Pyraos

Pyraos is a strategic board game produced by Gi Gamic, a French company, "from an idea of David G. Royffe." The game is simple and very entertaining, but to win you have to have a sharp wit and a good strategy. There are three simple rules, along with a general goal of the game. The goal of the game is to place your colored ball atop a pyramid (see ASCII art pic. 1) made from the rest of the balls used in the game. Each player has 15 small wooden balls, one set is colored white, the other, a teal color. To play, you simply place a ball on the board, each taking turns. In this manner, many of you are going "but wouldn't the player who goes second always win?" Well, dear friend, there are two rules designed specifically for that purpose. The first is that a ball can be moved from a lower level to a higher one (see pic. 2), as long as there is nothing ontop of it already. The second rule, is that when a player makes a square with his colored balls on the same playing level, he can remove any two free balls of his own color (see pic. 3). See simple rules. The trick is defiantly in the winning. Playing a straight game with no saved balls, the player that goes second will always win. Always. Pyraos is a wonderfully fun game if you have capable competition.

Lower case a will denote a white ball and a lower case e will denote a teal one and a lower case o will be an empty space on the game board.

1.  Side view of a winning game.

           a   <- white wins
          e e  
         a e e
       _e_a_a_e_
      /         \


2.  Top view of 'ball saving rule one.'

         o o o e
         a a e o    Teal's (player 2) turn.
         a e o o    Player 2 can place one ball currently on the board on top of balls marked off.
         a o o o 


3.  Top view 'ball saving rule two.'


         o o a a 
         o e a a   White (player 1) placed ball to form a square of his own balls. 
         e o e o   Player 1 may remove any two of his balls from board.
         o a e o            

The game is hopelessly addictive and requires a lot of play-time to develop a strategy that works. But it's really fun. Easily duplicated with wooden blocks, or the likes, anything that you can stack into a pyramid.