# El Grande: Decennial Edition ## General Info - **Year Published**: 2006 - **BGG Rating**: 8.3 - **BGG Rank**: — - **Players**: 2-5 (Best with: 5) - **Duration**: 90 min - **Weight**: 2.95 / 5 - **Designers**: Richard Ulrich, Wolfgang Kramer - **Artists**: Doris Matthäus - **Publishers**: Hans im Glück, Rio Grande Games - **Categories**: Medieval, Political - **Mechanics**: Area Majority / Influence, Auction / Bidding, Auction: Multiple Lot, Hand Management, Secret Unit Deployment, Simultaneous Action Selection, Turn Order: Auction, Variable Phase Order, Variable Player Powers ## Verdict A classic medieval domination game blending auctions, influence, and simultaneous action.Strategic auctionsRegion controlSimultaneous actionVariable player powersHigh complexityRequires translated materialLong playtimeRECOMMENDED ## Description El Grande Decennial Edition puts you in the role of a Grande in medieval Spain, where each player competes to control provinces using auctions, influence, and secret unit deployment. The game begins with 13 power cards that determine turn order and the number of caballeros you can move from the general supply to your court. In each round, you choose one of five available action cards – one of which always allows you to move the king to a new region, while the others change with the phase – and decide how many caballeros to move to regions adjacent to the castle or to the castillo, the secret tower. The area majority mechanic ensures that whoever controls the majority of caballeros in a region has dominance over it, and points are scored every third round. The castillo adds a layer of surprise: the hidden caballeros there are revealed after a turn, and you can freely choose which region they will appear in. The game ends after nine rounds, and the player with the most points wins. For fans of domination, auction, and complex strategy games, El Grande offers depth and replayability, but requires patience and attention to detail. If you need to play in Portuguese, it is advisable to use a translated version, as the original cards and board are in English. ## How to Play Objective of the Game In El Grande, players are trying to gain the most Victory Points (VP) by strategically placing their Caballeros on the game board. The game takes place over 9 rounds, with scoring occurring three times. The player with the most VP at the end of the game wins. Preparation (Setup) Place the Castillo on its designated game board space. Each player takes a Secret Disk and the set of 13 Power Cards in their chosen color. Shuffle the 9 Region Cards. Turn over the top card and place the King on that region. Deal each player a Region Card to determine their home region. Players then place 2 of their Caballeros and their Grande in their home region. Players place 1 Caballero on the 1st space of the success track. Each player takes 7 Caballeros to form their court. The remaining Caballeros are kept in reserve, forming the player’s Provinces. Sort the Action Cards by their backs (1-5 Caballeros). Shuffle each stack separately and place them face-down beside the board. Place the 2 Mobile Scoreboards beside the board. Place the black Round Marker on the 1st space of the round track. Turn over the top Action Card in each stack, revealing them face-up. Randomly pick a start player. Flow of the Game The game progresses through 9 rounds. Each round follows these steps: Move Round Marker For the 1st round, the Round Marker starts on space 1. In subsequent rounds, advance the Round Marker one space forward. General scorings occur at the end of the 3rd, 6th, and 9th rounds, after the Round Marker has been moved. Turn Over Action Cards Turn over the top Action Card from each stack, revealing them face-up. This allows players to see the available actions and plan their turns. Play Power Cards In the 1st round, the randomly chosen start player goes first. After the 1st round, the player who played the lowest value Power Card in the previous round begins, and play proceeds clockwise. Each player plays one Power Card face-up. Once a number is played, other players cannot play the same number in that round. Played Power Cards are placed face-up in an individual player stack, with only the top card visible. After all players have played a Power Card, the player with the highest value card goes first for the Player Actions phase, then the next highest, and so on. Ações e Como Jogar Player Actions During their turn, in order from highest to lowest Power Card value, each player performs the following actions: Move Caballeros from Provinces to Court: The player moves the number of Caballeros shown on their played Power Card from their Provinces to their court. If there are not enough Caballeros in the Provinces, the player may remove Caballeros from the board to make up the difference, except from the King’s region. Select an Action Card: The player selects one Action Card from the face-up display. Place Caballeros and Execute Action: The number of Caballeros shown on the bottom of the selected Action Card can be moved from the player’s court to the board. This placement can be done either before or after executing the action described on the card. Placing Caballeros: Caballeros can be placed in any region adjacent to the King and/or in the Castillo, divided in any way the player chooses. Caballeros and the Grande cannot be placed into the King’s region. Adding Caballeros to the Castillo: When adding Caballeros to the Castillo, the player must call out the number and drop them inside. Using Mobile Scoreboard Action: If an Action Card allows for a mobile scoreboard action, the player places a Mobile Scoreboard over the top of a printed scoreboard in a region. Each region can only have one Mobile Scoreboard at a time. Discard Action Card: After the player has taken their turn, the selected Action Card is placed in a discard pile. End of Action Card Selection: After all players have taken an Action Card, any remaining face-up Action Cards are discarded. Five new Action Cards are then revealed face-up. The King card is turned face-up and is never discarded. Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. Fim de Jogo e Pontuação End Game Trigger The game ends after the 9th round, following the final general scoring. Scoring General scorings occur three times: after the 3rd, 6th, and 9th rounds. Secret Disk Selection: Players select a region on their secret disk (not the King’s region) and place it face-down. Castillo Scoring: The Castillo is scored first. Players turn their secret disks face-up. The Castillo is then emptied, and the Caballeros inside are moved to the regions chosen on the secret disks. Scoring for the Castillo is awarded as in other regions. If the King’s region is chosen on a secret disk, those Caballeros are returned to the player’s court instead of being placed on the board. Region Scoring: Regions are scored based on the scoreboard for each. The player with the majority of Caballeros in a region gets the top score, the player with the second most gets the next score, and so on. The Grande does not count towards the total number of Caballeros for majority. In a 2-player game, only the 1st position is scored. In a 3-player game, the 1st and 2nd positions are scored. If players are tied for a position, they both receive the points of the next position. King's Region Bonus: The winner of the King’s region (no ties) gets +2 VP. Home Region Bonus: If a player wins (no ties) their home region, they get +2 VP. Winning Condition The player with the most VP wins. In case of a tie, there is no tiebreaker. Dicas para Vencer Consulte o manual para detalhes sobre esta seção. ## FAQ ### What is the average playtime? About 90 minutes, but it can vary depending on player experience. ### How many players can play? 2 to 5 players. ### What is the complexity level? Medium to high complexity, suitable for experienced players. ### What are the main components? Board with a map of Spain, caballero pieces, power and action cards, and a castillo board. ### Do I need translated material to play in Portuguese? Yes, the cards and board are in English; it is recommended to use a translated version or create a spreadsheet. ### Who is this game for? Fans of domination games, auctions, and complex strategies.