Kemet FAQ
394 questions players ask · Updated Nov 7, 2026 · Full rulebook
Game Setup
- Does Kemet start with a Night phase or straight into the Day phase?
- How many Prayer Points and DI cards does each player have at the start of the first Day phase?
- Is turn order reset in the first Night phase, after players place their starting pyramids?
- What do the 3 points allocated to pyramids at setup mean?
- What is a level 0 pyramid and where does it go?
- How many units do you start with and where do they go?
- Can starting units be placed in a district with no pyramid?
- Can you recruit units into a district that has no pyramid of yours?
- Is there a limit on how many units a player can have?
- Which pyramids does each player use?
- Is there a Sanctuary of All Gods on the 2 and 4 player side of the board?
- What are the turn order boxes at the top of the board for?
- How is a starting city chosen, and are 2-player cities fair?
- Do players get a matching set of six Battle cards in their own colour?
Explanation of a Cycle and the Night Phase
- Who sets the turn order for the next round?
- If players tie for the fewest VP, who sets the turn order?
- What are the square tokens in each player colour for?
- How many Prayer Points do players get in the Night phase?
- What if the DI draw pile and discard are both empty at night?
- If a blue power tile lets me recruit at night into an occupied space, is a battle fought?
- What happens to the four cards I do not choose with Vision, and does it stack with Mummy or Divine Boon?
- Does the Night-phase pyramid upgrade (white power) cost Prayer Points?
- Does Veto cancel Mana Theft for all players in a 5-player game?
- How do the Reinforcements units work at night?
- What does the Mummy power tile do?
- Does a level 2 pyramid give a temporary VP in the beginner game?
Controlling Temples and Pyramids
- What does it take to control a temple and keep its temporary VP?
- If I sacrifice my last unit on the Delta temple, do I still keep its VP?
- Do I have to sacrifice a unit on the Delta temple to get its temporary VP?
- Do I control my own pyramid when no unit is on it?
- Do I need a unit on an opponent's pyramid to keep controlling it?
- Can I buy power tiles from my own pyramid while an enemy controls it?
- If an opponent captures my pyramid, do I lose power tiles I bought from it?
- Can I teleport from, or recruit into, an enemy pyramid I control?
- Do I need units in my city to keep my level 4 pyramid's temporary VP?
- Who gets the temporary VP when an opponent takes my level 4 pyramid or a temple?
- Where can the loser retreat after a battle at the Delta Temple?
Prayer and Permanent Victory Points
- In what order are Prayer Points and permanent VP given out after the Day phase?
- When is the permanent VP for controlling two temples awarded?
- Are temple Prayer Points given during the Night phase or after the Day phase?
- Do the 2 Sanctuary units come from the Sanctuary itself, and does it give more than one VP?
- Can I sacrifice my last two units in the Sanctuary and still get the VP?
- Is there a cap on how many VP I can earn from the Sanctuary?
- Do I gain Prayer Points when sacrificing units at the Delta temple or Sanctuary beyond the stated rewards?
- What do the numbers on temples and the minus sign on the Delta Temple mean?
- Is there a limit on Prayer Points?
- Is a victory point power tile worth a point once or each day?
- What is the difference between temporary and permanent VP?
The End of the Game
General
Components: Units, Board and Spaces
- Are power tiles the same thing as power cards?
- Why do I have 12 units when only 10 start in my city, and can I ever have more than 12?
- Can Enlistment or Reinforcements push a troop above 5 units?
- Is the field around a temple a separate space from the temple itself, and does entering from a green space cost two moves?
- Is the board unfair because some temples are hard to reach, or is the layout a misprint?
- Can I stop beside a city wall with one action and enter the city with a second action in the same turn?
- What if the VP tokens run out?
- Is the Sanctuary of All Gods the neutral space on the 3- and 5-player boards?
Pyramids and Their Control
- Do I still control my own pyramid when my district is empty, and how do I control an opponent's?
- Does a level 4 pyramid give a temporary victory point, and who holds it when it is captured?
- What do I lose and keep when an opponent takes my pyramid?
- What does controlling an opponent's pyramid let me do?
- Can I recruit into a home district occupied by an enemy troop?
- If I take an opponent's pyramid, do I gain their creatures or power tiles?
Power Tiles: Ownership and Rules
- Can I own two identical power tiles, such as two Victory Point or two Act of God tiles?
- Can I own more than one Victory Point power tile, or a VP tile and the Sphinx?
- Does a Victory Point power tile give its point once or every turn?
- Can I decline to use a power tile such as Initiative?
- Do I pay a power tile's cost each time I use its power?
- Do bonuses from different power tiles stack?
- If a tile makes buying a power tile cost 0 prayer points, is it still an action?
- How do Offensive and Defensive Strategy tiles work with my Battle cards?
- Can I own a blue and a red tile with similar abilities?
Power Tiles: Individual Powers
- Does Protection or the Escape DI card stop Initiative?
- What happens when Initiative targets a troop of two or fewer units?
- Does Initiative work when its owner is defending, and does it trigger Crusade?
- Is Initiative the same as the Raining Fire DI card?
- Can I score with Defensive Victory if none of my units survive?
- Can Divine Wound discard a DI card I just played with my Battle card for +1 strength?
- Does Prescience show me my opponent's DI cards?
- How does Vision work, and does it stack with Mummy or Divine Boon?
- Does Priest of Ra let me buy a power tile for free?
- Does Priest of Ra save a prayer point per level raised or per unit recruited?
- Does Priest of Ra stack with Priestess and Slaves, and does it discount DI cards, battle costs and teleports?
- Can I use both Act of God and Divine Will tokens in the same turn, and how often does Divine Will's token refresh?
- Who picks the unit that dies to Raining Fire?
- Can the two units from Enlistment go to different spaces?
- Are the bonus units from the Recruiting power tile free?
- Does Open Gates ignore more than one wall, and can Hand of God raise a pyramid for free?
- Does God Speed's +1 movement stack with a creature's movement bonus?
- If the Ta-Seti Priest dies with its unit, is it out of the game?
Divine Intervention Cards
- Can I play Veto against a DI card used in battle?
- When can I play a Veto card?
- Can Escape move my troop to the space the attacker came from?
- How does the Teleportation DI card work and what does it cost?
- If Veto cancels my Teleportation card, is my whole move lost?
- Can the Obelisk DI card be played on another player's turn?
Creatures: Placement and Returning
- Under v1.5, must I use a Recruit action to place a creature?
- Under the original rules, when does a creature in reserve come back, and can I wait?
- Under v1.5, when can I place or swap a creature?
- Can a creature from my reserve join the troop I recruit into a besieged district?
- Where does a creature go when its last unit is destroyed, recalled or sacrificed?
- Can I have more than one creature on the same space or in the same city?
- Does it cost prayer points to put a creature back on the board?
- Can a creature teleport or move alone, or be left behind?
- Can Reinforcements, Enlistment or Enforced Recruitment add a creature to a troop?
- In simultaneous battles in the same city, can the creature fight in the second one?
Creatures: Troops and Movement
Creatures: Abilities and Battle
- Does the Mummy's extra DI card still work when the Mummy is off the board?
- What exactly does the Deep Desert Snake cancel?
- Can I drop off units mid-move with the Phoenix, and does it need to bypass walls inside a city?
- If an opponent's troop with Khnum's Sphinx holds my district, do I pay 2 power to recruit there?
Day phase: turn flow and action tokens
- How does the Day phase work: who acts when, and when are action tokens removed?
- Must I place a token on each of the first three levels of my action pyramid?
- Can I place a token and then do nothing with it, such as moving zero spaces or recruiting zero units?
- What happens if I have no prayer points or Ankh left during the Day phase?
- Do I have to carry out the action after placing an action token?
- Can I keep the Act of God or Divine Will extra token for the end of my turn?
- What is the golden space at the top of my pyramid, and what does the golden token give me?
- Can the golden or silver token repeat an action I already used this turn?
- How many silver and gold action tokens can I have, and how many actions can a turn have?
- Do I commit to both actions when I place a silver or gold token, and in what order do they resolve?
- Can I move or fight twice with one troop using a silver or gold token plus a regular token?
- Can I play my second action before a battle caused by the first has been resolved?
- Can I use the silver or gold token of a power tile I buy this same turn?
Day phase: silver and gold action tokens
- What is the difference between the silver and gold action tokens, and where do they go?
- Can the gold token give me a second action of the same type, such as two Recruits?
- Does a silver token on a pyramid level count toward the three required levels?
- Do I place silver and gold tokens at the same time as my regular token, or can I add them later?
- Do I have to resolve my regular action before the gold or silver one?
- Can I use Act of God and Divine Will together for three actions in one turn?
- Can an extra Act of God token be used to repeat the same action?
- Can I use the silver or gold token in the turn I buy the tile?
- Can I start two battles in the same turn?
Day phase: raising a pyramid
- Can I place a new pyramid and raise it several levels in one action?
- Can I raise a pyramid that belongs to an opponent?
- Can I raise my own pyramid while an enemy troop controls it?
- Does the Slaves tile reduce the cost of each level when I raise a pyramid several levels?
- What exactly does Priest of Ra save, and does it affect Divine Intervention cards?
- Does Priest of Ra save 1 Prayer Point per level when I raise a pyramid several levels?
- With a Slave, can I raise a pyramid from level 0 to level 4 for 6 Prayer Points?
- Does Priest of Ra give a discount on each teleport in a Move action?
- Does Priest of Ra make Divine Intervention cards cheaper?
- How many power tiles can I buy in one Day phase, and can I buy two of the same colour?
- Can I buy power tiles using a pyramid I control but do not own?
- Does the Victory Point power tile give 1 VP once or every day?
- Can I score more than 3 VP from level 4 pyramids of the same colour?
- Can I raise a pyramid that belongs to an opponent but that I control?
Day phase: praying, recruiting and power tiles
- Do I have to spend the prayer points from Pray right away?
- Can I recruit into a city district that has no pyramid, or that an enemy troop is holding?
- With the Recruiting Scribe, can I recruit zero units and still get the two extra?
- When I buy Offensive or Defensive Strategy, do I take back all my battle cards?
- Can I recruit into my city district while an enemy troop is in it?
- Can I recruit into any space where I already have troops?
- Does Recruiting Scribe work if I spend 0 Prayer Points on Recruit, and how many units do I get?
- Can Reinforcement or Enlistment add units outside my city?
Day phase: movement
- After a fight, can the same troop keep moving?
- Can one Move action move more than one troop?
- Can I drop units off at spaces I pass, including in rival districts or on temples?
- Can a troop pass through a space holding a full army, or a second creature?
- Does a +2 movement bonus mean 2 spaces or 3?
- Does moving cost prayer points?
- Can a troop pick up units in the city and then use the Deep Desert Snake bonus to attack outside it?
- Can I leave units behind and pick up others during one Move action?
- Does starting a battle end my troop's movement?
- Does moving between two districts of the same city cost a movement point?
- How does God Speed affect my troops?
- Can a troop use a movement bonus from a creature it merges with during the same move?
- Can a troop pass through a friendly troop or exceed five units while moving?
- Can I move on the ground first and then teleport in the same Move action?
- How does crossing a harbour work?
- Does moving into a temple cost a movement point?
- Can I reach the Delta Temple by land?
- Must a Move action include both a land move and a teleport?
- How can troops leave the two northern islands?
Day phase: teleportation
- Can I teleport from a city space whose pyramid is still level 0?
- Can I mix walking, harbor crossings and teleports in one Move action?
- Can I teleport onto an obelisk or temple that an opponent occupies?
- Do I pay prayer points when teleporting with the red Teleport tile, or from an obelisk, and where can I land?
- Does teleporting cost movement, and do I need a Move action to teleport?
- Can I teleport from an obelisk to a pyramid, or from an obelisk to another obelisk?
- Can I split a troop between two obelisks or temples when teleporting?
- How many times can a troop teleport in one Move action?
- What does the Teleportation DI card do, and does it add the 2 PP pyramid cost?
- Can I teleport from a pyramid I control but do not own?
Day phase: walls and entering cities
- Can I move into an enemy city in one turn from two spaces away?
- Can I enter an enemy city in one turn with a second Move from Divine Will or Act of God?
- Can I walk to an opponent's wall and enter his city in the same Move action?
- Do city walls stop me when entering my own city?
- Do the walls between districts of an enemy city stop my movement once inside?
Day phase: Divine Intervention cards
- When can I play Enlistment, and does it cost prayer points or a Recruit action?
- Can Enlistment be played with fewer free units than the card adds, and can it start a battle?
- How does the Teleportation DI card work: cost, timing and stacking?
- Does the Transfer DI card give an extra teleport, or only the Portal of Thoth?
- After the defender plays Escape, can the attacker keep moving?
- When can I play Raining Fire?
- Can a Day-phase DI card be played after my action or after a battle in the same turn?
- How does Mana Duplication work, and when can it be played?
- Can an opponent Veto a DI card I play during my own movement?
Kemet: Ta-SetiExpansion
- Can the Twin Ceremony golden token repeat a Buy action I already used?
- Which level is the hexagonal Priest on the Path to Ta-Seti?
- How does the Rebirth skill work when troops are killed?
- How are the Ta-Seti skill tiles split at setup?
- Can players build the fourth pyramid colour in Ta-Seti?
- How many Priests does each player get in Ta-Seti?
- Does Ta-Seti change the turn order so the last player is less dominant?
- What is the tiebreaker order at the end of a Ta-Seti game?
- Can you gain more than one VP from reaching Ta-Seti?
- When a Priest replaces a soldier, where does the soldier go?
- Does a Priest on the Path to Ta-Seti have to stop at a crossroads?
- Does the second Path to Ta-Seti tile give a movement token, and do you stop on it?
- How many victory tokens sit at the end of the Path to Ta-Seti?
- Does the plus symbol on the Path to Ta-Seti cost a Prayer Point?
- When a Priest goes back to the start of the Ta-Seti path, must it come from your reserve?
- Can a Priest recruit a second Priest straight onto the board?
- Must you move a troop on the main board when you move a Priest on the path?
- What happens to a Ta-Seti temporary bonus token after my action, if I did not use it?
- Are used Ta-Seti object tokens removed from the game?
- When does a Priest pick up an object placed where it already stands?
- How does the Double-Edged Dagger work, and do you need surviving units?
- How does the Twin Ceremony golden token work?
- Can a gold Dark Ritual token be used for the power tile's action instead of the top-row action?
- Does a silver action token activate a Priest?
- Where do I put my action token to buy a power tile of a colour the black Buy tile is covering?
- Can you activate a level 1 Priest with zero Prayer Points?
- Can you own a Priest skill and a power tile with the same effect, and do both apply?
- How does Divine Might combine with ankh from temples?
- How much does Divine Strength add when praying with a Priest?
- When is the Piety tile's VP awarded?
- Does Honor in Battle give prayer points for units you destroy yourself?
- Does the Devourer's extra VP work when you win as the defender?
- Does the Devourer's extra VP work if you win but gain no battle VP, for instance with no units left?
- Do Initiative kills or a battle card's own sacrifice count for the Devourer?
- Is a troop escorted by the Devourer immune to Initiative?
- Does Raining Fire played in battle count for the Devourer?
- Do you need to win and keep units alive for the Battle Vulture, and do self-inflicted losses count?
- Does a Deep Desert Snake attacker still pay for Khnum's Sphinx?
- Does Khnum's Sphinx charge when you recruit into its space or when the defender plays Escape?
- Do you pay the Khnum's Sphinx toll when moving in with Initiative?
- Can you enter Khnum's Sphinx's space with 1 PP while holding Dedication to Battle?
- Can Enforced Recruitment recruit into an opponent's city where you have a troop?
- Can Enforced Recruitment or a DI card put a creature into a troop on the map?
- How do Mercenaries work: placement, recruitment, standing alone and troop size?
- When an effect destroys a unit, who chooses which one?
- Under Deadly Trap, must the destroyed unit come from the moving troop?
- Can Divine Seal or Divine Mask cancel a monster?
- If an opponent plays Mask, can you still use DI cards in that battle?
- Can the Ta-Seti +5 strength battle card be played without sacrificing units?
- When do the Ta-Seti +5 strength card's unit losses happen relative to other end-of-battle effects?
- Can the Ta-Seti Reinforcements card be played in battle, and where do its troops go?
- Where is a DI card such as Glory placed in battle?
- Can both players gain a Dawn token in one battle, and what if you lose and lose all units?
- When are Dawn tokens spent?
- When does a player win after reaching the target VP with Ta-Seti sudden death?
- If the game reaches its last Day phase or a leader is ransacked, does the game still end on time?
Battle: Battle Cards and Divine Intervention
- How do I choose battle cards at the start of a battle?
- Are discarded battle cards placed face up or face down?
- When do I choose Divine Intervention cards in a battle, and are they hidden?
- Do I have to announce how many DI cards I hold or play in a battle?
- When I take my battle cards back, do my discarded DI cards come back too?
- Can a Day DI card be played in a battle that happens at night?
- Must I pay the Prayer Point cost of a DI card I play in battle?
- Which DI cards can I discard for Divine Wound's +1 Strength?
- Does Carnage add +1 damage per unit or once per troop?
- How does the Ta-Seti Strength 5 battle card (lose two units) work?
- Is the protection total in the rulebook's battle example wrong?
- Who chooses which units die, and can creatures or monsters be destroyed?
- Are units killed in battle gone for good?
- Do the walls inside a city give any combat bonus?
Battle: Initiative and Prescience
- How does Prescience work: when do I see the opponent's card?
- Can I play Escape after seeing the opponent's card with Prescience?
- In what order do Prescience and Tactical Choice resolve?
- If Initiative kills every defender, is there a battle or a battle VP?
- Does Protection stop the casualties from Initiative?
- Is Initiative optional, and does it work when I defend?
- Does Initiative work if the defender plays Escape?
- Do Initiative kills count for Crusade's Prayer Points?
- If I move through several enemy troops in one move, does Initiative apply to each?
- After Initiative wipes out the defenders, can I keep moving?
- Who chooses which units Initiative destroys?
- Does Initiative trigger when I recruit into an enemy-held district?
- Which effects deal damage outside of combat?
Battle: Escape and Veto
Battle: Winning, Casualties and Victory Points
- Who wins a tied battle?
- Do I get the battle VP if I win but none of my units survive?
- If I lose as attacker but kill every defender, do I get the VP?
- Which VP does a defender get with the Defensive Victory tile?
- If I win and then recall my troop, do I keep the battle VP?
- Is the Defensive Strategy tile's battle card swap permanent?
- Can I use Enlistment to replace units I lose, and do I still get the VP?
- If both sides are wiped out in a battle in a city, who keeps the district?
Battle: Retreat and Recall
- After a battle, who decides first on recall or retreat?
- If the winner has no units left, can the loser stay instead of retreating?
- Who picks where the loser retreats, and what if no space is free?
- Can a retreat go to a space where I already have troops?
- Can a defeated troop be retreated into an opponent's empty city, past its walls?
- Can a defeated troop be retreated into a temple, or onto the empty space beside the Sanctuary?
- When can I recall troops, and can I recall only some units?
- Does recalling cost Prayer Points, and where do recalled units go?
Kemet: SethExpansion
- Can the alliance buy Seth's purple power tiles in Kemet: Seth?
- What changed for the alliance in Kemet: Seth version 1.5?
- When exactly does the alliance win by taking a district of Seth's city, and can Seth retake it?
- Does Seth get battle VP when Strength Five destroys his own remaining units?
- Is a corrupted creature killed in combat, and does Seth score if it wins?
- How does the Enlistment DI card work in Kemet: Seth?
- What does the DI card "May my energy bring you strength" require?
- If only one ally controls a pyramid, can all allies use it?
- What can Seth buy with the purple Night Purchase tile?
- Can Seth split, combine or just move a troop he has corrupted?
- Can a corrupted creature attack a troop inside a city, e.g. with Open Gates?
- Which side of the board do you use in Kemet: Seth, and is Seth counted?
- Which Divine Intervention cards are used in Kemet: Seth?
- Do you need Ta-Seti to play Kemet: Seth, and which parts can you use?
- Can Seth's purple tiles and DI cards be used in standard Kemet or free-for-all?
- Can you add the C3K creatures to Kemet: Seth?
- What changes when the alliance has more or fewer players?
- If two allies have the same starting power, do the effects stack?
- Can Furious Invasion move two troops into the same space?
- Can Seth corrupt the same creature twice?
- When a corrupted creature attacks, does Seth benefit from his own tiles and battle cards?
- Does the Desert Snake negate corrupted creatures, and can Seth attack a Snake troop?
- Can the alliance recall its troop between a corrupted Scarab's two attacks?
- Which power tiles and creature bonuses help a corrupted troop?
- Can Seth buy the alliance-only power tiles?
- How are alliance power tiles set up, bought and used?
- How does a token played for alliance support work?
- Where can the Osiris creature go and what happens when its troop dies?
- Can you still buy tiles with your pyramid when an ally is alone on it?
- When can the Great Ceremony be performed?
- Can allies discuss DI cards in their hands?
- How often can the grey action token be played?
- Do mixed troops get each member's battle power tiles?
- When Seth has several actions in a row on the day track, must he declare them all in advance?
- Does a Reinforcement battle card in a creature attack make a new troop?
- Can the blue Reinforcements tile add units to a troop that has none of your units?
- How does the Units Corruption tile work for Seth?
- What does Units Corruption take when an alliance member buys it?
- Which applies first, Prescience or Ambush?
- Does Osiris add combat powers or creature powers?
- Does a Desert Snake elsewhere affect a troop carrying Osiris?
- Does Deadly Trap affect a corrupted mixed troop?
- Which effects give Seth combat VP?
- Can a corrupted troop attack Seth's own troop, and does Seth score?
- Can several Seth DI cards be played in one battle?
- Do allied walls block corrupted or alliance troops?
- Does Servile Corruption work with a corrupted Khnum's Sphinx?
- Can prayer points from Warlike Food pay for DI cards in the same battle?
- Does the Eclipse give a full Night phase?
- How big can troops be in Kemet: Seth, and can capacity be exceeded?
- Does a stolen DI card still apply in the battle?
- How many sacred temple levels can be built per turn, and where must the sacrificed units be?
- Where does the temple power token from the Great Ceremony go?
- When does a temple pay PP and VP?
- Do you need control of a sacred temple's space, and must you sacrifice for its prayer token?
- Can Seth buy a tile using an alliance pyramid he controls, and what does it cost?
- Do To Defeat and May My Energy Bring You Strength need action tokens?
- Whose hand does Seth's Mummy take the DI card from?
- How does Unite Our Forces work?
- Can troops teleport from other pyramids, or Seth's?
- Does the game start with a Night phase?
- Can a pushed troop return to reserve after a corrupted elephant win?
- How do Kill Them All, Giant Crocodile and Invasion work?
- How does Spontaneous Ceremony work with sacrifice temples?
- Can the alliance mix recruitment options?
- In what order do Divine Wound and Ambush resolve?
- Do creatures picked up mid-move add movement?
- How does the Briber tile work?
- Does Vision for the Future cover extra DI cards, and can it be shared?
- Do you still pay for a DI card cancelled by Magic Canceling?
C3K: Creatures Crossover Cyclades/KemetExpansion
- Does a C3K creature card stay with you while the creature lives?
- Can Charon bring back a dead Egyptian creature?
- What does the Deep Desert Snake cancel in the C3K crossover?
- Does Chiron protect his island from Egyptian reinforcement attacks?
- What does the Phoenix return, and does it add to the Necropolis?
- Can several Kemet creatures combine into one special attack in Cyclades, and how often can you use one?
- How does Cerberus work: placement and troop removal?
- Can the Egyptian Sphinx teleport and then still move?
- Does Medusa only work in battles involving her own troop?
- Can the Snake's special move cross a sea and then a boat, or be used to retreat?
- Can you buy mythological creature cards when taking the Apollon god?