# El Grande Big Box ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2015 - **BGG Rating**: 8.2 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 5) - **Duration**: 90 min - **Weight**: 2.80 / 5 - **Designers**: Richard Ulrich, Wolfgang Kramer - **Artists**: Doris Matthäus - **Publishers**: Hans im Glück, 999 Games, Devir, Filosofia Éditions, Giochi Uniti, Korea Boardgames, MeepleBR, Swan Panasia Co., Ltd., Z-Man Games - **Categories**: Renaissance - **Mechanics**: Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Auction / Bidding, Hand Management, Memory, Open Drafting, Simultaneous Action Selection ## Verdict If you enjoy a good strategic challenge and love area control games with plenty of interaction, El Grande Big Box is a fantastic choice! A timeless classic that delivers depth and tension with every turn.Strategic area controlDirect player interactionConstant decision tensionHigh replayabilityComplete edition with expansionsInitial learning curveCan be a bit longRequires careful planningHIGHLY RECOMMENDED ## Description In El Grande, you take on the role of a powerful Grande in medieval Spain, at a time when the king's authority is waning. Your mission is simple (but not so simple in practice!): expand your influence and gain control of the various regions of the kingdom. To achieve this, you recruit your loyal caballeros (represented by meeples, of course!) to your court and then strategically deploy them to the provinces on the board. The game unfolds over nine rounds, with intermediate scoring every three rounds. At the end of the ninth round, the Grande with the most points is crowned the ultimate winner. Each round begins with the secret selection of one of your 13 power cards. This card not only determines turn order but also how many caballeros you can move from the general supply to your personal court. You then choose one of five available action cards, which offer varied effects, extra scoring opportunities, and dictate how many caballeros you can move from your court to regions on the board (or to the mysterious Castillo, a secret tower). Normally, your caballeros can only be placed in regions adjacent to the one containing the king's pawn. And here's a golden rule: the king's region is untouchable! Nothing enters, nothing leaves. One of the five action cards always allows you to move the king to a new region, adding an interesting tactical layer. The other four action cards change each round, keeping the game dynamic. The goal is to have a majority of caballeros in as many regions (and the Castillo) as possible during scoring rounds. After the Castillo is scored, your hidden meeples there are revealed and placed in the region you secretly indicated on your region dial. Each region is then scored individually, with two-point bonuses for having sole majority in the region containing your Grande (the larger meeple) and in the region containing the king. El Grande Big Box is the 20th-anniversary edition, a gift for fans, which includes all previously released expansions: Grand Inquisitor & Colonies, Grandissimo, King & Intrigant, King & Intrigant: Players' Edition, King & Intrigant: Special Cards, and the mysterious 'Anniversary Extension'. It's the complete experience of a classic! ## How to Play Game Objective In El Grande: Big Box, players take on the role of nobles ("Grandes") in 15th-century Spain, seeking to expand their influence. The main goal is to strategically position your Caballeros in the various regions of the map to gain majority and, consequently, points. At the end of the game, the player with the most points will be the winner and become "El Grande." Setup Refer to the manual for details on this section. Game Flow A game of El Grande: Big Box is played over 9 rounds, during which players place their Caballeros from their Court onto the regions of the board. Every 3 rounds (after the 3rd, 6th, and 9th rounds), a Scoring Phase occurs. The player with the most Caballeros in each region receives points, marked with the scoring marker on the score track. Optionally, a faster game can be played with 6 rounds, scoring every 2 rounds. To do this, skip rounds 1, 4, and 7 on the round track. Each round consists of the following phases, in this order: Reveal Action Cards: Reveal the top action card from each of the five Action card stacks. Players can familiarize themselves with the available actions. Play Power Cards: Starting with the player holding the starting player marker and proceeding clockwise, each player plays one Power Card from their hand, face up. A player cannot play a Power Card with a value already played by another player in the same round. The chosen Power Cards determine the turn order and the supply of Caballeros. Each Player Takes Their Turn: The player who played the highest Power Card goes first. Once they complete their turn, the next player in the Power Card order takes their turn, and so on. Each player takes only one turn per round. During their turn, a player performs the following steps: Bring Caballeros from the Province to Their Court: The player brings a number of Caballeros equal to the number of Caballero symbols shown on their Power Card from the Province to their Court. If there are not enough Caballeros in the Province, they may take Caballeros from regions on the Board (but not from the Castillo). It is possible to bring fewer Caballeros than the Power Card indicates. Execute an Action Card: The player chooses one of the revealed Action Cards, takes it, and performs two actions: Position Caballeros: The number of Caballeros shown on the Action Card indicates how many Caballeros the player can place on the board. Only Caballeros from the Court can be used. If there are not enough Caballeros in the Court, the unplaced ones are wasted. Caballeros can only be placed in regions adjacent to the Royal Region (but NOT in the Royal Region itself) or in the Castillo. Special Action: The player may execute the special action shown on the card. If they do, they must perform the action completely whenever possible (unless the card indicates partial execution). The player may also choose not to perform the special action. The order in which the special action and Caballero placement are executed can be chosen, but one must be completed before the other. After using the Action Card, it is placed face down beneath the corresponding stack. End of Round: After all players have completed their turns, perform the following tasks: Place any remaining Action Cards face down beneath their respective draw stacks. The player with the lowest Power Card receives the starting player marker. All players discard the Power Card they used into their personal discard pile, face up. Power Cards that are discarded can no longer be used. Move the round marker one space down. If the round marker moves onto a Fleur-de-Lis, a general scoring occurs. Scoring Phase (only in rounds 3, 6, and 9): If the round marker moves onto a Fleur-de-Lis, a general scoring occurs. The following steps are taken: Choose a Secret Region: Each player secretly chooses a region to which their Caballeros from the Castillo will be moved after the Castillo scoring, using their secret disk. The Royal Region is prohibited. Score the Castillo: The Castillo is lifted. The player with the most Caballeros there receives 5 points, the second receives 3 points, and the third receives 1 point. In case of a tie, all tied players receive points from the next lower level. In 2-player games, only the first player receives points. In 3-player games, only the first and second players receive points. Points are recorded on the score track. Move Caballeros from the Castillo: All players reveal their secret disks. Each player moves their Caballeros from the Castillo to the chosen region. If the Royal Region was chosen, the Caballeros return to the player's Court. The Castillo is returned to its position. Score Individual Regions: Each region is scored in the order shown on the scoring summary. Points are awarded to players with the most Caballeros in each region, according to the region's scoring table. Grandes do not count toward determining majority. In 2-player games, only the first player receives points. In 3-player games, only the first and second players receive points. Tied players receive points from the next lower level. Royal Bonus: If the Royal Region is scored and a player has the most Caballeros there (without a tie!), they receive 2 additional points. Residence Bonus: If a player has the most Caballeros (without a tie!) in their residence (where their Grande is) when it is scored, they receive 2 additional points. Once all regions have been scored, move the round marker one space down and begin a new round. Actions and How to Play During your turn, after bringing Caballeros to your Court, you choose and execute a revealed Action Card. Each Action Card allows you to Position Caballeros and perform a Special Action. Positioning Caballeros You can only use Caballeros from your Court. You can only place Caballeros in regions adjacent to the Royal Region or in the Castillo. You can never place Caballeros in the Royal Region. Special Action You may choose to perform or skip the special action. If you perform it, you must complete the action fully whenever possible, unless the card states otherwise (e.g., "You may place 4 Caballeros"). You may choose the order in which you perform the special action and position the Caballeros, but you must complete one before the other. The Castillo The Castillo is not a region. Rules mentioning "region" or "regions" exclude it. You can place Caballeros in the Castillo, regardless of the Royal Region. You cannot move Caballeros from the Castillo. You can move Caballeros from regions to the Castillo. When placing Caballeros in the Castillo, you must announce the exact number to opponents. No one may look inside or remove Caballeros from the Castillo. The Castillo is lifted and scored during normal scorings (after rounds 3, 6, and 9) and during the special Castillo scoring. After a special Castillo scoring, the Caballeros remain in the Castillo. After a normal scoring, all Caballeros are moved to specific regions. The King, the Royal Region, and Adjacent Regions The region occupied by the King is the Royal Region. The Royal Region is forbidden: no Caballero, Grande, or Scoring Token may be placed or removed from there. Caballeros can only be placed in regions adjacent to the Royal Region (or in the Castillo). During scoring, the player with the most Caballeros in the Royal Region (without a tie) receives 2 additional points (Royal Bonus). Types of Action Cards Each stack of Action Cards allows placing a different number of Caballeros from your Court into regions adjacent to the Royal Region or the Castillo, in addition to a special action: Action Cards - Stack 1 Allow placing up to 1 Caballero. Special actions usually involve moving Caballeros: Intrigue (Move Caballeros): Allow moving 3 or 4 Caballeros (yours or opponents', with specific variations). You cannot take Caballeros from the Castillo or Court. You may move fewer Caballeros than indicated. You are not restricted to regions adjacent to the Royal Region, but you cannot move to or from the Royal Region. Intrigue (Additional Placement): Allows placing 2 additional Caballeros from your Court in any regions (including adjacent to the Royal Region or in the Castillo). Intrigue (Action Choice): Allows choosing between moving all your Caballeros out of one region OR placing 2 additional Caballeros. Action Cards - Stack 2 Allow placing up to 2 Caballeros. Special actions usually involve removing Caballeros or special scorings: Veto (2x): Allows blocking a special action in this or the next round. Place the card face up in front of you. Use it once to fully or partially block another player's special action. After use, place it face down beneath stack 2. If unused by the end of the subsequent round, discard it without effect. Unauthorized (2x): Each opponent must return all or 3 Caballeros from their Courts to the Province. Return Caballeros to the Province (2x): You may return 1 Caballero from each opponent from the board regions to the Province. Or, each opponent chooses a region (with 1 or 2 Caballeros) and returns all or 2 Caballeros from that region to the Province. Furious King! (1x): Clockwise, each opponent must return 3 of their Caballeros to the Province, from their Courts and/or board regions. Special Scoring (3x): Choose a region to score immediately. Can be before or after placing Caballeros. You may score the Royal Region, but not the Castillo. Includes Royal and Residence Bonuses. Action Cards - Stack 3 Allow placing up to 3 Caballeros. Special actions focus on special scorings: Special Scoring (various): Allow immediately scoring all regions worth 4, 5, 6, or 7 points, or the Castillo, or regions with the most/fewest Caballeros, or a specific chosen region. Movable Scoring Tokens may alter which regions are scored. The Castillo is not a region unless the card specifically scores it. If multiple regions are scored, the active player chooses the order. Action Cards - Stack 4 Allow placing up to 4 Caballeros. Special actions are varied: Movable Scoring Token (3x): Place or move one of the two Movable Scoring Tokens to cover the scoring table of a region. The token replaces the printed points. Can be placed on the Castillo. No region may have more than one token. Cannot be placed on or removed from the Royal Region. Power of the Cards (2x): Return one of your used Power Cards (from this round or discard) to your hand. The Court (1x): Bring 2 Caballeros from the Province to your Court. Grande (2x): Move your Grande. Cannot move to or from the Royal Region, nor place in the Castillo. Special Scoring (1x): Each player chooses a region with their secret disk. Regions chosen by only one player are scored immediately. Expulsion (1x): Choose a region. Each opponent chooses a region with their secret disk. All opponents move their ## FAQ ### How many players does El Grande Big Box support and what is the average game time? El Grande Big Box is designed for 2 to 5 players. The average game time is around 90 minutes, but it can vary slightly depending on the number of players and familiarity with the rules. ### What is the complexity level of El Grande? Is it a game for beginners? El Grande is considered a medium-complexity game (BGG weight of 2.8/5). It's not ideal for absolute beginners, but players with some experience in strategic board games will adapt well. The rules are logical, but the tactical depth requires a few plays to master. ### Does this Big Box edition really include all expansions? Yes! The El Grande Big Box is the 20th-anniversary edition and comes with all previously released expansions: Grand Inquisitor & Colonies, Grandissimo, King & Intrigant (various versions), and the 'Anniversary Extension', offering the complete game experience. ### Is there a lot of player interaction in the game? Absolutely! Interaction is one of El Grande's strong suits. You'll constantly be vying for regions, anticipating opponents' moves, and even moving the king to disrupt their plans. It's a game with plenty of 'cutthroat' direct competition. ### What is the main objective in El Grande? Your main objective is to have the majority of your caballeros (knights) in the various regions of medieval Spain, including the Castillo (a secret tower), during the scoring rounds. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. ### Who is El Grande Big Box recommended for? It is highly recommended for fans of area control games, classic Eurogame strategy, and anyone looking for a game with tactical depth and high replayability. If you enjoy planning your moves and reacting to opponents, you'll love it! ### Are the components of good quality? Yes, the Big Box edition generally features good quality components, including wooden meeples for the caballeros and a sturdy game board. It is a premium edition for a classic. ## Price Comparison ### Best International Offers - **BoardGamePrices.com**: $ 90.71 (https://boardgameprices.com/item/go?source=A&storeitemid=6914117&utm_source=boardgamesbot.com) - See all on BoardGamePrices: https://boardgameprices.com/item/show/14916/el-grande-big-box?utm_source=boardgamesbot.com