Take on the role of Egyptian nobles at the time of the pharaohs, preparing for their death and burial in the Valley of the Kings. Players use an innovative deck-building mechanic with a crumbling pyramid to fill their tombs with canopic jars, statues, amulets, and other treasures.

This boxed set consolidates ALL previous releases in the Valley of the Kings line plus an all new Archaeology expansion: 

It also includes many extras that enhance play, such as pharaoh, event, bonus scoring, and additional unique cards, plus deluxe components.

Backers will receive the lowest prices and earliest delivery! Save $20 off MSRP by supporting us now! 

Build your legacy. Outwit your rivals. Claim immortality.
Valley of the Kings: Ultimate Edition is the definitive way to experience this critically acclaimed deck builder, now with brand‑new treasures waiting to be uncovered. 

Play as rival archaeologists excavating monuments, mummies, and cultural wonders for museum exhibits. Every artifact you showcase earns knowledge and renown (victory points); the most celebrated curator wins. Mix Archaeology cards with any Valley of the Kings set for a fresh combo every game.

For those seeking only the Archaeology set, it will be made available via Print-On-Demand when the Ultimate Edition begins fulfillment.

Maʿat steadies the scales. New Event Cards, a Blessing and a Plague, are shuffled into the artifact deck during setup. When a Blessing emerges, all players gain a helpful boon; when a Plague surfaces, everyone suffers its sting. Whatever effect appears stays in force until the next event is drawn.

Amun guards your secrets. Bonus Scoring Cards add a hidden layer of strategy by giving players secret objectives. Each player drafts one during setup and reveals it only at the game’s end for extra victory points: if they’ve met the conditions!

Upgrade with the Deluxe Wooden Box and give Valley of the Kings the resting place it deserves. Hand‑finished hardwood and etched hieroglyphs make for the perfect storage solution for any Valley of the Kings edition. 

The lid slides out, and the interior of the box has wooden dividers, which fit our five premium tarot-sized deck boxes.

Mix and match your favorite setups and display them with style with this new deluxe product offering.

We will make every effort to ship the campaign by January 2026. Our target is October 2025.

Current Estimates for shipping and taxes are:

The above INCLUDES VAT. 

We will aim to keep shipping costs as affordable as possible while ensuring quality comes first. Shipping & delivery timelines are estimates and subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, such as production delays or global logistics challenges.

We cannot ship to South America, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, or Afghanistan at this time.

Tariffs
As of April 2025, imports of goods from China to the US are subject to higher-than-usual tariffs. We are doing everything in our power to avoid delays or cost increases and keeping an eye on the situation as it evolves.

Our Commitments:

Shipping & Fulfillment will be done by logistics powerhouse Studio2 Publishing. Studio2 Publishing has 25+ years of experience with delivering tabletop games and provides logistics and fulfillment for over 50 tabletop clients, including Studio Agate, Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Onyx Path Publishing, Mongoose Publishing, Acheron Games, and more. Studio2 has produced, shipped, and fulfilled over 100 crowdfunding projects.

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Valley of the Kings is designed by Tom Cleaver. The first game in the series was released in 2014, Afterlife was released in 2015 and Last Rites was released in 2016. Archaeology is a new release that can be played independently and mixed in with other releases as an expansion. After being out of print for several years, The Games Brothers is proud to offer the Ultimate Edition for new and old fans alike!

Hi Valley of the Kings fans,

I'm Tom Cleaver, designer of Valley of the Kings. I thought some of you would like to know how Valley of the Kings came to be, and what you can expect from the new version.

In 1988 I visited Egypt with my family. We saw Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Palace, and King Tut's Tomb. I was fascinated with the rich mythology. Some years later I began playing my first deck building game, Dominion. Each player had their own deck that they could improve throughout the game. What a concept! But, I thought, why do they need three different kinds of cards (cash, action, and VP)? Wouldn't it be more efficient to have all three functions on each card? That gave me the idea for Valley of the Kings.

The original version of Valley of the Kings was published in 2014 by AEG. It featured (as mentioned above) cards that served all three purposes, cash, action, and VPs. It also featured a crumbling pyramid (what's Egypt without a pyramid?) and a player's personal tomb. The nobles of ancient Egypt cached treasures for the afterlife in their tombs. In the game, players cache cards in their tombs, because it's only the entombed cards that score at the end of the game. There's a tension between keeping cards for their cash value or action ability and entombing them for their points. The initial game came in a small box and a low price. It got good reviews and was a commercial success.

Much has happened since then. This brings us to the Ultimate Edition. I created Archaeology as a new expandalone for Valley of the Kings. This version is based on the Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's Tomb in 1922. Instead of being an Egyptian noble, you would now be an archaeologist digging up artifacts for a tomb exhibit in a museum. New never-before-seen content including event and bonus scoring cards were also created to give players an exciting and fresh experience.

And finally: My favorite mummy movie was "Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy." Go figure.

Tom Cleaver

Valley of the Kings Ultimate Edition is published by The Games Brothers in partnership with World's Largest RPGs, and will be fulfilled by Studio2 Publishing.

 

Tom Cleaver is a game designer and electrical engineering professor from Louisville, Kentucky. While teaching students by day, he designs games by night. His first published board games were Swordplay and The Conquest of Space. Later he turned to computer game design, specifically Galaxy! and Darkhorn, both published by Avalon Hill. He has now returned to board game design with the 2014 AEG publication of Valley of the Kings. He regularly attends Origins and GenCon where he hosts his games.

John Goodenough (Goody) has been working in the hobby game industry for over 25 years. He got his start illustrating board and card games. After a few years he moved to the other side of the drawing board designing and developing product lines for Fantasy Flight Games and Alderac Entertainment Group. John is busy bringing new adventures in gaming to life for Monster Fight Club, The Games Brothers, and other publishers.

Frank Uchmanowicz is the owner of Studio 2 Publishing and Sci-Fi City Knoxville, two pillars of the tabletop gaming and comic book community. At Studio 2 Publishing, Frank provides sales, marketing, and fulfillment services for dozens of creators worldwide, offering expertise in crowdfunding, warehousing, logistics, and print brokering. With over 25 years of experience running Sci-Fi City, a hub for RPGs, comics, and collectibles, Frank has cultivated a space for gaming enthusiasts to connect and thrive. His passion for empowering creators and fostering the gaming community has made him a vital force in the tabletop and comic book industries.

Jim Searcy is the President of Studio 2 Publishing, a leading provider of sales, marketing, publishing, and fulfillment services for the tabletop gaming industry. With nearly two decades at the helm, Jim has helped Studio 2 partner with some of the biggest names in gaming, including Pinnacle Entertainment, Onyx Path Publishing, and Alderac Entertainment. His leadership has guided the successful delivery of more than 20 crowdfunding projects. A U.S. Army veteran and former partner at Legends: Cards, Comics & Games, Jim brings a wealth of experience in logistics, business development, and publishing.