on intermediary stations to pass through those stations as many times as necessary to reach the station.

4. Place either of their own blockers in any open slot between any two stations

5. Remove an opponent's blocker if there are at least 20 bridges currently on the board. Removed blockers remain out of play for the rest of the game.

6. Remove a bridge if the player occupies the highest/most central position (i.e. smallest ring or base post) on the destination (point) station of the bridge to be removed.

7. Relocate their base post to any station provided that the player has at least one legal ring still on the board after the base post relocation. The base post may be relocated to a station occupied by the player's own ring, and rings on the same station with the base post count as legal rings.

The first move of the game must not block or obstruct any slots on an opponent's base post station.

Orphaned rings

Rings that are not supported by a legal partial path from the player's base post are "orphaned" and must be removed from the board. This can happen if a bridge their path depends on is removed or reversed. Orphaning your opponent's rings is an important offensive maneuver in the game.

No immediate undo

It is forbidden to make a move that simply undoes the previous move without any other changes to the state of the board. For example, if a player reverses a bridge, the immediate following move may not be to reverse the bridge back. If a player places a bridge, the immediate following move may not be to remove the bridge. If a player removes a bridge, the immediate following move may not be to replace that bridge with another bridge of the same color in the same slot going in either direction.

Important tip: Bridge redundancy

Avoid having your paths rely on single bridges from one station to another, because they can be easily reversed, undermining your path. When possible, support your path using doubled up bridges (i.e. pairs of bridges in opposite directions between the same two stations) so that the bridges can't be reversed by your opponent.

Special cases

These additional rules deal with situations that can occasionally arise.

Teleportation

If a player's base post is surrounded on all available sides by stations which are all completely full (3 rings) of other players' rings, the player may "teleport" their base post to any completely empty (no rings) station on the board (losing any rings that may have occupied their base post station before teleporting). This is only an option if there are completely empty stations.

Tied path completion

If a player completes both their own and an opponent's full path in one move, then whoever's path passes through the most stations is the winner. If this is equal, then whoever has the greatest number of rings on the board is the winner. If this is equal the game is a draw.

Deadlock draw

If 10 full rounds of play go by without any changes to the rings on the board (no removed or added rings) the game is a draw.