FINITY

Instructions




Pieces

Stations (12):

Center station (1):

Bridges (32 black, 32 white):

Path indicators (6 black, 6 white):

Player markers (1 base post and 8 each of 3 differently sized rings for each player):

Blockers (2 for each player):

How to play

Objective

The object of the game is to be the first to complete a full path from the station holding your own
base post to the center station, while preventing your opponents from completing their own
paths, and defending your path from attacks by your opponents.

A full path is a sequence of stations connected by black and white bridges such that the
black/white color order of the bridges as they are traversed from each station to the next is the
same as the pattern of black and white path indicators in the path tower, read from bottom to
top. A path may cross any bridge(s) multiple times, but may pass through a station no more
times than the player has rings on that station. A path cannot pass through the center station.

Board setup

At the start of the game, the board is configured according to the number of players (2-4) with
base posts in the appropriate positions and a large ring for each player on the middle station. As
shown below:

Two player configuration:

Three player configuration:



Four player configuration:

Stacking the path tower

At the start of the game, 8 path indicators are selected at random and stacked one atop the next
on the center station (see below for express variant). The resulting stack of path indicators, read
from bottom to top, represents the path pattern for the game. For example, the figure below
shows a board with the path pattern of black, white, black, white, black, black, white, white:

Legal full paths and partial paths

A legal full path begins on the station containing the player's own base post and ends on the
central station, and includes exactly 8 bridge crossings in the b/w order of the path pattern.

A player's path may pass through the same station more than once, provided that the player has
at least the number of rings on the station as the number of times the path passes through that
station. Individual bridges may be traversed any number of times. Each station has a maximum
capacity of three differently sized rings.

Bridges are traversed in the direction they are pointing, from tail to tip.

A partial path is a sequence of 8 or fewer bridge crossings (beginning with the base post and
followed by 8 or fewer rings) which matches the path pattern from its start, but does not
complete the path pattern at the center station. Like a full path, a partial path may also pass
through any given station no more times than the player has rings on that station. A player may
have any number of separate partial paths on the board at a time.

Partial path example

Legal partial path bridge crossings must begin with the color of the bottommost path indicator
of the path tower and in the order of the path indicators from bottom upwards on the path
tower.

The figure below shows an example of a legal partial path for green (other colored markers are
not shown). The path pattern in the path tower is black, white, black, white, black, black, white,
white. The legal partial path shown begins with the station holding the green base post in the
right of the image, follows the black bridge to the station adjacent to the left, follows the white
bridge to the station down and to the lower right, follows the black bridge back to the second
station (where the green player has two rings), and then follows a white bridge to the station in
the lower left of the figure. Since the sequence of bridges is black, white, black, white, following
the order of the path pattern, and since there are two rings on the station that is passed through
twice, this is a legal partial path.

Playing the game

Once the board is configured for the appropriate number of players as shown above and the
path tower has been stacked, play begins.

Each player takes their turn playing. At each turn, the player must make one of the following 7
moves:

• Add a bridge: The player may add a black or white bridge in an open slot between any
two adjacent stations, provided that no redundant bridge (same color and direction) is
already placed between the same two stations.

• Reverse a bridge: The player may reverse the direction of an existing bridge on the
board, provided that the resulting bridge connection is not redundant.

• Place a ring: The player may place a ring on any station that is reachable from the
player's base post via a legal path, provided that there is vacancy on the station for the
ring, and the station is not currently occupied by the player's own base post.

• Move a blocker: A player may move one of their own colored blocker pieces to any
open slot between any two stations on the board.

• Remove a blocker: A player may remove an opponent’s blocker from the board if there
are twenty bridges or more currently placed on the board. The removed blocker
remains is out of play for the rest of the game.

• Remove a bridge: The player may remove a bridge provided that the player has a
marker in a higher position (smaller ring) than any other player's marker on the
destination station (tip end) of the bridge, with base posts counting as the highest
positioned markers. A bridge leading to the center station cannot be removed in one
move (it can be reversed and then removed later).

• Relocate their base post: The player may move their own base post to any other
station that does not currently hold another player's base post, provided that the
player still will have at least one ring on the board after relocating his or her base
post. That is, a player may not relocate his or her base post if doing so would render all
of that player's own remaining rings orphaned or if the player does not currently have
any rings on the board.

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

Clearing orphan rings

Orphan rings are any rings that are not connected to their own color's base post via a legal
partial path (except those placed on the center station at the beginning of the game). Rings on
the same station with their own base post are not orphans.

After each move, the player who has made the move should remove all rings which have been
rendered orphans, including those of the player's own color and those of other colors. Removed
rings are returned to their owners and become available for continued play.

Orphan rings that have been overlooked previously must be removed as soon as they are
noticed. It is in each player's interest to make sure that their own orphaned rings are not left on
the board inadvertently, so they don't waste their time playing from an invalid position.

If orphaned rings are not noticed by other players until after a player has made a move that re-
connects the orphan rings so that they are no longer orphans, they may remain on the board. If
they are pointed out before the player has completed a move to re-connect them, even if the
player intends to make such a move, they must be removed from the board immediately.

Ending the game

The game ends when one player has laid down a complete path.

If a player completes both their own full path and an opponent's full path with a single
move, the winner is the player whose path passes through the most stations. If this is equal, the
winner is the player who has the most rings on the board. If this is equal, the game is a draw.

The image below depicts a completed game, where blue has won. The path pattern is white, ,
white, black, white, black, black, black, black. The sequence of stations traversed are: A (white to)
B (white to) A (black to) C (white to) A (black to) B (black to) C (black to) B and (black to) D, the
center station. Each station has at least the number of blue rings necessary (only station A has
one more rings than is strictly necessary for this path):

D
B A

C

Other restrictions and special cases

No undo
It is forbidden to make a move that immediately undoes a previous move. For example, if one
player reverses a bridge, the next player to move may not reverse the bridge back to its original
position if nothing else on the board has changed. If the previous player’s reversing the bridge
had created orphan rings that were removed from the board, then reversing the bridge back is
legal, because the board state has changed.

If a blocker is removed from a slot, it may not be replaced in the same slot on the immediate
following move.

If a bridge is removed from the board, a bridge of the same color in either direction may not be
immediately placed in the slot that the previous bridge was just removed from.

Getting trapped and teleporting
It is possible that a player can find themselves with their base post in a trapped position, if all
adjacent stations to their base post station are completely inaccessible, such as is the case for
red in the figure below:

In these cases red may opt to use a turn to teleport to an empty station (a station with no rings
on it) if there is such a station available. Teleportation is allowed when a player is trapped
by full stations on all adjacent stations.

If there are no empty stations on the board, a trapped player is limited to bridge and blocker-
related moves until a station becomes empty, or until they are no longer trapped.

Continuing for 2nd, 3rd place
Players may continue to play for 2nd and 3rd place, leaving the winner's pieces on the board and
clearing them as they become orphaned. This option should be decided in advance. Otherwise,
2nd, 3rd, and 4th place is determined by the length of other players' longest partial paths.

Forced draw
If 10 rounds of play pass with no rings added or removed from the board the game is a draw.