From: "Arnaud Bouis" Subject: review for grognard I'd like to post a review (or rather, "first impressions" since we abandoned the game) on Blood on the Tigris (S&T #176). Here it is. Blod on the Tigris - first impressions ---------------------------------------------------- We tried S&T #176, Blood on the Tigris. Here are our impressions.game has a standard-sized S&T map, whose terrain is mostly clear and a maze of rivers and streams. Few counters (about 40 combat units per size, plus support units such as aeroplanes and gunboats). Ratings are combat, movement and quality. The CRT is odds-based, with many column shifts which are important. The goal of the British is to drive all along the length of the map, through the maze of rivers, to Baghdad. points are unclear in the rules (such as boat movement: do boats advance after combat ? Do HQs make supply checks ? In combat, do unsupplied HQs get their combat bonus ?), even after getting the errata on the web. The setup is also poorly written, but the errata fixes most problems.found that the game seems to offer few strategic choices. The map offers two axes of attack: the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The Euphrates axis seems to be a doubtful choice, because not taking Qurna and Kut costs the British very valuable and scarce supply points. (Similarly the British player is forced to send his turn 4 reinforcements to Ahwaz, or suffer a drastic penalty). the British players has chosen his axis of attack, the game is a fight conducted on a frontage of a few hexagons, pushing along along river with a stack of gunboats and a few counters. The rest of the map becomes useless. The game becomes a small tactical exercise, which could be probably played solitaire, and is not very exciting in my opinion. I cannot comment more because we gave up after four game turns. We played a small portion of the game, because we found little interest in the game and did not want to continue. I will sell it, but since we played only the first turns you may want to make your own opinion. Bouis Les hommes sont comme les pommes : quand on les entasse, ils pourissent. -- Mirabeau