Polygon Will Put a Hex on You (Get it?)

Disclosure

When a game bills itself as “The First of its Kind Strategy Game”, it is a pretty bold statement. I mean board games have been around for a couple thousand years at least, so it is hard to imagine a game that hasn’t been tried in some form at least once. But ever the optimist (and pessimist), I’ll put the opinions aside and check out another new game from Jax Ltd. called “Polygon”.

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.comWe really have a preference for games that use unique boards and pieces, and Polygon is no exception. Included are a colorful hex-shaped board, 49 hex-shaped tiles, a custom die, 50 score cards and of course some instructions (yes, this man reads instructions).

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.comAt first glance the game appears to be a variation of Triominoes or Quad-Ominoes, but once we dove in we saw it was much more than that. Yes, you try to line up matching number to score, but you can also score with numbers in a series.

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.comBut…you only score for colors that match the roll of your dice at the beginning of your turn! The amount of your score is also determined by what exactly you match (4’s are worth more than 1’s, 1-2-3 is worth less than 3-4-5).

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.com

And what would any game be without wild cards (tiles)? Strategically placed, they can be used to represent any number. In addition you can play on top of other pieces, building upwards to make new combinations. Lastly, some of the tiles have multipliers on them, bringing the potential of boosting your score dramatically!

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.comOur 9 & 11yr old children had no problem learning the game, and since it is rated for 7+ I wouldn’t expect them to. If you’ve followed our game reviews you know we love when a game includes complete and clear instructions. If I have one complaint about Polygon, it is that while the instructions are clear, they didn’t feel complete to me. We found ourselves not sure about a couple of the rules, and here’s an example:

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.comIn this scenario, the player rolled ‘blue’ and is completing a 1-2-3 series to score. We questioned whether she could make this play because it makes a 1-2-4 combination in pink which is invalid. It wouldn’t score either way, since the rolled color was blue. The instructions didn’t address this issue, and when we consulted the (tiny) photo on the box and the default image on Amazon for an example, it looked like the players were purposely leaving open spaces (not playing this piece) or only playing if all sides made a match. We could not see an example of a play where a mismatched set was made, scoring or not. That became the other question, could someone play anywhere, even if a score could not be made? We would love some clarification of the rules, mostly so Nicole can’t cheat (again).

But other than this minor OCD complaint, we loved the game. There is a nice mixture of luck (the roll of the die and the draw of the tiles), strategy (where to place the tiles) and speed (each game only takes 10-15 minutes to complete). Couple that with a high-quality board and plastic tiles and you have a game that would be a great gift to a friend or for yourself for a MSRP of $16! Jax has a number of other popular offerings on their website, some of which you may already have in your closet! We’ll be bringing you a hands-on of Link-O in the next couple weeks!

A "First of Its Kind Strategy Game" from Jax Ltd, join us as we look at "Polygon" from all sides. - SahmReviews.com

42 thoughts on “Polygon Will Put a Hex on You (Get it?)

  1. Ooh, this looks like a cool game that we need to add to our games closet! We like unique games, too and Jax always has something different to play with!

  2. This looks like such a fun game to play together. I can’t wait till my daughter is older to have these fun game nights at our house!

  3. This is an awesome game! I never heard of this game before. Is it a new? It’s so colourful and looks fun as well. Your family will definitely a great time playing this game. 🙂

  4. Polygon looks like such a fun game! We play a lot of board games and card games as a family, and I can’t wait to add this one to our game nights!

  5. that looks like such a fun game. Our kids need to learn how to play dominoes like they did back in the day.

  6. this looks like fun for the kids and me. it makes you think and also is challenging at the same time. i can’t wait to play it.

  7. This looks like a fun game! My kids always enjoy puzzle games. I will have to look into getting this for our Saturday night game night.

  8. Thanks for your game review. We love playing board games like this, and will definitely have to pick up and play with family and friends come our next game night.

  9. I love to keep an assortment of board games in my classroom for 2-hour delay days when I don’t have a full class. You’re right, clear instructions are so important. I have a lot of students who will quibble over the rules for hours.

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