Lost in the valley of the dead Pharao, you hunt for the treasures of the Eternally Cursed One. Noone ever succeeded to escape from the bane of the deadly mummy. Driven by greed, those who tried it, lie forgotten in the depths of this hell. Inexplicable terrors lie in wait here, hidden in the sand.

You can already feel, how the mummy's bane reaches for you….
Will you escape from it?
And can you prevent that others profit more than you do?

Im Bann der Mumie is a very thematic card game with a board game feel. Several players take on the roles of different characters (Archaeologist, Gangster, Okkultist and Agent) and do their damnedest to unearth as many of the buried treasures of the cursed Pharaoh as possible, to sell them to the highest bidder, and enjoy their profits. And the one who makes the biggest profit wins the game...
But there is also the Mummy (a role taken on by another player) who tries to prevent the graverobbers from unearthing too many of the treasures. Or at least from taking the most valuable of items - the mummy's body itself.

Each round, going clockwise around the table, every (character) player gets one turn, in which he can take only one action, or several. Taking only one action keeps your intentions hidden a little bit longer, so that the other character players do not know what you are up to. Or at least provides a window to react to their own choices. However, taking more actions means that you reach the point where you will not be able (or willing to) do anything more even faster - and will be able to pass. Because as long as even one character player performs actions, the mummy also gets a turn - only when all players pass, the mummy has to do so, too.

Available actions here are ...
... Researching: taking a look at cards from the treasure deck, and choosing one which then will be prepared as new dig site (placing it at the bottom of a stack, with several sand cards on top of it)
... Spying on other Dig Sites: taking a look at a treasure card that is at the bottom of an already existing dig site stack
... Starting of a Dig: sending your character (or hired help) to one of the digs
... Graverobbery: sending your character to the dig site where someone else has already started (and waiting to take the loot before they can enjoy what is "rightfully" theirs)
... Digging: putting your back into it (with the appropriate cards - or at least preparing to dig)
... Taking on Jobs: earning a few bucks while helping someone else procure their treasure
... Going to the Casino: if all else is of no interest, why not play the odds at the Roulette table?
and a few others.

The Mummy player, on the other hand, has the possibility to play Scarab cards or the even more scary Mummy cards onto the different dig sites, to prevent the treasure from falling into the hands of the still-living - or to change the locations of alreay played cards, to confuse the players and to react to their actions.

After every player has passed, the digging is finally done. Sand cards are taken away from dig site stacks, and the treasure is unearthed (depending on how much effort was put into digging at any site). If there is only the dig leader present (and maybe a jobber or two), then he takes it with him (and gets the money for it). But if there is a graverobber present, they have to fight for it. And if the Mummy player put some of his dreaded cards on the dig site, they even have to fight the Mummy first, before they can squabble over who will take the treasure.

Afterwards, it's off to the market to get some helpfull equipment, hire helpers (or distracting females), or steal some hard-earned cash from the other players. And then, everyone is back to the action part again. Lather, rinse, repeat...

One really clever mechanic of the game is the threat that the Mummy presents. In the beginning of the game, the Mummy is just a rumour, so the characters will not fear her very much. However, that is when she can make the most damage to the characters (taking away action options). Later in the game, the options to harm the characters will decrease slowly, but as more and more characters (or helpers) become injured, the dread increases and will lead to the panicked fleeing of people at the dig site.

The game ends if the Mummy's body is unearthed (which the Mummy player has at least a little control over - at least the timing). If the Mummy player procures the body, he wins, and all other players lose the game. However, if a character player unearths this archaeological treasure, all character players count their money - and the player with the most money wins.

Im Bann der Mumie has the feel of a very character-driven card game (as each character also has an additional unique ability), and overall feels not a lot like the usual tactical card game. It is very thematic, with lots of little details, which tips it a little towards such games that either incorporate or emulate small aspects of roleplaying. However, everything you are able to do is restricted by the action cards you have in hand, so it is really not roleplaying at all - it just feels like it, a little...

Components
56 Big Cards:
- 12 Treasure Cards
- 16 Sand Cards
- Casino Card (location)
- Start Player Card
- 5 Mummy Cards
- 11 People Cards (4 Characters, 7 Helpers)
- 10 Equipment Cards
110 Small Cards:
- 12 Character Action Cards (3 each)
- 11 Helper Action Cards (usable if hired)
- 9 Scarab Cards (Standard Attack)
- 3 Mummy Cards (the Bad Ones)
- 8 Cards "Bag" and "Safe" (4 each, to locate where your money is)
- 8 Market Cards (with the choices "Shopping" or "Stealing")
- 59 Money Cards
2 Dice
20-sided German Rulebook (A5)