I am now the proud owner of my eighth Gigamic board game. At Rs 1,500, Pylos is yet another exquisitely produced masterpiece from a company that boasts an incredible number of international awards, and encourages users to propose their own game ideas with the promise of royalties to be earned, on each game sold!
Even the most disinterested person I’ve forced to play a few Gigamic games, has come away suitably impressed with their ingenuity, and the unfailing design. It’s hard not to gush at such perfection!
Here two players compete with 15 spheres each. The winner is the player who places his last sphere on top of a pyramid. On any given turn, you have three possible moves: Play from your reserve onto any vacant position on the board; place a sphere in a square of spheres; move a sphere already on the board, on top of a square of spheres, creating a another tier.
There are moves that let you conserve, and even win back spheres already played. The level of cunning required to win on your last piece is breathtaking. Pylos demands company that can shut out everything else for the 10–20 minutes a game will require. Intense concentration and total clarity of thought and winning plays that evolve over repeated sessions. Pylos deserves the respect of an avid enthusiast. These are not games to be consigned to the back of cupboard, overrun with things rarely used!
The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com [1]
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[1] mailto:arup_kavan@yahoo.com