Instructions Euphrat & Tigris

Objective of the Game

Tigris & Euphrates is a strategic board game set in ancient Mesopotamia. The goal is to gain the most victory points through strategic placement of tiles. Points are collected in four categories: leadership/religion, commerce, agriculture, and civilization. At the end of the game, the player's score in their weakest category becomes their overall score, so it's crucial to maintain a balance across all categories.

Game Components

• 1 game board depicting the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
• Multiple tiles in four categories (King, Trader, Farmer, Priest)
• 4 leader tiles for each player, one in each color category
• Treasure tiles
• Civilization tokens

Setup

1. Each player chooses a color and receives the corresponding leader tiles.
2. Tiles are shuffled and dealt to players up to a predetermined maximum.
3. The game board is initially empty, with a few starting treasure tiles randomly placed.
4. Determine a starting player.

Gameplay

Turn Structure:

On their turn, a player may take two actions from the following options:

1. Place a tile:
2. A civilization tile is placed on the board, and each tile must be placed in an empty space.
3. Place a leader:
4. A player's leader can only be placed adjacent to a tile of the same type.
5. Modify hand tiles:
6. A player may exchange tiles in their hand for new ones drawn randomly.
7. Build a monument:
8. Can be built when four tiles of the same color form a square on the board, offering ongoing reward points.

Conflicts:

Conflicts arise when two opposing leaders attempt control over the same realm.

• Internal Conflict:
• Occurs when two leaders of the same color are in the same kingdom. The winner is the player with the most tiles of the contested type.
• External Conflict:
• Arises when placing a tile connects two rival kingdoms, each containing any leader of a color. Not only the number of puzzle tiles but treasure tiles are also assessed.

Treasure Tiles and Monuments:

• Treasure tiles: Claimed when a leader is directly on it.
• Monuments: Provide continuous reward points in two colors to adjacent leaders.

End of the Game and Scoring

The game ends when the tiles run out, or a predetermined condition like treasure tile distribution is met. The player with the highest score, based on the lowest points in one category (i.e., their weakest category), wins.

Strategic Tips:

• Balance: Ensure you collect points in all categories since your weakest score determines your game score.
• Strategic Conflicts: Conflicts allow tile gains. Choose strategically when to initiate them.
• Leverage Monuments: Manage leader positions wisely to continually gain points from monuments.