Quick answer
Add the Pharaoh Expansion to Ankh: Gods of Egypt by integrating the Pharaoh as a neutral third party, then follow the new setup and scoring rules to keep the game balanced.
What the Pharaoh Expansion changes
The Pharaoh Expansion introduces a neutral figure—the Pharaoh—who grants favor to gods but remains independent. This adds a layer of diplomacy and competition without altering the core conflict system.
Before you start, note that the expansion requires the base game of Ankh: Gods of Egypt. It does not replace any components; instead, it adds new cards, tokens, and a unique Pharaoh board.
Steps to set up and play with the Pharaoh Expansion
- Set up the Pharaoh board and tokens: Place the Pharaoh board next to the main game board. Shuffle the Pharaoh favor cards and place them face down. Each player takes a Pharaoh token of their color. Common mistake: Forgetting to assign a token to each player—everyone needs one to track favor.
- Integrate the Pharaoh into the turn order: After the first player's turn and before the second player's, the active player secretly chooses one of their available favor cards and places it face down in front of the Pharaoh board. This represents an offering. Checkpoint: Only one offering per round—players cannot skip this step or make multiple offers.
- Score favor at the end of each round: After all players have taken a turn, reveal all favor cards. The Pharaoh grants bonus victory points to the player whose offering matches the Pharaoh's current mood (shown on the board). Ties are broken by the Pharaoh token position. Common mistake: Forgetting to update the Pharaoh's mood after each round—it changes based on the previous round's offerings.
- Adjust your strategy based on the Pharaoh's mood: Each round, the Pharaoh's mood shifts, affecting which offerings score. Pay attention to the mood indicator after scoring—it's shown on the Pharaoh board. Align your next offering to match. Checkpoint: The mood changes predictably based on the previous round's highest-scoring offering type. Track it to gain an edge.
- End game and tally final scores: The game ends when the base game would normally end. Add any bonus victory points from the Pharaoh expansion to each player's base game score. The player with the highest total wins. Common mistake: Forgetting to include Pharaoh points in the final tally—they are separate from base game scoring and must be added manually.
Product details
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Ankh: Gods of Egypt Pharaoh Expansion: The Pharaohs in ancient Egypt were anointed by the gods, themselves, to be the ruler of the people as well as the high priest and humanity’s defender. When the gods began their war against one-another, they all sought the Pharaoh’s favor. This backstory explains why the Pharaoh is neutral but courted by all gods—so players must decide when to curry favor versus focus on their own conflict.
Ankh: Gods of Egypt Pharaoh Expansion
