Radiolarians 2026

Introduction: I suppose, including Gliss and Topiary, Radiolarians is the next in my "glyph series" and what ultimately became of Polymon. The game has a simple concept, players place down stone dominos and grow these. If a group is captured it leaves behind a singleton, a husk, which remains on the board. The husks increase in number until somebody runs out of room. It is a Realm-like Bug-like and Burl-like all in one. Corey L. Clark designed Radiolarians at the beginning of 2026.

Materials: size 7-9 hex hex board and an unlimited supply of stones in two colors.

Definitions: Radiolarian: a radiolarian is a maximal set of stones that can be reached through a number of steps between like-colored stones. A single stone is NOT a radiolarian Husk: a single isolated stone is a husk.

Gameplay: Starting with black turns alternate. You may do any one of the following on your turn: -enter a new 1x2 radiolarian (not adjacent to ANY friendly stones) -move one of your radiolarians and add a stone to it without capturing (contacting an enemy group via the placement) -move a radiolarian to capture an enemy group (in which case you do not add a stone) -add a stone to one of your radiolarians without moving, in which case you may capture by growing.

Moving: Each one of your radiolarians represents a mini-map of where it can move. Simply choose some stone comprising the radiolarian and choose another stone that has exactly 1 friendly stone adjacent to it. These are respectively called the atrium and extremity. You may now move the entire radiolarian while maintaining its shape, by moving the atrium to where the extremity WAS, provided you do not move over any other radiolarian of either color or land on top of any stones. You may freely move over husks of any color.

Capturing: there are two ways to capture enemy stones: moving, and growing while remaining stationary. In either case you contact an enemy radiolarian removing the entire thing except for one of the furthest stones (by number of steps from the site of capture) which remains on the board as a husk

Self-capture: you may make a move that ends with you contacting one or more friendly radiolarians. In this case remove the inactive radiolarian leaving behind one of the furthest stones as a husk. If you contact one or more friendly husks by moving or growing, the radiolarian being moved or grown dies, once again by leaving one of its furthest stones from each point of contact as a husk. When you make a move which contacts a friendly husk and one or more enemy radiolarians, capture the enemy radiolarian before performing a self-capture.

Objective: The objective of Radiolarians is to be the last player standing. If anyone is left with just husks at some point, they lose the game, regardless of whose turn it is. —description from the designer