How to Play Mehen
Mehen is a race game played on a board carved in the shape of a coiled serpent, its body divided into segments that form the track. Two to six players each control a set of small lion and lioness pieces, racing inward from the tail toward the serpent's head at the centre, then back out again. The game is fast to learn, tense to play, and scales well from two players up to a full table of six.
Its appeal lies in the combination of luck and tactical positioning: players must decide which pieces to push forward aggressively and which to hold back, while rivals can threaten pieces along the narrow spiral path. It is typically played on a purpose-made serpent board, making it as much an object of interest as a game, and it works well as a family game for children aged seven and upward.
A little history
Mehen is one of the oldest known board games. Boards and playing pieces, including small stone lions and lionesses and marble spheres, have been found in Egyptian archaeological contexts dating to the Predynastic and Old Kingdom periods, roughly 3000 BCE and earlier. Its origins are unclear beyond that, and the precise rules were never recorded in ancient texts, meaning all modern rulesets are reconstructions based on the physical evidence of surviving boards and pieces. The game appears to have fallen out of use by the Middle Kingdom period, and its original name, Mehen, refers to the serpent deity of the same name in Egyptian mythology. How closely any modern reconstruction reflects ancient play cannot be verified with certainty.
Setting up
- Place the serpent board flat on the table so all players can reach it.
- Each player chooses a colour or set of pieces and takes their allocation, typically six lion pieces and six lioness pieces.
- Establish which end of the spiral is the tail (the outer starting point) and which end is the head (the innermost point of the coil).
- All pieces begin off the board, beside the tail entrance.
- Decide the order of play, such as highest throw of the sticks or dice going first, then proceeding clockwise.
- Each player places their pieces in their holding area at the tail before the first turn.
How to play
- On your turn, throw the throwing sticks or roll the dice to determine your movement allowance for that turn.
- You may enter one new piece onto the board at the tail, or move one piece already on the board forward by the number of segments shown.
- Pieces travel along the spiral track from the outer tail, winding inward segment by segment toward the serpent's head at the centre.
- You may only move one piece per turn.
- If your piece lands on a segment already occupied by an opponent's piece, that opponent's piece is captured and removed from the board, returning to their holding area to re-enter later.
- A piece that reaches the head at the centre has completed the inward journey and must then travel back outward along the same spiral path to exit at the tail.
- A piece completes its run when it exits the board from the tail after returning from the head. Remove it from play as a scored piece.
- You cannot capture a piece that is on the same team as you; friendly pieces share a segment without conflict.
- If you cannot make a legal move, your turn passes with no action.
- Play continues clockwise until one player has moved all their pieces through the centre and back out to score them.
Winning and scoring
The first player to successfully move all of their pieces along the spiral to the serpent's head at the centre and then return all of them back out to exit at the tail wins the game outright. In longer sessions with agreed scoring, players count one point per piece successfully exited, and the player with the highest total after an agreed number of rounds wins. There is no partial credit for pieces still on the board when a winner is declared.
The fine points
The most common dispute concerns captures: a piece that is in the process of returning outward from the head occupies the same track segments as inward-travelling pieces. The standard ruling is that captures apply in both directions, meaning an outward-travelling piece can capture an inward-travelling opponent's piece on the same segment, and vice versa. Players should agree this before the game starts, as some reconstructions exempt returning pieces from capture.
A second frequent dispute arises when the throw exactly matches the number of segments to the head but a player has not yet entered all pieces. The ruling is that the player must move whichever piece they choose according to normal rules; there is no obligation to advance toward the head if entering a new piece from the tail is tactically preferable. Similarly, overshooting the head is not permitted: if the movement allowance would carry a piece past the centre, the piece stays put and the turn is lost for that piece, though the player may move a different piece instead if one is available.
How to win more often
- Do not rush all your pieces onto the board at once. Stagger entry so you always have a piece ready to enter if a lead piece is captured.
- Keep pieces bunched where possible on the outward return journey. Opponents often focus attacks on isolated pieces ahead of the group.
- Track which opponents are close to completing their inward journey and position a piece on segments they must pass through to threaten a capture.
- Prioritise getting at least one piece to the head early. The pressure of having a returning piece disrupts opponents who are still heading inward.
- When deciding whether to enter a new piece or advance an existing one, consider how exposed your lead piece is. A piece one or two segments ahead of a rival is highly vulnerable to an exact throw.
Variations
Spheres Only
Some reconstructions of ancient Mehen use only the marble spheres found alongside the lion pieces, with no lions or lionesses. In this version each player controls six spheres, which travel the same inward and outward path. Captures work identically. This simplifies the component count and is a useful introduction for younger players who find managing two types of piece confusing.
No Capture
A cooperative or family-friendly variant in which landing on an occupied segment does not trigger a capture. Instead, the arriving piece simply shares the segment. This removes the confrontational element entirely and turns the game into a pure race, which works well with mixed age groups or when younger children are playing.
Fixed Turn Order Bidding
Before each round, players bid a number of pieces from their scored reserve to move earlier in the turn order. The player who bids highest takes first position but removes those pieces from their scoring total. This adds a push-your-luck economy to longer multi-round sessions and is suited to experienced players who find the standard format too straightforward.
Two-Player Duel
With only two players, each takes twelve pieces: six lions and six lionesses. Pieces of each type travel on opposite sides of the spiral simultaneously, with lions heading inward on one side and lionesses on the other, meeting at the head. This reconstruction is sometimes cited in academic literature as a possible two-player format, though it remains speculative. Captures apply when pieces from opposing players occupy the same segment regardless of piece type.
Mehen: frequently asked questions
Can two pieces from the same player occupy the same segment?
Yes. Friendly pieces share a segment freely with no consequence. Only opponent pieces are captured when you land on their segment.
What happens if a captured piece has already visited the head?
It returns to the holding area and must re-enter the board at the tail, repeating the full inward journey to the head before it can complete its outward return. There is no shortcut for previously advanced pieces.
Is Mehen suitable for children under seven?
The game involves small pieces that present a choking hazard for very young children, so it is not suitable for under threes. For ages five to six, adult supervision is recommended. The rules themselves are accessible from around age seven with minimal explanation.
How long does a typical game take with six players?
With six players expect 40 to 45 minutes. With two players the game typically runs 20 to 25 minutes. Player count is the biggest factor affecting duration.
What do you do if you throw and cannot move any piece?
Your turn is forfeit. If all board pieces are blocked and you have no pieces left to enter, simply pass. This is rare but can occur late in the game when the track is densely occupied.
Do you need an exact throw to exit the board at the tail?
The standard reconstruction requires an exact number to exit: the throw must match precisely the segments remaining to the tail exit. If you overshoot, the piece stays put. Some groups waive this rule, so agree before play begins.
Can I move a piece backwards along the track?
No. All movement is in one direction only: inward from tail to head, then outward from head back to tail. There is no mechanism for voluntary backward movement.
Are the original ancient rules known with certainty?
No. No written ruleset from antiquity survives. All modern rules for Mehen are scholarly or hobbyist reconstructions based on the physical evidence of boards and pieces. The rules presented here follow the most widely accepted modern reconstruction.