Thematically, we find ourselves in Ancient Egypt again and take on the role of one of the five gods included already in the base game. Only one god can rule over Egypt, which of course can only be us. By cleverly positioning our units and taking over monuments, we secure victory points in the conflict phases in order to leave our fellow players behind.

Mechanically, Ankh is a very simple area control game. In player order, we must perform two actions. There are four bars, which directly represent a matching action. However, we cannot perform the same action, or an action from a bar above the selected one. We move the corresponding bar marker one position at a time and perform the action in each case. If a marker lands at the end of the bar, the game progress is advanced. Various events are thus triggered, dividing the playing field into more sections, allocating monuments to the triggering player, or activating conflicts.

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In the respective areas, the superiority of the forces is determined and, if necessary, turned upside down via battle cards, which are the same for all players. The cards are only returned to the hand by another battle card.

A slight asymmetry is present with the gods, as each god has its own ability.

The game ends as soon as a player reaches the end of the glory bar (victory points), all other gods have been forgotten due to too few glory points or all events have been carried out.

In its entirety, this creates a very luck-free gameplay.

So much for a rough game overview. However, the most exciting and divisive mechanic in the boardgame community is the merging of the gods. Starting with three player sessions, the last two players are merged in the last third of the game and act as one deity with one action each. Points-wise, both players now end up at the level of the last player and receive various disadvantages and advantages for the rest of the game. In general, however, the merged god becomes mechanically more powerful than before, since the players stagger their actions and thus both perform the same action. In addition, both of the gods' abilities are now available to the merged players.

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How was the mechanic received in our group? Generally positive and refreshing at first. It adds a new dynamic to the genre and rewards players who include or at least consider potential merging in their strategy. And that's how this mechanic should be viewed. If you ignore the game's development and allow yourself to be surprised, this can quickly lead to frustration.

So, for whom is Ankh recommended? Fans of Area Control who...

• ...want fresh elements
• ...prefer streamlined basic mechanics
• ...like fancy material

Ankh should be left out if...

• ...a second Blood Rage or Kemet: Blood & Sand was expected
• ...well-balanced games without asymmetry are important
• ...area control games with a long and epic playtime are preferred

In our round Ankh was very popular and could also convince by the solid variability (scenarios) and unusual but clear game design, so that it found a firm place in our collection. If only trilogies would always end so fresh and exciting...