Initial Impressions of Tutankhamun

25th Century games update to the Reiner Knizia classic

It’s always a good mail day when you find a Kickstarter fulfillment game sitting on your porch. Today was no exception, as I opened my front door to find the latest from 25th Century Games to greet me.

Originally released in 1993, Tutankhamen is a game where players are vying to fill the tomb of the Great King who has just passed, by collecting Artifacts that will travel with him to the afterlife. As a Priest or Priestess, players will travel down the Nile, gathering tiles to place inside the tomb. You are looking to collect sets of these great Artifacts. On your trip down the Nile, enchanted idols from the mighty Egyptian gods may assist you on your journey.

The game is designed for 2-6 players, with a play time of around 30 minutes. Setup is brisk at around 5 minutes.

I participated in several online GenCon events last year, and one of those was a playing of Kingswood by 25th Century. Chad from 25th Century walked us through the game that day, and since we had finished early, he offered to also show us Tutankhamen. After running through a game, I went right on Kickstarter and backed it. I’m a sucker for anything Egyptian themed, but beyond that, I really enjoyed the gameplay and the quick play time.

So a year after backing it, I now have this new gem to add to my collection. One of the things that 25th Century continues to impress with is the ability to release titles that are great fun, but also great value. I feel like they are in a small group of publishers who continue to strike that balance, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

I opted to go with the Pharaoh Edition pledge level, which after shipping I think was a smidge north of $50 (once again, very reasonable price point). The Pharaoh Edition has some very nice aesthetic upgrades, including wood pharaoh and tile pieces, along with player markers. As nice cloth tile bag with embroidered stitching and a nice metal player marker. Plus a few other small upgrades.

Overall after opening up the game to take a look, I’m very happy with the results and can’t wait to get some games in with this. And hopefully this will come into regular rotation with our gaming group.