# Ankh: Gods of Egypt – Pharaoh ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2021 - **BGG Rating**: 8.1 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 3, 4) - **Duration**: 90 min - **Weight**: 3.64 / 5 - **Designers**: Eric M. Lang - **Artists**: Adrian Smith - **Publishers**: CMON Global Limited, Guillotine Games, BoardM Factory, Edge Entertainment, Lavka Games, Portal Games - **Categories**: Ancient, Expansion for Base-game, Miniatures, Mythology ## Verdict If you're already an Ankh fan and crave more intrigue and interaction, the Pharaoh expansion is a treat! It brings a super interesting political layer to the divine struggle.Adds political intrigueStunning new miniaturesIncreased player interactionDeepens Egyptian themeComplex strategic decisionsRequires base game AnkhIncreases game complexityMay extend playtimeHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In Ankh: Gods of Egypt – Pharaoh, the eternal struggle between the Egyptian gods gains a new layer of intrigue and power, now featuring the central figure of the Pharaoh! In ancient times, the Pharaoh was the link between the divine and the mortal, a king anointed by the gods themselves to maintain Ma'at – cosmic balance and order – over the land of Egypt. As the war between the deities intensifies, each god seeks the support of this powerful mortal, who was bestowed with wisdom and authority. However, the Pharaoh, in his heaven-granted sagacity, decides not to take sides, but rather to protect his people and maintain Ma'at, honoring all deities equally as Egypt transitions to monotheism. His mission is to balance the needs of the gods with the political and social demands of mortals, preventing the celestial war from escalating into a civil conflict on Earth. This expansion brings the divine struggle closer to the human world, focusing on the Pharaoh and his palace. The gods must now send their priests to the royal palace, manipulating different offices and influencing kingdom affairs to gain political advantage. The goal is to subtly guide the Pharaoh to recognize the supremacy of a single true god. Your battle may be divine, but if you fail to establish your dominance over the human sphere of affairs, oblivion will be your destiny. Prepare for a decisive clash where faith and politics intertwine! ## How to Play Game Objective In Ankh: Gods of Egypt - Pharaoh, the gods battle to influence the affairs of the kingdom and convince the Pharaoh to recognize the supreme divinity of the one true god. To do so, players must bring their Priests to the royal Palace, manipulating governmental bodies for political advantage and exercising control over human matters. Refer to the rulebook for details on the victory condition. Setup Palace Board and Political Cards: Place the Political Deck face down in the far left space of the Palace Board. Draw 3 Political Cards and place them face up in the spaces to the right of the deck. Priests: Each player receives 3 Priest miniatures. Place 2 in their personal reserve and the third in the Hall of Laws on the Palace Board. Sphinxes: Place the Sphinx Tokens in the general reserve so everyone can see the available quantity. The Pharaoh: Choose or draw one of the 5 Pharaoh Cards. Follow the specific instructions on the back of the card to position the Pharaoh Miniature on the board and perform additional steps (such as placing Pharaoh Tokens or a Death Token on the Event Track). Initial Placement: Depending on the chosen Pharaoh, the last player (or the first, in the case of Xerxes) places the Pharaoh miniature adjacent to one of their Monuments. In the case of Ramses, the last player also places 2 Follower (Infantry) tokens in different empty spaces in the Pharaoh region. Game Flow The game follows the turn and event structure of the base game, with the following additions and changes: Player Actions: During their turn, players perform actions that can now include manipulating Priests and using Political Cards. Control Monument Event: At the end of this event, the Palace Board is resolved. The Halls are checked in numerical order: Hall of Laws (1), Hall of War (2), Hall of Public Audience (3), and Hall of Throne (4). Hall Resolution: The player with the most Priests in each Hall gains that Hall's benefit. In case of a tie, victory goes to the player with the lowest Devotion. After resolution, the winner’s Priests return to their reserve, while the others remain in the Hall. Card Maintenance: After resolving all Halls, refill the empty Political Card spaces with new cards from the deck so that 3 remain available. Actions and How to Play Modified Actions Summon Miniature: In addition to summoning a miniature on the main board, the player summons 1 Priest from their personal reserve to any Hall on the Palace Board. Move Miniatures: In addition to moving miniatures on the main board, the player can move each of their Priests to an adjacent Hall in the Palace. Political Cards Once per action, a player may play 1 Political Card before or after resolving the action (but before resolving any triggered event). This allows the use of up to 2 Political Cards per turn (if performing 2 actions). Cards are laid openly on the table and recovered when the Battle Cards return to hand. Political Cards are not hidden information; any player can see them at any time. Benefits of the Palace Halls Hall of Laws: Choose 1 of the open Political Cards OR remove one of your Political Cards from play so each opponent loses 1 Devotion. Hall of War: Replace 1 of your Monuments with a Sphinx (placing your Ankh token on it) and resolve the Sphinx Riddle effect from the Pharaoh Card. Hall of Public Audience: Choose 1 of the remaining Political Cards and gain 2 Followers. Hall of Throne: Choose 1 of the remaining Political Cards and move the Pharaoh up to 3 spaces (they may pass over miniatures, Monuments, Water, Rivers, and Caravans, but must end on an empty non‑Water space). Special Component Rules Sphinx: Counts as all types of Monument (Obelisk, Pyramid, and Temple) simultaneously, except for Majority of Monuments, where it counts as its own type (4th type). God Fusion: If a fusion occurs, the Priests and Political Cards of the lesser god are removed. Players use the components of the greater god and may use only 1 Political Card per turn. End of Game and Scoring Refer to the rulebook for details on scoring, victory and defeat conditions. Tips for Winning Control the Palace: Position your Priests strategically in the Halls to secure majority during the Control Monument event, allowing acquisition of Political Cards and replacement of Monuments with Sphinxes. Use the Sphinx: Since the Sphinx counts as multiple Monument types, it is a powerful tool for controlling the region and activating Sphinx Riddle effects. Devotion Management: Remember that in Palace ties, the player with the lowest Devotion wins the majority, which can be used tactically to secure Hall benefits. ## FAQ ### What does the Ankh: Gods of Egypt – Pharaoh expansion add to the base game? It introduces the Palace board, the Pharaoh figure, priests for each god, and Political cards, adding a layer of influence and political manipulation to the divine struggle. ### Is the Ankh: Gods of Egypt base game required to play this expansion? Yes, this is an expansion and requires the Ankh: Gods of Egypt base game to be played. It complements and expands the original experience. ### How many players does the expansion support and what is the average game duration? The expansion maintains the player count of the base game (2-5) and the playtime remains around 90 minutes, although the new strategic layer might slightly extend the games. ### What level of complexity does the Pharaoh expansion add? It adds a moderate complexity, with new rules for palace influence and political manipulation, making the game more strategic and with more player interaction. ### Are the expansion components of good quality? Yes, the expansion comes with 31 detailed miniatures (including the Pharaoh and priests), a Palace board, cards, and tokens, maintaining CMON's high standard of component quality. ### Who is this expansion best suited for? It's perfect for players who already love Ankh: Gods of Egypt and are looking for more strategic depth, interaction, and an even more immersive theme, with a focus on politics and influence. ### Does the Pharaoh expansion significantly change the base game's winning dynamic? It doesn't fundamentally change the victory condition, but it adds new avenues to gain influence and advantage, especially through the manipulation of the Pharaoh and the palace, which can be crucial for ultimate victory.