Board Gaming - Tigris & Euphrates

Tigris & Euphrates

This fairly early Reiner Knizia game, released in 1997, has long held a position in the top 100 games, and when I first game to modern gaming, it was inside the top 20 and seen as a must play.

This is a game I struggle with though, as I've never been much of a fan of 'dudes on a map' or area control games. They just aren't the kind of strategy game that interests me. I am tempted to play this though because it's a tile placement game, and to some extent a set collection game, but when it comes to doing well at the game, it is about area control and territory expansion allowing you to collect more of each colour on your turn.

^{source - Also a different viewpoint review of the game}

At the start of the game the map contains 10 temples, which all contain a wild good, which are only collected when you connect 2 temples with tiles. On your turn you can place one of your 4 leaders (red, blue, green, black), resolving any conflict that occurs from this placement. Conflict occurs if there are 2 players with the same type of leader in the same network of tiles (civilization). Battle is sorted out by the number of temples (red tiles) the leader is next to, and any number of red tiles the player commits from their hand. The losing side removes the red tiles from around the leader, the leader, and any other leader that no longer is touching a temple. The winning player receives red cubes equal to the tiles and players removed.

Another option on your turn is to play a tile from your hand to the board, and then score it. Each of the other coloured tiles (blue, green, black) score 1 per tile in that civilization that you have the corresponding coloured leader in. black scores any colour though so is useful early on in the game.

Finally there is another method of combat, which happens when 2 clusters of tiles are connected by a tile placement (or leader placement, but that's less likely to happen). When a tile joins the civilizations together, the player that joined them decides which conflicts happen first, which can split the newly joined empire just as quickly. These types of conflict use the sum of tiles of the corresponding colour on either side of the joining point, as well as tiles from the hand of the same colour.

I'm sure that it can be a fun game, and there certainly is quite a bit of strategy required, but it really isn't my type of game, being far too much area control and conflict than I like. It also suffered in my second game (the most recent play) because it was 3 players. I found it difficult after an early error I was the easier target every move for either of the other players if there was a point of conflict to happen, so I found myself under constant attack and being beaten down repeatedly. I eventually got the other 2 to focus on each other, but the damage was done and I was never going to catch back up on my weakest colour, so I found the second half of the game just dragged on to a conclusion. I'd honestly have preferred player elimination since I wasn't really in the game anyway, but required to keep playing.

It also may have been that I was playing with 2 players that are both quite experienced at the game, which when they don't really offer opportunities to learn can be quite a difficult experience. I'm sure I'll give the game another go, but probably not for another 5-10 years like I did between my previous plays.

Enough negativity about the game though, it has some really nice design, has maintained a high rating for a long time (it's over 20 years old and still ranked 70th on BGG) and if area control is your thing, it could be quite a good game for you to try. I'd avoid 3 player, but 2 or 4 player would be good as there is usually less ganging up on the weakest player in them.

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