Abu Simbel Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Components
• Game Setup
• Turn Sequence
• End of the Game and Scoring
  • Scoring Example
• Game Variants
  • I'm little, but very brave!
  • The Ultimate Adventure
  • All for One and One for All
• Chamber Cards
  • Mummy Wrapped in Ancient Toilet Paper
  • The Blades of the Penitent
  • Scalding Lava. How Hot!
  • A Narrow Scary Crack
  • Empty Chamber. Nothing Here
  • A Pit with No Bridge. Stop!
  • Scorpions. Beware, They Sting!
  • Dive In!
  • Poisonous Gas
  • Time to Crawl!
  • A Hissing Noise

Game Overview

Abu Simbel is a board game you play on your feet, performing the movements indicated by the cards to avoid the numerous traps hidden in the temple.

If you decide to enter the chambers of the temple of Abu Simbel, you will have to crawl, jump, squeeze through tight cracks, cross over dark pits... and defeat the mummies that protect the temple!

You will have to do it literally—moving your arms, hands, and legs.

A game of Abu Simbel is played in several rounds, until a player loses the 3 cards of their charm or in the rare case that the treasure cards run out.

Each round you take turns in clockwise order.

Whoever you choose as the first player takes the first turn of the starting round. Once their turn is over, the next player to their left plays their turn, then the next one, etc.

A round ends when a player loses 1 of their charm cards (which triggers the beginning of the next round or the end of the game, if a player loses their third charm card).

The goal of Abu Simbel is to get past the traps in the different chambers in order to reach the great treasure vault, take part of the treasure, and leave the temple going past the same traps again in reverse order (and in total darkness!). At the end of the game, the winner is the player who scores the most points from the treasures gained and their remaining charm cards.

To get past the traps you have to successfully perform with your body the movements indicated by the tips on each card (jump, move sideways, and so on).

Components

• 30 chamber cards. Each chamber card shows a picture of the chamber and a hint: the move you have to perform to get past the chamber's trap (for example: "Duck!", "Stomp on the scorpions!", "Walk over a narrow bridge!").
• 21 treasure cards (9 worth 1 point, 6 worth 2, and 6 worth 3).
• 18 charm cards (3 cards of the same colour for each player).
• 6 mummy cards.
• 1 treasure vault card.

These tips are meant to be simple and intuitive. However, check the explanation of all the hints and the corresponding moves on pages 13, 14, and 15, if you have any doubts.

Game Setup

Before you start playing Abu Simbel, follow these steps in order:

1. Place the treasure vault card in the centre of the table.
2. Shuffle all 30 chamber cards. a) Place them next to the treasure vault face down to create the main deck. b) Leave enough space next to the deck for a discard pile (which will obviously be empty at the beginning of the game).
3. Shuffle all 21 treasure cards. Create 3 separate decks with 7 treasure cards each, chosen at random. Place the 3 treasure decks face down next to the treasure vault.
4. Give each player 3 charm cards of the same colour. Each player places their 3 cards face up in a pile, with the card that shows the complete scarab on top and the other 2 cards under it.
5. Place the 6 mummy cards next to the treasure vault. They will come in play when you reveal a chamber card with a mummy wrapped in ancient toilet paper (see page 13).
6. Choose the first player however you wish. It might be fun to do this by playing rock-paper-scissors.
7. The chosen player takes the top 3 cards of the main deck and places them face up on the table, one at a time and in a row, starting from the treasure vault, as shown in the image. These are the first chambers of the great temple of Abu Simbel.

Everything's ready to start the game!

Turn Sequence

During your turn, follow these steps:

• Perform one by one, and in the same order, the moves indicated by the chamber cards on the table, starting with the one farthest from the treasure vault, then the card next to it, and the next one... and finally the card closest to the treasure vault. You can look at the cards as much as you want; try to memorize them, because later in the game you will have to perform the same moves in reverse order and without looking.

  Example: 1st, jump from rock to rock and avoid falling in the lava. 2nd, duck to avoid the blades of the penitent. 3rd, cover your nose with one hand to avoid breathing poisonous gas.

  If you need to draw a card from the main deck but the deck is out of cards, take the cards from the discard pile, shuffle them, and place them face down to create a new deck. Then, continue drawing cards.

• If you complete all the moves, you reach the treasure vault! Draw the top card of 1 of the 3 treasure decks (whichever you want). Keep it secret and don't show it to anyone.

• Now you have to leave the temple! But this time, you cannot look at the cards.

  • Turn your back towards the table and perform all the moves in the cards by heart (don't look!), one by one, and in reverse order. That is, from the chamber closest to the treasure vault to the farthest.
  • The other players check to see if you fail.

• If you get past all the chambers without making any mistakes, you exit the temple! Place the treasure card you gained face down on the table in front of you, next to the other treasure cards you might have gathered previously. They will earn you points at the end of the game.

  • Draw the top card of the main deck, reveal it, and place it next to the card that is farthest from the treasure vault.
  • Your turn ends and the turn proceeds to the player to your left (who will, therefore, have to face an extra chamber card).

• If you make a mistake during any move, discard the treasure card you gained (place it face up on the discard pile), discard the top charm of your pile (place it on the discard pile), and the round ends.

End of the Game and Scoring

The game ends when a player loses their third charm card. The game also ends in the rare case a player has to draw a treasure card from the treasure vault and there aren't any left.

If this happens, the players reveal all the treasure cards gained during the game and each player calculates their final score as follows:

• Score the points of your treasure cards.
• Score the points of your remaining charm cards.

At the end of the game, each treasure and charm card scores as many points as the number of jewels (◆) on the top right corner of the card.

• Score 1 point for each set of 3 different treasures you have: urn, ark, and chest (each treasure only scores once per set).
• Score 1 point if you have the mummy card.

The player with the most points wins the game and gains the favour (or the wrath!) of Abu Simbel.

In case of a tie, the tied player with the most charm cards wins. If there is still a tie, the tied players share the victory.

Scoring Example

Elizabeth finished the game with these treasure cards. She scores 8 points (jewels) for her treasure cards and 1 point for her set of 3 different treasures (urn, ark, and chest).

She also has all her charm cards (she didn't make a single mistake!) and gained the mummy card. She scores 4 points (jewels) for her charm cards and 1 point for her mummy.

Her final score is 14 points. A great score!

Game Variants

I'm little, but very brave!

The youngest players in the house might get frustrated if they are unable to perform the moves in the cards easily when leaving the temple. Don't freak out! What's really important is to have fun. Be more flexible when applying the rules so they do not interfere with the enjoyment.

• Let them join you when it's your turn to play, performing the same moves or even collaborating with you.
• Allow them to memorize the chamber cards and perform the same movements both on their way in and out of the treasure vault, without reversing the order.
• Or just let them perform the moves in their own way and try to roll around the temple chambers with them while having fun.

The Ultimate Adventure

In this game mode, mummy cards DO NOT score points at the end of the game. Instead, they can be used to change the type of chamber to mummy wrapped in ancient toilet paper (see the types of chamber cards below).

Before a player starts their turn, any player can use their mummy card placing it on top of one of the chamber cards that lead to the treasure vault. Now, that card is considered a mummy wrapped in ancient toilet paper chamber for the rest of the round.

You might make that player lose focus and forget the correct sequence of moves. Anything goes to have fun and some laughs!

All for One and One for All

Would you rather cooperate instead of competing?

In this game mode, all of you work together to get 10 treasure cards as a team (the value of each treasure card is irrelevant).

Play using the standard rules with the following changes:

• Instead of giving each player 3 charm cards of a colour, use 2 full charms for a total of 6 charm cards.
• If a player makes a mistake performing their moves, you lose 1 of the 6 charm cards as a team.
• If the 6 charm cards run out, everybody loses and the game ends. The great temple of Abu Simbel has defeated you!
• If you collect 10 treasure cards, everybody wins and the game ends. You have achieved worldwide fame and recognition!

Chamber Cards

Mummy Wrapped in Ancient Toilet Paper

Yikes! A mummy right out of the toilet is blocking my way.

Required move: Throw a punch in the air. If you are excited enough you can combine it with a loud karate yell: "KIAI!"

Special rule: If you exit the temple successfully after getting past a mummy, take a mummy card. You can only gain 1 mummy card per game. In the basic rules, the mummy card scores 1 point at the end of the game.

The Blades of the Penitent

Watch out! Two giant circular saw blades emerge from the walls. They might not be as sharp as they seem, but who's going to check?

Required move: Duck to avoid getting a crazy haircut. Your hairdresser knows what suits you best.

Scalding Lava. How Hot!

How can I get to the other side? The floor looks like a scorching frying pan. Look! There are rocks I can jump on.

Required move: Jump forward.

A Narrow Scary Crack

The ceiling is crumbling, although it looks like I can slip through that narrow, dark, and terribly scary crack...

Required move: Take 2 steps sideways, like a crab.

Empty Chamber. Nothing Here

How suspicious! A chamber that is completely empty.

Required move: Take 2 steps forward.

A Pit with No Bridge. Stop!

There's is no floor in this room, only a bottomless pit. Fortunately, there is a rope from side to side. How did it get there?

Required move: Take 2 steps pretending you are holding with both hands to a rope above your head and pulling forward your body weight.

Scorpions. Beware, They Sting!

I hate bugs! Specially the big and mean ones.

Required move: Stomp once on the floor for each scorpion in the card.

Dive In!

What a ridiculous trap. As if I didn't know how to swim. Oh my, the water is freezing!

Required move: Perform a stroke in the air, as if you were swimming.

Poisonous Gas

Yuck! What's that green fog? It stinks! I better cover my nose.

Required move: Cover your nose with one hand.

Time to Crawl!

Luckily someone opened a tiny hole on the wall to get to the other side. Ouch, my back hurts!

Required move: Crawl a couple of steps forward.

A Hissing Noise

Snakes! Down there it's plagued with snakes. And they look hungry... Luckily, there is a very narrow walkway to get to the other side.

Required move: Take a few steps placing one foot in front of the other while using your arms to keep your balance.