Through the sands to the pyramids

 Kemet: Blood & Sand looks much more complicated than it really is. You see this big box, this sprawling board, the various parts of the pyramid, the power tiles, the cards that can only be played at certain times, the battle cards with three separate stat categories to track, the miniatures - the scorpion! , phoenix!, witch mummy! — and you'd be right to feel overwhelmed.

 However, once you get the hang of a few small bits of the rule, it will be a very easy game for you.

NEW VERSION OF KEMET

 A slightly updated version of the 2012 classic Kemet, Kemet: Blood & Sand is a map-based troop game, a subgenre of the board game you can probably guess. Players control groups of soldiers, moving them from region to region as they attack and defend. The ultimate goal is to win enough battles and capture enough territory to emerge victorious.

 Each Turn - Early rounds of the game involve five turns for each player, although this can change - you choose and perform one of several actions on the player's tablet. These include moving, praying, recruiting, purchasing power-up tiles, and building your pyramid level. This is it. Like I said, it's a lot more affordable than it looks.

 Combat is initiated by moving troops into a region that contains enemy pieces. The struggle is mandatory and intense. Strength is determined by the number of soldiers each player has in the region, any applicable strength tiles, any applicable Divine Intervention cards—small bonus cards that can mostly be played during your turn or during combat—and the player's chosen combat card.

 The combat system is great. Each player starts the game with an identical set of eight battle cards, choosing one to use and one to set aside at the start of each battle. The cards, which are the same for all players, include a certain amount of strength bonus, damage modifier, self-damage modifier, and defense modifier. Strength wins you fights, damage removes enemy troops, self damage removes your own troops, and defense protects your troops from enemy damage.

 Troops are not automatically removed from the board during combat in Kemet. Maybe they're just backing off. One of the strategic nuances of Kemet, as an aggressor and a defender, is the determination of its goal. Do you want to prioritize winning the battle and capturing/holding territory, or are you more interested in leaving your troops to fight over the same piece of land again? Do you want to win or try to thin the ranks of the opponent, regardless of the result? Do you want to have a place when the dust settles or just want another player to not have it? Different cards serve different purposes.

 Another place where Kemet made its name is the power token market, a huge, at first completely overwhelming, but later only slightly overwhelming collection of tokens of various colors. These tiles have a wide range of possibilities. Some increase your attack or defense. Some of them increase the power of various basic actions, giving you more prayer points when you pray or allowing you to move further.

 The most attention-grabbing are the various creatures that add a mythical beast or, you know, an elephant to your army. They are represented on the map as large, chunky miniatures. From my point of view, Scorpio is the best. That's why it's pictured on the box. They knew!

 The number of tile sets available varies depending on the number of players, and each color encourages different play styles. They are part of an economy that includes prayer points, which are used to recruit new troops, build pyramids and buy tiles, as well as pyramids that players can build throughout the game. The more levels in your pyramid of any color, the more powerful tiles you can purchase.

 Kemet: Blood & Sand has tons of strategies, combos, bluffs, and great combat mechanics that keep both the attacker and defender on their toes.

COUNT THEM

 The tablet that keeps track of victory points is unchanged. With an adjusted victory condition—you win if you have 9 or more points and have the most points at the start of your turn—the tablet makes the escalation of tension even more apparent.

 Your leader is rarely safe, and the VP board highlights when it's time to kill someone. Points in Kemet are measured by a combination of square and round tokens. Square tokens cannot be taken from you. Round tokens, on the other hand, have no loyalty. They bounce from player to player as control of various temples and pyramids changes hands. Round tokens can be earned quickly by helping to defend an early lead or launching a forgotten player into the fray. Given that, uh, it's hard to hold more than two or three round tokens for long. If your advantage is based on round chips, selected shots in selected spots can easily tie the score.

I understand if some players would prefer to play in foggy conditions. Some people won't like the idea that players don't have to pay attention to tracking points. Others may not like that they cross the threshold and everyone has a chance to whip them. This makes the game one or two rounds longer. For the money it is worth it. The idea of staking a claim to leadership and then having to hold it is much more satisfying. Games like Root allow you to play last turn, where long-term strategy is abandoned for the sake of victory. You can't do that in Kemet: Blood & Sand.

VETERANS TOKENS

 The addition of veteran tokens is a great design tweak. If you attack in Kemet: Blood & Sand, if you are the aggressor, you get a victory point for winning, just like in the original game. However, now if you lose a battle as an aggressor or as a defender, you get a veteran token that can be exchanged for troop deployments, Divine Intervention cards, or prayer points at the end of the round. If you win as a defender, you get two of these bonuses.

 It's more satisfying to our lizard brains—I managed to hold my ground, I get something for it—and it scares the dog away. If everyone attacks the same player for the entire round, they will become much stronger going into the next round. I like almost any design tweak that takes the sting out of aggressive targeting.

 If you want to play a big board game but are afraid of being overwhelmed by the rules, Kemet: Blood & Sand is a good entry point. This is especially true if you are playing with someone who can teach you the game. The guide is good, but it makes Kemet less accessible than it is. As with most of the hard games I love, the real weight here is not in the game, but in trying to play well.

USEFUL LINKS

Kemet: Blood & Sand on the BGG portal

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/297562/kemet-blood-and-sand

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DESCRIPTION OF THE BOARD GAME KEMET: BLOOD AND SAND Desert dunes come to life again, cute giant scorpions, legendary black scarabs and other mythical creatures appear from under the sand scatter, freshly built pyramids reach for the stars, and five irreconcilable Egyptian deities are preparing for bloodshed! Meet the new revised edition of Kemet, in a box with which there will be room for new creatures and mercenaries, additional tiles of power, an updated and ergonomic double-sided ma..