Im Bann der Pyramide
Im Bann der Pyramide Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Contents
- 5 adventure cards (usable on both sides)
- 1 King's Chamber (usable on both sides, with arrow)
- 5 archaeologists (in 5 colours)
- 1 depot (with ladders, pickaxes, ropes and torches)
- 54 pyramid cards, consisting of:
- 36 equipment cards with values 1 to 5
- 18 special cards (8x Magic Power, 3x Protection, 3x Curse, 3x Scarab, 1x Mummy)
- 1 rulebook
Setup
- Place the King's Chamber face up on the table, with a random side facing up. The arrow points to the chamber's side.
- Adventure cards: the players decide which side they want to play with and shuffle the cards. The top card is returned to the box. The remaining 4 cards are laid out in a row on the side of the King's Chamber opposite the arrow (see illustration).
- Tip: For a shorter game, it is recommended to choose the cards with the lowest numbers.
- Place the depot open next to the King's Chamber, so that its arrow points to the equipment item "ladders".
- Shuffle the pyramid cards (equipment and special cards). Each player is dealt 5 cards into hand. The remaining cards are placed face down next to the depot as the draw pile.
- The 5 archaeologist cards are shuffled face down in the middle. Each player chooses one and places it next to the first adventure card (see illustration).
Course of Play
- The youngest player begins.
- On his turn, a player must carry out one of the two options:
- A) Draw or exchange pyramid cards
- or
- B) Play pyramid cards and, if possible, complete an adventure.
- Then the player to the left takes his turn.
A) Drawing or Exchanging Pyramid Cards
- On his turn, a player draws one or two cards from the draw pile. However, no player may hold more than 10 pyramid cards in hand.
- Instead of drawing a card, a player may also exchange cards from hand. For this he places up to 5 cards from his hand face up next to the draw pile, forming the discard pile. He then draws the corresponding number of cards from the draw pile and takes them into hand.
- Tip: If the draw pile contains fewer than 5 cards, it is shuffled together with the discard pile, and the player may exchange as described above. If the draw pile contains fewer than 5 cards and there is no discard pile, a player may not exchange more cards than the number available in the draw pile.
- When the draw pile is used up, the discard pile is shuffled and set out as the new draw pile.
- If a player holds the mummy, he may now pass it on (see "Passing On the Mummy").
B) Playing Pyramid Cards and Possibly Completing an Adventure
A player must:
- play an equipment card, or
- play a special card, or
- play a special card and then immediately an equipment card,
and may then:
- complete an adventure,
- pass on the mummy.
Playing an Equipment Card
The equipment cards are needed to complete the adventures on the cards. First, it is important to understand the purpose of the depot. This card shows 4 equipment items. The arrow on the King's Chamber indicates which item a player may play at the moment. At the start of the game the arrow points to the ladders, so only equipment cards showing a ladder may be played. During the game, in certain situations, the players may turn the depot so that the arrow points to another equipment item of their choice (for example, the rope). Then, until the next change, only equipment cards showing a rope may be played.
- The player may play exactly one equipment card that the arrow on the depot points to.
- The players lay the played equipment cards face up in front of them and thereby build their own showcase. It is quite possible for different kinds of equipment cards to lie in one's own showcase at the same time.
Playing Special Cards
A player may play one special card (even when he has no equipment card yet in his showcase), with the following effects:
- Magic Power: With it, the depot may be turned so that the arrow points to an equipment item of the player's choice. Afterwards, the Magic Power card is placed on the discard pile.
- Mummy: The mummy is placed in the showcase of a random fellow player, and this makes completing an adventure more difficult for that player. The mummy remains in the game until the end and moves from player to player.
- Curse: When this card is played, all other players must remove one random equipment or protection card from their showcase and place it on the discard pile. The Curse is also placed on the discard pile.
- Protection: The player places this card in his showcase and thereby protects himself against a fellow player's curse. When another player plays the Curse, the player may decide whether to remove his protection card or an equipment card from the showcase. A player may have several protection cards in his showcase.
- Scarab Amulet: The player who plays the Scarab may place, in this round, any number (instead of only one) of the currently indicated equipment cards (watch the arrow!) into his showcase. Afterwards, the Scarab is placed on the discard pile.
Completing an Adventure
- The adventure next to which the archaeologist stands is completed when the sum of the equipment items in the player's own showcase reaches, or exceeds, the value of this adventure card.
- When the mummy lies in a player's showcase, he needs at least 3 points more to complete the adventure.
- All cards from the player's own showcase are placed on the discard pile.
- The player moves his archaeologist on to the next adventure, to complete that one.
- Example: Adventure card with value 9. Anne has in her showcase a pickaxe 5, a rope 3, a rope 2 and the special card "Protection". With these she has completed the adventure, moves her archaeologist next to the following adventure card, and places all cards from her showcase on the discard pile.
- When the player can complete the adventure with exactly the stated value (watch the +3 with a mummy), he may turn the depot, thereby indicating a new equipment item, and he is again on turn. He may now again choose between the two options: "A) Drawing pyramid cards" and "B) Playing pyramid cards and possibly completing an adventure".
- A player may complete only one adventure per turn!
- Exception: When the player reaches the value exactly, he gets an extra turn and may thereby possibly complete a further adventure.
The King's Chamber
Whoever stands next to the King's Chamber must still complete this adventure to win. Two special rules therefore apply here:
- This adventure can only be completed when the sum of the equipment cards is exactly equal to the value of the King's Chamber.
- Whoever stands next to the King's Chamber and holds the mummy must have exactly the value of the King's Chamber +3 in his showcase to complete the adventure.
Passing On the Mummy
There are two ways to pass on the mummy:
- When the holder of the mummy has completed an adventure (the sum in the showcase must be at least 3 more), he passes it on to a fellow player of his choice, who must now lay it in front of himself.
- When at least one fellow player has reached the space next to the King's Chamber, the holder of the mummy may, on his turn, remove equipment cards with a total value of at least 3 from his showcase and place them on the discard pile. He may then pass the mummy on to a fellow player who stands next to the King's Chamber.
End of the Game
The game ends as soon as a player has completed the adventure of the King's Chamber. He places his archaeologist on the King's Chamber and is the winner.
Advanced Variant
The game is played according to the basic rules, with the following changes:
- An adventure is also completed when a player has no cards left in hand. He automatically moves on to the next adventure and takes 5 cards from the draw pile into hand. All cards from his own showcase are placed on the discard pile, and the next player takes his turn.
- When a player plays his last card from hand and thereby reaches the value of the adventure exactly, he advances to the next adventure. He takes 5 cards from the draw pile and is on turn once more.
- In the King's Chamber, the adventure can only be completed with the exact sum (mummy +3). When a player plays all his cards from hand here, he takes 5 cards from the draw pile into hand. His showcase remains in place, however, and he must still complete the adventure.
- Curse: whoever plays this card may (if he wishes) also remove a random card from his own showcase, in order to reach the exact sum in his showcase with suitable cards from hand. The mummy may not be removed, however.
Variant for Multi-Game Play
A game does not end here until the round in which the first player entered the King's Chamber has been played out completely. To determine an overall winner after several games, minus points are recorded after the end of each game. The players who entered the King's Chamber receive 0 minus points. All others receive, as minus points, the sum of all their uncompleted adventures minus the value of their showcase.
- Example: A player stands next to the King's Chamber, 12, and has equipment items with a combined value of 3 in his showcase. 9 minus points are recorded for him: 12 - 3 = 9.
- Another player stands next to the second-to-last adventure card, which shows 10; he has no equipment cards in his showcase and also holds the mummy. 25 minus points are recorded for him: 12 + 10 + 3 = 25.
Translator's note: the rule text above does not mention the mummy, but the second example adds 3 to the total for the player holding the mummy. The example is transcribed as printed; the +3 is read as the mummy's penalty, the same +3 that applies to completing adventures with the mummy.