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Mykerinos box art

Mykerinos

Game ID: GID0221322
Collection Status
Description

1899. For more than a century, the European public has been fascinated by Egyptology and the discoveries of Denon, Champollion, Petrie and others. Seeking adventure and glory, teams of archaeologists search the sands of Egypt for hidden treasures.

Mykerinos. Embody archaeologists seeking relics from ancient Egypt for powerful benefactors. Will you be convincing at the museum's final exhibition?

The game takes place over four rounds. The game board is composed of four (or six in the last round) areas of two cards. These cards have 6 squares, possibly occupied by an obstacle (pyramid), and belonging to one of five benefactors (with their own color and symbol): Sir Brown, Lady Violet, Miss Blackmore, Lord Lemon and Colonel Tangerine.

Each player has their own personal pool of archaeologists that can be used to:
- Start an excavation (requiring one archaeologist)
- Expand an excavation (requiring two archaeologists in addition to one archaeologist already on the board)
- Play a benefactor previously earned
- Pass

Benefactors give special benefits like moving over an obstacle or retrieving archaeologists faster, etc ...

Once all players have passed, we resolve the board according to area control. The player in the first position can either take a card available or go to the museum. Other players can then do the same. Ties are resolved according to player order.

Going to the Museum adds value for a colour at endgame to the cards collected (x2, x3 or x5).

At the end of the 4th round, the final exhibition is resolved and the winning player will be whoever collected the most prestige between:
- Points on the cards collected during game
- Points by colour benefactors (according to position in the museum)
- Bonus points for sets of cards (1 in every colour of benefactors).

Year Published
2006
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 1
This page: 1
Sentiment: pos 1 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
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Showing 1–1 of 1
Video YL2T4ph5qAk Chairman of the Board game_review at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5472 · mention_pk 105672
Chairman of the Board - Mykerinos video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Clear, tight abstract area control with meaningful tension
  • Powerful patron abilities that scale and influence board state
  • Exciting end-game scoring hinges on museum multipliers
  • Fast setup, short playtime, and compact production
  • Rules are transparent and decisions are dense but approachable
Cons
  • Aesthetics are plain or polarizing; not visually modern
  • Limited variability can dull replayability over many plays
  • Two-player variant exists but is less satisfying; best with 3-4 players
  • Production components feel dated compared to newer titles
Thematic elements
  • Patron-driven influence and resource allocation to shape end-game scoring
  • Museum with wings and patrons; regional control across a circulating board
  • Abstract, with a thematic veneer centered on museum tiles, patrons, and tokens
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Area Control — Players place cubes to control regions; pyramids block movement; spaces cannot be shared; tie-breakers resolved by a track that determines first player.
  • end game bonuses — Multipliers are tied to symbols and museum spots; only the highest-valued symbol per token or set counts toward final points, creating high-stakes decisions.
  • End-Game Scoring Multipliers — Multipliers are tied to symbols and museum spots; only the highest-valued symbol per token or set counts toward final points, creating high-stakes decisions.
  • Patron Powers — Patrons grant special actions (e.g., place extra cubes, move directly to museum, build on pyramids, refresh supply); powers are exhausted after use and recharged in later rounds.
  • Resource management — Cubes are gathered and can be carried over between rounds, creating continuity and planning across turns.
  • set collection — Tiles carry symbols that map to patrons; end-game scoring uses the most valuable symbol values collected, creating strategic choices about which symbol to pursue.
  • Set Collection / Symbol Scoring — Tiles carry symbols that map to patrons; end-game scoring uses the most valuable symbol values collected, creating strategic choices about which symbol to pursue.
  • Tile Draft / Acquisition and Powers — Tiles determine both scoring potential and patron powers; players select tiles to gain powers and future scoring leverage.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • the time investment of mikarinos is spot on to be honest
  • it's very quick and you're not going to be bogged down waiting for other people to mull over their turns
  • this museum system is great
  • it's got a real throwback feel to it
  • it's going to hold up well for some time to come
  • setup and teardown time is lightning quick
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
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