Pharaoh is dead and his burial barge is sailing slowly down the Nile to his grave where his spirit will stand before Osiris' judgment.

Pharaoh had no descendants, so tradition holds that the country's governors must build monuments in Pharaoh's honor so that Osiris will favor his spirit in the afterlife. Accordingly, Pharaoh's successor will be the governor who builds the greatest tribute to the late king.

Resources and workers are limited, the gods are fickle, and time is short; the memorials must be completed before the ship reaches the temple of Osiris at Men-nefer.

Sailing Toward Osiris is a euro-style, worker-placement, resources management, project completion and no direct conflict game. Downtime is kept to a minimum via a single-action, round-and-round turn structure that emphasizes timing decisions and subtle strategies.