Lost My Mummy

1 – 2 Players

20 Minutes

Ages 7+

Designer: David Gumbrell

Publisher: Lost My Games
Price: £12.00

Overview

Lost my Mummy is a set collection game for 1–2 players with an Egyptian theme. Players start with three lost mummies of different colours and are trying to accumulate enough picture cards that match their mummies' colours in order to find them and score points (gold rings). The game can be played at four difficulty levels. At Peasant Level, the players have three 50 point mummies that require three picture cards to find. At Artisan Level, the players have three 100 point mummies that require four picture cards to find. At Scribe Level, the mummies are worth 150 points and require five picture cards to find. Finally, at Grand Vizier Level, players can secretly choose what value mummies they will try to find during the game.

The game is played by rolling a die and drawing cards according to the number shown on the die. If you roll an eye, you miss a turn. You then choose one card to play from those drawn and discard the rest. Cards are either picture cards, which go under the mummy that shares their colour, or action cards. Action cards allow you to play more cards in subsequent turns, take cards from the discard pile, and change the number of gold rings your or your opponent's lost mummies are worth. There are also actions cards that allow you to swap dice. The game starts with each player sharing the blue die, but you may have the option to switch to using the green die, which allows you to draw more cards, or make your opponent take the red die, which makes them draw fewer cards.

The game ends when one player has found all of his or her mummies and flipped them over. The player with the most gold rings wins.

Gameplay – 5

Lost My Mummy is a simple game that is all about speed and luck. The Grand Vizier level attempts to bring more strategy into the mix by allowing players to secretly choose the value of their mummies, but this done using the same roll and play mechanic of the main game and is, therefore, also based upon luck. The different dice are the most notable feature of this game, but they didn't seem to have a huge impact on gameplay. Inevitably, once one person had the green die and the other had the blue die, neither player cared much about wasting a turn to make their opponent take the red die. The game then becomes who can roll better in order to finish their sets faster.

Quality – 5

This game is average quality. The card stock is standard, but the illustrations are varied and cover the full card. The dice are engraved, painted, and have a nice marble effect. Everything is stored in a tuck box that is slightly elongated in order to fit the dice. This elongation of the tuck box seems to have diminished its durability, as there are noticeable slits at the top of the box. The slight praises and criticisms even out into a standard quality game.

Replayability – 4

Even though there are four different levels of play for two players, they essentially only change the length of the game. Even at the Peasant Level, players will likely go through the entire deck at least once, so every card will be seen. Thus, while games may vary in length, they won't vary much in gameplay. When this is combined with the game's reliance on luck, it means that their isn't much variation from game to game beyond whether you roll well or not. The solo variant offers a bit more variety to the game by possibly forcing you to play cards that actually hurt you.

Portability – 9.5

Lost My Mummy is an incredibly portable game. It comes in a pocket sized box measuring 108mm x 67mm x 25mm. It also doesn't require much table space, unless you are playing with a real dice chucker. Everything fits snuggly in the tuck box, but I am not convinced it is sturdy enough to handle the stress of travel long term.

Overall – 5.8

Lost My Mummy is a good game that is very portable. It works best as a game for a younger audience or those who don't want to agonise over their decisions. For a more seasoned gamer, there is perhaps too much luck in it to set it apart as better than other set collection games.