How to Play Men-Nefer | Rules & Setup Guide

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Place the main board

Use the side corresponding to player count (2-4 players on one side, solo on the other)

Position the quarry

Place next to the bottom left corner of the main board

Setup Great Pyramid pieces

Separate into 3 piles for Levels I, II, and III, shuffle each pile separately, place face-up in corresponding quarry spaces, and place Pyramidion in its space

Setup Queens' Pyramids pieces

Separate into 3 piles by level and place in quarry spaces with Pyramidions in their space

Place Queens' Pyramids tiles

Shuffle and randomly place one face-up tile in each of the 3 marked spaces next to those pyramids

Set the Narrator Token

Place in space I of the Era Track

Distribute Mastaba tiles

Shuffle and place one face-up tile in each of the 5 marked spaces around the Necropolis

Place the Deity

Shuffle and place one face-up on the Temple Altar

Stock the Craft Market

Draw 4 crafts from the bag and place face-up in the 4 market spaces

Stock the Papyrus Market

Draw 4 papyri from the bag and place face-up in the 4 market spaces

Distribute City Benefit tokens

Shuffle and place one face-up token in each of the 6 marked spaces in cities along the Nile

Setup Trade Contracts

Separate into 3 piles by value (1, 2, 3), shuffle each pile, fill city spaces based on player count

Place Neutral Apprentices

In 2-3 player games, use a random placement tile to position neutral apprentices in Houses of Life

Place Hammer tiles

In 2 player games, cover icons under spaces 3 and 8 of the Great Pyramid Track

Take a Personal Board

Each player takes one at random

Place your Apprentices

Put one on each marked space on your board

Place your Sphinxes

Put 4 in the Sphinx Reserve on your board

Place your Mummies

Put 4 with Mummy side showing in the Mummy Reserve

Place Permissions of Khufu

Put 3 in the Permissions Reserve on your board

Place Baskets

Put one on each of the 9 spaces forming the Pyramidal Area

Position Hieroglyph Counter

Place on the starting space of the Hieroglyph Track

Position Ankh

Place on space 2 of the Heka Track

Position Heart and Feather

Place on their respective starting spaces on the Duat Meter on the main board

Place Scarabs

Put one on each starting space of the 5 Specialisation Tracks

Place your Orb

Put on the starting space at the base of the Obelisk

Place Priestesses

Put 4 in front of the Temple entrance

Place Boats

Put 4 on the starting section of the Nile River

Place Limestone Blocks

Put one next to starting space of Great Pyramid Track and one next to Queens' Pyramids Track

Place Seal

Put on space 10 of the Prestige Points Track

Determine turn order

Randomly decide starting player, place Water Lilies on Turn Order Track in clockwise order

Set starting Food

Place Fish on spaces 3/4/5/5 of Food Track based on turn order position (1st/2nd/3rd/4th)

Distribute Action Tablets

Deal each player one type 1, 2, and 3 tablet to place face-up on their board, shuffle remaining tablets with type 4 to form Draw Pile, fill 5 available tablet spaces from the pile

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Advance Narrator

Move the Narrator Token one step forward

Receive Food from Boats

Gain 1 Food for each boat past one Fishing Boat, 2 Food for each past two Fishing Boats

Receive Heka from Obelisk

Gain 1/2/3 Heka if your Orb has reached the first/second/third Heka space

Retrieve Apprentices

Return your 3 Apprentices from the main board to your personal board

Move Neutral Apprentices

Move each to the House of Life directly below them (wrap around if at bottom)

Refill Trade Contracts

Fill empty city spaces with value 2 contracts in Era II, value 3 in Era III

Adjust Turn Order

Rearrange Water Lilies by PP (least PP goes first), ties keep current positions

*Option A

Visit a House of Life**

Choose an Apprentice

Select one from your board along with its associated Action Tablet

Place the Apprentice

Put on the Sun side of a House of Life, paying 1/3/5 Food if 1/2/3+ apprentices already there

Perform Tablet actions

Execute the actions on your tablet in any order (choose one if separated by /)

Discard the Tablet

Place face-down on the Discard Pile space

*Option B

Specialise in a House of Life**

Move your Apprentice

Shift from Sun side to Moon side of the same House, paying Food if others present

Advance your Scarab

Move one step on the corresponding Specialisation Track

Perform Track actions

Execute actions from your Scarab's current space or any previous space

*Option C

Obtain an Action Tablet**

Choose a Tablet

Select from the 5 available tablets (not the Draw Pile)

Pay or receive Food

Spend or gain the Food indicated to the left of the tablet

Place the Tablet

Put in an empty tablet space on your board

Check hieroglyphs

If the tablet matches the next hieroglyph on your track, advance counter and perform the indicated action

Perform board action

Execute the action shown to the right of the chosen tablet or any action below it

Refill tablets

Slide tablets down, place top tablet from Draw Pile in the empty top space

*Pyramid Actions**

Obtain Favour of Khufu

Perform one action printed next to the Great Pyramid (or two if double exclamation shown)

Obtain Permission of Khufu

Move a Permission from Reserve to Available area on your board

Transport Limestone

Advance one or both Limestone Blocks the indicated steps on Pyramid Tracks

Build Great Pyramid

When reaching a Construction space, take the top piece from the appropriate level pile and place it, gaining 2 Favours (from piece placed and piece covered)

Build Queens' Pyramids

When reaching a Construction space with an available Permission, place Permission next to an incomplete pyramid and add the next level piece

*Necropolis Actions**

Embalm

Turn over a Mummy to its Sarcophagus side and move to Available Sarcophagi Area

Perform Funerary Rite

Place an available Sarcophagus in an empty Necropolis space at or below your Scarab's level

*Temple and Obelisk Actions**

Obtain a Craft

Buy from market by spending indicated Food, place in Pyramidal Area with Basket on top

Advance Priestesses

Move Priestesses through Temple rooms (1 step for rooms 1-2, 2 steps for rooms 3-4)

Make an Offering

Choose a Craft with Basket, perform its level-based actions, turn over Craft, place Basket in a Temple room with standing Priestess, lay down that Priestess, perform room's actions

Move Orb on Obelisk

When reaching Deity spaces, perform the Deity's action

*Nile River Actions**

Advance Boats

Move boats along river sections or into/out of cities (cannot end on same space as another boat)

Activate Boats

On the river: gain Food for that section; In a city: gain city benefit, take a Contract, move boat to indicated river section

*Sphinx Actions**

Carve a Sphinx

Move a Sphinx from Reserve to Available area

Erect a Sphinx

Place available Sphinx on empty Pedestal at or below your Scarab's level, gain Pedestal benefits