Games International
Greg J. Schloesser
September 2005
USA

Tutankhamen was originally released by Amigo back in 1993.  It was one of the first “German-style” games I added to my collection.  Back then, I remember describing the game as decent, but nothing special.  Through the years, my opinion has improved a bit, but the game will not ever rise to the top tier of my collection.

Players represent archaeologists combing the pyramids and historical sites of Egypt for valuable artifacts.  The value of artifacts increases when collected in sets, so the object is to possess the most of a set when it is completed.  As such, it does fall into the category of “majority” games.

The game consists of 70 artifact tiles, of which there are 15 sets.  Some sets containing up to six tiles, while others are just one solitary tile.  These are arranged randomly in a pattern, weaving ultimately towards the giant (plastic) pyramid.  Each player is given a number of “tribute” coins, which ranges from 14 – 32, depending upon the number of players.  Players place their pawns at the beginning of the tile track, and the game is ready to begin.

A player’s turn is actually quite simple:  move your pawn as far along the track as you desire, and take the artifact tile where you place your pawn.  So, if you are coveting that mummified cat, simply move your token to the nearest one and take that tile.  Simple.  Of course, there are some consequences you must ponder before making your move.

First, any tile that you pass-up along the track is forever lost to you.  In other words, you cannot move backwards along the path.  So, you must carefully consider the opportunities lost by passing over various artifacts. 

Second, you must consider your position in the artifact you are collecting.  Since the object is to be in the majority or secondary position when a set is complete, it makes little sense to collect an artifact that will not ultimately yield points for you.  Oh, you may want to do this to deny points to an opponent, but the cost to you must be weighed carefully before doing so.  It is quite unlikely that you will be able to score points for every artifact set, so you must target those artifacts in which you plan to be in the top, or at least secondary, position. 

There are some special artifacts which grant the player some devious powers.  The bags of gold allow the player to steal an artifact from an opponent, but only if the player already possesses at least one of the artifacts in that set.  The unlucky opponent is compensated by being allowed to place one of his coins into the pyramid.  These “gold” tiles can be very valuable, so players should try to grab one whenever the opportunity seems wise.

Another special tile is the Pharaoh, which allows a player to break a scoring tie in his favor.  So, if two or more players tie for the majority position when an artifact set is complete, a player may use one of his Pharaoh tiles to break the tie in his favor.  Again, this can be a very valuable tile, so they tend to be grabbed quickly.

The final special tile goes to the first player to exit the path:  the King Tut tile.  The recipient of this tile is empowered to place one tribute coin into the pyramid.  However, when a player exits the path, he can no longer move his pawn or collect further artifacts.  He may still score points when artifact sets are completed, however, so he may still win the game.

When the final artifact of a set is taken by a player or by-passed by all players, that artifact set will score.  The player who possesses the most tiles of that artifact scores the number of points listed on the tile.  The player in secondary position receives one-half that amount.  There is no score track on which to record points; rather, players place the appropriate number of tribute coins into the pyramid.  This is cute, but time consuming. A score track such as the one used in the original Amigo version actually works better.

The game ends when one player has depleted his supply of tribute coins, wherein he wins, or when all players have exited the artifact path.  In this latter instance, the player with the fewest tribute coins remaining is victorious.

There are some interesting choices to be made during the game, particularly in regards to which artifacts to collect and how far to move along the path.  One must be cognizant of the layout of the artifacts, and keep a careful eye on how the artifacts will score.  If you are collecting artifacts of a set whose last tile is near the end of the path, it will not score until late in the game … if ever.  Further, you must constantly assess the status of your opponents, as their sets may score prior to your sets, and perhaps even end the game before your sets have been completed. 

While the decisions are important, the game still falls into the “light-weight” category.  That’s not a bad thing, as it plays quickly, is easy to learn, and offers interesting choices.  As such, it is quite the fine game, and one which can easily be played and enjoyed by gamers and casual gamers alike. 

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