Kemet Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Goal of the Game
• Elements of the Game
  • Contents
  • The Board
  • Pyramids
  • Troops
  • Prayer Points
  • Victory Points
  • Divine Intervention Cards
  • Power Tiles
• Game Setup
• Explanation of a Cycle
• A - Night Phase
  • 1. Distribution of the Prayer Points
  • 2. Distribution of the DI Cards
  • 3. Resolving Power Effects
  • 4. Determining the Turn Order
• B - Day Phase (Action Phase)
  • Description of the Available Actions
    • 1. Pray
    • 2. Raising a Pyramid
    • 3. Buy a Power Tile
    • 4. Recruit
    • 5. Move / Attack
  • Walls
  • Attack!
• Battle Progress
  • Determining the Winner
  • Counting the Casualties
  • Victory Points
  • Retreat
  • Recall a Troop
• Creatures
• Controlling Temples
• Prayer and Permanent Victory Points Attribution
• The End of the Game
• Tactical Advices
  • Attack!
  • Nile's Delta
  • Protect your City?
  • Recalling Units
• FAQ
  • Movements
  • Red Powers
  • Blue Powers
  • White Powers
  • Divine Intervention
  • Miscellaneous
• Credits

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

Contents

• 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

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 isn't accessible for the whole game.

The board is divided between desert spaces and special spaces: player's cities, temples and the Sanctuary of All Gods. Furthermore, the harbors and obelisks, printed on some spaces, affect movements.

Players' Cities: Each player possesses 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 Walls).

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.

Obelisks: All of the temples, the Sanctuary of All Gods and some desert spaces contain an obelisk.

Harbors: Harbors allow the crossing of the Nile; they don't 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 Buy a Power Tile).

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.

A level 0 pyramid isn't placed on the board. It stays in the player's reserve until it evolves to level 1 or more.

Troops

Each figurine represents a unit.

All the players' units in one space form a troop.

Important! One troop can't 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 Prayer Points, even with Power Tiles.

Victory Points

Several objectives and events allow players to gain Victory Points:

• Square Victory Points are permanent and can't 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:

• By attacking and winning battles.
• By gaining a Victory Point Power Tile.
• By controlling the Sphinx.
• By controlling two temples at the end of a Day phase.
• By sacrificing 2 units in the Sanctuary of All Gods.

How to win temporary VP:

• By raising a pyramid to level 4, or controlling an opponent's one.
• By controlling temples.

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

Divine Intervention Cards

There are 35 of them. The rules refer to them as DI cards.

Power Tiles

The Powers significantly change each player's 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.

Game Setup

• The board is placed in the center of the table. The side is chosen depending on the number of players (see The Board). Reminder: For 2 and 3 players, the eastern bank isn't accessible.
• All the Power tiles are placed face up next to the board.
• The Temples' temporary VP are placed on them.
• The Sanctuary of All Gods permanent VP are placed on it.
• The other VP are placed next to the board.

Each player chooses a city and receives:

• An individual board.
• 5 Action tokens.
• 1 Prayer Point 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 player's reserve).

Each player receives a random DI card. The other DI cards are placed next to the 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.

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: 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.

A - Night Phase

1. Distribution of the Prayer Points

Each player receives 2 Prayer Points (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. There's no limit to the number of DI cards a player can have in his hand.

Playing a DI card doesn't 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 Prayer Point).
• 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 Prayer Point when used.)
• Card effect (refer to the card index)
• Phase to play the card: In Day Phase, in the player's turn except in a battle. / In an opponent's turn, except in a battle. / In a battle in which you are involved.

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 one of his pyramids by 1 level without any cost.

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)

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.

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 pyramid's top is only used for the Divine Will Power (golden chip).

Description of the Available Actions

1. Pray

Gain two Prayer Points 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 Prayer Point 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 Prayer Points (see Move / Attack).
• 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 opponent's pyramid with a troop gets all its benefits (even the temporary VP if it's 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 Prayer Points. Example: To raise a pyramid from level 1 to level 3, it will cost 5 Prayer Points (2 for level 1 to 2, 3 for level 2 to 3).

Reminder: A level 0 pyramid isn't placed on the board. When it becomes level 1 or more, it's immediately placed in a free district of the player's 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 Prayer Points.

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 card's level, its color (white, red or blue) and its cost (1 to 4 Prayer Points)
• Color reminder
• Card effect (see Card index)
• Phase where the power is active: Day phase / Night phase / Battle Phase

Reminder: Control of an opponent's Pyramid allows a player to buy Power tiles from that pyramid's color and level.

4. Recruit

Spend X Prayer Points to immediately recruit X units.

These units are taken from the reserve and are placed in one, two or three districts in the player's city.

If a player is controlling an opponent's district:

• The controlling player can't 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.

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 doesn't 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 player's 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 opponent's one) to an obelisk space.

• The player must pay 2 Prayer Points.
• Teleporting doesn't consume any movement capacity.

Within the limits of its movement capacity and resources, the troop can alternate Pyramid teleportation, ground transportation, and Harbor crossing in the same Movement, without any restriction.

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 Prayer Points and teleports her troop directly to the temple.

B- Not using teleportation: Claire's troop will need a movement capacity of 3. This movement capacity can be reached if Claire has the God Speed Power tile, and the Deep Desert Snake with this troop. Claire would then save 2 Prayer Points to reach the same place.

Walls

Players' cities are surrounded by walls. It is only possible to enter another player's city if the troop begins its movement from a space adjacent to the city wall. (That is to say: it isn't possible to move to and enter an opponent's city in the same turn). The walls of a player's city have no effect on that player.

Walls exception: The Open Gates ability cancels this restriction.

Attack!

Whenever you move, if you pass through or reach a space occupied by an opponent's troop, a battle must be resolved and the movement ends.

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 Prayer Points 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

Example: Jacques moves his troop to the temple occupied by Guillaume's 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 doesn't 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:
• Jacques' Strength: 10 (7+3 from card)
• Guillaume's Strength: 9 (5+2 from card+2 from his DI cards. He has to pay 1 Prayer Point for the DI card).

Jacques is the winner.

Damages: Jacques inflicts 2 damage to Guillaume, but he possessed 3 Protection (his card and the Elephant). Guillaume doesn't lose any units, but won't 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 Prayer Points 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.

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.

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 doesn't win any Battle VP. The defender doesn't win any VP, even if he wins the Battle.

Retreat

The defeated player must decide between recalling his troop (see below), or retreating. If he decides to retreat, the battle's winner has to choose the adjacent space, free of any units, to where the opponent's troop will be repelled. If there is no adjacent space with no units on it, then retreat isn't possible.

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 Prayer Point for every unit recalled. These units are put back in the player's 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 advantages 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 doesn't count as a unit, therefore:

• It doesn't 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 is 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 player's 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 of a Creature Card:

• Level: shows the card level, its color (white, red or blue) and its cost (1 to 4 Prayer Points)
• Creature's 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 Prayer Points.
• Players controlling the other temples receive 2 or 3 Prayer Points. 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.

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.

Tactical Advices

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 you've 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.

Nile's 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.

Protect your City?

An opponent hasn't much interest in coming to invade your city in the early stages of a game. It does not give 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.

FAQ

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 player's reserve until the next recruitment.

Red Powers

Q: Divine wound: Can I discard one of the DI cards that I've played with my Battle card to win +1 Strength? A: No

Blue Powers

Q: Deep Desert Snake: Does the Deep Desert Snake cancel all the opponent's creature abilities engaged in battle? A: Yes. If your troop, accompanied by the snake fights with a troop with another creature, it's as if this other creature doesn't participate in the battle.

Q: Prescience: Does my opponent have to show me the DI cards he wants to play in battle? A: No. Prescience only allows you to know the Battle card of your opponent, not any DI cards.

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.

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 aren't chosen among the 5.

Q: Vision: What should we do with the player's 4 rejected cards? A: We put them back on the draw pile and it gets reshuffled.

Q: Priest of Ra: Does he allow to get free powers? A: Yes. It's the same with the Priestress.

Q: Priest of Ra: If I raise one of my pyramids by several levels, can I save 1 Prayer Point per level? A: No, the 1 Prayer Point saving is for the action. So for the Raising Pyramid action, you will only save 1 Prayer Point per action.

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: It's 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.

Questions, notes, suggestions? Find the updated FAQ on matagot.com! For any other request, don't hesitate to contact us by email at [email protected]

Credits

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 haven't forgotten anyone, it wouldn't be surprising, as this work was lengthy ...

Jacques and Guillaume

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