One thing I find slightly annoying, however, is the resolutely multilingual nature of the game. While I realise Matagot is saving considerable money by creating one game in six languages and without a word of text on any of the cards or tiles, it can also be a bit frustrating when there is such a variety of powers and special effects on offer. Also the English rules translation could be better. Hopefully this rules summary (which includes information from the FAQ) and reference fixes those small problems and makes the game faster and easier to play. Partial build pyramids are placed in 2 districts of your city. The pyramid tops must match the power tiles used in the game. Any pyramid on the board must have a coloured top, the tip pointing down. So, choose wisely. Before the morning, reset your action tokens and determining who goes first. Going first is a bonus but it means you are not as popular as the other Gods. Is It Worth My Time Playing God?

I am running out of prayer points.” Move your token to the prayer symbols and gain 2 prayer points. Divine intervention cards and power tiles with a day symbol are benefits for that phase in the game. The Move action is one of the most important, because that is the action that can trigger battles with your opponents. Troops belonging to separate players cannot exist in the same Zone; if they ever do, a Battle takes place. Kemet: Blood and Sand doesn’t have any combat dice. Instead, players will play Battle a Battle Card and augment it with Divine Intervention Cards. All of these changes are for the best, and two are worth looking into at length. Count ‘Em Up The score board at the end of a game.

Victory points were scored by winning battles, claiming pyramids and temples, performing sacrifices, and gaining access to certain magical powers. Once a player gathered between eight to ten victory points - depending on the total number of people playing - they were declared the winner. So brush up on your hieroglyphics because it’s time to dive into Kemet: Blood and Sand! Kemet: Blood and Sand Gameplay Kemet is a game about Egyptian gods battling each other using human troops and mythical monsters, so players who are averse to other religions should stay away. There is one Power Tile with an underdressed female, and several pieces of art show shirtless men. Of course, the game is also depicting violence on a grand scale. Review One action is taken each turn by the players, but there are restrictions. You must take a least 1 action on each of the 3 levels during the day phase. How Can I Be A Famous God With So Few Points? Each God’s troops are represented by a different warrior character and colour. The colour coding of the miniatures to your God player board is a good idea. It is easier to locate the troops on the mainboard. This is better than using the same colour/style pieces with different coloured bases. There Is More…

Overall, the aesthetics of the Kemet: Blood and Sand board game work really well and evoke that ancient Egyptian feeling that you’d expect. The Battle cards have a very clean and clear look with their iconography. The Divine Intervention cards are the same way, although those almost feel a little too basic for my tastes. The God player boards are dual layered with beautiful artwork. The icons are simple and easily recognisable for the action you can perform. The board pieces are nicely designed and solid. Maybe that’s forgivable if the gameplay is premium. Kemet: Blood and Sand is a very tightly designed game, and definitely one that promotes interaction and combat. I love how winning a battle is distinct from winning or losing troops, and the bluffing of the card-battle system always led to deliciously difficult decisions. For new players, revealing the 48 power tiles right from the start is overwhelming, but most are not immediately accessible, and several are repeated. By the end of the first game, we had those down without a problem. It always felt like you had several things you wanted to do and not enough time to be doing them, in a good way – decisions need to have tension to be interesting. The scarab beetle, temple and battle fame tokens are nicely designed. A tray is included to store these tokens. The cards are either smaller or bigger than standard and the icons are simply designed. And What About The Boards? Troops don’t automatically get removed from the board in Kemet combat. It may just be that they retreat. One of the strategic nuances in Kemet, as both aggressor and defender, is figuring out your goal. Do you want to prioritize winning the fight and taking/holding the territory, or are you more interested in keeping your troops around to fight for the same scrap of land again? Are you trying to win or are you trying to thin out the opponent’s ranks, regardless of outcome? Do you want to have the space when the dust settles, or do you just want the other player not to? Different cards serve different goals.Once you internalize a few small pieces of rule grit, though, it’s pretty straightforward. I’d even say it’s dumb. Gloriously dumb. A tribute to the possibilities of Dumb. Will your God’s power tiles save the day or the creature help claim victory? Each victory gives your God a fame point. At night, the temple is a safe haven, or is it? To control the land, your God needs the most fame points. Being sacrificed is an honour and will help your God win. Death is not the end; you may rise and fight another day.

A foul creature is beside you, increasing the odds of victory. You can see the enemy in the distance. Will your God leave you here to guard the city’s pyramids? Maybe teleport you across the land to one of the distant temples? Make you march to the nearest city and take control? The Battle Starts… Kemet: Blood and Sand has tension in droves! The map is only so large and all of it feels decently accessible at any point in the game. So the threat of warfare is immediate and constant. There’s no escaping it!Each pyramid comes in 3 pieces with a coloured gem on top. This represents the power tile groups available to that player. The power tiles are solid with the same iconography. A clear representation of its use within the game. The inclusion of the trays is a nice touch and helps with the setup. On top of the adjustments to gameplay, several changes have been made to update Kemet’s appearance, adding a new tile colour - onyx - alongside new illustrations and miniatures for each tribe and creature. Cities have been given a new coat of paint to reflect the god with which they’re associated. Finally, the Sandstorm boards. They cover cities not available based on player count. Preparation Begins If you want to play a larger board game, but you’re worried about being overwhelmed, Kemet: Blood & Sand is a pretty good entry point. This is especially true if you play with someone who can teach the game. The manual is good, but it makes Kemet seem less approachable than it is. Like most of the heavier games I love, the real weight here is not in playing, but rather in trying to play well. A God will need their player board and matching-coloured pieces. The actions tokens and prayer markers are placed on their board. Find an empty city and place your statue token at the entrance. Defend your city with 10 troops and keep your 8 battle cards close to you, they will be needed soon.