Keops Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. How to Read This Rulebook
• 3. Components
• 4. Game Setup. Game Board
• 4.1 Game Setup. Vizier Board
• 5. How to Play
  • Major Actions
  • Minor Actions
• 5.1 Major Actions
  • A. Construct a Building or Crop (Major Action)
  • B. Assign Servant (Major Action)
  • C. Licensing Servant (Major Action)
• 5.2 Minor Actions
  • a. Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid
  • b. Send 1 or more Servants to the Wharf
  • c. Send 1 Servant to a Building or Crop that you just Constructed
• 6. Akhet Special Round
• 7. End Game
• 8. Important Concepts
  • Dice and Reward Table
  • Royal Mandate Tokens
  • Tumult Zone/Transit Zone
  • Buildings and Dwellings
  • Building Markers
  • Dwellings
  • Market
• 9. Tips for Your First Game
• 10. Full Turn Example
• 11. Advanced Rules
  • 11.1. Family Cards
  • 11.2. Decree Cards
• 12. Ra-utoma Mode
  • Game Setup
  • During the Game
• 13. Glossary
  • 13.1 Game Board and Vizier Board
  • 13.2 Temples and Gods
  • 13.3 Buildings and Crops
    • Guild Buildings and Crops (yellow, Artisan)
    • Commercial Buildings (green, Scribe)
    • Religious Buildings (red, Priest)
  • 13.4 Barges and Moorings
  • 13.5 Border Penalties
  • 13.6 Family Cards (Advanced Rule)
  • 13.7 Decree Cards (Advanced Rule)
  • 13.8 Ra-utoma Cards
• Iconography

1. Introduction

In Keops, each player represents a Vizier who is at the service of the Pharaoh. As such, you will oversee his dominions, making an adequate use of the kingdom's resources and the Servants under your command. You will also have a great challenge ahead of you: to actively participate in the construction of the Great Pyramid of Keops without neglecting the rest of your duties. Your objective is to obtain as many Favors as possible from the Pharaoh once the pyramid is completely built. To do so, you will have to contribute to the growth of the city, the defense of the kingdom Borders, worshipping the Gods and, of course, the construction of the Pyramid. At the end of the game, the player with the most Favors from the Pharaoh will be the winner.

Each game of Keops is played over 3 Rounds. The duration of each Round is determined by the number of Turns it takes to Construct each of the 3 levels that make up the Pyramid. Each level has different size and Material requirements, and the speed of construction is determined by the players themselves. Each Round consists of an undetermined number of player Turns. During your Turn, you will perform one or more Actions. Then the next player will play, and so on until the game is over. As the game progresses, each Round will be shorter than the previous one.

The goal of the game is to get the most Favors from the Pharaoh at the end of the game. To do so, you will have to compete against the other players in several categories: making the city grow by constructing guild, commercial and religious Buildings. To a large extent, the games will be very different depending on the Buildings that the players construct. In addition, you will also be able to build different Temples from among all those available, until you run out of space. Temples are very powerful Buildings that alter certain rules of the game. By constructing Buildings, you will increase your Prestige. You will also have to actively contribute to the defense of the kingdom's Borders. Thanks to this, you will be able to get a lot of special bonuses and also military prestige. Another way to obtain Favors from the Pharaoh is through the construction of the Pyramid or by being the player who has placed the most Offerings in the Temple of Ra. Competing in these 4 categories, the player who has contributed the most in each category will receive a Major Favor at the end of the Round, while the second will get a Minor Favor. Every two Minor Favors make up one Major Favor. In each Round there are therefore only 4 Major Favors and 4 Minor Favors available. Competition will be fierce.

To win, however, you will have to manage the Servants under your command in the best possible way: Artisans, Scribes and Priests. Each of them will give you access to unique Buildings and spaces in the board. You will also have to develop your player board by freeing up Building and Dwelling spaces, which will increase your personal economy and the number of Servants you can keep in your service. You will soon discover that you will find it impossible to compete in all 4 categories while maintaining a good balance between your revenue and the maintenance of your Servants. Choose each of your Actions wisely: they are scarce and expensive. In Keops, each Action will bring you closer or further away from victory, although with luck, your mistakes will be overshadowed by the other Players. Good luck!

2. How to Read This Rulebook

The first pages describe the game setup and player boards. Then, the Rounds, Turns and Actions are explained in very few pages. Pay special attention to the red background boxes, as they show rules or iconography especially important for that section. Then follows a detailed explanation of each of the game sections: Actions, Buildings, the Player Board, etc. The summary of the concepts that you will find in the red background boxes will develop them more extensively. It is also important that before continuing you have familiarized yourself a little with the iconography of the game, which you will find in the back of this manual.

In your first game, we recommend that you do not use the Advanced Rules. It is also not recommended to introduce the High Priest of Ra: an automa for solo mode and games with less than 4 players.

3. Components

• 1 Game Board (double sided), 1 Dial and plastic Clip (place the dial in the circular space before your first game)
• 1 Vizier Board per player (double sided)
• 9 Border Penalty Tokens
• 63 Building and Crop Tiles
• 5 Pyramid Construction Templates (divided into 4 pieces)
• 2 Reward dice
• 1 plastic Pyramid (3 of them double sided)
• 12 Decree Cards
• 20 Barges
• 24 Ra-utoma Cards (for solo mode and High Priest of Ra)
• 12 Royal Mandate Tokens
• 14 Major Pharaoh's Favors
• 28 Minor Pharaoh's Favors
• 1 Royal Scarab Token
• Debens (game currency, in values 1, 3 and 5)
• 20 Wooden Servants (8 Artisans, 6 Scribes, 6 Priests)
• 4 Eliminated Tokens
• 4 Wooden Eliminated Building Tokens
• Goods set (20 Limestone, 20 Wood, 20 Granite and others; Gold and Silver in values 1 and 3)
• 6 Neutral Dwellings

For EACH ONE OF THE 4 PLAYER COLORS:

• 1 Population marker
• 3 Medjay Power markers
• 15 Dwelling Tiles
• 1 Prestige marker
• 1 Construction marker
• 15 Building markers (3 different types, one per line)
• 5 Artisans
• 3 Scribes
• 3 Priests
• 10 Offerings

(Component list OCR'd from a graphics-heavy page; counts for some general-reserve items could not be read reliably.)

4. Game Setup. Game Board

Pay special attention to these details during the setup:

• The number of the Pyramid Template icon in the Pyramid Templates shows the number of players for which that Template is used. For 4 players, the first level of the Pyramid is already printed in the board.
• The three pyramid-level icons are relevant during the game setup and the last 2 Rounds preparations.
• Two spaces in the Plantation display a player-count icon. These spaces are only used in 4-player games. During Step 8, take as many copies of each Building and Crop tile as shown based on the number of players: 1 copy of each Building, 3 Crops (2 players); 2 copies of each Building, 4 Crops (3 players); 3 copies of each Building, 6 Crops (4 players).
• Limited Components: All components are limited to those included in the game. If any component is depleted, then it cannot be obtained until it becomes available again.

1. Unfold the board and place the Pyramid First Level Template according to the number of Players (if applicable).
2. Shuffle the 4 Border Cards from the First Level of the Pyramid and place 3 randomly face up in the reserved spaces in the Game Board. Set the other 3 aside.
3. Mix the 6 Border Penalty Tokens with no Level 3 icon in their back and randomly place 1 in each Border Card. Set the other 3 aside.
4. Set the Market price indicators to their initial level (middle column).
5. Fill the spaces in the Pier with 4 random face up Barges.
6. Place 1 Barley, 1 Papyrus and 1 Beer in the reserved spaces in the Pier Storehouse.
7. Place the Happiness Dial in its initial position (5).
8. Arrange the Building and Crop Tiles by type in one side of the board, within reach of all players.
9. Leave the Reward Dice and Elimination Tokens within reach of all players.
10. Make up a general reserve with Debens, Goods, Servants, Gods and Neutral Dwellings.
11. Place each player's Construction and Prestige Markers in the starting space of their respective track.
12. Each player places one of his Medjay Power Markers under each Border Card.
13. Place the Construction Materials in their respective places in the Quarry.
14. Place the Temple of Ra and its figure in the Temple of Ra space (lower space near the Dial).

4.1 Game Setup. Vizier Board

1. Each Vizier takes his 10 Offerings and receives 1 Reference Card.
2. The first player receives 5 Debens and the Royal Scarab. The second player gets 6 Debens, the third player 7 and the fourth player 8.
3. Give to each Vizier: 2 Barley, 1 Papyrus and 1 Beer.
4. Give to each Vizier 1 Minor Favor.
5. Fill in the columns with your Building markers.
6. Place the Dwellings, 2 Artisans and 1 Scribe in their corresponding spaces. Place the rest in the Unavailable area.
7. Place the Population Marker in the third space of the Track (these are your starting available Servants).

Note: You can assign the type of Building Markers you prefer to each column.

Unavailable Servants. In this zone are placed the Unavailable Servants or those used to Construct Buildings or Crops.

5. How to Play

"Come to me, lead me, make me an expert in your knowledge. Your wisdom is the best of all, for it makes us prosper. He who masters it is considered a suitable candidate to become a Servant." -- Invocation to Tot

A game of Keops consists of 3 Rounds. The length of each Round is determined by the Pyramid Level. Each Round will generally last less than the previous one. The moment a Pyramid Level has been completed with the necessary Materials, a special Round, called Akhet, will be activated. Once the Akhet is completed, the next piece of the Pyramid is placed, a new template for the next Level is placed and the next Round begins.

Each Round consists of an indeterminate number of Turns, where the Players (or Viziers) will alternate, one at a time, clockwise until the end of the game. The Players order does not change at any time.

During your Turn, you can perform a single Major Action and/or any number of Minor Actions (at most, one of each type). You must always perform at least one Major or Minor Action, but never skip a Turn.

He who has imbibed the wisdom of these rules and explained the game will be the first Player.

Note: One Round simulates several years of Pyramid construction.

Major Actions

• A. Construct Building or Crop
• B. Assign Servant
• C. Licensing Servants

When Licensing Servants (C), you are only allowed to perform Revenue Actions (which can be unlocked in your Vizier Board).

Minor Actions

• a. Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid
• b. Send 1 or more Servants to the Wharf
• c. Send 1 Servant to a Building or Crop you just Constructed
• d. Other Minor Actions (Advanced Rules)

In the same Turn, you can perform as many Minor Actions as you wish, but never repeat the same Minor Action. The Advanced Rules (Families and Decrees) add some additional Minor Actions.

5.1 Major Actions

A. Construct a Building or Crop (Major Action)

1. Select any available Building or Crop tile you want to Construct.

2. Pay the cost shown according to its color. The cost of each Building color is shown at the top of its respective column. You gain 1 Prestige. If you also pay 1 Silver, you gain 1 additional Prestige. Payment is made to the reserve and the Servants are placed to the right of your Vizier Board, next to the Unavailable Servants.

• If the tile is a Temple, choose any available God figure and place it next to the Temple in any free space in the Pantheon. Place the topmost Construction Marker in your red column in the space under the tile and add one of your Offerings to the tile. You can then send 1 Priest to that Temple immediately to get its benefit (paying the necessary costs, if applicable).

  Example: You decide to construct a temple. You pay 1 scribe, 1 papyrus and 1 deben. You get 1 prestige. You choose the temple and any God figure and place them in a free space in the pantheon. Now, you place the topmost building marker in your red column in the assigned space, and 1 of your offerings in the tile. If you wish, you can send a priest to activate the temple.

• If the tile is a Crop, place it showing the side of your choice (Barley or Papyrus) in any free space in the Plantation and place the topmost Building Marker in your yellow column in the space next to the tile. If you decide to place it in Akhet Zone you must pay 1 additional Deben. You can then Send 1 Artisan to a Room in that Crop immediately to get its benefit (paying the necessary costs, if applicable).

  Akhet zone. In Akhet zone you have to pay 1 additional Deben, but here, the Crops are more productive. However, when the Round is over, they will be destroyed.

  Example: You decide to construct a crop in Akhet zone. You pay 1 artisan, 1 barley and 2 debens. You get 1 prestige. Now, you place the topmost building marker in the assigned space. You can send 1 artisan to a room in that crop immediately to get its benefit. In this case, you would get 3 barley (2 + 1 per Akhet zone).

• If the tile is any other Building, place it in any free space in the City, subject to the restrictions below. Next, place the topmost Building Marker in your column in the same color as the Constructed tile. Finally, you can send 1 Servant to a Room of that Building to get its benefit (paying the necessary costs, if applicable).

  • You must place the tile in the City grid. You can rotate and/or flip the tile as you wish.

Placing Building Markers in a Building tile serves two purposes: On the one hand, you are unlocking Revenue Actions and, on the other hand, you are indicating that you are the Patron of that Building. If other players make use of your Buildings, you will be eligible to receive Patron Benefits (see later).

B. Assign Servant (Major Action)

You may assign available Servants from your Vizier Board to spaces in the Game Board or Rooms of any Building Constructed in the City and not already occupied by another Servant.

Artisan -- you can assign it to:

• one Guild Building tile (yellow) with free Rooms: place it in a Room to activate its benefit, paying the required costs, if applicable. Example: You assign an artisan, pay 1 deben, and receive 1 independent scribe or priest.
• a Crop Tile with free Rooms: place it in a Room to activate its benefit, paying the required costs, if applicable.

Scribe -- you can assign it to:

• one Commercial Building tile (green) with free Rooms: place it in a Room to activate its benefit, paying the required costs, if applicable.
• the Pier: place it in a free dock, pay the cost in Debens shown and take the Barge assigned to that dock. Then get the Barge benefit and place it in a free Nile Mooring to obtain an additional benefit. Example: You assign 1 scribe to the pier, pay 2 debens and get the associated barge. Additional benefit of a mooring (2 debens in this case).

"Work hard and become a scribe, for then you will be a guide to men." -- Egyptian proverb.

Priest -- you can assign it to:

• one Religious Building tile (red) with free Rooms: place it in a Room to activate its benefit, paying the required costs, if applicable.
• the Pantheon of Gods: place it in a free Constructed Temple where you have at least 1 Offering. Spend the Offering and receive the benefit of the Temple. Example: You assign 1 priest to the temple of Osiris, spend your offering and receive 5 debens.

Game Board Spaces. Depending on their type, you can assign Servants to:

• Reinforce a Border Card: place it in a free space of the type of Servant, pay the showed cost and add Medjay Power to the Border Card of your choice. Example: You assign 1 artisan to reinforce the border and add 2 Medjay power to the border card you choose.
• the Quarry: place it in a free space of the type of Servant, take any showed amount of Materials and store them in your Vizier Board. Example: You assign 1 scribe to the quarry to receive 2 materials of your choice and store them in your storehouse.

In these two spaces (the Pyramid spaces) you can send Servants even if there are other Servants present.

Boost Actions: By Assigning 1 Servant to Reinforce Borders, the Pier, the Quarry or by sending 1 Servant to the Pyramid, you can spend 1 Royal Mandate Token to Boost that Action and gain an additional benefit. They are identified in the Game Board with this icon.

Royal Mandate Tokens are rare and very valuable. Besides allowing you to Boost Actions, you can spend them during your Turn to get Resources or obtain other benefits. Their use is free and is not considered an Action. At most, you can have 3 at the same time at all times. Do not hesitate to use them to gain advantage over your opponents.

Independent Servants are obtained in various ways during the game. For all intents and purposes it is a Servant of that type that is available to you until you use it. When you obtain one, place it in the empty space to the left of the first red Dwelling space in your Vizier Board. Independent Servants do not require Maintenance nor do they affect your Population Track. You also do not lose them when Licensing Servants, only when you use them to carry out an Action.

C. Licensing Servant (Major Action)

This Action is mandatory if you have no available Servants left in your Vizier Board (your own or Independent ones). However, you can still perform this Action even if you have available Servants. However, this does not exempt you from paying their Maintenance. Remember: Minor Actions are not allowed when performing this Action.

Tip: For a better flow of the game, and as long as the rules are mastered, the next player can start his turn while the previous player performs this action.

Carry out this Action by performing the following steps in the following order:

1. First retrieve all your Servants from the Game Board (except for the ones in the Tumult Zone), Building and Crop Tiles and place them in their spaces in the Dwelling zone. Then, fill the remaining empty Dwelling spaces with the appropriate type of Servants from the Unavailable Zone. Return ALL the Independent Servants from the Game Board to the general pool.

2. You can now activate all the Revenue and Revenue Actions visible in the columns of your Vizier Board. Do this from top to bottom and from left to right. (Activate the revenue of your building marker columns to obtain their benefits.)

3. You can now pay the Maintenance of the unlocked Dwellings in your Vizier Board that entail some payment. For each Good you do not want to or cannot pay for, you must send that Servant to the Tumult Zone. Example: You can pay for the upkeep of the unlocked dwellings (in this example it would be 2 barley and 2 beer). If you can't or don't want to pay for example 1 beer, then you must send the artisan or the scribe to the tumult zone. You decide to send the artisan.

4. Compare your Population Track with the Happiness Dial.

   • If Happiness is equal to or greater than your Track, nothing happens.
   • If the Happiness is lower, for each point of difference you can pay 1 Good of any type or 1 Deben. If you cannot or do not want to do so, then you must place 1 Servant from your Dwellings of any type in the Tumult Zone.

5. From the docks of the Pier, remove the lowest cost Barge available. If it contains building Materials, place them in the Pyramid following the Construction rules. You must place as many as you can, but those Materials that you cannot place according to the rules are returned to their location in the Quarry. You do not get Construction Points for completing Pyramid sections in this way.

   Construction Rules. When Constructing, do so by placing Materials one at a time. You can place 1 Material adjacent to a Construction start space, or adjacent to another Material that is already placed (even one placed just before).

5.2 Minor Actions

There are several Minor Actions in Keops. They can be performed before or after any other Action:

• a. Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid.
• b. Send 1 or more Servants to the Wharf.
• c. Send 1 Servant to a Building or Crop that you just Constructed.
• d. Other Minor Actions (Advanced Rules).

You can perform any number of Minor Actions during your Turn except when you perform the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants. During this Action, only Revenue Actions are allowed.

a. Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid

This gold-bordered Action Area is not blocked and players can send Servants to it even if there are other Servants present.

• Place it in the Construct Pyramid space and send up to any 3 Materials from your Storehouse to the Pyramid Area (up to 5 if you boost the action), and...
• ...you gain 1 Construction Point and advance your Marker in the Tracker, and...
• ...if you complete one or more sections of the Pyramid, you earn as many additional Construction Points as there are pyramid icons in the completed sections. Remember: You can only place Materials adjacent to a construction starting space or other Material.

Example: You send 1 artisan to the pyramid. You get 1 construction point immediately. You can now send up to 3 materials to the pyramid (up to 5 if you boost the action). Thanks to 1 limestone that was there, you can complete the section above and earn 1 additional construction point. In total, you have obtained 2 construction points thanks to this minor action.

Attention: You are only allowed to send materials for which there is space in the Pyramid and you can follow the construction rules to place them.

b. Send 1 or more Servants to the Wharf

This gold-bordered Action Area is not blocked and players can send Servants to it even if there are other Servants present.

You can send as many Servants as you want with a single Action, then get 1 Deben for each one you have sent. Example: Send as many servants as you want. If you send 3, you get 3 debens.

Tip: If you want to hold turns, it is allowed to send Servants one at a time to wait and see what other players do.

c. Send 1 Servant to a Building or Crop that you just Constructed

When you perform a Major Action (A) Construct Building or Crop, you can Send 1 Servant to that Building or Crop by making use of this Minor Action. For all intents and purposes, this Action works the same as the Major Action (B) Assign Servant to Buildings or Crops.

"Any Servant" icon. This icon means that it is possible to use any Servant to perform that Action. It also appears as a Building or Crop Construction cost in your Vizier Board.

Any-Material spaces. In these spaces it is possible to place any type of Material, but if you place the specific Material shown, you will gain 1 additional Construction Point in addition to any other you obtained.

6. Akhet Special Round

The moment a Pyramid Level is completed with all the necessary Materials (this can occur during a Vizier's Turn if he adds Materials to the Pyramid, or, with the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants and the Materials from a Barge filling in the remaining spaces in the Pyramid), a special Round called Akhet takes place (right after the Vizier's Turn ends). If it is the end of the last Round, the rest of the Viziers may perform 1 extra Turn (before starting the Akhet Round). In each Akhet Round, follow these steps in order:

1. Return all the Materials in the Pyramid Level template to the Quarry.

2. Place the new Pyramid Level and the corresponding template according to the number of Players.

3. Check the Pantheon:

   • The Vizier with the most Offerings dedicated to Ra gets 1 Major Favor. In case of a tie, the Viziers involved receive 1 Minor Favor and there will be no second place. The second Vizier with the most Offerings dedicated to Ra gets 1 Minor Favor. In case of a tie for second place, no one receives Favors. Viziers who have received a Favor of any kind, withdraw half of their Offerings from the Temple of Ra (rounding up).
   • The Vizier with the most Offerings in each of the other Temples of the Pantheon, may withdraw one of them to activate the power of the God immediately. In case of a tie, none of the Viziers involved can activate the power.

   IMPORTANT:

   • If this occurs in the Temple of MAAT, it is possible for the Vizier to place new Building Materials in the new Pyramid Level, earning Building Points for the current Round.
   • If this occurs in the Temple of THOT, it is possible that the Medjay Power of the Borders will change. Both situations occur immediately, so they may affect the following steps.

4. Check the Construction Track:

   • The Vizier with the most Construction Points gets 1 Major Favor. In case of a tie, the Viziers involved receive 1 Minor Favor and there will be no second place. The second Vizier with the most Construction Points receives 1 Minor Favor. In case of a tie for second place, none of these Viziers receive Favors. Once the Favors have been distributed, return all Markers to the initial position in the Construction Track.

5. Check the Borders:

Border Penalty Tokens. In total there are 9 Border Penalty Tokens. During the setup, 6 of them are shuffled and 3 are randomly placed. The 3 showing the pyramid icon will always appear in the third Round.

Defense Value (shield icon). Represents the Defense Value of these enemies. Subtract the shown Defense value from the Medjay Power you add to this Border Card. This always applies, unless clearly specified otherwise. There are ways to ignore the Defense Value.

The minimum Medjay Power required in each Border Card is showed by the icon on the right. Or you can also check if your Medjay marker is in a red square, which means you have not yet met the minimum Medjay Power required for that Border Card!

• The Viziers who have reached the minimum Medjay Power of each Border, receive the Prestige according to the final position in the table in each card. In case of a tie, the Viziers involved receive the Prestige of their position. The Prestige gained affects the next step (but NO rewards are received).

  Example: In a 4-player game, the orange and pink viziers tie for first place and get 2 prestige points. The white vizier is in third position and obtains 0 prestige points, but meets the minimum Medjay power required. The black vizier is in fourth position, losing 1 prestige point (and suffers the border penalty for not having reached the minimum Medjay power required).

• Remove the Border Cards and draw 3 new Border Cards at random according to the new Pyramid Level. Place the Viziers' Medjay Power Markers under each Border Card, just as during setup and replace the Border Penalty tokens with the remaining 3. If this is the last Round, place the 3 Border Penalty tokens for the Level 3 of the Pyramid.

6. Check the Prestige Track:
   • The Vizier with the most Prestige Points gets 1 Major Favor. In case of a tie, the Viziers involved receive 1 Minor Favor and there will be no second place. The second Vizier with the most Prestige Points receives 1 Minor Favor. In case of a tie for second place, none of the Viziers involved receive Favors. Once the Favors have been distributed, return all Markers to the initial position in the Prestige Track.
7. Remove the Crops from the Akhet Zone and return the Building Markers from each Crop to their corresponding Vizier, who places them back in his Board, in their yellow column starting from the bottom (this may re-cover previously unlocked Revenues).
8. Remove all Barges from the Nile Moorings and the Pier and discard them. Add 4 new face-up Barges from the reserve to the Pier.

IMPORTANT: In case it is the end of the third Round, the Viziers who take an extra Turn do so BEFORE the start of the final Akhet Round.

7. End Game

The Vizier with the highest number of Major Favors wins the game and is proclaimed champion and heir to the Pharaoh. Note that the union of 2 Minor Favors creates 1 Major Favor.

In case of a tie in Major Favors, the Vizier with the highest sum of Goods and Debens among those tied wins. If the tie persists, the Vizier with the highest sum of unlocked Servants and Building Markers in the Board wins. If, even so, the tie persists, the tied Viziers share the victory and are proclaimed heirs to the Pharaoh. They may need to build another Pyramid at another time in order to resolve this problematic situation...

...but that's another story.

Advanced Scoring: If you are playing with Decrees, at the end of the game, each Vizier who has his 3 Decree Markers (scarabs) in play will receive 1 Minor Favor.

8. Important Concepts

Dice and Reward Table

In the Construction, Prestige and Medjay Power Tracks of the Border Cards, there are levels where a reward is unlocked. These levels are shown by a scarab symbol: red (Level 1 Reward Die) or purple (Level 2 Reward Die).

The moment one of these levels is reached by ascending in the track (never if the Marker goes down), the Vizier receives the associated reward immediately. This reward is chosen among two options.

• By rolling the associated Reward Die and receiving the benefit showed by the result. This option is more random but the potential benefits are greater.
• By choosing a reward from the Rewards Table in your Vizier Board. If the reward is Level 1, choose 1 of the four benefits from the Table. If the Reward is Level 2, choose 2 different benefits from the Table.

IMPORTANT: During the course of the game it is possible that the markers in the tracks go backwards. You never receive a reward when an indicator goes backwards, but if it goes up again later on, you will receive the reward again.

Royal Mandate Tokens

The Royal Mandate Tokens have different functions during the game. The way to obtain them is also varied: it is possible to obtain them in a Room of the Audience Hall, in one of the Temples, in some Barges, or by completely unlocking a column of Buildings or a row of Dwellings in the Vizier's Board.

At most, you can accumulate 3 of them at the same time, but you can spend as many Royal Mandate Tokens as you want during your Turn. When they are used, they return to the general reserve. Their uses are as follows:

• Exchange it for 1 Deben.
• Exchange it for any 1 Good.
• Exchange it for any 1 Building Material and store it.
• Exchange it for 1 Offering and place it in a Temple.
• To Boost certain Game Board Actions.
• d). To activate a Decree Card in play or from your hand (Advanced Rules Minor Action).

Tumult Zone/Transit Zone

This concept is important in the game and requires further explanation. The Tumult Zone (left side) is the place where a player's Servants go when the player is unwilling or unable to pay the Dwelling Maintenance, or the difference between Population and Happiness.

The cost of not paying Maintenance. As already explained, it is not mandatory to pay the Maintenance of your Servants. Sometimes, you may find it useful not to do so in order to take better advantage of a Turn using those resources. However, in the end there will be a cost: you will have fewer Servants for future Turns and you will stop earning Prestige Points.

It is worth remembering that this payment is optional. You can always send your Servants to the Tumult Zone, even if you could pay the cost they require. From the Tumult Zone, the Servants must go to the Transit Zone (right side) before returning to the Vizier's Board.

If you have Servants in the Tumult Zone, every time you gain 1 Prestige, you must instead move any Servant to the Transit Zone (so you will not gain that Prestige). When you no longer have Servants in the Tumult Zone, you will be able to gain Prestige as usual.

When you perform the Licensing Servants Action (C), take all your Servants from the Transit Zone and return them to their spaces in your Vizier Board.

Buildings and Dwellings

Building tiles: There are 3 types: Guilds, Commercial and Religious. Each type is associated with a different Servant: Artisans, Scribes and Priests.

A distinction must be made between the Building and Crop Tiles (which are placed in the City or Plantation) and the Vizier Building Markers, which are pieces of wood that are placed in the Building Tile to find out who is the Patron of that Building.

The Building Tiles have 1 or 2 Rooms where your Servants can be assigned.

Patron Benefit. Rooms may or may not have a cost in Goods/Debens that must be paid when Assigning or Sending the Servant. Each Room gives a benefit to the Vizier who assigns the Servant and can also give a Benefit to the Patron (owner) of that tile.

IMPORTANT: You cannot activate a Room or Board space unless you are able to fulfill the required payment and execute at least part of the Action provided.

Building Markers

They are located in the Vizier Board (left side). They are wooden pieces to identify the property in the Building Tiles. Although they have different shapes, this is irrelevant to the game; you can place each type in any column you wish. Each time you Construct a Building Tile, take a Building Marker from your Vizier Board of the same color as the tile, starting from the top of the column and place it on top of the Constructed tile (without covering the Rooms) to show its Patron (or in its assigned area in the Game Board in case of Crops and Temples). This can unlock Revenues and Revenue Actions in the Vizier Board. Revenues are received during the Licensing Servants Action (C).

Revenue is provided by the yellow, green and red columns of Building Markers.

Dwellings

The Dwellings are located in the right side of the Vizier Boards. Although they are separated into 3 different colored rows, they are not associated with any color. Each time you place a Building Tile in a section of the City, you must check if any size 1 squares are isolated within that section. Then, for each isolated size 1 square, take 1 Dwelling from the row of your choice, but always the first available from the left in that row. This may cause new Servants to be unlocked, which in turn will cause your possible Maintenance costs to increase. New unlocked Servants are taken from the Unavailable area. Having more Servants will allow you to perform more Actions before Licensing them and, although their Maintenance is optional, remember that you will stop gaining Prestige each time you move them from the Tumult Zone to the Transit Zone.

As a reminder of which Dwellings will unlock Servants, you will find a small colored bar above those spaces.

Example: If you have placed 2 dwellings of the yellow line, then you will have 3 artisans at your service. The first 2 do not require maintenance, but the one who occupies the second dwelling will require the payment of 1 barley.

Market

The Market can only be used during the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants as a Vizier Board Revenue Action. It is distinguished by the symbol showed next to the name of this section. Note that in the green column, there is already one of these symbols to start with, which means that you will always have access to at least 1 Market Action.

The Goods that are placed in the Market are only markers. They remain in the Market to show the current value of that Good.

For each Market symbol visible in your green column, you can do one of the following Market Actions:

• Buy 1 Good of your choice at the Market by paying to the reserve the cost of that Good. Take that Good from the reserve. Buying makes the Goods revalue. Example: As a revenue benefit, you receive 1 deben and decide to pay 2 debens to acquire 1 barley. Afterwards, the barley revalues.
• Sell 1 Good in your possession at the Market by taking the shown Debens from the reserve. Selling causes the Goods to devalue. Example: Another option could have been to gain 1 deben and then sell 1 beer, receiving 4 debens from the reserve and you devalue the beer one space.

Important Market Rules: You can perform as many Market Actions as you have visible icons in your board. For each one, buy or sell 1 Good. Once you have made all your purchases and sells, then revalue or devalue the Goods accordingly: when revaluing, move the price marker of that Good one square to the right. When devaluing, do the same one square to the left. Since the Revenues of your Vizier Board are activated before the Maintenance step, it is possible that thanks to a good Market management you will be able to cover all the Maintenance you have to face.

9. Tips for Your First Game

It is very important that you have read this rulebook in its entirety. Review the Round structure and Player Turn, as well as the important Concepts, and ignore the Advanced Rules and the Ra-automa mode.

During your first few Turns:

• Remember that you can perform more than one Minor Action per Turn, as long as you do not repeat them.
• Construct some Barley Crops to ensure you can pay for the Maintenance of your first Servants.
• Do not be afraid to Construct a Crop in the Akhet area, as it will bring additional Barley or Papyrus and will make other Viziers want to activate it, causing you to get your Patron Benefits.
• When you Construct a Temple, don't forget to place an Offering in it for free.
• The Crops and Temples will not give you the option to place Dwellings, and therefore you will not be able to unlock new Servants. But their benefits are usually very important.
• Remember that when placing Dwellings in the City, you can take them from any row of your Vizier Board (but always starting from the left).
• Try to unlock as soon as possible your first Revenue from each column of Buildings, by building a Yellow, a Green and a Red building.
• When Constructing a Building or Crop, try to make sure that you can activate it in the same Turn by sending a Servant with a Minor Action.
• Be honest when activating another Vizier's Building, and remind them that they can receive their Patron Benefit.
• Always keep some Deben in your reserve. You never know when you will need them to receive a Patron Benefit from your Buildings.
• Don't neglect Happiness. Having to pay Debens or additional Goods is not a good idea.
• The Wharf is the only action in the whole game that will allow you to use more than one Servant at a time. You may want to use it if you need to quickly License your Servants.
• Make use of all your Servants before carrying out the Major Action: Licensing Servants (C), as you will have to pay the Maintenance even if you have not used them.
• When Licensing Servants (C), remember that there is a Market Action printed in your Vizier Board that you can always perform, even if you have not unlocked any other Revenue in the green column.
• Don't underestimate the power of a Mandate Token. Its versatility can give you the victory.

10. Full Turn Example

As a Major Action, Lara decides to Construct a Cartographer:

• She pays the cost of the Building, which turns out to be 1 Servant of her choice, 1 Papyrus and 1 Deben, plus 1 additional Deben per penalized square. In addition, she decides to pay 1 additional Silver from her reserve to obtain 1 additional Prestige.
• She places two Dwellings because of the gaps that have been left. She takes one Dwelling from the row of Scribes and another from the row of Priests. The latter unlocks a new red Servant (Priest), so she gets it immediately, putting the figure standing in the zone of unlocked Dwellings, and increases her Population Track by 1.
• She advances by 1 her Prestige Marker, plus an additional 1 for the Silver she paid previously.
• This earns her a Reward die immediately. She decides to roll the die, obtaining 1 Barley and 1 Building Material which she immediately stores.
• As her first Minor Action, Lara decides to send the newly obtained Priest to the first Room of the Building she has just constructed, occupying that space and receiving its benefits. She places the Offering in one of the Temples of the Pantheon zone, choosing the Anubis Temple, and obtains 2 Medjay Power in a Border Card.
• As her second Minor Action, Lara sends an Artisan to Construct the Pyramid. To Boost the Action she decides to spend a Mandate Token, so she takes up to 5 of the Materials she had stored in her Vizier Board, and places them in the Pyramid following the Construction rules. Thanks to this she obtains 1 Construction Point and manages to completely close 2 sections, which provide her with another 2 Construction Points, achieving 3 in total.
• As her third Minor Action, she decides to send the remaining Servant in her Vizier Board to the Wharf, receiving 1 Deben.

11. Advanced Rules

There are two optional rules that can give your games a better gaming experience: Family Cards and Decree Cards.

We recommend introducing the Advanced Rules one at a time so as not to overcomplicate your first games. However, when you master the game, we are sure that you will always want to play with both proposals.

11.1. Family Cards

There are 8 Family Cards in this set, each of them double-sided (16 choices in total).

Game Setup: At the End of the Vizier Board Setup (before assigning Decree Cards if that optional rule is used) add the following:

• Deal one Family Card at random to each Vizier.
• Each Vizier starting with the first player chooses one of his faces (A or B) and places it next to his Vizier Board, showing the chosen face. If the card has a benefit at the start of the game, it is now obtained.

During the Game: Family Cards have various benefits. Some are received at the start of the game, others are permanent effects that activate under certain conditions, and they may even have Minor Actions exclusive to that player. Whenever the text of a Family Card contravenes the rules, the text of the card takes precedence.

11.2. Decree Cards

Viziers were powerful and influential people in Ancient Egypt. The Decree Cards simulate that power in the form of orders or influence in the Kingdom.

There are 12 Decree Cards.

Game Setup: At the end of the Vizier Board Setup (after assigning Family Cards if that optional rule is used) add the following:

• Deal 2 Decree Cards randomly to each Vizier. The remaining cards are shuffled into a deck and placed face down next to the Game Board, within reach of all the Viziers. Each Vizier also receives his 3 Decree Markers.

The cards remain hidden in the hand of the Viziers until they decide to activate them by using 1 Royal Mandate Token.

During the Game: Decree Cards grant permanent benefits that activate under certain circumstances, immediate effects upon activation, or other powerful rule-altering effects. However, their benefits are not considered active until you have one of your Decree Markers (scarab) in them. Whenever the text of a Decree Card contravenes the rules, the text of the card takes precedence.

If you play with this Advanced Rule, the heading d) Other Minor Actions is added to the list of available Minor Actions. All of them are linked to the use of 1 Mandate Token:

d) Other Minor Actions. Use 1 Royal Mandate Token for:

• Play a Decree Card from your hand and immediately assign one of your Decree Markers to it. Place the card near your Vizier Board, visible to all players.
• Activate the benefit of another Vizier's Decree Card that is in play (in some cards there can only be one Decree Marker at a time, so only one Vizier will have access to that Decree). Place one of your Decree Markers in the card to identify that you can benefit from it.
• Move a Decree Marker from one Decree Card to another (your own or another Vizier's). You stop getting the benefit from the first one to get the benefit from the second one.

Remember:

• Whenever you put a Decree Card from your hand into play, draw another card from the deck. If the deck is depleted, no Vizier can draw more cards.
• At the end of the game, each Vizier who has his 3 Decree Markers (scarabs) in play will receive 1 Minor Favor.

12. Ra-utoma Mode

Welcome to KEOPS Solo Mode and High Priest of Ra!

Thanks to the Ra-utoma Cards, you will be able to enjoy Keops alone, facing the High Priest of Ra, or by adding a virtual player to your games with less than 4 players.

The game is still competitive and you will still have to fight to get as many Pharaoh's Favors as possible, as if it were a normal game. The only difference is that there will be a new player guided by the Ra-utoma Cards: The High Priest of Ra.

If you want to introduce this game mode to your games, follow the following additional rules during setup and during the game. For all intents and purposes, treat the High Priest like any other Vizier.

Game Setup

• Take a Vizier Board for Ra-utoma. Place in it all the Buildings and Dwellings of its color. Take 2 Artisans and 1 Scribe of the chosen color, and place them in the initial Dwellings. Place the rest of the Servants in its own Unavailable area.
• After all the Game Board and the Vizier Boards setup, shuffle the complete Ra-utoma deck and place it in one side of the Game Board within reach of all the Viziers. The color on the back of the cards will reveal what kind of action the High Priest will perform. Find the 4 Temple cards (red color), and select 2 at random. Return the other two to the box, as they will not be used in this game. Then shuffle the entire deck.
• The player holding the Royal Scarab (starting with the initial player, although as explained later, this marker will change hands) will become the Voice of Ra on Earth, and will be in charge of making all decisions for the High Priest when stipulated by the Ra-utoma Cards or the rules that follow.
• Depending on the level of difficulty, place the Prestige and Construction Markers in the shown positions. The table below lists the starting positions by column: Prestige Track, Construction Track, Offerings in the Temple of Ra, and Medjay Power in the three Borders.

Level	Prestige	Construction	Offerings (Ra)	Medjay Power (3 Borders)
Level 1	1	2	1	1 / 1 / 1
Level 2	1	3	2	2 / 1 / 1
Level 3	2	3	2	2 / 2 / 2

Level 2: 1 tie winning card at random. Level 3: 2 tie winning cards.

During the Game

• The High Priest of Ra will take his Turn as any other Vizier. He starts the game in the order established at the beginning.
• When it is the High Priest's Turn, the Vizier in possession of the Royal Scarab draws and shows the first card of the Ra-utoma deck. Then, the different steps shown in the card are carried out in the established order.

Example card: Ra-utoma will always try to "ACTIVATE" Buildings that are already constructed. In this example, Ra-utoma will try to activate the first available Room of a Bazaar he owns. If he has none, he will activate the first available room of another player's Bazaar. If there is no Bazaar, or there are no available Rooms, Ra-utoma will move to the bottom of the card. At the bottom, Ra-utoma will "CONSTRUCT" a Bazaar, following the construction rules below, obtaining 1 Prestige Point and placing one of his green Building Markers in the tile, and Dwellings from his Vizier Board if necessary (i.e., he acts in this sense as if he were a player). Finally, he will activate the second Room.

During the game, follow the following guidelines regarding the Ra-utoma.

Major Action A: Construction of Buildings and Crops.

1. The High Priest never needs to pay Construction costs nor Servants. When he has to place a Servant, he will first try to do so from those available in his Vizier Board, and if he does not have one, then it is taken from the pool of Independent Servants.
2. He will always try to place as many Dwellings as possible in that section of the City. If there are several positions, the Vizier in possession of the Royal Scarab chooses. If he can, he will place Dwellings of the same color as the building constructed. If there are no more Dwellings of that color, the Voice of Ra will decide which Dwellings to build.
3. Whenever it constructs, you increase its Prestige by 1 point.
4. Whenever it constructs, it activates the Building Room as shown in the card.
5. If he cannot activate or Construct the Building showed in his card, add it to the Discard Area and end his Turn.

Major Action B: Assign Servants.

6. He does not need to pay costs to activate Building Rooms.
7. He always tries to activate his own Buildings first. If he does not possess the particular Building, he will activate that of another Vizier, chosen by the Vizier in possession of the Royal Scarab.
8. If the Building is free, always activate the first Room. If not, the second one. If it cannot activate a Building's Room, it will construct it and activate it immediately.
9. The High Priest never receives the Patron Benefit of a Building of his own. In exchange for this, when a Vizier activates a Ra-utoma Building Room, the Vizier in possession of the Royal Scarab must choose one of the following bonuses for the High Priest:
   • +1 Prestige Point
   • +1 Construction Level
   • +1 Medjay Power in each Border (ignoring the Defense)
   • +1 Offering at the Temple of Ra

Major Action C: Licensing Servants.

10. When adding the cards in Ra-utoma's Discard Area and top card of the deck together there are 3, 4 or 5 cards of the same color (depending on the current Round), the High Priest will perform this Major Action as follows:

    • Remove all Ra-utoma colored Servants, as well as Independent Servants.
    • Remove the lowest cost Barge from the Pier and place the Materials (if any) in the Pyramid following the usual construction rules. Fill the Pier with new Barges in the usual way. Same as the rest of the Viziers. The High Priest does not get Construction points, as usual.
    • Take all cards from the Ra-utoma Discard Area and shuffle them into the main deck, creating a new deck.

    Example: We are in round 2 and the top card of the Ra-utoma deck is red. In the discard area, there are 3 red Ra-utoma cards. Therefore, the High Priest will license servants as a major action.

During Pyramid Construction:

• Place the Materials shown in the card or the Pier Barge and, ignoring the color of the required Materials in the Pyramid, place the Materials completing as many sections as possible.
• When Ra-utoma uses a Construct Pyramid Card, it gains 1 Construction Point, plus any additional Construction Points awarded by the completed sections.
• When Ra-utoma uses other cards to activate the Royal Architect, the Quarry, the Pier or the Temple of Maat, it gets the Construction Points shown in the sections it completes.
• When activating another Vizier's Building, the Vizier may obtain Patron Benefits in the usual way. If the Patron Benefit consists of obtaining a Good equal to the one spent by the Ra-utoma, the player will be able to obtain one Good from those available in the Pier Storehouse.

Royal Scarab: Every decision to be made by the High Priest shall be decided by the Vizier in possession of the Royal Scarab. Once a Vizier makes any decision, he will pass the Royal Scarab to the Vizier to his left, who will now be the Voice of Ra on Earth. In this way, each player will have the possibility to control the High Priest to his advantage.

13. Glossary

13.1 Game Board and Vizier Board

Reinforce Borders (Artisan space): Requirement: Place 1 Artisan here, Pay 1 Barley and 1 Deben. Benefit: Increase Medjay Power by 2 in 1 Border of your choice.

Reinforce Borders (Scribe space): Requirement: Place 1 Scribe here, Pay 1 Beer and 1 Deben. Benefit: Increase Medjay Power by 3 in 1 Border of your choice.

Reinforce Borders (Priest space): Requirement: Place 1 Priest here, Pay 1 Papyrus and 1 Deben. Benefit: Increase Medjay Power by 4 in 1 Border of your choice.

Boost Action (Borders): Pay 1 Royal Mandate. Benefit: Additionally increase Medjay Power by 2 in the same Border.

Pier docks: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe in any dock and pay 2, 3, 4 or 5 Debens. Benefit: Activate the Barge from that dock.

Boost Action (Pier): Pay 1 Royal Mandate. Benefit: You do not pay Debens for the Barge.

Pier Storehouse: In some occasions you will be able to take Goods from here. If you run out of all of them, replenish them. Benefit: 1 Barley, 1 Papyrus or 1 Beer (if available).

Quarry: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan, 1 Scribe or 1 Priest (the Artisan space gives 1 Material, the Scribe space 2, the Priest space 3). Benefit: Take any 1, 2 or 3 Materials and place them in your Storehouse.

Boost Action (Quarry): Pay 1 Royal Mandate. Benefit: Take any 2 extra Materials.

Construct Pyramid: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. (This space is never blocked by other Servants). Benefit: Take any 3 Materials from your Storehouse and Construct the Pyramid.

Boost Action (Pyramid): Pay 1 Royal Mandate. Benefit: Send 2 extra Materials from your Storehouse when Constructing the Pyramid.

Wharf: Requirement: Place any number of Servants here. (This space is never blocked by other Servants). Benefit: Take 1 Deben for each Servant placed here.

Tumult Zone (left side) / Transit Zone (right side): Mandatory Requirement: If you have Servants in the Tumult Zone, for each Prestige you gain, move 1 Servant to the Transit Zone instead. Benefit: Move any 1 Servant from the Tumult Zone to the Transit Zone.

Optional Silver (Prestige track): Optional Requirement: Pay 1 additional Silver when Constructing 1 Building. Benefit: You gain 1 additional Prestige Point.

Temple Room (Priest): Requirement: Place 1 Priest and remove 1 of your Offerings. Benefit: Activate the benefit from the God of that Temple.

Building Construction requirements (Vizier Board): Spend 1 Servant of your choice and pay 1 Deben and 1 Good of the shown type (Barley, Beer or Papyrus). Benefit: Construct the Building Tile of that color and gain 1 Prestige point.

Unlocked Revenues from the Vizier Board (yellow column): Take 1 Barley. Take 1 or 2 Materials and store them or Construct the Pyramid with Materials from your Storehouse.

Unlocked Revenues from the Vizier Board (green column): Take 1, 2 or 4 Debens. In the 3 options, you can perform the Market Action.

Unlocked Vizier Board Revenues (red column): Place 1 or 2 Offerings, or remove 1 or 2 of your Offerings to activate the benefit of the God of those Temples (you can combine options).

Unlocked Dwelling Maintenance in the Vizier Board: You can pay 1 Barley, 1 Beer, 1 Papyrus or 1 Silver to keep that Servant. If not, you must send him to the Tumult Zone.

Reward Table: When you obtain a Level 1 reward you get 1 of the benefits shown. By obtaining a Level 2 reward you get 2 of the benefits shown (different). Benefit: 1 Barley, 2 Deben, 1 Material (from the Quarry), or 1 Medjay Power ignoring the Defense Value in 1 Border of your choice.

13.2 Temples and Gods

"The plots of the people do not prevail. It is the Mandate of the Gods that prevails." -- Ptahhotep

Follow the following rules regarding Temples:

• In order to activate a Temple, it must first be constructed. When a Temple is constructed, an associated God is chosen and placed next to it. In addition, the Vizier who Constructs it can place 1 Offering in that Temple tile immediately.
• There can only be 4 active Temples, plus the Temple of Ra, which starts the game constructed. The Temple of Ra does not give any benefit, so it is not necessary to assign a Servant to it. Only Offerings can be placed in it.
• Temple Benefits can alter the basic rules. In case of conflict, the Temple Benefit takes precedence.

It is not essential that you associate each God to its Temple during your games, but below you will find which God is associated to each Temple according to its pictogram.

• Osiris -- Benefit: Take 5 Debens from the reserve.
• Seb -- Benefit: Activates any Room in a constructed Building occupied by a Servant.
• Sobek -- Benefit: Take 1 Royal Mandate Token.
• Anubis -- Benefit: Subtract 1 Prestige from another Vizier. Gain 2 Prestige.
• Thot -- Benefit: Increases 1 Medjay Power in each Border ignoring its Defense.
• Maat -- Benefit: Take 1 Material of each type from the Quarry and Construct the Pyramid.
• Bastet -- Benefit: Take from the reserve any 2 different Goods.
• Unut -- Benefit: Return ALL of your Servants from the Tumult and Transit zones to your Vizier Board.

Patron Benefit (all Temples): Remove an Offering of your own in this Temple and receive its benefit.

13.3 Buildings and Crops

Here is an overview of all Building Tiles. Always apply the following general rules for all Buildings:

• Unless specifically stated otherwise, all costs are paid to the general reserve and all Goods, Materials and Debens are taken from the general reserve.
• The requirement for each Room is mandatory. If it cannot be paid, then it is not possible to activate that Room.
• Only rooms free of Servants can be activated, unless a Decree Card, Family or other benefit allows this restriction to be ignored.
• The Patron Benefit of that tile is optional. The Vizier who owns that tile is not obliged to use it.
• It is not mandatory to obtain all benefits. In fact, some may not be available at all.
• In order to place Offerings in a Temple, that Temple must have been previously constructed (no Offerings can be placed in empty spaces of the Pantheon).

Guild Buildings and Crops (yellow, Artisan)

Brewery

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and Pay 1 Barley. Benefit: Take 1 Beer.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and pay 2 Barley. Benefit: Take 3 Beers.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, Get 1 Beer.

Jewelry

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and Pay 1 Papyrus. Benefit: Take 1 Silver.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and Pay 2 Papyrus. Benefit: Take 2 Silver.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, Get 1 Silver.

Sanctuary

• Room: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. Benefit: Place 1 Offering in any active Temple.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, place 1 Offering in any active Temple.

School

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. Benefit: Take 1 Deben and Increase Happiness by 2.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and Pay 1 Deben. Benefit: Take 1 Independent Scribe or Priest.
• Patron Benefit: Take 1 Deben.

Barley Crop

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. Benefit: Take 2 Barley (3 Barley in Akhet Zone).
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. Benefit: Take 1 Barley (2 Barley in Akhet Zone).
• Patron Benefit: Take 1 Barley.

Papyrus Crop

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan. Benefit: Take 1 Papyrus (2 Papyrus in Akhet Zone).
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Artisan and Pay 1 Deben. Benefit: Take 1 Papyrus (2 Papyrus in Akhet Zone).
• Patron Benefit: Take 1 Papyrus.

Commercial Buildings (green, Scribe)

Courtroom

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Pay any 1 Good. Benefit: Take 1 Royal Mandate Token.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe, Pay any 1 Good and Reduce your Prestige by 1. Benefit: Take 2 Royal Mandate Tokens.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, Take 1 Good of the same type as the one paid.

Tax Collector

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Reduce 1 Happiness. Benefit: Collect 3 Debens.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Reduce your Prestige by 1. Benefit: Take 6 Debens.
• Patron Benefit: Take 1 Deben.

Royal Architect

• Room: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Pay 1 Deben. Benefit: Take any 2 Materials from the Quarry and construct the Pyramid with them.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, take 1 Material of the same type.

Bazaar

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Pay any 1 Good. Benefit: Take any other type of Good.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Scribe and Pay 1 Silver. Benefit: Take 2 different Goods other than Silver.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, Take 1 Good of the same type as the one paid.

Religious Buildings (red, Priest)

Festival Plaza

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Priest and Pay 1 Beer and 1 Deben. Benefit: Increase Happiness by 2 and Prestige by 1.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Priest, reduce Happiness by 1, Pay 1 Papyrus and 1 Deben. Benefit: Increase your Prestige by 2.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Beer or 1 Papyrus, increase your Prestige by 1.

Cartographer

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Priest. Benefit: Place 1 Offering in any active Temple and increase Medjay Power by 2 in 1 Border.
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Priest and Pay 1 Silver. Benefit: Increase Medjay Power by 3 in one Border, by 2 in another and by 1 in another.
• Patron Benefit: Increase your Medjay Power by 1 in 1 Border.

Mortuary

• Room 1: Requirement: Place 1 Priest. Benefit: Roll the Level 2 Reward Die (or acquire 2 benefits from the Reward Table).
• Room 2: Requirement: Place 1 Priest and remove 1 of your Offerings from the Temple of Ra. Benefit: Place 1 Offering in 2 different Temples.
• Patron Benefit: If you pay 1 Deben, place 1 Offering in any active Temple.

13.4 Barges and Moorings

This section describes the Barges and Moorings. It contains a summary of all the symbols you can find in these elements. Always apply the following general rules for all Barges and Moorings:

• All benefits are optional. They are obtained immediately, although it is not mandatory to obtain them.
• When you take a Material from a Barge, store it in your Vizier Board (remember that you can only store up to 6 Materials).
• If the benefit is a Good, it is taken from those available in the Pier Storehouse. When there are no Goods left in the Pier Storehouse, refill it with one of each type from the reserve.
• When you buy a Barge you can get the benefit from it and, then, the benefit from the Nile Mooring where you place the Barge.
• When a Barge is discarded when Licensing Servants or because there are no free Moorings left in the Nile, they are put in one side of the board.
• When there are no Barges left in the reserve to fill the Pier, all the discarded Barges are taken to form a new reserve.

Barge types:

• Barges showing only Materials: Take the corresponding Materials and store them.
• Barges showing Materials and an Offering: Take the corresponding Materials and store them. In addition, you can place 1 Offering in a Temple of your choice.
• Barge showing a Royal Mandate Token: Take 1 Royal Mandate Token.
• Barges showing Materials and a Good (?): Take the corresponding Materials and store them. You also get an available Good from the Pier Storehouse.
• Barges showing Materials and Independent Servants: Take the Materials and one of the shown Independent Servants.

Nile Mooring benefits:

• Gain 2 Debens.
• Add 2 Medjay Power to 1 Border of your choice.
• Gain 1 Good of the type of the present Crop.
• Place 1 Offering in a Temple of your choice.
• Construct the Pyramid with the Materials from the Barge.

13.5 Border Penalties

The first penalty listed below (lose a Favor) is marked "Always in Level 3".

• You lose 1 Minor Favor. In case you do not have 1 Minor Favor, you lose 1 Major Favor and take 1 Minor Favor from the reserve. You lose 1 Prestige Point.
• Remove 3 of your Temple Offerings. If you don't have enough, remove Offerings from your personal reserve and return them to the box. You lose 1 Prestige Point.
• You lose half of your Debens rounded up. You lose 1 Prestige Point.
• Remove one of your Building Markers from the board. Return the Building Tile to the reserve. Place the Eliminated Building Token in the first available space of the corresponding column (by color). You will not be able to place that Building Marker again and you will not receive the corresponding Revenue. You lose 1 Prestige Point.
• You lose half of your Goods (you choose which ones) rounded up. You lose 1 Prestige Point.
• Eliminate one of your unlocked Servants. Place the Eliminated Servant Token in its Dwelling space. You will not be able to recover that Servant in any way (return it to the box). The eliminated Servant no longer requires Maintenance. Your Population Track does not decrease, you lose 1 Prestige Point.

13.6 Family Cards (Advanced Rule)

Here is a clarification of all KEOPS Family Cards. Activating the Family ability is always optional. Whenever the text of a Family Card contravenes a rule, the text of the card takes precedence.

(The card faces themselves are only shown as small illustrations in the rulebook; only the printed clarifications are transcribed here.)

• Ptahhotep -- Side A: The Materials at the start are stored in your Vizier Board. Side B: Only when you perform the Action during your Turn. It is not valid for the Licensing Servants Action, where you construct with materials from the Barges.
• Izezi-Anj -- Side A: Any Jewelry, even one of your own. Side B: This ability can be activated at any time during your Turn, but never in the middle of an Action. You must end the current Action completely.
• Aamenemes-Ankh -- Side A: Distribute the Debens as you wish among the other Viziers, but you must distribute them all and not keep any. Side B: Remember to place a green Building Marker from your Board on top of the tile and increase Prestige by 1 in the usual way. This can unlock Revenues in your Vizier Board.
• Nika-Ankh -- Side A: When you construct a Temple, you can place 1 additional Offering with this Family. Remember that each Vizier has a limited number of Offerings. Side B: Remember to place a red Building Marker to show your property. This can unlock Revenues in your Vizier Board.
• Nefer-Seshem -- Side A: This ability is for the entire Round or Pyramid Level and only in one Border to be chosen at the beginning of each Round. Side B: Normally the Medjay Power is increased in only one Border. This ability allows this power to be spread over several Borders. It can only be distributed when Assigning Servants in the Game Board.
• Ra-em-ka -- Side A: Remember to place a yellow Building Marker to show your ownership and increase Prestige by 1 in the usual way. This can unlock Revenues in your Vizier Board. Side B: Don't forget to draw a new Decree Card.
• Sesostris -- Side A: This ability is only useful when you choose to roll the die, not when you choose the reward from the Reward Table in your Vizier Board. Side B: You receive all the benefits. You cannot choose to receive only some of them.
• -- Side A: This type of Buildings can only be constructed normally when there are no more Tiles of that color left in the reserve. Side B: All other Building Tile Construction rules still apply. The saving is 1 Barley, 1 Beer or 1 Papyrus. The additional Silver, if you want to do it, has to be paid.

13.7 Decree Cards (Advanced Rule)

Here is a clarification of all KEOPS Decree Cards. Remember that Decree Cards must be activated by spending Royal Mandate Tokens. You can activate either your own or those of another Vizier. There is no limit to the number of Viziers that can activate each card, unless the card shows otherwise. When you activate a Decree Card, place a Decree Marker to show that you can obtain its benefit. The text of the Decree Cards takes precedence over the standard rules.

(Card text as printed on each card, followed by the rulebook's clarification.)

• Each Servant you send to the Pier awards 2 Debens instead of 1. You can still send as many Servants as you want with the same Action.
• Only one Vizier at a time can access this Decree! You win the ties in the Prestige and Construction Tracks. At any time, only one Decree Marker may be in this card.
• Only one Vizier at a time can access this Decree! You win the ties for Medjay Power and in the Temple of Ra. At any time, only one Decree Marker may be in this card.
• As a Minor Action: Place 1 Material from your storehouse in the Pyramid (follows the same rules as the Minor Action Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid). This is a Minor Action exclusive to those who have a Decree Marker here. It does not require the use of 1 Artisan. It may be performed in addition to the Minor Action Send 1 Artisan to the Pyramid.
• You always place your Servants in the Transit Zone when you cannot or you don't want to pay for their Upkeep or Happiness. With this card, you always avoid the Tumult Zone. Remember that, in the Action Licensing Servants, you will be able to recover your Servants from the Transit Zone.
• When any Vizier (including you) activates a Brewery, you can pay 1 Deben to the reserve to get 1 Beer. You must have Debens in order to activate this ability. It can be activated even if the Brewery belongs to the High Priest.
• For each Income Market Action: Pay 1 less Deben when you buy. Receive 1 more Deben when you sell. Goods continue to be revalued or devalued by 1 space with the use of this ability. You cannot pay less than 1 Deben for a Good.
• When any Vizier (including you) activates a Barley Crop, you can pay 1 Deben to the reserve to get 1 Barley. You must have Debens to activate this ability. It can be activated even if the Crop belongs to the High Priest.
• When rolling a Reward Die, roll it 2 times and choose one of the results. Either of the two dice. This skill is only useful when you choose to roll the die, not when you choose the reward from the Reward Table in your board.
• When constructing a Building or a Crop, you do not pay additional Debens for Penalized squares. All other tile construction rules continue to apply as usual.

13.8 Ra-utoma Cards

Here is a clarification of all KEOPS Ra-utoma Cards.

When the card shows "Activate" a specific Building, a Servant from the High Priest's Board is placed. If there are no such Servants, an Independent Servant from the reserve is placed in the Room chosen according to the card. The benefits of the Rooms are modified by the card and the same text explains it. When a card shows that a Room is blocked, simply place a Servant without taking any additional Action, nor paying anything, nor taking any benefit.

The text of the Ra-utoma Cards takes precedence over the standard rules.

Guild Cards

1. Remember that Ra-utoma gets as many Construction Points as the completed segments show +1. This may cause the Round to end. In this case, the Akhet Round takes place after Ra-utoma's Turn is over.
2. Remember that Ra-utoma does not gain Rewards.
3. Ra-utoma does not manage Goods of any kind. It simply blocks the first available Room.
4. (no clarification printed)
5. (no clarification printed)
6. Before drawing a second card, check to see if there are enough cards of the same color to perform the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants instead. Either of these actions may cause the Round to end. In this case, the Akhet Round takes place after Ra-utoma's Turn is over.
7. If Ra-utoma does not have Offerings in its reserve, it simply blocks the Room.

Commercial Cards

8. Blocking a Mooring does not provide any benefit to Ra-utoma. If there are no free Moorings left, discard the Barge.
9. If you are not playing with Decree Cards, simply block the Room.
10. Ra-utoma does not manage Debens. Even if it blocks the second Room, it reduces Happiness by 1 and ignores the Prestige loss showed in the tile.
11. Before drawing a second card, check to see if there are enough cards of the same color to perform the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants instead. Either of these actions may cause the Round to end. In this case, the Akhet Round takes place after Ra-utoma's Turn is over.
12. This is the only way Ra-utoma interacts with the Market.
13. Remember that Ra-utoma gets as many Construction points as the completed segments show. This may cause the Round to end. In this case, the Akhet Round takes place after Ra-utoma's Turn is over.
14. Ignore the Defense Shields in the Border Cards.

Religious Cards

15. Remember that Ra-utoma gets as many Construction Points as the completed segments show.
16. If Ra-utoma has no Offerings in his reserve, he does not perform this part of the action. Ignore the Defense Shields in the Border Cards.
17. The Voice of Ra decides which Offering is removed from the Temple of Ra.
18. Remember that Ra-utoma does not gain Rewards.
19. Before drawing a second card, check to see if there are enough cards of the same color to perform the Major Action (C) Licensing Servants instead. Either of these actions may cause the Round to end. In this case, the Akhet Round takes place after Ra-utoma's Turn is over.
20. Ra-utoma does not manage Goods of any kind. It simply blocks the first available Room. 21-24. When Ra-utoma activates a Temple, perform the following actions according to the chosen God:
    • Maat: Take 3 Materials and Construct the Pyramid. Remember that Ra-utoma gets as many Construction Points as the completed segments show.
    • Thot: Get 1 point of Medjay Power in each Border. Ignore the Defense Shields in the Border Cards.
    • Anubis: Reduces another Vizier's Prestige by 1. Increases Ra-utoma's Prestige by 2. The Voice of Ra decides which Vizier loses Prestige.
    • Sobek: If you are playing with Decrees, take a Decree Card from the deck and put it into play with a Decree Marker from Ra-utoma. Otherwise, block the Temple.
    • Any other God: Block the Temple.

Iconography

• Costs are shown on a red background. Benefits are shown on a white background. In the two gilt-edged zones there is no limit to the number of Servants that can coexist.
• Goods: Barley, Beer, Papyrus, Silver, Good of your choice.
• Materials: Limestone, Wood, Granite, Limestone/Wood/Granite, Any Material Matching Material Bonus.
• Servants: Artisan, Scribe, Priest, Any Servant. Arrow icon: During Major Action (C) Licensing Servants.
• Prestige (eye), Pyramid Construction / Pyramid Level (Round), Happiness (heart), Offering (ankh), Decree Marker (scarab).
• Medjay Power, Defense Value, Send Materials to the Pyramid, Patron Benefit (hand), Viziers (Players).
• Royal Mandate, Level 1 Reward, Level 2 Reward, Deben (game currency), Left Space: Tumult Zone / Right Space: Transit Zone.
• Market Action / Space: Market; The Quarry / Space: Gain Materials; Space: Increase Medjay Power; Prestige Track; Construction Track.
• Boost Action (exclamation mark).