Valley of the Kings: Premium Edition Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• Goal
• Components
• Artifact Cards
• Setup
  • 1. Select the Card Set
  • 2. Set Up Players
  • 3. Set Up Starter Cards
  • 4. Set Up Draw Decks
  • 5. Set Up Stock
  • 6. Set Up Pyramid
  • 7. Set Up Boneyard
  • 8. Determine Starting Player
• Card Levels
• Example Game
• How to Play
  • Crumbling Pyramid
  • Crumbling Example
  • Taking a Turn
    • 1. Play Cards
    • 2. Discard
    • 3. Rebuild Pyramid
    • 4. Draw New Hand
• Buying Cards
  • Buying Example
• Executing Actions
• Entombing Cards
• End of Game
• Scoring
  • Scoring Example
• Glossary
• Rule Clarifications
• Set Lists
  • Base Game
  • Afterlife
  • Last Rites

Game Overview

Players are Egyptian nobles at the time of the pharaohs, preparing for their death and burial in the Valley of the Kings. In the Egyptian religion, when you die you can take it with you. Egyptians therefore stocked their tombs with food, canopic jars (for storing their organs), weapons, works of art, and jewelry. They hired architects, engineers, and masons to build their tombs. These artifacts and individuals are shown on the cards of the game. You earn victory points for the cards that you store in your tomb, and the player with the most victory points wins.

You can play with any of the versions of Valley of the Kings (base game, Afterlife, or Last Rites) or you may mix cards from different versions for more variety.

Goal

Fill your tomb with the most valuable items.

Components

Your game should include the following. If it does not, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

• Rulebook (this book)
• 1 Player's Guide
• 294 artifact cards as follows:
  • 60 level I cards (starter cards) from the base game Valley of the Kings
  • 60 level I cards (starter cards) from Valley of the Kings: Last Rites
  • 29 level II cards and 27 level III cards from Valley of the Kings
  • 29 level II cards and 27 level III cards from Valley of the Kings: Afterlife
  • 28 level II cards and 28 level III cards from Valley of the Kings: Last Rites
  • 6 unique cards from this premium edition
• 6 Tomb tiles
• 6 Reference cards
• 10 Pharaoh cards
• 20 Randomizer cards
• 39 Card dividers
• 350 Tarot-sized sleeves
• 1 Starting player token

Artifact Cards

These cards represent the various statues, weapons, artisans, etc. players try to accumulate during the game.

A. Card Title — The name of the card.

B. Gold Value & Card Type — The gold value is used for buying other cards. The scarab in the upper left hand corner also identifies the card type (jade scarab for set cards, and a crystal scarab for starter and unique cards).

C. Cost — The gold cost of the card. Additionally, each type of card set (starter, Weapons, etc.) can be easily recognized by its gem color. The gem's shape indicates which version the cards are from (base game, Afterlife, or Last Rites).

D. Set Name & Color — Each type of card (starter, Weapons, etc.) has its own color so that color sets can be easily recognized. Starter and unique cards have a number in parentheses indicating the number of victory points the card is worth. The color of the gem in the upper right can also be used to identify the set.

E. Action — The action on the card can be executed instead of using the card for its gold value.

F. Historical Text — This text features a story or historical information regarding the subject of the card.

G. Set Icon & Quantity — Each set is represented by a different icon. For color sets, the number of different cards in the set is overlaid on the icon.

H. Level — Levels are used to sort cards into stacks during setup.

Setup

1. Select the Card Set

Select the set of cards to use from one of the three versions of the game (A). The complete list of card sets can be found at the back of this rulebook on page 8. For variety, you may choose to mix cards from more than one version. Refer to the player's guide for suggested setups. Furthermore, you may choose to use the starter cards from the base game or from Last Rites. If you have more than 4 players or choose to use the pharaoh cards, please refer to the player's guide.

2. Set Up Players

Each player takes a tomb tile (B) and a reference card (C) and places them in front of their play area.

3. Set Up Starter Cards

Take all of the level I cards, using either the base game starter cards or the starter cards from Last Rites. Give each player either:

• 4 Shabti
• 3 Urns
• 2 Boxes of Food
• 1 Offering Table

OR

• 4 Menials
• 3 Embalmers
• 2 Kites
• 1 Medjay

When playing with fewer than six players, return any remaining starter cards to the box as they will not be used during this game.

4. Set Up Draw Decks

Each player shuffles their 10 starter cards and places them face down to form their own draw deck (D). Then each player draws 5 cards from their draw deck to form their hand of cards.

5. Set Up Stock

Take all of the level III cards and shuffle them in a face down stack (E). Then shuffle all of the level II cards and place them face down on top of the stack of level III cards. This combined stack forms the stock.

6. Set Up Pyramid

Draw 6 cards from the stock and place them face up starting at the top and moving downward, left to right, to form a pyramid (F).

7. Set Up Boneyard

Draw 1 card from the stock and place it face up next to the stock to form the boneyard (G).

8. Determine Starting Player

Select a starting player at random. Give that player the starting player token. Players are now ready to begin the game!

Card Levels

Each card features a level represented by 1, 2, or 3 cartouches in the lower right hand corner. Cards are sorted by levels during setup.

• Level 1 Card — Starter (1 VP)
• Level 2 Card — for example, Sarcophagi
• Level 3 Card — for example, Books

Example Game

1. Pyramid
2. Boneyard
3. Stock
4. Reference Card
5. Discard Pile
6. Draw Deck
7. Tomb

The player area shown includes the setup/end-of-game reference card, an in-play card (such as Embalmer), the draw deck, and the tomb.

How to Play

The starting player takes the first turn of the game, then play continues clockwise around the table. Players continue taking turns until the end of the game (see "End of Game" on page 6).

Crumbling Pyramid

Whenever a card is removed from the pyramid (unless the card is removed from the top row), the pyramid immediately crumbles. A card from a row above crumbles down to fill the space left by the card that was removed. Usually, only the one card diagonally above the empty space is available to crumble down, but if the empty space is in the center of the base, either of two cards may crumble down. In this instance, you may choose which of the two cards fills the space. When a card crumbles down, it may also leave an empty space that needs to be filled by the card at the top of the pyramid, causing another card to crumble down.

Crumbling Example

The bottom middle card of the pyramid (Middle Sarcophagus) is removed, causing the pyramid to immediately crumble. Either of the cards in the center row may crumble down to fill the space. The player chooses to fill the space with the Statue of Bastet.

The Heart Scarab Amulet in the top row then crumbles down to fill the empty space that the Statue of Bastet left.

Taking a Turn

During your turn you must follow these four steps in order:

1. Play Cards

Each card in your hand can be played for only one of these purposes:

• Buy a card from the base of the pyramid.
• Execute the action listed on the card.
• Entomb the card (only one card per turn).

You may buy cards, execute actions, and entomb a card in any order you wish during your turn.

If you are playing with pharaoh cards, you may execute your pharaoh ability once during your turn.

2. Discard

When you have played all the cards you chose to play, discard all of your cards in play and all cards remaining in your hand. Cards may be discarded in any order you wish. All cards go face up to the top of your personal discard pile – not the boneyard.

3. Rebuild Pyramid

If you have made no changes whatsoever to the pyramid during your turn, you must sacrifice any card in the pyramid by putting the selected card on top of the boneyard. The pyramid will then crumble as normal. Regardless of whether or not you changed the pyramid, replace cards removed from the pyramid with cards from the stock. Draw cards one at a time and fill the empty spaces in the pyramid, starting from the base up.

4. Draw New Hand

Draw a new hand of 5 cards. If at any time you are required to draw a card and your draw deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile to form a new deck.

After you have completed each step, the next player clockwise around the table takes their turn.

Buying Cards

Cards are bought one at a time from the base of the pyramid. You may only buy cards from among the 3 cards in the base of the pyramid: cards in the middle and top row cannot be bought until they crumble down to the base of the pyramid. You may buy any number of cards during your turn that you can afford.

To buy a card you must follow these three steps in order:

1. Play cards with sufficient gold value to pay the card's cost. You may play multiple cards and add their gold values together to buy a single card. If you overpay, no change is given and the extra gold is immediately lost.
2. Remove the purchased card from the pyramid and place it on top of your discard pile.
3. The pyramid crumbles to fill in the empty space in the base.

When a card is played for its gold value, you cannot use its action. Do not discard the cards you used for gold. They remain on the table as part of your cards in play until the end of your turn.

Buying Example

Jay chooses to buy the Statue of Bastet which has a cost of 4.

He lays out a Tyet Amulet with a gold value of 2 and a Book of the Netherworld with a gold value of 3. This provides a total gold value of 5 which is sufficient to buy the Statue of Bastet. Note that the 1 extra gold value is lost and does not count towards an additional purchase.

Executing Actions

Place your card face up on the table and carry out its action. If a card has more than one part to its action, you must complete all parts. Furthermore, you must execute the parts in order, completing one part before you move on to the next. If one of the parts cannot be executed (for example, because a required card is not available), you may not execute the action. Exception: When "may" occurs in the text of an action, you are not required to perform that part of the action.

• When a card is played for its action, you cannot use its gold value.
• You must complete all the action parts on a card before doing anything else.
• Unless otherwise noted, the effects of actions end at the conclusion of your turn.
• You may execute any number of actions during your turn. The cards you play as actions are not discarded until the end of the turn.
• After concluding the action, the card remains on the table as part of your cards in play until the end of the turn.

Entombing Cards

Once per turn you may put a card from your hand into your tomb. Some actions allow you to put additional cards into your tomb. When a card is entombed, you cannot use its gold value or action. The cards put in your tomb are public knowledge. Lay out your tomb as shown in the example image so that all players know what cards you have. Remember that only the cards in your tomb will score at the end of the game!

End of Game

The game continues until all of the following conditions have been met:

• No cards are left in the stock.
• No cards are left in the pyramid.
• All players have taken the same number of turns.

Scoring

After the game ends, each player counts their victory points (VP). Only the cards in your tomb count; the cards in your hand, deck, and discard pile are worthless. There are three types of cards: starter cards (gray cards such as Urns and Menials), uniques (purple cards such as Astrologer, Mummified Cat, and Calcite Cup), and sets (cards in various color sets, such as Sarcophagi in red, Weapons in green, and Builders in blue). Scoring of starter cards and uniques is easy – just add up the victory points listed on the cards. For color sets, determine how many different cards in each set you have (duplicate cards are worthless) and square the result (multiply the result by itself). For example, if you have 6 different kinds of Tomb Art, you score 6×6 = 36 points. Add up all your points.

The player with the most points wins. In case of ties, the player with the fewest cards in their tomb wins. Further ties result in a shared victory.

Scoring Example

Jay has the following cards in his tomb: 3 Menials (1 VP each), a Carpenter, 2 Priests of Thoth, and a Priest of Sobek. Jay scores 3 points for his 3 Menials (1+1+1 = 3), 1 point for his Carpenter (1×1 = 1), and 4 points for his 2 different Priests (2×2 = 4). His total is 8 points. Note that the extra Priest of Thoth is worthless.

# of Cards in Set	Victory Points
1	1
2	4
3	9
4	16
5	25
6	36
7	49

Glossary

Boneyard — This is the face up pile of cards next to the stock. Sacrificed cards are placed on the top of the boneyard.

Buy — Play cards from your hand for their gold value to buy a card from the base of the pyramid.

Cards in Hand — These are cards you have drawn but haven't played yet.

Cards in Play — These are cards already on the table that have been played for their gold value or as actions.

Cost — This is the number in the upper right corner of the card, which must be paid to buy it from the base of the pyramid.

Draw — Cards must be drawn from your own draw deck unless the action specifically states otherwise.

Draw Deck — This is your personal draw deck. When you are required to draw a card and your draw deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile to create a new draw deck.

Discard Pile — This is your personal discard pile. At the end of your turn, all the cards you have used will be put here, in any order you choose. Cards you buy or take are also placed on the top of your discard pile.

Entomb — Choose a card, usually from your hand, and put it into your tomb, under the tomb tile. Only cards in your tomb at the end of game will be scored.

Highest Cost Card — This refers to the card in the pyramid (or in your hand) that has the highest cost. In case of ties, the choice is yours.

Lowest Cost Card — This refers to the card in the pyramid (or in your hand) that has the lowest cost. In case of ties, the choice is yours.

May — When "may" occurs in an action, it means that the following text is optional. For example, "You may draw a card" means that you are allowed, but not required, to draw. If it is impossible for you to draw a card, you can still do the rest of the action.

Reveal — Show the appropriate card(s) to the other players. Do not discard the card(s) you show.

Sacrifice — Choose a card and put it on top of the boneyard face up. Some actions call for sacrificing cards from your hand while others for sacrificing cards from the pyramid. Cards already in play cannot be sacrificed. Unless stated otherwise, cards are sacrificed from your hand.

Set Card — Set cards are non-unique, non-starter artifact cards that share the same set name and color.

Starter Card — Starter cards are the gray cards that you start the game with.

Stock — This is the general deck used to refill the pyramid.

Take — Unless otherwise noted, this means to take a card from anywhere in the pyramid and place it on top of your discard pile.

Rule Clarifications

• You may not look at the contents of the boneyard, other than the top (face up) card.
• You may look at your own discard pile (without rearranging the cards) when it is not your turn. During your turn, you may only look at your discard pile if directed by an action.
• You may count the number of cards remaining in the stock (without rearranging the cards) when it is not your turn.
• If an action allows you to put a card into your tomb, it does not count towards the limit of entombing once per turn.
• Your once-per-turn allowance of putting a card into your tomb is not an "action."
• If a player has accidentally placed any extra cards in their tomb, the cards are placed in their discard pile instead. For all other errors, if the error is caught before the next player plays a card, the error is corrected. If the next player has already played a card, the error is not corrected.
• You cannot use the gold value of a card to buy more than one card at a time. For example, if you have a card with a gold value of 6, you cannot buy two cards at a cost of 3 each.

Set Lists

The following is a list of sets from each of the three versions.

Base Game

• Sarcophagi (3) — Inner Sarcophagus, Middle Sarcophagus, Outer Sarcophagus
• Canopic Jars (4) — Duamutef Canopic Jar, Hopi Canopic Jar, Imseti Canopic Jar, Qebehsenuef Canopic Jar
• Amulets (5) — Djed Pillar Amulet, Heart Scarab Amulet, Tyet Amulet, Wadj Amulet, Weres Amulet
• Books (6) — Book of Gates, Book of Traversing Eternity, Book of the Dead, Book of the Earth, Book of the Heavens, Book of the Netherworld
• Statues (7) — Statue of Anubis, Statue of Bastet, Statue of Horus, Statue of Isis, Statue of Osiris, Statue of Sobek, Statue of Thoth
• Uniques — Boat, Burial Mask, Censer, Chariot, Ka Figurine, Mummified Cat

Afterlife

• Mummification (3) — Brain Hook, Linen Bandages, Pesesh-kef
• Jewelry (4) — Bracelet, Brooch, Necklace, Ring
• Chambers (5) — Antechamber, Burial Chamber, Grand Gallery, Offering Chapel, Serdab
• Weapons (6) — Axe, Bow, Dagger, Khopesh, Sling, Spear
• Tomb Art (7) — Apis Bull, Burial Ceremony, Goddess Maat, Goddess Nut, Harvest, Judgment, Victory
• Uniques — Calcite Cup, Hounds and Jackals Game, Ibex Statue, Mirror Case, Senet Game, Sphinx

Last Rites

• Priestesses (5) — High Priestess of Bastet, Priestess of Hathor, Priestess of Maat, Priestess of Nut, Priestess of Sekhmet
• Priests (6) — High Priest of Ra, Priest of Anubis, Priest of Horus, Priest of Osiris, Priest of Sobek, Priest of Thoth
• Builders (7) — Architect, Brick Mason, Carpenter, Engineer, Overseer, Plasterer, Stone Mason
• Artisans (8) — Draughtsman, Glass Blower, Goldsmith, Leather Worker, Potter, Sculptor, Tomb Painter, Weaver
• Uniques — Astrologer, Jeweler, Merchant, Scribe