Parity (2002)

About this game

Subtitled "The Othello Card Game", Parity consists of a deck of 51 cards, each containing a 2x3 grid of black and white Othello pieces, plus a Centerpiece Card containing the familiar starting pattern of two black and two white. The game is played in rounds, in which each player plays one card on the table adjacent to the Centerpiece Card or previously played cards. Whoever played the card that "captured" the most pieces of one color in that round (using the normal Othello capturing rules) picks up all the cards from that round and puts them in his score pile. When all the cards have been played, the winner is the player who has scored the most cards.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 4.
• Rules load. At 1.2/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 8 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.