The Book of the Dead

The path to the afterlife as laid out in the Egyptian Book of the Dead was a difficult one. In this game players represent souls of the dead transitioning through the Duat, or underworld, encountering Hazards along the way. The Book of the Dead equipped souls with the magical knowledge needed to defeat these Hazards and successfully pass into the afterlife. The object of this game is to overcome Hazards using Spells from the Book – cards which represent incantations, arcane knowledge, prayers and magical items. Hazards can be defeated by playing a specific Spell, or on subsequent turns by additional Spells of matching type. Hazards are of three types: Portals which require Knowledge to pass, Journeys which require Transformations to complete, and Perils which require Protection to withstand. All players who assist in a Hazard's defeat score points, but players can score more points depending on how strategically they play their Spells. In some cases, those who failed to attempt Hazards receive penalties. At the end of the game, all players are judged: players add up their points and penalties and compare their sums; the player with the highest amount wins.