Board & Dice has released its dice-drafting game Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun, with its first expansion, Tekhenu: Time of Seth following in October.
Set in Pharaonic Egypt, Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun chronicles the construction of the massive Amun-Ra temple complex at Karnak. The centerpiece of the game is a 3D obelisk (called a tekhenu by the ancient Egyptians) set into a rotating disc that determines which of the six zones of the board are “sunny,” “shaded,” or “dark.” Players draft dice from those zones, which can be Pure, Tainted, or Forbidden based on the dice color and whether that zone is lighted or dark. The dice chosen allow players to take actions, from erecting statues to honor the gods, drawing cards to gain benefits, or producing resources needed for later use. But, players must take care to keep their dice in balance when the Maat phase begins: Too many Tainted dice brings penalties, while a perfect balance between Pure and Tainted grants additional rewards.
Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun was designed by Daniele Tascini (Tzolk’in: The Mayan Calendar, The Voyages of Marco Polo) and David Turczi (Anachrony, Kitchen Rush). It comes with 1 game board with rotating obelisk wheel and 3D obelisk, 233 tokens and tiles, 26 dice, 1 draw bag, 4 player boards, 4 player aids, 1 reference card, 128 wooden markers, and 88 cards, plus 10 tiles and 2 tokens for the included solo mode. The game is intended for 1 to 4 players, ages 14 and up, and takes between 1 and 2 hours to play.
Tekhenu: Time of Seth introduces a military aspect to the game, with players able to send soldiers to confront Egypt’s neighbors. Conquering these foreign lands grants players benefits and new ways to score points. The expansion also adds priests and artifacts to the game, offering new ways for players to plan strategies. Rounding out the set is advanced rules for two-player games. As an expansion, a copy of the base game is needed to play Time of Seth.
Board & Dice is also releasing Tabinnusi in October (see “Develop the Cradle of Civilization in ‘Tabinnusi: Builders of Ur’”). Next year, the company will launch Fabio Lopiano’s Zapotec (see “Build Up the Valley of Oaxaca in ‘Zapotec’”).
Source: ICV2
