Tekhenu: Obelisk of the Sun
- Players
- 1-4
- Best withThe player count this game plays best at.
- 3 players
- Play timeHow long a full game runs once everyone knows the rules.
- 120 min
- AgeThe minimum age printed by the publisher.
- 14+
- ComplexityHow demanding the rules are, from 1 (very light) to 5 (very heavy).
- 4.1 / 5
- Year
- 2020
About the game
Tekhenu casts players as ancient Egyptian pharaohs building a monumental temple complex honoring six gods, while managing a rotating obelisk that casts shifting shadows across the board. Players draft dice of varying purity, balancing production with the risk of accumulating Taint, and use them to trigger powerful god-specific actions. Two scoring phases reward workshops, quarries, statues, and the happiness of your people. It's a dense, thinky euro from designers known for intricate dice and timing mechanisms.
Hobbli's Notes
Hobbli's team appreciates Tekhenu for its clever dice-drafting-with-shadow mechanic, which forces constant recalculation as the obelisk rotates. It's a demanding, cerebral euro best suited to gamers who enjoy tight resource puzzles.
What we like
- Innovative shifting-shadow dice-drafting mechanism.
- Strong solo mode included.
- Deep, interconnected resource and scoring systems.
- High replayability from variable dice availability.
Keep in mind
- Steep learning curve and heavy rules overhead.
- Long two-hour playtime.
- Risk of analysis paralysis with many simultaneous considerations.
Who it's for
Best for 1-4 experienced strategy gamers aged 14+ who enjoy heavy euro games with dice drafting and resource management.
