# Tigris & Euphrates ## General Info - **Year Published**: 1997 - **BGG Rating**: 7.7 - **BGG Rank**: #131 - **Players**: 2-4 (Best with: 4) - **Duration**: 60-120 min - **Weight**: 3.48 / 5 - **Designers**: Reiner Knizia - **Artists**: Bascu, Christine Conrad, Doris Matthäus, Ian O'Toole, Ricarda Thiel, Tom Thiel - **Publishers**: Hans im Glück, 25th Century Games, 999 Games, CZ Cloud Soft Co. Ltd, Devir, Edge Entertainment - **Categories**: Abstract Strategy, Ancient, Civilization, Territory Building - **Mechanics**: Area Majority / Influence, Chaining, Connections, Force Commitment, Hand Management, Hidden Victory Points ## Verdict If you're a fan of deep strategy and elegant design, Tigris & Euphrates is a must-play, celebrated for its brilliant weakest-link scoring mechanic. Knizia's masterpiece of strategic tile-placement Brilliant weakest-link scoring system Engaging external conflict mechanics Demands balanced leadership and strategy Can be unforgiving for new players Theme might feel abstract to some HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description Get ready to dive into ancient Mesopotamia with Tigris & Euphrates, widely regarded as Reiner Knizia's masterpiece! In this strategic board game, you and your friends (2 to 4 players) will build civilizations in the Fertile Crescent, using a tile-placement mechanic that's pure genius. The big twist? You have four types of leaders – Farming, Trading, Religion, and Government – and each helps you accumulate victory points in its respective area. But here's the kicker: your final score will be determined by your weakest category. That's right! There's no point in being a master of trade if you neglect religion; the game forces you to be a balanced leader, which is a delightful challenge. Conflicts are inevitable and arise when civilizations meet on the board (the famous external conflicts), where only one leader of each type survives. And if the dispute is internal, within your own civilization, leaders can be replaced to maintain order. Some editions, starting from 2008, already come with a double-sided board and extra components for an advanced version, which includes the Ziggurat expansion. This expansion adds a special monument that occupies five spaces on the board. To build it, you need to discard five civilization tokens of the same color and replace them with the ziggurat markers, placing a tower in the center. The best part is that these ziggurat markers are indestructible! And if your king is within the ziggurat's kingdom, you gain an extra victory point of your choice at the end of your turn. Tigris & Euphrates is part of Knizia's tile-laying trilogy and offers an experience of 60 to 120 minutes, with a medium-high complexity rating (3.4781/5 on BGG). ## How to Play Objective of the Game Welcome to Mesopotamia, the cradle of civilization! In Tigris & Euphrates, you'll step into the shoes of ancient leaders, guiding your dynasty through the fascinating development of civilization. Your goal isn't just to dominate, but to achieve a balanced growth across four crucial aspects: settlements, temples, farms, and markets. You'll place your leaders, expand your kingdoms, construct magnificent monuments, and even navigate intense conflicts, all to earn precious victory points in each of the four civilizations. The ultimate winner isn't the one with the most points overall, but the player who demonstrates the most balanced development, ensuring no single civilization is neglected. Show no weakness, and claim your place in history! Preparation (Setup) Let's get this ancient world ready for action! Assemble Monuments: Before anything else, put together the monuments so they show two different colors. Choose Your Board: Pick a side of the game board. If this is your first time, we recommend the blue "classical" side. Place Initial Temples & Treasures: On the 10 spaces marked with a winged creature, place a temple tile. On top of each of these temples, place a natural-colored wooden cube, which represents a treasure. Prepare Civilization Tiles: All other civilisation tiles (settlements, farms, markets) go into the cloth bag. Sort Special Tiles: The catastrophe tiles and the unification tile are sorted out and placed beside the board, along with the assembled monuments and the various victory points (wooden cubes). Player Selection & Starting Hand: Each player chooses a dynasty and takes their four respective leaders (round wooden disks) and the matching screen. Then, each player draws 2 catastrophe tiles and 6 random civilisation tiles from the bag, keeping them hidden behind their screen. Stow Away Extras: Any spare leaders, screens, treasures, catastrophe tiles, and the 4 civilization buildings (unless playing with the expansion rules) are returned to the box. Important Note: There are no "player colors" in Tigris & Euphrates. You'll be interacting with all colors of civilization tiles. Your identity is tied to your chosen dynasty symbol! The Turn of Play The player who last went on vacation starts the game (a fun way to pick the first player!). Play proceeds clockwise. On your turn, as the active player, you can perform up to two actions, in any order. You can even choose the same action twice! Here are the actions you can take: Position, Withdraw, or Move a Leader You have four leaders: a king (black), priest (red), farmer (blue), and trader (green). You can only place your own leaders. A leader must always be placed on an empty space. Leaders can be placed from off the board, or moved from one space on the board to another. You can also withdraw a leader from the board. A leader must be placed in the immediate neighborhood of a temple (sharing a common edge). Leaders cannot be placed on river spaces. You cannot place a leader in a way that connects two existing kingdoms together. However, connecting civilization tiles or regions without leaders to kingdoms using a leader is perfectly fine. Attention! If a leader loses its last neighboring temple (due to removal or being turned face-down), that leader is returned to its player. No victory points are awarded for placing leaders, but you need them on the board to earn points later! Position a Civilization Tile and Receive a Victory Point At the start of your turn, you should have 6 civilisation tiles behind your screen. Take one tile from behind your screen and place it onto an empty space on the board. Blue farm tiles are special: they can only be placed on river spaces. No other color tiles can be placed on river spaces. Once placed, tiles cannot be moved or taken back. Receiving a Victory Point: You get a victory point if the tile is placed within a kingdom (meaning there's at least one leader in the connected region). If there's a leader of the same color as the placed tile in that kingdom, the player owning that leader receives a victory point of that color. If there's no leader of the tile's color, but there's a king leader in the kingdom, the player who owns the king receives the victory point. No Victory Points are Awarded: If the tile is not placed in a kingdom (no leader available). If the tile connects two kingdoms. Victory Point Management: Victory points are awarded immediately using small wooden cubes (1 point) or large wooden cubes (5 points). Exchange small cubes for large ones as needed to keep the supply flowing. Position a Catastrophe Tile You start the game with two catastrophe tiles. A catastrophe tile can be played onto an empty space or on top of an existing tile. If placed on an existing tile, that tile is removed from the game. You cannot play a catastrophe tile on a tile supporting a treasure or a monument, nor on a leader. Catastrophe tiles disrupt connections between leaders or tiles, potentially dividing a kingdom or removing the last temple next to a leader (which returns that leader to its player). Once placed, catastrophe tiles block that space for the rest of the game and cannot be moved or covered. Exchange Up to 6 Tiles You can choose to discard any number of civilisation tiles from behind your screen, face-down. Then, draw an equal number of new tiles from the bag to bring your hand back up to 6. The discarded tiles are out of the game. New tiles can be used immediately if this is your first action. Events Discussed After Actions After each of your two actions, check for potential "events." These must be resolved immediately before moving on. The manual details these, but here's a quick overview: Internal Temple Conflict: Happens if you place a leader in a kingdom that already has another leader of the same color. Strength is drawn from neighboring temples. External Supporter Conflict: Occurs when a tile connects two kingdoms, and the newly formed kingdom contains two leaders of the same color. This is forbidden if it connects more than 2 kingdoms. Strength is drawn from tiles of the leader's color in their original kingdoms. Building Monuments: If placing a tile creates a 4x4 square of like-colored tiles, you can build a monument of that color. Treasure Distribution: If placing a leader or tile causes a kingdom to contain more than one treasure, the player with a trader in that kingdom takes all but one treasure. After your two actions and any resulting events, your turn ends. If monuments are present, you might earn bonus victory points. Then, the next player in clockwise order becomes the active player. End of Game and Scoring The game concludes in one of two situations: At the end of a player's turn, there are only 1 or 2 treasures left on the board. One player is unable to refresh their civilisation tiles to 6 (either through the "Swap up to 6 tiles" action or at the end of their turn). When either of these conditions is met, the current turn finishes, and then the game ends immediately. Determining the Winner This is where Tigris & Euphrates truly shines with its unique scoring! Reveal Screens: All players remove their screens, revealing their accumulated victory points in the four civilization colors. Allocate Treasures: Each treasure you collected is considered a "wild" victory point. You can freely allocate each treasure individually to any of your four civilization colors to boost your scores. This is a critical strategic decision! Find Your Weakest Sphere: For each player, identify the civilization color in which they have the fewest victory points. This is your "weakest sphere." Compare Weakest Spheres: The player whose weakest sphere has the highest score is the winner! Tie-breaking: If there's a tie for the highest weakest sphere score, the involved players compare their second weakest spheres. If still tied, they compare their third weakest, and so on. The game rewards balanced growth, not just accumulating a ton of points in one area. A strong weakest link can sink your entire empire! Tips for Winning To thrive in ancient Mesopotamia, keep these strategic insights in mind: Balance is Key: Remember the scoring! It's not about maximizing one color, but about ensuring your lowest score is as high as possible. Don't neglect any of the four civilizations, even if it means taking fewer points in a dominant area. Leaders are Your Lifeblood: You can't earn victory points without leaders on the board. Strategically place your leaders to claim points from newly placed tiles, and be mindful of where your opponents' leaders are. Protecting your leaders, especially your king (who can claim points for any color), is paramount. Master Conflicts (or Avoid Them!): Conflicts are inevitable and powerful. Understand the difference between internal temple conflicts (drawing strength from neighboring temples) and external supporter conflicts (drawing strength from all tiles of that color in original kingdoms). Sometimes, initiating a conflict to remove an opponent's leader is worth the risk, while other times, a well-placed catastrophe tile or a careful tile placement can help you avoid a costly confrontation. ## FAQ ### How many players can play Tigris & Euphrates? Tigris & Euphrates is designed for 2 to 4 players, with the experience subtly changing depending on the player count. While some older versions might incorrectly state 3-4, the official rule and full experience are for 2 to 4. ### What is the average game length? Prepare for a strategic session lasting between 60 to 120 minutes. The time can vary slightly with the number of players and the group's familiarity with the rules. ### What is the complexity level of the game? It's considered a medium-heavy complexity game, with a weight of 3.4781/5 on BGG. It's not an entry-level game, but it greatly rewards those who enjoy long-term thinking and planning. ### What components are included in the game box? Besides the main board and civilization tiles, you'll find leader tokens, victory point markers, and in more recent editions, components for the Ziggurat expansion, which includes a double-sided board and additional pieces. ### Is the Ziggurat expansion included in all editions? Not in all of them. Starting with the Mayfair edition from 2008, the Ziggurat expansion (and the double-sided board) began to be included. Check the specific edition you are purchasing to confirm. ### Who is Tigris & Euphrates for? It's perfect for experienced players who appreciate abstract strategy games with area control and hand management mechanics. If you enjoy games where every decision matters and balance is the key to victory, you'll love it! ## Price Comparison ### Best Offers in Brazil - **Rejoga**: R$ 199,00 (/partner/go.php?p=rejoga&g=71&u=https%3A%2F%2Frejoga.com.br%2Fanuncio%2Faf986a6f-73fa-42c3-ad44-471c7f29a205%3Forigem%3Dboardgamesbot)