Amun-Re
By Reiner Knizia
In the Land of the Pharaohs
Amun-Re takes place in ancient Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs. Players take on the role of rival Dynasties. During the course of the game, they will use their influence to take control of different Provinces and erect Pyramids. As soon as each player controls 3 Provinces, the Old Kingdom ends and a first scoring round takes place. Points are awarded, especially for completed Pyramids. Then the entire board is emptied, with the exception of Pyramids and Building Blocks. The second half of the game begins with the New Kingdom. The game plays in the same way, and ends with a second scoring round. The player with the most points is the winner of the game.
Game Components
66 Gold Cards (18 x 1, 12 x 2, 12 x 5, 9 x 10, 10 x 20, 5 x -3
39 Power Cards
n.b. backs of Gold and Power Cards are identical.
15 Province Cards
15 Single Pyramids
15 Double Pyramids
15 Building Blocks for Pyramids
10 Player Blocks in the 5 Player colours (1 Bidding Block and one Scoring Block in each)
1 Amun-Re Temple
1 Pharaoh for the Starting Player
15 Province Markers in the 5 Player colours (3 each)
45 Farmers
5 Summary Cards
1 Board
1 Rules
Note – throughout these rules I have used ‘he’ to represent he, she or it. No offence is meant!
Setting Up
Before the first game, all the cardboard pieces must be popped out of the frames. The Amun-Re Temple and the Pharaoh must be assembled as they consist of two pieces each.
The Playing Board is laid out in the middle of the table.
Each player takes one ‘Master Builder’ card from the Power Card deck into his hand – the rest of the Power Cards are shuffled and placed face down next to the board.
The 15 Province Cards are shuffled and placed face down next to the board.
All the Pyramids, Building Blocks and Farmers are placed near the board.
Each player chooses a colour and takes the 2 Player Blocks and 3 Province Markers of that colour, as well as an Summary Card, and Gold Cards to the value of 20, plus one -3 Card. Each player places one of their Player Blocks on the ‘0’ space of the scoring track as a Scoring Block.
The oldest player sorts the Gold Cards into their respective values and acts as banker for the rest of the game. With less than 5 players, the remaining -3 cards are placed back in the box, as they are not required.
The Amun-Re Temple is placed on the space to the left of the Temple Track.
The oldest player takes the Pharaoh, and becomes the Starting Player for the first Round.
The Details of the Playing Board and when they are needed.
Phase 1 and 2
· Symbol and Name of Province
· Free Power Card
· Free Building Block
· Free Power Card and Free Gold
Phase 3
· Power Card (to buy)
· Cultivation Area (for farmers)
· Flat Land (for pyramids)
· Price Table
Phase 4
· Temple Track
· Start Space for Amun-Re Temple
Phase 5
· 2 farmers (BAHARYA)
· Income (guaranteed)
· Income (not guaranteed)
Phase 6
· Temple in the Province
· Dividing Line between Lower and Upper Egypt
· Scoring Track
Playing the Game
The game is divided into two halves, one in each of the Old and the New Kingdom. Each half consists of 3 Rounds, and each Round consists of 5 or 6 Phases :-
Phase 1 – Reveal the Province Cards
Phase 2 – Acquisition of the revealed Provinces
Phase 3 – Player Actions (purchase and use of Power Cards, Farmers and Building Blocks)
Phase 4 – Offering to Amun-Re
Phase 5 – The Harvest and other Income
Phase 6 – Scoring (only at the end of 1st and 2nd game halves.)
After 3 Rounds, the Old Kingdom ends, and the Provinces are scored. In the New Kingdom a further 3 Rounds are played, after which the Provinces are scored once again, to end the game.
1st Game Half – The Old Kingdom
Phase 1 – Reveal the Province Cards
The starting player draws the same number of cards from the face-down deck of Province Cards as there are players, and places these on their respective Provinces on the board.
In some Provinces, additional Free Power Cards (BUTO, DAKHLA, EDFU, THEBES – 2 cards each), Free Building Blocks (ABYDOS, MEMPHIS – 2 stones each) or Free Gold (DAKHLA – 12 Gold) are placed. The free materials are only placed in the provinces indicated by symbol(s) in a box. The Free Power Cards are drawn face down from the deck and placed, still face down, underneath the Province Card. The Free Building Blocks and Free Gold are taken from the general supply and placed in the Provinces.
Example:
The following 4 Province Cards are revealed, and placed in the appropriately named Provinces. (4-player game)
In BAHARYA Province there are already 2 Farmers printed on the board. There are no Free Materials (no box showing Free Materials).
In DAKHLA Province, 12 Free Gold and 1 face down Free Power Card are placed.
In ABYDOS Province 1 Free Building Stone is placed.
In SAWU Province, as in BAHARYA, no Free Material is placed.
Phase 2 – Acquisition of the Revealed Provinces
Each Player acquires exactly one Province. How does this work?
The Starting Player takes his Offering Stone and places it on one of the value spaces on any one of the face up Province Cards. Thus he has placed a bid. The other players follow in a clockwise direction.
· Each one in turn places his Bidding Block on any vacant number space on one of the Province Cards.
· If a Bidding Block is placed on a Province Card on which Bidding Blocks have already been placed by other players, then it must be placed on a higher value space than the existing Blocks.
After each player has placed their Bidding Blocks, players check to see if any player has been out-bid. If this is not the case, then the Bidding Phase ends and each player takes possession of their province. However, if at least one player was outbid, then the Bidding Phase continues. Going in a clockwise direction, each player that was outbid places their Bidding Stone on another Province Card, as before. The stone may not be placed on the Province it was just outbid on, and when placed on a new Province card, must be placed in the highest position (if available). Thus it continues in a clockwise direction, omitting those players who were not overbid. When there is only one Bidding Block on each Province Card, then each player takes possession of their own Province.
Example:
In the first Bidding Round, Red began and placed his Bidding Block on the ‘3’ space in ABYDOS. Black chose to place his on the ‘1’ space in SAWU. Blue outbid Red in ABYDOS and placed his Bidding Block on the ‘6’ space. White outbid Blue in his turn, and placed his Bidding Block on the ‘10’ space in ABYDOS.
In the second Bidding Round it is now Red’s turn, and he must choose another Province Card. He places his Bidding Block on the ‘0’ space in DAKHLA. Now it is Blue’s turn. He places his Bidding Block on the ‘6’ space in SAWU and thereby outbids Black.
In the third Bidding Round, Black must find a new Province. He decides on BAHARYA and therefore places his Bidding Block on the ‘0’ space. Now there is one Bidding Block on each of the Province Cards and the Bidding Phase is over. Each player now pays the appropriate amount and takes their Province.
White pays 10 Gold, Blue pays 6 Gold, Red and Black pay nothing.
Players pay the required Gold to the bank, and take back their Bidding Blocks. The Province Cards are placed face up in a discard pile next to the face-down deck of Province Cards. Each player then puts one of his Province Markers on the Symbol Space of the Province he has just bought. If there is a Free Power Card or Free Gold symbol in the Province, the player takes these into his hand, as indicated. If there are Free Building Block symbols, the blocks are placed in the Province. The player can use them in Phase 3 to build a Pyramid.
Players must not bid higher than they can afford to pay. If this occurs, the offending player must give up all his Gold, and the Bidding Round starts again.
Note: In Phase 2, the Power Cards ‘Bid Blockade’ and ‘Outbid in the Same Province’ can be played. See ‘Description of the Power Cards’.
Phase 3: Player Actions (Purchase and use of Power Cards, Farmers and Building Blocks)
Beginning with the Starting Player, each player can now carry out the following 3 actions in the indicated order: Buy and Use Power Cards, Farmers and Building Blocks. Each player carries out all of his desired actions. Then the next player takes their turn in a clockwise direction. A player can carry out less than 3 actions or forego carrying out any action if they wish.
The prices for items are always the same – 1 piece of any type (Card, Farmer or Block) costs 1 Gold, 2 pieces cost 3 Gold, 3 pieces cost 6 Gold etc. (see Price Table on the board.) More than 7 pieces can also be bought (8 pieces cost 36 Gold, 9 pieces cost 45 Gold, 10 pieces cost 55 Gold etc.)
Example:
2 Power Cards cost 3 Gold - 4 Farmers cost 10 Gold - 3 Blocks cost 6 Gold
The player pays a total of 19 Gold.
Action a. Buying and Using Power Cards
A Player may buy Power Cards. Purchased Power Cards can be played immediately or my be retained for later Rounds. Power cards always feature positive actions, which can be used in different rounds. How and when Power Cards can be used is explained in detail on page 12.
How many Power Cards can a player acquire? The highest number (card limit) that is shown in the top margin of the Provinces controlled by a player is the highest number of cards that player can hold.
Example:
In Round 3, Red owns MEMPHIS, AMARNA and AVARIS Provinces. He can buy up to 3 Power Cards, because MEMPHIS’ card limit is 3, which is the highest.
In Round 2, Blue owns BUTO and MENDES Provinces and therefore cannot buy any Power Cards, because no Power Cards are shown in the top margin of either Province (card limit = 0)
A player may hold as many Power Cards in his hand as he wishes. When played, a Power Card is put on a discard pile, face up near the face down Power Card draw pile.
Players may discard Power Cards at any time during the game. For each Power Card discarded to the discard pile, the player receives 1 Gold from the Bank.
If the face down draw pile is exhausted, the discarded Power Cards are shuffled and turned over to form a new draw pile.
Action b. Buying and Using Farmers
A player may buy Farmers, who will bring him Gold at Harvest. If he buys any, he must place them immediately. He announces how many he wishes to purchase, and pays the price according to the Price Table on the board. He may then distribute them as he wishes amongst his provinces. However, each province may only take as many farmers as it has free Cultivation Spaces. Exception – ‘Free Farmer’ (see ‘Description of Power Cards’ on page 12).
Example:
Red owns BAHARYA and BERENIKE Provinces. So far, no Farmers have been placed in these provinces, however there are two already printed in BAHARYA, which Red does not have to buy. He buys 2 Farmers, therefore pays 3 Gold to the Bank and places the 2 Farmers on BAHARYA. No Farmers can be placed in BERENIKE, as there are no Cultivation Spaces in this Province. Exception – if Red plays the ‘Free Farmer’ Power Card, he can put one on BERENIKE, placing it on the flat land.
Note: the ‘Free Farmer’ Power Card can be used here (see ‘Description of the Power Cards) .
Action c. Buying and using Building Blocks
A player may buy Building Blocks in order to build Pyramids, which score points in both Scoring Phases of the game.
If a player buys Building Blocks, he must place them immediately. He announces how many he wishes to purchase, and pays the price according to the Price Table on the board. He may then place them as he wishes in his provinces. As soon as a player has 3 Building Blocks in a Province, he immediately returns the Blocks to the general pile, and places a Pyramid in their place. If a player builds a second Pyramid in a Province, he replaces the Single Pyramid with a Double Pyramid, as long as there is one left in the general pile. Pyramids and Building Blocks may not be moved from one Province to another.
Example:
In MEMPHIS there are two Building Blocks and in MENDES there is one Pyramid and one Building Block. Red buys 3 Building Blocks (paying 6 Gold). He places one Building Block in MEMPHIS. There are now 3 Blocks there, so he exchanges them for a Pyramid. He places the other two Blocks in MENDES so he has a total of 3 Building Blocks there. He exchanges them also for a Pyramid (and can exchange his two Single Pyramids for a Double Pyramid.)
Note:The ‘Master Builder’ Power Card can be used here (see ‘Description of the Power Cards’ .)
Phase 4: Offering to Amun-Re
Now an offering must be made to Amun-Re. The success or failure of the Harvest depends on the level of the Offering. How does this take place?
Each player must choose one or more of their Gold cards or the ‘ -3’ card and place them face down in front of themselves. The ‘ -3’ card must be played on its own! (Exception: ‘Change the Offering). In order to keep the number of cards offered secret, players may cover them with their hand. Any errors made are considered to be an Offering of -3.