Kids Say:

"This game was more fun than I thought it would be. I thought I had a great strategy of just staying out of conflict and getting income from all four genres of supplies. Turns out, it is an amazing strategy that will win ALMOST every single time. It only barely won’t win if you have a dad that thinks about a final move for 20 minutes and then suddenly ends the game with a bunch of suspicious looking supplies. This game is pretty stressful and part of me wishes the board was twice as big so we would stay out of each other’s way (but it obviously would take away from the game)."

Adults Say:

"Are you ready to rock the cradle… of civilization? That’s right, it’s 3000 B.C., and that means it’s time to civilize the bejeezus out of the fertile crescent."

"The designer’s first name is Reiner, so you know Tigris and Euphrates is going to be full of Euro game motifs like tile placement, area control, and farming. There are tactically rich decisions such as when to connect kingdoms and when to cozy up to a shiny new ziggurat. Players collect four different flavors of victory points, and quite brilliantly, the winner is determined based on whichever type of point each player has the least of. This rewards balance rather than overspecialization. But Tigris and Euphrates also has a fair amount of conflict, which is less typical for German games. Sometimes there are revolts, and sometimes all-out wars, and the Pot People might oust the Bull Folk from the rivers of Babylon."

"So is it fun? Definitely. It strikes the perfect harmony of strategy and player interaction, with just a dash of luck. If you are a pacifist, and don’t like games where you have to hurt others to help yourself, you might still like this game, but you probably won’t win."

"The rules are easy to explain, but when the board starts to fill up with tiles, figuring out which leaders rule which kingdoms can be a bit of a challenge. So yes, this game puts the “Mess” in Mesopotamia. But is it too complicated for kids? I thought it might be, but on his first try, Malcolm completely wiped my dynasty from the silty banks of the Euphrates. It was a Bronze Age massacre. Maybe I should give up on civilizing and stick with hunting and gathering."