Review: Silver & Gold – Pyramids

Introduction & Overview

Embark on a fun expedition into the realm of the pyramids! Your goal is to explore them, collecting gems and reaching the burial chamber at the end of the map (or maps) with the most valuable loot, under the motto: «More treasures, more gold».

This is how Silver & Gold: Pyramids is presented, designed by Phil Walker-Harding as a follow-up to Silver & Gold. First published in 2023 by Nürnberger-Spielkarten-Verlag in a multilingual edition (including Spanish). Illustrations are provided by Oliver Freudenreich (Goa, No Thanks!) and Sandra Freudenreich (Illusion, Qwixx).

Distributed in Spain by Fournier (the game is completely language-independent aside from the rulebook), it supports 2 to 4 players, with a recommended minimum age of 8 and an approximate playing time of 20 minutes. The retail price is €17.95. For this review, we used a review copy of the multilingual NSV edition kindly provided by Fournier.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom), measuring 18×12×3 cm (a small rectangular box similar to High Society), we find the following items:

• 64 Cards (56×87 mm):
  • 48 Pyramid Cards (16 in each color)
  • 8 Expedition Cards
  • 4 Score Cards
• 4 Dry-erase markers (plastic)
• Rulebook

How to Play

Silver & Gold: Pyramids is a flip & write game set during archaeological expeditions where players try to cut a path through burial chambers in search of treasures, gems, and relics. Across four rounds, during each of which seven of the eight available expedition cards will be progressively revealed, players act simultaneously. Each turn, a card is revealed showing a pattern of squares that everyone must cross off on one of their two active pyramid cards (which can be rotated or mirrored), with the alternative option of crossing off just a single square if using the shape is impossible or undesirable. The first pattern crossed off on each card must include the top entrance square, and subsequent patterns must connect orthogonally to form a continuous path toward the golden tomb without crossing walls. Covering spaces with symbols triggers immediate effects: collecting gems, marking one torch per round, taking skulls that subtract points, using potions to remove penalties, or triggering red crosses to cross off bonus squares. Reaching the golden tomb completes the pyramid, setting it aside for scoring and replacing it with a new one from the display; additionally, collecting pairs of pyramids of the same color allows players to claim shared race bonuses before their rivals. At the end of the fourth round, players tally up points from completed pyramids, color bonuses, torches, and gem sets, subtracting the penalty from the highest skull space reached. The player with the most points wins the game.

Key Concepts

Let’s begin with the Pyramid Cards. These are laminated, dry-erase cards representing the different structures players will explore throughout the game. On their face, they feature a grid of squares arranged into pyramidal or stepped silhouettes, made up of empty spaces and squares printed with various icons, such as gems, torches, or skulls. Their top section displays an initiative value, used whenever multiple players complete a pyramid on the exact same turn. Each participant keeps two of these cards active in front of them, marking off spaces as exploration patterns are drawn. Covering spaces with icons immediately triggers their corresponding effects or counts; the moment a pyramid is fully completed by connecting the entrance to the tomb, it is moved to the player’s completed pile and immediately replaced with a new card from the display.

Next come the Expedition Cards. These form a small deck of cards, each depicting a specific polyomino composed of adjacent squares (various shapes). Functionally, they guide player exploration: in each round, they are flipped one by one so that all players cross off that exact shape on one of their two active pyramid cards. Participants may freely rotate or mirror the polyomino to fit their grid, or choose to cross off a single individual square if they cannot or prefer not to place the full shape. Each round ends after a set number of these expedition cards have been revealed, at which point they are reshuffled for the following round.

We conclude with the Score Cards. These are laminated, dry-erase cards for individual use, one handed to each player at the start of the game. They feature a layout divided into several rows and boxes designed to track progress across the four game rounds, alongside specific areas designated for recording various scoring avenues (such as completed pyramids, torches, collected gems, or other rewards). Furthermore, they serve for the final calculation at the end of the match, adding up all sources to determine the winner.

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

1. Each player receives:
   • One score card.
   • One dry-erase marker.
2. Shuffle the 48 pyramid cards and deal four to each player. Each player chooses two to place face up in front of them and returns the other two.
3. Shuffle all pyramid cards, including those discarded by players, and place them face down in the center of the table.
4. Next, reveal the top four cards from the pyramid deck and arrange them face up alongside it to form the display.
5. Shuffle the 8 expedition cards and place them face down to form a draw deck next to the display.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Pyramids takes place over 4 Rounds. Each round consists of turns, with all players acting simultaneously.

Each turn proceeds as follows:

1. Reveal an Expedition Card. Any player flips the top card of the expedition deck face up for everyone to see.
2. Cross Off Squares. All players simultaneously cross off squares on one of their two pyramid cards matching the pattern of the revealed card.
3. Completed Pyramid. Any players who reached the tomb this turn announce the completion of their pyramid, set it aside, and draw a new one to replace it.
4. Pyramid Points. If a player has completed their 2nd, 4th, or 6th pyramid of a specific color, they claim the corresponding points if still available.

When crossing off squares, the following rules must be observed:

• The expedition card pattern may be rotated (90° or 180°) or mirrored, but it must remain identical and be crossed off completely (crossing off fewer squares is not allowed).
• Each square may only be crossed off once, and walls (dark brown squares) can never be crossed off.
• The first pattern crossed off in a pyramid must include the entrance square (marked with an arrow on the top row). Every subsequent pattern must connect orthogonally (horizontally or vertically) to at least one previously crossed-off square, forming a continuous path back to the entrance.
• If a player cannot or chooses not to use the revealed pattern, they may opt to cross off exactly 1 square of their choice on one of their two pyramids. This single square must also connect orthogonally to a previously crossed-off square (or be the entrance square if the pyramid is still empty).

Covering an icon when crossing off a square immediately triggers its effect:

• Red Cross: the player must immediately cross off an additional square on either of their two pyramids (at the entrance or connected to an already crossed-off square). If this new square contains another red cross, the effect chains.
• Gem: the player crosses off the next available gem of matching color on their score card, moving left to right along the top row (maximum of 10 gems per color).
• Torch: the player crosses off the torch box for the current round on their score card. Only one torch per round may be marked on the card; any additional torches crossed off on pyramids during that same round have no effect.
• Skull: the player crosses off the next available skull on their score card, moving left to right along the top row (maximum of 10 skulls).
• Potion: the player immediately erases up to two crossed-off skulls from their score card, always removing those with the highest negative values first.
• Tomb: crossing off the golden tomb on the bottom row immediately completes the pyramid card.

Resolving completed pyramids and scoring bonuses:

• Replacing Pyramids. The player places the completed pyramid face up next to their play area and takes a new pyramid card from the four-card display or from the top of the draw deck. If they completed both pyramids on the same turn, they repeat this process for the second one. The central display is only refilled to 4 cards after this action is finished. If several players complete a pyramid simultaneously, turn order is determined by the initiative number of the completed pyramids (the lowest number picks first).
• Claiming Pyramid Points. Upon completing their 2nd, 4th, or 6th pyramid of a given color, the player announces it aloud. The first player to achieve this marks the 10-point box for that color on their score card, while all other players cross it out on theirs; the second player marks the 6-point box (and others cross it out); the third player marks the 3-point box (and others cross it out). If multiple players claim points for the same color simultaneously, the lowest initiative number on the completed pyramid breaks the tie.

Once 7 expedition cards have been revealed and resolved, the round ends (the eighth card is discarded unrevealed). To begin a new round, all 8 expedition cards are reshuffled to form a new face-down deck.

Game End

The game ends at the conclusion of the fourth round. Incomplete pyramid cards score no points and are set aside. Each player then tallies their total score on their score card. When evaluating a player’s score, calculate the following:

• 10 Victory points for each completed pyramid card (with the tomb crossed off).
• The sum of all bonus boxes claimed (10, 6, or 3 points) for completing pyramids of each color.
• 5 Victory points for each torch crossed off on the score card.
• Another 5 victory points for each matched pair of gems (one red and one green), plus 1 victory point for each remaining leftover gem.
• Subtract points as indicated by the crossed-off skull box showing the highest negative value (all others are ignored).

The player with the most victory points is declared the winner. In case of a tie, the player who completed the pyramid with the lowest initiative number takes the victory.

Personal Opinion

At the beginning of this decade (the 2020s), we witnessed an explosion of roll/flip & write games. What started as an intriguing trend driven by dice rolls gave way to massive oversaturation, where virtually every design sought its own translation to paper and pencil. While this deluge yielded plenty of forgettable clones, it also refined a genre capable of delivering incredibly brisk turns and instant gratification through optimization and chaining effects, striking a deep chord with the gaming public.

Indeed, even though the release pace has slowed down noticeably over the years, many designers still feel completely at home in this design space. Far from fading into obscurity, the formula has matured and continues to offer compelling titles that attempt to put a fresh spin on familiar ideas or, at the very least, polish conventional mechanics. These designs prove that the format still runs like a charm for anyone seeking fast-paced, straightforward games with that rewarding touch of efficiency.

Such is the case with Phil Walker-Harding, a designer who operates effortlessly within the family-weight sphere and whose catalog includes several titles warmly embraced by the hobby. Perhaps his biggest hit is Silver & Gold, a prime example of translating polyomino placement into a snappy, addictive flip & write with virtually zero downtime, later followed by the combo extravaganza that is Super Mega Lucky Box. Both designs showcase his knack for distilling simple yet highly functional and rewarding concepts.

Given the success of Silver & Gold, it was only natural that the publisher, NSV—a company heavily focused on write-and-wipe titles—would invite the designer to produce a sequel that introduced a fresh twist to the formula. Thus we receive Silver & Gold: Pyramids, which we are about to dissect, though not before thanking Fournier for providing the review copy that made this deep dive possible.

In Silver & Gold: Pyramids, we leave behind the pirate-flavored islands of the original title to plunge headlong into the Egyptian sands. Here we step into the boots of intrepid explorers and archaeologists eager to breach ancient pyramids in search of forgotten sarcophagi, precious gems, and thousand-year-old treasures. True to adventure tropes, the expedition plunges us into narrow, dim passageways where we must navigate ancient curses, dodge traps, and light torches to reach the burial chamber. It is a classic, accessible, and handy theme that wraps the experience in an unmistakable cinematic flavor.

Games run across four rounds. During each round, seven of the eight cards in the exploration deck are revealed, leaving one out of circulation per cycle. These cards show different polyominoes that players must “place” onto one of their two active pyramid cards. I put “place” in quotes because these are virtual polyominoes players use to cross off squares while adhering to the designated shape.

To chart these paths across the grid, the first square marked on any card must always be the entrance. Players must then start every polyomino adjacent orthogonally to at least one previously crossed-off square, with the fallback option of marking just a single square if the polyomino does not fit as cleanly as one would like.

The primary objective on each card is to trace an unbroken line of marked squares connecting the entrance to the tomb, which completes the card and lets the player draft a fresh pyramid to explore. At game end, each completed pyramid yields a substantial chunk of points.

Scoring does not end there, however. Many spaces across the pyramids feature icons triggered the moment they are marked. Red crosses grant an immediate bonus square anywhere across either active pyramid, setting off small combos. Torches reward the player if they manage to activate at least one during each of the four rounds, while gems reward pairing up both available colors. On the flip side, certain spaces contain skulls that inflict negative points at the end of the game, unless players neutralize them in time by reaching potions that cleanse these curses from their player boards.

Furthermore, completing pairs of matching-colored pyramids awards diminishing bonus points, introducing a race dynamic. Once all four rounds conclude, players sum up points earned from finished pyramids, paired gems, active torches, and color bonuses, subtracting their accumulated skull penalties.

Now you have plenty of context, so let’s dig into table feel and dynamics. Silver & Gold: Pyramids delivers persistent tension stemming from the tight composition of the exploration deck. Because the deck is so compact and players know which polyominoes have already surfaced versus which remain hidden, turn-by-turn planning becomes a continuous exercise in probability management.

On any given turn, a player must weigh whether to push their luck toward the sarcophagus hoping for an elongated shape, or play it safe and secure a torch by detouring along the way. It offers that classic tension between greed and prudence, where poor planning forces you to waste a turn crossing off a single pathetic square when the revealed polyomino cannot fit.

This drive for efficiency is amplified by combos. You constantly try to trigger domino effects: hitting a red cross that lets you mark another square on any pyramid, grabbing a potion, and reaching the burial chamber all within a single turn.

Balancing this out, the skull penalty serves as an effective deterrent. You must evaluate whether cutting straight through a cursed corridor is worth accelerating a pyramid’s completion, accepting the penalty if the round wraps up before you can brew a neutralizing potion.

Indirect interaction caps off these dynamics through the race element. Players must keep a close eye on their rivals to avoid falling behind in the race for color bonuses, which decline in value each time someone finishes a pair of pyramids of that color.

This adds significant weight to choosing which of the four pyramids in the display to draft next. If several opponents are about to wrap up a pair of a specific color, grabbing another card of that color rarely pays off since you are unlikely to score meaningful bonus points there, though other factors—such as torch placement or ease of pathing—also weigh on that draft.

As you can see, the game feels very close to the original design. The most substantial shift lies in the spatial route-building. In the original title, players had to fill every single square on a card to finish it, dropping polyominoes freely into any available opening. Here, players must connect two specific points as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Personally, I prefer the original design, as it leverages card probabilities far better when finishing cards, creating a more satisfying puzzle experience. That is not to say Silver & Gold: Pyramids is inferior, but the puzzle element does feel somewhat less prominent.

In that regard, Super Mega Lucky Box strikes me as a sharper design. Of the three titles (alongside both Silver & Gold installments), it leans best into racing through cards via snappier, punchier combos while bypassing spatial polyomino puzzles altogether—a boon for players who struggle with spatial visualization.

Even so, within this genre, this title (much like its predecessor and Super Mega Lucky Box) ranks among the easiest recommendations. It may not reach the addictive heights of hits like That’s Pretty Clever! (read the tocho-review here) or Trek 12, but it stands as one of the publisher’s most solid roll/flip & write releases.

As is typical for the genre, player scaling is seamless, as your attention stays focused almost entirely on your own active cards. Admittedly, the race dynamic adds a touch more edge at four players without introducing downtime. All told, it performs reliably at any player count.

Regarding replayability, this is the kind of filler that hits the table frequently. It is breezy, downtime-free, enjoyable, and plays out in a very tight window. That said, completing several cards across a single session does not generate runaway addiction, and it can leave a faint impression of repetition toward the end, though never to an annoying degree.

Turning to production values, the product is smartly tailored to the genre, featuring wipe-clean laminated cards instead of disposable paper pads. This considerably extends the game’s shelf life. The cards themselves feature solid thickness and springiness for easy shuffling, making card sleeves entirely unnecessary. The rulebook is logically organized and leaves no ambiguity.

Visually, the cover uses warm ochre and gold hues to evoke a classic pulp archaeological adventure, highlighted by the silhouette of the explorer and the glint of an unsealed sarcophagus. The cards prioritize clean functionality: both Egyptian and Mesoamerican pyramids appear as minimalist sketches over sandy backdrops, while the grid and iconography favor legibility over visual clutter. It is an aesthetic aimed not at ornate flair, but at clarity and usability in service of gameplay.

And let’s wrap this up. Silver & Gold: Pyramids is a fast, direct flip & write featuring a race to complete pyramids by marking off polyomino shapes. The steady reveal of a small expedition deck turns each turn into a fun exercise in probability, where choosing between a direct sprint to the burial chamber or veering off for bonuses enriches every decision. Pulling off mini-combos feels satisfying, as does watching opponents’ progress to snipe color race bonuses. While the spatial puzzle feels more forgiving since you only need to link two points—leading to slight repetition late in the match—its immediacy, fluid pacing, and steady tactical choices deliver an entertaining and well-rounded experience. For all these reasons, I give it a…