p.9 p.17 p.

25
A Game by Jacques Bariot and Guillaume Montiage, illustrated by Dimitri Bielak, Emile Denis and Nicolas Fructus
For 2 to 5 players, for ages 13 and up. Game duration: 60 minutes

In the Mythic age of Ancient Egypt, the powerful gods throw their troops into epic battles to demonstrate their power. In the desert or at the feet of gigantic temples, they use their many powers to support their troops, summon and control mythological creatures and gain the upper hand.

Contents:

GOAL OF THE GAME

The goal of the game is to win 8 Victory Points (short Mode) or 10 Victory Points (long Mode). The mode (short or long) is chosen before starting the game.

ELEMEnTs OF THE GAME

The Board
The board has two sides. One is used for a game with 3 or 5 players, whereas the other is for 2 or 4 players. Furthermore, for the 2 or 3 player games, the East bank isnt accessible for the whole game.

1 Board 48 Power Tiles (16 white, 16 red and 16 blue) 7 Creatures: Sphinx, Phoenix, Mummy-Priest, Giant Scorpion, Royal Scarab, Deep Desert Snake and Ancestral Elephant 35 Divine Intervention cards 32 Battle cards including 2 specials 53 Victory Points 3 silver and 1 golden Action tokens 1 card index for Divine Interventions and Powers

For each player (5 colors):

12 Units 5 Action tokens 1 Prayer Point marker 1 individual Board 1 order marker 3 Pyramids (1 white, 1 red and 1 blue) 6 Battle cards

5 players

4 players

3 players

2 players

The board is divided between desert spaces and special spaces: players cities, temples and the Sanctuary of All Gods. Furthermore, the harbors and obelisks, printed on some spaces, affect movements. Obelisks: All of the temples, the Sanctuary of All Gods and some desert spaces contain an obelisk. Players Cities: Each player possesess a city composed of three districts. Each district is a space, and contains has a room for a pyramid. Each district is also surrounded by a wall (see page 6). Temples: Controlling a temple gives one temporary Victory Point and Prayer Points. Furthermore, controlling at least two temples in the end of a day phase, gives a permanent Victory Point. Sanctuary of All Gods: The Sanctuary of All Gods is not considered to be a temple. If the player controlling it sacrifices two units, he gains a permanent Victory Point.

Harbors: Harbors allow the crossing of the Nile; they dont form a separate space.

Pyramids: Each player has three pyramids: one white, one red and one blue. Pyramids allow players to buy Power tiles (see page 4). The level of the pyramid is equal to the number visible on the top. Each pyramid must be placed in a different district in the players city. Troops: Each figurine represents a unit. All the players units in one space form a troop. Important! One troop cant contain more than 5 units. That is to say, one player can never have more than 5 units on the same space. Prayer Points: Prayer Points are the primary resource of the game, and allow players to perform different actions. The Prayer Points symbol is an ankh . A player can NEVER possess more than 11 , even with Power Tiles. Victory Points: Several objectives and events allow players to gain Victory Points: Square Victory Points are permanent and cant be lost. Round Victory Points are temporary and can be lost (usually as a result of an invasion). Victory Points are called VP, and their symbol is an eye. How to win permanent VP:

A level 0 pyramid isnt placed on the board. It stays in the players reserve until it evolves to level 1 or more.

How to win temporary VP:

1
By attacking and winning battles.

1
By gaining a Victory Point Power Tile

1
By controlling the Sphinx

1
By controlling two temples at the end of a Day phase

1
By sacrificing 2 units in the Sanctuary of All Gods

1
By raising a pyramid to level 4, or controlling an opponents one

1
By controlling temples

Divine Interventioncards: There are 35 of them. The rules refer to them as DI cards. Power Tiles: The Powers significantly change each players abilities and can modify several rules of the game. There are three colors of Power, corresponding to the three pyramid colors. The Powers families are composed of Powers from level 1 to level 4. There are four cards per level, that is to say 16 Powers for each color. Power Tiles must always be visible.

Power types: White: mainly prayer and resources Red: mainly attack and movement Blue: mainly defense and control

GAME sETup
2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3

The board is placed in the center of the table u. The side is chosen depending on the number of players (see page 1). Reminder: For 2 and 3 players, the eastern bank isnt accessible. All the Power tiles are placed face up next to the board.v The Temples temporary VP are placed on them. w The Sanctuary of All Gods permanent VP are placed on it. x The other VP are placed next to the board.y Each player chooses a city and receives: An individual board. z 5 Action tokens. { 1 marker, placed on the 5th space of the Prayer Points scale. | 12 units (10 units to distribute in the city, in districts with a pyramid, with a limit of 5 units per space. 2 units stay in the reserve). } 6 Battle cards. ~ 3 Pyramids (Level 0 pyramids stay in the players reserve).

3 3

v
2 2

y1 1
1 11

w w u }
0 4 1 2 3

Each player receives a random DI card. The other DI cards are placed next to the w board face-down in a draw pile. For the first turn, the players choose the turn order randomly. Then, each player, in turn order, chooses how to allocate 3 points among his pyramids, choosing either of the following combinations: 1 / 1 / 1 or 2 / 1 / 0.

8 5 6 7

1 9 10 1

ExpLAnATiOn OF A cycLE
The game is a succession of Night and Day phases until at least one player wins the game. A - Night (preparation phase): Distribution of 2 Prayer Points Distribution of the Divine Intervention cards Night Powers effects Determining the turn order B - Day (action phase): Using the Action tokens Attribution of the Prayer Points and the permanent Victory Points of the board.

Beginner Mode:

A niGHT pHAsE

In the preparation phase, only the level 1 Power tiles are shown, the level 2 Power tiles will be implemented at the beginning of the second Day phase. The pyramids can only evolve to level 2 and not beyond this limit. The winner is the first to reach 4 points instead of 8 at the end of a Day Phase.

1 disTriBuTion of The Prayer PoinTs

Each player receives 2 (plus Prayer Points awarded by his Power tiles if applicable).

2 disTriBuTion of The di Cards

Each player receives a random DI card, distributed in turn order. Theres no limit to the number of DI cards a player can have in his hand. Playing a DI card doesnt count as an action. It is possible to play several DI cards in the same phase, even with the same effect (effects are cumulative.) A played DI card is discarded face down. When the DI draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new DI draw pile. In order to play a DI card, players must: Pay the cost, if any (1 ). Play the DI card only at the appropriate time.

structure of a divine intervention card

Cost to pay when using the card. (some cards are free, some cards cost 1 when used.)

Card effect (refer to the card index) Phase to play the card:

3 resolving Power effeCTs

In turn order, each player applies the effects of his Power tiles containing the Night symbol. Example: The Hand of God power allows the player to raise l of his pyramids by 1 level without any cost.

In Day Phase, in the players turn except in a battle.

In an opponents turn, except in a battle

In a battle in which you are involved

4 deTermining The Turn order

The turn Order will be determined as follows: The player with the fewest VP determines the order of the entire turn In case of a tie, the player who previously played earlier in turn order determines the order of the entire turn. For the first turn, the turn order is randomly determined.

B - DAy pHAsE (AcTiOn pHAsE) 0 Each player has 5 Action tokens.

In turn order, each player puts down 1 Action token on one of the action spaces of his individual board, and IMMEDIATELY applies its effect. This procedure is repeated until all Action tokens are used, that is to say for 5 turns.

1 2 3 4

5 6 7

9 10 1 1

Divine Will

Move

Recruit

Important! The Action space must be empty, it is impossible to put down two Action tokens on the same space. At the end of 5 turns, each player must have placed at least one token in EACH of the first 3 levels of the action pyramid on his individual board. Note: The golden space at the pyramids top is only used for the Divine Will Power (golden chip)

Raise a pyramid

Pray

Buy a White Power tile

Buy a Red Power tile

Buy a Blue Power tile

DEscripTiOn OF THE AvAiLABLE AcTiOns

1 Pray
Gain two immediately.

2 raising a Pyramid
This action allows players to increase the level of one pyramid. A player can only raise one pyramid by taking this action. However, he can raise a unique pyramid by several levels in one action. The cost is equal to the level the pyramid is being raised to. If a player raises his pyramid by several levels, he must accumulate the costs. Pyramids effects: They allow players to teleport to an obelisk for 2 (see below). They allow players to buy Power tiles of the same color and level. A level 4 Pyramid gives 1 temporary VP . A player controlling an opponents pyramid with a troop gets all its benefits (even the temporary VP if its a level 4 pyramid). As long as his pyramid is controlled by an opponent, a player looses all its benefits.
Example: To raise a pyramid from level 2 to level 3, it costs 3 . Example: To raise a pyramid from level 1 to level 3, it will costs 5 . (2 for level 1 to 2, 3 for level 2 to 3). Reminder: A level 0 pyramid isnt placed on the board. When it becomes level 1 or more, its immediately placed in a free district of the players city.

3 Buy a Power Tile

This action allows the purchase of one Power tile of the specified color. In order to buy another Power of the same color, the player must wait till the next turn. Powers allow a player to gain benefits in the game, and to focus his strategy by developing power combinations. Condition of Purchase: To purchase a Power tile, the player must have a pyramid of the same color and at a level equal to or greater than the desired Power. Purchase Cost: The cost of purchasing a Power tile is equal to its level. A Power tile is purchased permanently by a player for the whole game and cannot be lost. It must be placed in front of the player, clearly visible. For example, to buy Shields of Neith which is a blue level 3 Power tile, you must have a level 3 or 4 blue Pyramid. The purchase cost is 3 .

The Power effects are immediate. However, some Powers will take effect only at certain times during the game (Example: Battle Powers, Priests, or powers which resolve during the Night phase). Important! A player cannot purchase and will never gain 2 identical Power tiles. This includes all Powers with the same effects and illustrations, even if they are of different colors like Act of God and Victory Point.

structure of a power tile

Level: Indicates the cards level, its color (white, red or blue) and its cost (1 to 4 ) Color reminder Card effect (see Card index) Phase where the power is active:

4 reCruiT

Spend X to immediately recruit X units. Day phase Night phase These units are taken from the reserve and are placed in one, two or three districts in the players city. If a player is controlling an opponents district: The controlling player cant recruit units there (Players can only recruit in their own city). The controlled player can recruit units as normal. This will immediately trigger a battle (it will be an attack). Important! A troop can only contain a maximum of 5 units.

Battle Phase

Reminder: Control of an opponents Pyramid allows a player to buy Power tiles from that pyramids color and level.

5 move / aTTaCk
The Move action allows 1 troop to move. It is not mandatory to move all the units of the troop; the player can leave some of them on his way. Furthermore, the player can gather units from spaces on his way, as long as he doesnt exceed the movement capacity. By default, the movement capacity of 1 troop is 1 space. This capacity can be increased: By Power tiles apply to all the players troops. By the ability of a creature By a DI card for a chosen movement. A troop can move in three different ways: A) Ground transportation: The player moves one or several units of the same troop to an adjacent space. B) Harbor crossing: It is possible to cross the Nile between two harbors connected by an arrow. It counts as a one space movement action, without any additional cost. C) Using teleportation by a pyramid: A player can teleport a troop from a pyramid (of his territory or an opponents one) to an obelisk space. The player must pay 2 . Teleporting doesnt consume any movement capacity.

1 2 3
Example: Claire wants to move her troop from her city to the Eastern Nile temple. She has two possibilities: A- Using teleportation: Claire pays 2 and teleports her troop directly to the temple. B- Not using teleportation: Claires troop will need a movement capacity of 3. (see diagram). This movement capacity can be reached if Claire has the God Speed Power tile, and the Deep Desert Snake with this troop.

Within the limits of its movement capacity and resources, the troop can alternate Pyramid Claire would then save 2 to reach the same teleportation, ground transportation, and Harbor crossing in the same Movement, without place. any restriction.

Walls: Players cities are surrounded by walls. It is only possible to enter another players city if the troop begins its movement from a space adjacent to the city wall. (That is to say: it isnt possible to move to and enter an opponents city in the same turn). The walls of a players city have no effect on that player. Attack! Whenever you move, if you pass through or reach a space occupied by an opponents troop, a battle must be resolved and the movement ends.

Walls exception: The Open Gates ability cancels this restriction Clarification: If, before a battle, the defender uses the DI card Escape, the battle is canceled and the player can continue his movement.

BATTLE prOGrEss
At the beginning of a battle, the attacker and the defender should each choose 2 Battle cards: The first card is immediately discarded, face up or down. The second card is played in the battle. Each player can also add to this card one or more DI cards. These are hidden under the battle card. Then, the players reveal their Battle cards. If there are DI cards, they are also revealed and players must pay any necessary. After the battle, the played Battle cards are discarded (so are the played DI cards) face down or visible according to the choice made by the players before the beginning of the game. When a player has discarded all 6 Battle cards, he takes them all back into his hand.

structure of a battle card

Strength value Damage value Protection value

deTermining The winner

The Battle value of each player is determined by adding together: The number of units in their troop The strength value of their Battle cards Any attack or defense bonuses from their Power tiles Any bonuses given by creatures engaged in the battle Any bonuses from the DI cards. The player with the higher Battle value wins the battle.
Clarification: In case of a tie, the defender wins the battle.

Example: Jacques moves his troop to the temple occupied by Guillaumes troop. Jacques is the attacker. Troop: 5 units. Powers: Charge! (+1 Strength when attacking) Blades of Neith (+1 Strength in all battles). Core Strength is 7 (5+1+1). Guillaume is the defender. Troop: 4 units. Creature: Ancestral Elephant (+1 Strength to the troop). Core Strength is 5 (4+1). Each player secretly chooses two Battle cards, hidden from the opponent. The first one will be discarded, and the second one will be played. Jacques plays his Battle card: 3 Strength and 2 Damage. He doesnt play any DI card. Guillaume plays his Battle Card : 2 Strength and 2 Protection and two DI cards hidden under his Battle card: Bronze wall and War Fury The two players simultaneously reveal their cards and announce their Battle values:

CounTing The CasualTies

Each Battle card has a Damage value and a Protection value. These values can be increased by DI, Power tiles, and creatures. Both the winner and the loser of the battle lose as many units as the total Damage value of their opponent, minus their own total Protection value. It is possible for the winner to lose all of his units. He is still the winner, even if the defender has survivors left.

viCTory PoinTs
If the attacker wins the battle, and has at least one unit left, he gains a permanent Battle VP. An attacker who loses a battle doesnt win any Battle VP. The defender doesnt win any VP, even if he wins the Battle.

2 1

reTreaT
The defeated player must decide between recalling his troop (see below), or retreating. If he decides to retreat, the battles winner has to choose the adjacent space, free of any units, to where the opponents troop will be repelled. If there is no adjacent space with no units on it, then retreat isnt possible.

Jacques Strength: 10 (7+3 from card) Guillaumes Strength: 9 (5+2 from card+2 from his DI cards. He has to pay 1 for the DI card). Jacques is the winner. Damages: Jacques inflicts 2 damage to Guillaume, but he possesed 3 Protection (his card and the Elephant). Guillaume doesnt lose any units, but wont inflict any damage. Jacques is the winner. He was the attacker, and still has some units on the battlefield: He wins a permanent Battle VP. Guillaume chooses to recall his troop: He gains 4 and returns his creature to his reserve. Jacques could also recall his troop, but he prefers to stay in this space. All the players cards are discarded.

reCall a TrooP
After a battle, both the winner and the loser may choose to recall surviving units to their God. A player receives 1 for every unit recalled. These units are put back in the players reserve. They will be available for recruitment later. It is not possible to split the troop by recalling some of the units, and leaving the others.

crEATurEs
There are seven creatures. They grant several avantages to the troops which travel with them. A creature is acquired by purchasing the corresponding Power tile. The player can immediately put the creature down in one of his three city districts if he has at least one unit in this district. Otherwise, the creature is placed in front of the player, on the corresponding Power tile. Important! A player can never have more than one creature on a given space, even if it is one of his city districts. A creature doesnt count as a unit, therefore: It doesnt count towards the 5-unit limit. In battle, only its bonuses are added to the Battle value (it does not increase the number of units). A creature can never be destroyed. If the last unit with a creature is destroyed, the creature his immediately put back in the city, on a district with at least one unit. If that is not possible, the creature is put back in the reserve, on its Power tile. Creature in the reserve A creature in the reserve will return to the board, in one of a players districts, when he uses the Recruit action. If several creatures are in the reserve, the player has to choose which one of them comes back first.

structure card creature of a

Level: shows the card level, its color (white, red or blue) and its cost (1 to 4 ) Creatures abilities Phase when the Power is activated Increase in movement capacity (for the troop it travels with) Card effects (for some creatures, there are no effects)

cOnTrOLLinG TEMpLEs
A player who, at the end of a Battle or a movement, controls a temple gains a temporary VP for the corresponding temple. To control a temple, the player must have at least one unit on it. When there is no unit left on the temple, the player should give back the corresponding temporary VP.
Reminder: The Sanctuary of All Gods is not a temple.

prAyEr AnD pErMAnEnT vicTOry pOinTs ATTriBuTiOn

When all players have finished their actions, the distribution of the Prayer Points and the permanent Victory Points can start. The player controlling the Delta temple may withdraw a unit from the temple and put it back in his reserve: he then receives 5 . Players controlling the other temples receives 2 or 3 . They also keep the corresponding temporary VP. The player controlling the Sanctuary of All Gods may withdraw two units and put them back in his reserve: he then receives one permanent VP. Any player who controls at least two temples (the Sanctuary of All Gods is not a temple) receives a permanent VP.

thanks:

THE EnD OF THE GAME

As soon as a player has at least 8 VP (or 10 according to the players choice) at the end of a Day phase, he is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the winner is (in this order): The player with the most VP. The player with the most Battle VP. The player who played earlier in the previous Day phase.
Attack! In a game of Kemet, waiting is usually not a winning strategy. One of the most common ways to earn Victory Points is to win a fight as the attacker. This means that it is sometimes appropriate to abandon a position that seems good in order to push your luck and try attacking your opponent. It also means that each one of your troops is a potential target. A Kemet game can be very fast (usually 4 to 7 turns), and even if youve accumulated many Powers in front of you, if your opponents are controlling the temples, retrieving Prayer and Victory Points at each end of turn, you may not achieve victory. Niles Delta This is the most powerful area of the game. Depending on your game configuration, you will find a temple providing 5 Prayer Points and perhaps the Sanctuary of all Gods. It is also an area of no return because there is not pyramid for teleportation, and the Nile is impassable. Although this area seems dangerous, do not neglect it. Many decisive battles take place there, and it remains extremely beneficial during the course of the game.

TACTICAL ADVICES

We wanted to say Thank you to all those who were involved in making this project successful. Firstly, those who took the time to test the game, criticize it, make it evolve and therefore make it better. Among these people too numerous to list here, we are particularly grateful to Claire Montiage and Fred izdead Pfister. But also Mathieu and Yann, as well as Richard Steinecker, Fred Zindy, Steeve Sittler, the Philiboys, the loliteux... Then, a great Thank you to the Matagot team, for their energy and their dedication (we never sent that many emails in our entire life): to Doria and Barbara especially, but more specifically to Arnaud for his hyper responsiveness and Hicham for his work in the shadows. It was a pleasure to see Horus and his friends smash each other become Kemet. The result is enchanting. Hoping we havent forgotten anyone, it wouldnt be surprising, as this work was lengthy ...

Jacques and Guillaume

Protect your City? An opponent hasnt much interest in coming to invade your city in the early stages of a game. It does not gives him any Victory Points, or Prayer Points. At best, he may benefit from the level of your pyramids, if he does not possess them himself. It is not necessarily worth keeping units in your city early in the game in order to protect it. Also, it is naturally protected by walls and by the fact that recruitment takes place there (which will make it easier if you want to remove an opponent from it). On the other hand, from the moment you have a level 4 pyramid, you may attract the envy of your opponents, especially late in the game. But then again, if your opponent does not have the power Open Gates, you should be able to anticipate the action. Recalling Units After a battle, it is often tempting to hold the position and keep the control of a temple after a rough struggle. However, your troop may then be an easy target for an opponent. Indeed, a single unit on a temple almost automatically offers a Victory Point to the next player to attack you. A troop recalled to the God allows you to recover Prayer Points for better recruitment and then re-attack.

Movements Q: Can I control a creature away from a troop? A: No, from the moment a creature is no longer accompanied by at least one unit, it returns to its card, in the players reserve until the next recruitment. Red Powers Q: Divine wound: Can I discard one of the DI cards that Ive played with my Battle card to win +1 Strength? A: No

FAQ

Q: Act of God and Divine will: If a player has both these powers, can he play these two additional tokens in a same turn? A: Yes, he will then play 3 actions, one right after another. Reminder: Just like the action tokens, the additional tokens must be placed on free spaces.

Divine Intervention Q: Can I play a Veto against a DI card used in battle? A: No Q: Does the Escape allow me to move toward the space where my opponent was? A: Yes Miscellaneous Q: What is the function of the golden space at the top of the pyramid on my personal board? A: Its the space where the Divine will Power token is placed. If you have it, it will be played each turn, at the same time as a regular token. You will choose then between two actions: Move or Recruit.

White Powers Q: Vision: Can this effect stack with the Divine Boon or the Mummy effect? A: No. Only the first DI card is chosen among 5. The additional cards picked with another power arent chosen among the 5. Blue Powers Q: Vision: What should we do with the players Q: Deep Desert Snake: Does the Deep Desert Snake cancel all the opponents creature abilities 4 rejected cards? A: We put them back on the draw pile and it gets engaged in battle? A: Yes. If your troop, accompanied by the snake reshuffled. fights with a troop with another creature, its as Q: Priest of Ra: Does he allow to get free powers? if this other creature doesnt participate in the A: Yes. Its the same with the Priestress. battle. Q: Priest of Ra: If I raise one of my pyramids by Q: Prescience: Does my opponent have to show several levels, can I save 1 Prayer Point per level? A: No, the 1 Prayer Point saving is for the action. me the DI cards he wants to play in battle? So for the Raising Pyramid action, you will only A: No. Prescience only allows you to know the Battle card of your opponent, not any DI cards. save 1 Prayer Point per action.

Translation and Proofreading: Rob Street, Eric Franklin, Michael Krhnert, Fabien Conus.

Questions, notes, suggestions? Find the updated FAQ on matagot.com! For any other request, dont hesitate to contact us by email at [email protected]