Sneferu: Builders of the Pyramids

About this board game

Sneferu: Builders of the Pyramids is a family-weight abstract game for 1–4 players, played in about 60 minutes. As Egyptian architects, you compete to build the tallest pyramid and earn the favor of Pharaoh Sneferu.

After two failed construction attempts, Sneferu can no longer afford mistakes. Build your pyramid from mined blocks, each combining two of five possible materials. The architect who creates the tallest pyramid wins—but completing your pyramid in remarkably little time may also lead to success.

To acquire blocks, spend the game’s two resources: food and time. Food can be gained by completing pyramid sections with matching materials, while time is represented by your boat’s movement along the Nile and is finite, with no way to gain more.

• Choose from changing blocks offered each round.
• Decide when to invest valuable food or time, or pay extra for a particularly useful block.
• Use player order carefully: the player who has spent the least time and is furthest back on the Nile takes the next turn.

Your journey leads from Cairo to the distant Nubian Desert and then back down the Nile. Along the way, visit quarries offering gold, granite, limestone, white limestone, and basalt, and seize the opportunities they provide.

With its limited time resource, shifting block supply, and focus on matching materials, Sneferu challenges players to balance efficient progress with ambitious construction. Build a pyramid worthy of the pharaoh—or risk having your work torn down around you.