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Imhotep (board game)

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Imhotep
Stacked stones at various sites
DesignersPhil Walker-Harding
PublishersThames & Kosmos
Publication2016; 8 years ago (2016)
GenresFamily game
Players2–4
Playing time40 minutes
Age range10+

Imhotep is a board game designed by Phil Walker-Harding and published in 2016 by Thames & Kosmos.

Gameplay

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The game consists of two to four players who assume the role of a master builder in ancient Egypt, each taking turns every round over the course of six rounds to construct monuments (burial chamber, obelisk, pyramid, or temple).[1][2] Players accumulate victory points,[3] which are tallied after six rounds to determine a winner.[1]

On their turn, a player takes one action from the available choices: quarrying 3 stones, loading a stone onto a boat, dispatching a loaded boat to one of five destinations, or executing an action from a previously obtained Market card.[1][3] Boats differ in size, with capacities ranging from one to four stones, and the types of boat available changes every round.[1] The stones may be loaded to any position by any player, but are unloaded from front to back at their destination.[1] A round ends when all boats have sailed to a destination.[2]

Docking a boat at a pyramid site results in stones being used to construct a "three-level cube pyramid" and scoring victory points immediately.[1] Temples are scored by viewing the structures from above, along a five-stone track, at the end of each round.[1] Burial chambers and obelisks are scored at the end of the six rounds, the former based on the number of connected stones and the latter on height.[1]

At the fifth site, players acquire one Market card for each stone delivered.[1] These grant the player an additional action in a future round, enable the placement of a stone in one of the structures, or provide a scoring bonus.[1]

Expansion

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In 2018, Thames & Kosmos published Imhotep: A New Dynasty expansion for the base game, which included new Market cards and more monument sites, resulting in gameplay lasting about an additional 10 minutes.[4]

Reception

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It was nominated for the 2016 Spiel des Jahres award,[3][5] and ranked second in the 2016 Golden Geek Award for family games published that year, behind Codenames: Pictures.[6]

GameInformer reviewer Matt Miller stated that Imhotep is an "elegant and intricately balanced" game with "accessible play", rating it one of the top tabletop games published in 2016.[7]

In a review for TechRaptor, Travis Williams states that the game is fast-paced, easy to teach and learn, and designed for "gamers who enjoy friendly competitions over direct confrontations".[3] He states that a game with four players is optimal, as "it is simply more interesting to play when more people are competing in the same space".[3]

Nate Anderson and Aaron Zimmerman state in a review for Ars Technica that the game is "extremely tight throughout" and can be chaotic and "extremely mean".[1] They also state it may not be appropriate for some young children or for players who "prefer to be in full control of their game-long strategic planning".[1]

In a review for The Toy Insider, Malanie Rainone states that Imhotep "would make a great addition to any brainy family game night".[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Anderson, Nate; Zimmerman, Aaron (16 July 2016). "The 2016 "Board Game of the Year" nominees, reviewed". Ars Technica. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Rainone, Melanie (16 August 2016). "Rule ancient Egypt with Imhotep". The Toy Insider. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e Williams, Travis (20 December 2016). "Imhotep review: a friendly competition". TechRaptor. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Thames & Kosmos reveals three titles". ICv2. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  5. ^ Anderson, Nate (28 May 2016). "Here are the finalists for "board game of the year"". Ars Technica. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  6. ^ Hall, Charlie (9 March 2017). "The best board games of 2016". Polygon. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  7. ^ Miller, Matt (23 December 2016). "The Top Tabletop Games Of 2016". GameInformer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
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