Pylos
Pylos Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Description and Preparation
- A pyramidal board of 16 squares.
- 15 light spheres and 15 dark spheres.
At the start of the game, the spheres are placed in the reserve at the base of the pyramid (fig. A). The two players draw for their colour. Light starts.
Aim of the Game
Be the first to put a sphere on top of the pyramid (fig. E).
Be careful: when a player has no more spheres in his reserve, he has lost. Each player is obliged to play on their turn.
Getting Started
Each player puts a sphere from his reserve on the square of his choice. Each player has only 15 spheres in his colour. To win the game he must "save" his spheres, either by stacking them on a square (the colour of the spheres of the square is not important), or a square in his colour (a light or a dark square). With these 2 moves you play spheres already on the board and do not use any from your reserve.
A Round
On his turn the player has a choice between:
- Placing a sphere from his reserve on the board;
- Placing a sphere from his stock on one of the squares of spheres (fig. B1);
- Placing one of his spheres already on the board, on the condition that he makes:
- A stack or a square: when on the board or at higher levels, one or more squares of spheres are formed, a player can choose to stack one of his spheres on it, OR
- A square in his colour: a player who makes a square of spheres in his colour (fig. C1) immediately recovers 1 or 2 of the spheres on the board for his reserve (fig. C2); he can recover any sphere belonging to him from any level - including the one he has just placed - but of course he cannot recover spheres which are under other spheres.
A Special Move: Stack or Square
By playing cleverly, in one move a player can:
- Raise one of his spheres already on the board (fig. D1);
- As a result make a square with spheres in his colour (fig. D2);
- And immediately recover 1 or 2 of his spheres for his reserve (fig. D3).
End of the Game
The winner is the player who places his last sphere on the top of the pyramid (fig. E).
A player immediately loses the game when his reserve of spheres is empty.
Duration of the Game
From 5 to 20 minutes. In a tournament, it is possible to allocate each player a limited amount of time.
Variation for Children
Simplified rules: when starting, you can play without the "square in your colour" rule: a player can only save spheres with the stacking rule.
Variation for Advanced Players: Alignment
A player recovers 1 or 2 of his spheres on the board when he makes a square or an alignment of his colour:
- The valid alignments are those made on a single, same level, and only on the first or second levels.
A valid alignment is formed of:
- 4 spheres of the same colour in a row on the first level (fig. F1), or
- 3 spheres of the same colour in a row on the second level (fig. F2).
A diagonal does not count as an alignment.
A player cannot recover more than two spheres per move.