Quick answer
Set up Polaris by placing her character mat, Gearloc chip, and skill chips within reach, then plan your first turns around positioning her metal orbs before you commit to radiation or trepanation. Treat her as a control Gearloc who softens Baddies from a distance rather than a front-line bruiser.
Why Polaris rewards planning over raw aggression
Polaris is a Gearloc who uses an arsenal of metal orbs—iron, nickel, and cobalt—to hypnotize and magnetize Baddies. Her kit also includes radiation and trepanation effects, which can terrorize enemies at the thought of Daelore earth floating around them. That combination means her best turns often come from setting up orb positions one round and cashing in their effects the next, rather than charging into melee.
If you play her like a straightforward damage dealer, you may find her slow to get going. The trade-off is that once her orbs are in place, she can shape the battlefield without exposing herself to unnecessary counterattacks.
What to check before your first game
Confirm that you have Polaris’s full component set: character mat, Gearloc chip, and skill chips. Because her abilities revolve around orbs, make sure you understand how those orb tokens or markers are represented in your copy before you start—if the rulebook treats them as a limited resource, running out at the wrong moment is a common early mistake.
Polaris is an expansion Gearloc, so you will need the Too Many Bones base game to use her. If you are still learning the core rules, play a short session with a simpler Gearloc first so you can focus on Polaris’s orb management rather than basic turn flow.
Polaris setup and first-game steps
- Lay out Polaris’s components: Place the character mat, Gearloc chip, and skill chips in front of you. Keep any orb markers or tokens in a small tray within easy reach. Common mistake: mixing Polaris’s chips with another Gearloc’s stack—separate them before play so you do not grab the wrong skill. A clean play area makes orb tracking much easier.
- Read her orb, radiation, and trepanation skills before choosing: Skim every skill on Polaris’s chip list and note which ones create or consume orbs. Decide on one orb-generating skill and one payoff skill for your first game. Common mistake: picking only high-damage skills and then having no orbs to power them. Balance generation and payoff—otherwise your orbs sit idle.
- Position Polaris at mid-range on turn one: Keep her behind your front-line Gearloc but within range to place orbs on key Baddies. Avoid sending her into base contact unless a skill specifically rewards it. Common mistake: treating her as a tank and losing her before her orb engine comes online. Mid-range keeps her safe while her orbs do the work.
- Set up orbs before you trigger radiation or trepanation: On your first few turns, use orb-placement skills to mark the most dangerous Baddies. Only then use radiation or trepanation effects to capitalize on those markers. Common mistake: firing off control effects before any orbs are in play, wasting their potential. Orbs first, control second—sequence matters.
- Reassess after each round: Check which Baddies still have orbs on them and whether you need to reposition. If a Baddie is about to act, prioritize orbing it over setting up a slower combo. Common mistake: sticking to a planned sequence when the board has already changed. Flexible orb targeting beats a rigid plan.
Product facts
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Too Many Bones: Polaris (The Geologist): Wielding an arsenal of metal orbs, Polaris is well-positioned to sling iron, nickel, and cobalt around the battlefield. Her orb types give you flexible targeting options, so plan which metal you need before you commit to a skill.
Too Many Bones: Polaris (The Geologist)
Too Many Bones: Polaris (The Geologist)
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Too Many Bones: Polaris (The Geologist): Polaris will hypnotize and magnetize, and with radiation and trepanation she’ll direct her orbs until Baddies are terrorized. These control effects mean her value often comes from disrupting enemy plans rather than out-damaging them.