REINER KNIZIA

Overview Components
The Great King Tutankhamun has passed, and » 1 Rulebook
arrangements are being made to fill his Tomb
» 1 Underworld Board
with Artifacts that will travel with him to the
afterlife. » 1 King Tut Sarcophagus
You take on the role of priests and priestesses » 2 Guardian Statues
traveling down the Nile River gathering » 6 Canopic Jar Scoring Markers
Artifacts for King Tut’s Tomb. Along the way,
enchanted Idols from the Gods may assist you » 6 Boat Player Markers
in your journey. » 10 God Idol Tiles
Once all tiles of an Artifact set have been » 6 God Idol Reference Cards
located, the priests who collected the most » 70 Artifact Tiles
parts of it cleanse a portion of their spirit and
that Artifact set is placed into the Tomb. » 1 Game Box (the box bottom is the Tomb,
and the Spirit Track is along its upper
If you can be the first player to completely
cleanse your spirit, (indicated by reducing your edge)
points to zero), you will so impress the new Note: The black corner spaces
Pharaoh that he appoints you to the highest are buffers to prevent crowding.
You can skip these spaces when
priestly office. moving your score markers.
Prepare to collect your offerings and cleanse
your spirit, invoking the aid of the mighty
Egyptian Gods, while you wind your way down
the Nile toward the Tomb of the great King Tut.
Will you earn the favor of the new Pharaoh and
be declared the next High Priest of Egypt?
1

4
5

2
Setup
1. Place the Tut Sarcophagus in the middle 5. The object of the game is to be the first to
of the box bottom (the Tomb), then set completely cleanse your spirit (indicated
the Tomb at one end of the play area. by reducing your points to zero). Each
player starts with the same number of
2. Shuffle all of the Artifact and God Idol
points; the more players there are, the
tiles together, then (selecting them
fewer points each player starts with.
randomly) arrange them face up in a long
winding path from one end of the play
area to the other (see picture, below). This PLAYERS 2 3 4 5 6
path represents the Nile River, starting at POINTS 30 28 24 20 18
its source and flowing all the way down
to Tutankhamun’s Tomb. Once the final Place the Canopic Jar markers on the
tile is placed, move the Tomb so that the Tomb’s Spirit Track at the initial point
Tomb’s door meets the open side of that number.
final tile.
6. Choose the player who has most recently
While all the tiles together represent the
visited a museum containing Egyptian
Nile, each individual tile also represents a
God Idol or Artifact that can be found along
artifacts as the start player. Place the start
the river. player’s Boat marker just beyond the start
of the Nile. Then, going clockwise, each
3. Place the Underworld Mat and the two remaining player places their Boat marker
Guardian Statues at the other end of the in a line behind the Boat markers already
play area from the Tomb, near the start of placed. (In the picture below, Yellow is
the Nile River. going first, followed by Red, then Green,
and finally Blue.)
4. Each player chooses a color, then takes the
Canopic Jar and Boat marker of that color,
plus a God Idol reference card.
3
2

6 3
Artifact Sets 1. SAIL YOUR BOAT (Choose One)
A. Sail your Boat marker forward to any
Note that the 70 Artifact tiles are divided into tile that you choose.
13 sets — 12 normal sets and a set of Scarab
Rings. One of your primary goals is to collect B. Sail your Boat backward to the nearest
more tiles of a set than anyone else. There tile behind you.
are three sets of 8 identical tiles, three sets
In either case, remove this tile from the river
of 6 identical tiles, three sets of 4 identical
and leave your Boat marker in its place.
tiles, three sets of 2 identical tiles, and one set
of 10 scarab ring tiles. (A tile from each set is 2. RESOLVE THE TILE
illustrated on the back cover of this booklet.)
For the 12 normal sets, the value of each of » If it’s an Artifact tile and there are more
these normal sets is the same as the number tiles of this Artifact set still in the Nile,
of tiles in the set: 8-tile sets are worth 8 points, simply place it face up in front of you
and so forth. with the other tiles you currently have
The 10 Scarab Ring tiles will have a different collected.
style of scoring with the tiles worth 1 point each » If it’s an Artifact tile and there are no more
plus a set bonus. See “Tile Scoring” for more tiles of this Artifact set still in the Nile,
details on how to score a Scarab Ring tile. score the Artifact set (see “Tile Scoring”).
» God Idol tiles give special advantages to
On Your Turn players who select them from the river.
If the tile is a God Idol, resolve the tile
1. Choose one option: immediately and then place the tile in
A. Sail your Boat forward on the Nile to the Tomb. (See “God Idol Tiles” for more
any tile ahead of you. OR details.)
B. Sail your Boat backward to the nearest
tile behind you. (You may never sail 3. TRAILING TILES
beyond the nearest tile when sailing If your Boat is the furthest back on the Nile,
backward.) you will often sail past tiles as your boat moves
forward, leaving tiles behind that everyone
2. Resolve the tile you have sailed to. If it is
else has also sailed past. After you’ve sailed to
an Artifact tile, place it face up in front of a tile and resolved it, check to see if there are
you with the other tiles that you currently any tiles in the Nile behind your Boat that all
have collected. If it is a God Idol tile, Boats have passed. If so, move those tiles to the
resolve it immediately. Underworld Mat, one tile at a time, beginning
3. Resolve any trailing tiles. with the tile furthest back and continuing
forward until one of the Boat markers is
4. Score tile sets as they are completed in reached.
steps 2 and 3.
5. When all tiles are resolved, play passes
clockwise to the next player.

4
For each trailing Artifact tile that is removed, in who holds the most Scarab Ring tiles, the
check to see if there are any other tiles of its set tied player whose Boat is further back on the
still in the Nile. If there aren’t, score the set. Nile is awarded the bonus points.
Any God Idol tiles that all Boats have sailed Once a set is scored, collect all of the Artifact
past are also placed in the Underworld, Tiles in that set from all players and the
without resolving their ability. Underworld, and place them into the Tomb.
4. TILE SCORING In all cases, scoring points means that you
move your Canopic Jar marker toward zero. You
When the last tile of an Artifact set is removed never increase the number of points that you
from the Nile (whether or not there are tiles of have.
that set in the Underworld), the set is scored
and all tiles of that set are moved to the Tomb. 5. ENDING YOUR TURN
When you have sailed your Boat, resolved the
NORMAL SETS
tile you chose, dealt with any trailing tiles,
The number on each tile of a normal set of and scored any completed sets, play passes
Artifacts gives both the number of tiles in the clockwise to the next player.
set and the value of the set.
The player who collected the most tiles of the
set scores points by moving their Canopic Jar
Ending the Game
marker down on the Spirit Track by the number The game ends at the conclusion of a player’s
listed on the tile. The player who collected turn when any player reaches zero on the Spirit
the second most tiles of the set moves their Track. (You cannot go below zero; any excess
Canopic Jar marker down on the Spirit Track points are ignored.) Once at least one player
by the number of points equal to half the set’s reaches zero, complete the current player’s
value (1, 2, 3, or 4). turn, but no one takes any more turns. If
If only one player has collected tiles from that there is only one player with zero points, that
set, no second-place points are deducted. player is the winner. If more than one player
If there is a tie for first place, the tied player has reached zero on the Spirit Track, the tie is
whose Boat marker is further back on the Nile broken, as always, by whichever tied player’s
River earns first place with the other player Boat marker is furthest back on the Nile.
taking second. If there is a tie for second, the If no one reaches zero before all tiles are gone
tied player further back wins the tiebreaker and from the Nile, then the player with the fewest
the other player(s) do not score any points. remaining points wins, with a tie broken as
usual.
SCARAB RINGS
There are 10 Scarab Ring tiles in the game
(1-point tiles). These are scored differently.
When you collect a Scarab Ring tile from the
Nile, you immediately reduce your score by 1
on the Spirit Track. Keep the tile with the other
Artifact tiles you currently have collected. Once
the final Scarab Ring has been removed from
the Nile, the player with the most Scarab Ring
tiles is awarded a 5-point bonus. If there is a tie
5
God Idol Tiles
There are five different types of Egyptian God If a God Idol itself is a trailing tile, it is placed
Idol tiles, with two tiles of each type. During into the Underworld just like a trailing Artifact
setup, these are mixed in with the Artifact tiles tile. Its ability is not
and distributed randomly in the Nile. Idols do resolved when it is
not score you points, but instead earn you favor placed into the
from the Gods to help you on your journey. Underworld. The
A tile’s ability is resolved immediately when a abilities are as
Boat lands on it, and then it is placed into the follows:
Tomb. (Note: if you land on a God Idol tile, its
ability is resolved before any trailing tiles are
resolved.)

OSIRIS RA
Collect any tile from the Remove a tile from anywhere in the
Underworld. If this is a God Idol, Nile and place it in the Underworld.
resolve it immediately, then discard If it is a God Idol tile, you do NOT
both tiles in the Tomb. If it is an get to resolve its ability. If it’s
Artifact tile, keep it with the other the last tile of a set in the Nile,
Artifact tiles that you currently immediately score the set.
have collected. If it is a Scarab Ring,
score a point, as usual, when you THOTH
collect it. Swap the locations of two tiles
anywhere in the Nile as long as
ISIS both are in front of your Boat.
Swap a Scarab Ring you have
collected with any tile in the Nile. HORUS
Resolve the newly collected tile as Collect any one tile in the Nile
usual. The point you scored when that is behind your Boat. Score if
you originally collected the Scarab this completes a set; immediately
Ring remains scored. If anyone resolve if it is a God Idol tile. OR
(including you) collects the Scarab
Ring you returned to the Nile, that Move your Boat marker to the back
person scores yet another point of the Nile behind all other Boat
when collecting it. markers and tiles.

(Note: this cancels the removal of any

trailing tiles, since they are no longer
trailing.)

6
Two-Player Changes:
When playing a two-player game, the For example, the Senet Game set of 8 tiles
Underworld is used as though it were is being scored. Player A has 4 tiles, the
another player when you determine whether Underworld has 3 tiles, and Player B has 1
or not you have enough tiles in a set to score tile, Player A scores first place as usual, but
first or second place. Should the Underworld Player B doesn’t score second because the
and a player tie for the same quantity of tiles,
Underworld has more tiles than Player B.
then the player wins the tie and is awarded
the points. In another example, for the same Senet
Game set of 8 tiles: Player A has 3 tiles, the
Underworld has 3 tiles, and Player B has 2
tiles. Player A and the Underworld are tied so
the player wins the tie and takes first place.
The Underworld would take second place
with Player B receiving no points.

Credits:
Game Design: Development & Special Thanks from the Publisher:
Dr. Reiner Knizia Production: Steve Avery, Eugene Bryant, Brian Dunkel, Matthew
Illustration: Chad Elkins Goeke, Richard Ham, Thomas Holt, Andy Juell, Scott
Jacqui Davis Rulebook Editing: Lootens, Ian Mercer, Jim Pridgen, and Andrew J. Smith.
David Ladyman Also, a shout out to all of the playtesters who have
Graphic Design:
Ric White contributed to the evolution of this game from the
Matt Paquette Co.
1990s to this version today.

7
 Scarab Ring ×10

Ankh ×2 Dagger ×2 Crook & Flail ×2

Pottery ×4 Bracelet ×4 Lotus Lamp ×4

Sarcophagus ×6 Standing Statues ×6 Seated Statue ×6

Senet Game ×8 Throne ×8 Cartouche ×8