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THE CRADLE OF CIVILIZATION Tigris & Euphrates is an award-winning tile placement game designed by Dr. Reiner Knizia. Two to four players to take on the roles of Mesopotamian rulers at the dawn of urban development who compete to build civilizations and dominate the fertile crescent. In order to ensure your civilization's survival, you must balance housing and religion, commerce and agriculture—even as wars break out between dynasties and revolts force you to fight for your territory. The player with the largest and most balanced civilization wins the game. THE FIRST KINGDOMS At the beginning of the game, the only signs of human habitation in the fertile crescent are a few treasure-filled independent temples. You may create a kingdom by placing a leader token next to one of the red temple tiles already on the board, thus beginning your dynasty. If you build only markets without farms or houses, there will be no one to visit the markets, and no food to sell in them. If you build houses without temples, there will be no laws or religion to guide the people. Every aspect of civilization depends on the others, so only a civilization in which all four spheres are balanced can endure. Therefore, the player with the most victory points in their weakest sphere wins. DYNASTIES IN CONFLICT Soon your growing civilization will need more land… which means brushing up against competing rulers' territory. As the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers becomes increasingly crowded, the question is not whether there will be conflicts, but when and where. Two types of conflicts can erupt in Tigris & Euphrates: revolts and wars. Revolts occur when a leader is placed in a kingdom already containing a leader of the same color. The player who can back his leader’s authority with the most temples wins the revolt and a victory point. War breaks out when a player annexes another’s territory, unifying two kingdoms with leaders of the same color. In a war, the color of the warring leaders determines which aspect of civilization is in contention. MONUMENTS AND WONDERS While constructing a market or temple, farm or settlement may earn you a single victory point, a square of four tiles of the same color forms an indestructible monument that generates regular victory points in two spheres, thereby strengthening your civilization and enhancing your power. Monuments, civilization buildings, or wonders you’ve built don't necessarily remain under your control, however. Rival dynasties may attack you in hope of taking over the immense wealth you’ve created, and defending the monument or wonder may cost more than you invested in erecting it. Constructing such a building too early in the development of your civilization may even cause your demise. A wise leader waits until his dynasty is strong before creating an enduring edifice. Game Highlights Age: 14+ Players: 2-4 Play Time: 60-90 minutes This item must be ordered over the phone. 608-375-2181