SMPAMU001 Amun-Re The Card Game, Multicoloured

I picked up this game at a well-know, discount game seller and saw that it is for sale here on Amazon and thought that it would be a good idea to share an honest review with my friends here.This is a fun family game for the high school aged and above crowd. There is a fair amount of strategy, and the replay value for the game is high.Summary: Amun-Re is an auction, card game by Reiner Knizia for 2-5 players, ages 14+, and you can plan an entire game in less than an hour. This is an adaptation of a much older, board game, but each version has different areas of emphasis.In this card game version you play over the course of three rounds, divided into four phases. The three rounds correspond to epochs in Egyptian dynasties.Your goal is to accumulate the most victory points, and there are more opportunities to get points in the latter two rounds. The game is a balance between gathering resources and getting victory points each round.The heart of the game is the first phase each round, the auction phase. You are betting on cards that have four potential resources, pyramids (the principal way of scoring victory points), anhks that score points and also help determine order of player turns, farmers/workers that help you get wealth that is important for a variety of reasons, and camels/caravans that gain wealth for you in lean turns.The first turn you take betting cards that total 14 points/wealth.Knowing how many cards there are of each type by round is key to getting the right combination for you.The next phase is the offerings and favor phase where players give a certain amount of wealth to the temple. This phase determines what your workers and caravans are worth. If you got few workers on your cards compared to your competitors then you will want the temple contributions to be low, but if you have the most workers then you want the contributions to be very high, maximizing the wealth per worker.Then, players collect their wealth and build on their cards. A key part of this is that the players use some of their accumulated wealth to determine what their card totals will be for the bidding portion of the next round. A great first round means that you might have a significantly larger amount to bet on the auction in the next round.The final phase is the victory point (VP) calculation. Each round, you get +1 VP for each pyramid, +1 VP if you 9 or more farmers, +1 VP if you are Pharaoh (have the most ankhs), and you get a blistering -1 VP if you have the fewest ankhs, and on to the next round.The game ends at the end of the victory point phase for the third round.On to the Dr Games’ Criteria …GO/NO GO Criterion• Complexity: (GO) Each turn is relatively straight-forward, but like most Reiner Knizia games there is hidden depth to the play. You will probably need to play several times before developing your own, unique strategy. There are a variety of player interactions too, like deciding how much to offer at the temple and influencing how much income everyone else gets. You can also be the spoiler by careful betting. For example, if you see one of the players has eight fields, and there is only one card left with a field on it, you might bet high just to prevent that other player from getting a VP.• Balanced: (GO) The game is balanced on a fine edge. A single VP is a big deal in this game. For 3-5 player games, a player might not win, but he or she can have a huge impact on who they help or let win.• Chance (GO) The only chance aspect is the tiles that come up for auction. This is a hard-core strategy game, and that is OK.• Clarity: (GO) The rules are clear, and there are many on-line videos and guides to the game.• Reasonable Time: (GO) The rules say 45 minutes, but an hour is a closer estimate based on our group's play.Bonus Criteria• Social: The game is so finally balanced that a single player, especially one far behind in the VP count, can act as the spoiler and prevent a particular player from winning. While the rules do not cover it, I have observed humorous negotiations involving who will walk the dog or take out the trash in exchange for in-game actions.• Unique/Interesting Mechanics: The most unique part of the game is the offering phase that helps determine the value of the assets on the tiles won that round.• Informed: No, not really. You might think that you will learn about ancient Egypt, but the theme is really just flavor text.• Rewards Throughout: Once you win a VP it is yours to keep.

Why four stars if it's only a standard game? I got it super cheap, 7e, for that price it's an easy endorsement.Portable, decent components and easy enough to pick up and play. Better at more than 2 but works ok head to head.