There are only three regular, geometric shapes that can fill a grid infinitely in all directions in a repeating pattern (named Euclidean tilings): triangles, squares, and hexagons. Pentagons, however, cannot do this. As a result, I had to create a grid for IQ-Pentagon that wasn’t entirely filled with pentagons, leaving some spaces uncovered. Additionally, the grid’s pattern shifts as you move further from the center, although it repeats itself five times when rotated.
Designing the grid itself was relatively simple since there aren’t many ways to create a pentagon-based grid. The real challenge lay in choosing the right set of puzzle pieces that could fill this grid in a variety of ways. Ultimately, I succeeded by including some duplicate pieces. Each piece can be placed in multiple ways on the grid—often more than you might expect. Despite the additional constraints of the pentagon grid compared to IQ-Square, the game is by no means easier. This is partly because we’re less accustomed to working with pentagon-shaped grids, which adds a unique layer of complexity. From the beginning of the IQ-Deluxe series, we decided to make each game as distinct as possible. IQ-Circle features solid puzzle pieces, while IQ-Square uses hollow ones, and both are made of hard ABS plastic. For IQ-Hexagon, we opted for soft, rubber-like TPR material. For IQ-Pentagon, we chose translucent puzzle pieces because their gem-like shapes lent themselves to this aesthetic. The game board for IQ-Pentagon has slightly curved edges—again a deliberate choice to make it more distinctive. Without this feature, pentagon and hexagon shaped boards look quite similar from a distance, but the curved edges help set IQ-Pentagon apart. Additionally, the grid on the game board is printed in white, which makes the translucent pieces appear much brighter against the black base. While it would have been simpler to make the entire base in white plastic, all the IQ-Deluxe games share a black game board to match their black packaging and challenge booklets.
Example of an JUNIOR challenge (left) and solution (right) for IQ-Pentagon
GAME RULES IQ-PENTAGON
1) Choose a challenge from the challenge booklet. Place the puzzle pieces as shown.
2) Place the remaining puzzle pieces on the game board. All pieces are double sided and either side can be used.
3) There is only one solution for each challenge, which can be found at the end of the challenge booklet.
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