Ankh: Gods of Egypt rules – how to play and how to score

Ankh: Gods of Egypt quick rules

The goal

Each player is a god of ancient Egypt. You gain Devotion, mostly during conflicts, by dominating regions, winning battles and controlling Monuments. A god who reaches the top of the Devotion track wins immediately; otherwise, the most Devotion after the last conflict wins.

Regions

The Nile splits the board into three regions, which camel caravans divide further. A space holds only one figure or one Monument. Two spaces are only adjacent if they touch within the same region: the river and the camels separate them.

Your turn

The central dashboard shows four action tracks. Choose an action, move its marker and perform it, then a second action on a lower line. A marker reaching the end of its track triggers an event, and your turn ends after it.

The four actions

Move figures: each figure may move one to three spaces. Summon figure: place a figure from your pool next to one of yours or a Monument you control. Gain followers: one per Monument, neutral or yours, next to your figures. Unlock Ankh power: sacrifice 1, 2 or 3 followers depending on its level.

Ankh powers and Guardians

Your god dashboard shows twelve powers on three levels; you unlock two per level, in order. Some reveal a Guardian symbol: you then take a figure of that Guardian, a monster or minor deity with its own ability.

Events

Control Monument: place an Ankh token on a neutral Monument next to one of your figures. Camel Caravan: split a region in two with up to six camels. Conflict: every region is resolved, in the order of its conflict order token.

Conflict

Alone in a region, a god dominates: 1 Devotion per Monument majority, then 1 for dominating. With several gods, each reveals a battle card, majorities award their Devotion, then strengths are compared: 1 per figure, plus the card’s bonus. The strongest gains 1 Devotion and kills every enemy figure in the region, except gods.

Battle cards and ties

A battle card you play stays face up in front of you: only Cycle of Ma’at brings them back. On a tie, all tied players lose and their figures die, except gods; the battle tiebreaker token, taken by whoever triggered the conflict, wins a single tie.

Merging and forgotten gods

With 3 or more players, after the third conflict, the two gods lowest on the Devotion track merge: their players play as a team, one action each per turn, and win or lose together. After the fourth conflict, a god still in the red section is forgotten and leaves the game.

Beginner traps

The river and camels break adjacency. Your second action must be lower than the first. When several gods gain Devotion together, start with the one who has the least. And your battle cards don’t come back on their own.

How to score Ankh: Gods of Egypt

No points, Devotion

Your position on the Devotion track decides everything. You gain it mostly during conflicts.

Domination

Alone in a region during a conflict: 1 Devotion per Monument majority, plus 1 for dominating.

Battle

1 Devotion per Monument majority, then 1 Devotion for the winner of the battle. Some powers and cards add more.

Victory

Reaching the top of the track wins immediately. So does being the only god left in play after the fourth conflict. Otherwise, the most Devotion after the last conflict wins.

Ties

On the same space, the token on top of the stack has the most Devotion.

Worked example

In a conflict, Emma is alone in the Delta, with the majority of Obelisks: 1 + 1 = 2 Devotion. At the end of the game, Emma and Jake are on the same space, but Jake’s token arrived after Emma’s: it is on top of the stack, so Jake wins.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the Monument majority on top of domination.
• Breaking a tie between two gods on the same space at random: the top of the stack wins.
• Ranking two merged gods separately: they win or lose together.

How to set up Ankh: Gods of Egypt

The map and starting Monuments come from the scenario chosen in the scenario book. The rest of setup depends on the player count.