Exploring the math behind the game Pylos.

Pylos is a game by David G. Royffe produced by Gigamic. The description reads

Simple rules, quick rounds and rather subtle tactics: Pylos is one of the strangest yet most beautiful abstract games on the market today, and winner of several “Game of the Year” awards around the world. The object is to save your marbles so that you can be the one to place a marble at the very top of the pyramid. Pylos is irresistibly attractive as both a game and a decorative object.

Below is a list of questions we would like to answer about Pylos.

• How many Pylos configurations are there disregarding the color of balls?
• How many configurations come up during play?
• Is there a winning strategy for player 1?