Objective of the Game

Welcome to the sun-drenched, politically charged world of El Grande! As a powerful Grandee in 15th-century Spain, your goal is simple yet devious: gain the most influence across the regions of the kingdom. You'll be deploying your loyal Caballeros, manipulating the King, and outmaneuvering your rivals to dominate territories and score victory points. The player with the most points at the end of the game will be crowned the ultimate ruler of Spain!

Preparation (Setup)

Let's get this medieval power struggle started! Here's how to set up your game of El Grande:

1. Place the game board in the center of your playing area.
2. Each player chooses a color and takes all the Caballeros of that color. These are your personal troops!
3. Each player also receives a set of Action cards and a Secret Disk. Keep these secret for now.
4. Place the King pawn on his starting region (usually indicated on the board, but not specified in the provided text).
5. Place the Province (general stock) of Caballeros nearby. This is where Caballeros return when removed from play.
6. Place the Castillo (a special region) on the board.
7. Set up the score track around the board.
8. Place any change value tiles (mobile scoreboards) near the board, ready to be used.

The Game Turn

A round of El Grande is all about strategic placement and cunning actions. Here's how it generally flows:

Sequence of Actions

When it's your turn, you'll play one of your Action cards. Each card allows for two distinct activities, which you can perform in any order (1 then 2, or 2 then 1), but you must complete one before starting the other:

1. Place Caballeros: You may add a certain number of your Caballeros from your Court (your private stock) into a region on the board. The number of Caballeros you can place is indicated by the "number of heads in squares" on your Action card. You can place fewer than the maximum allowed. These Caballeros can only be placed into regions neighboring the King's region, and/or into the Castillo.
2. Carry out a Special Action: This is an optional action indicated by the text and picture on your Action card.

Remember, the King's Region (where the King stands) is always off-limits for placing or removing Grandes, Caballeros, or scorecards. However, scoring can occur in the King's Region.

Special Actions Explained

• Moving Caballeros: If a special action allows you to move Caballeros, you can add them to, or remove them from, any normal region (except the King's region). You can also add them to (but not remove them from) the Castillo.
  • Special actions are optional, but if you start one, you must complete it unless the card says "move up to" (allowing partial completion) or an opponent plays a Veto card.
  • If you move Caballeros, you determine the order of the moves.
  • Examples of special actions involving moving Caballeros:
    • "INTRIGANT: 3 FREMDE CABALLEROS AUF DEM SPIELPLAN BELIEBIG UMSETZEN": You may remove up to 3 of an opponent's Caballeros from the board. You can move 0, 1, 2, or 3.
    • "INTRIGANT: 2 EIGENE UND 2 FREMDE CABALLEROS AUF DEM SPIELPLAN BELIEBIG UMSETZEN": You may remove 2 of your own Caballeros and 2 of an opponent's, then place them in another region or the Castillo.
• Secret Disk Actions: Some Action cards require the use of the Secret Disk. All players (or all players except the one playing the card, as per card instructions) simultaneously and confidentially select a region using their disk.
  • You can choose any region, but the King's region can only be chosen if the special action is a special scoring. The Castillo cannot be chosen with the Secret Disk.
  • If the King's region is chosen when the action isn't a special scoring, and there's no penalty, players must choose again.
  • After choices are revealed, if the action involves moving Caballeros, the current player decides the order in which others perform their action in their chosen region. If it's a special scoring, regions are scored in the sequence written on the board.
• Special Scoring: These actions compel you to follow the rules for "Scoring regions," including "The king's bonus" and "Home bonuses."
  • If a mobile scoreboard covers the printed values, only consider the mobile scoreboard's values.
  • All players entitled to points receive them, and all compliant regions score.
  • Examples of special scoring:
    • "SONDERWERTUNG: ES WERDEN ALLE 4er REGIONEN GEWERTET": All regions where the highest score value is 4 points are scored.
    • "SONDERWERTUNG: ES WERDEN ALLE 5er REGIONEN GEWERTET": Regions with a top score of 5 points are scored (e.g., Baskenland, Aragon, Valencia).
    • "SONDERWERTUNG: SIE BESTIMMEN EINE BELIEBIGE REGION, DIE GEWERTET WIRD": You choose one region (including the King's region or Castillo) to be scored.
    • "SONDERWERTUNG: ES WERDEN ALLE REGIONEN MIT DEN MEISTEN CABALLEROS GEWERTET": The region(s) with the most Caballeros are scored.
• The Castillo: Caballeros can be added to the Castillo when placed or moved. However, they cannot be removed from the Castillo. They remain there until the next general scoring round. Only specific cards allow the Castillo to be scored, in which case players can only view its contents, not move them.
• Mobile Scoreboard: Choosing this card allows you to place or move a change value tile (mobile scoreboard). These modify scoring values in a region, including the Castillo.
  • You cannot place two scoreboards in the same region, place one upside down, or place/remove one from the King's region.
  • You also cannot totally remove a change value tile from the board; you must move it to another region or the Castillo.
• Veto: If you take a Veto card, place it in front of you. You can use it once to veto any special action a player wishes to carry out during the current or next round.
  • You can only veto a special action, not the normal placement of Caballeros.
  • You can play the Veto at any time during a special action's execution, but not after it's completed.
  • Once used, the Veto card is returned to the box. If unused by the end of the round after you took it, you lose it.
  • If a special action is addressed to multiple players, the player who is on turn decides the order of execution, unless the card specifies clockwise. A Veto can stop the action for you and any players after you in that decided order.
  • During special scoring, regions are scored in the sequence written on the board (1 Galicien, ..., 9 Valencia). If you Veto during a multi-region scoring, it stops points for you and any subsequent regions/players in the scoring sequence.
  • If a Veto is played during a Secret Disk action, it can stop the action before the choice or at any time before it ends.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends after a certain number of rounds (not specified in the provided text, but typically when all Power cards have been played). At the end of the game, a final scoring round occurs.

Scoring Regions

Points are awarded for each region based on the number of Caballeros each player has there. The player with the most Caballeros in a region gets the highest points, the second most gets the next highest, and so on. The specific point values are printed on the board for each region, or on a mobile scoreboard if one is present.

• The King's region can be scored.
• The Castillo can only be scored if a special card allows it.
• If two or more players have the same number of Caballeros in a region, they get points at the same time for their respective positions.

Tips for Winning

Ready to conquer Spain? Here are a couple of pointers to get you started:

1. Master the King's Movement: The King's region is a "taboo" zone – no Caballeros can enter or leave it normally. This means wherever the King moves, he effectively cuts off that region from direct influence. Use this to your advantage! Move the King to isolate an opponent's strong region, or to protect one of your own.
2. Strategic Veto Usage: Your Veto card is a powerful tool, but it's a one-time use! Don't waste it on minor inconveniences. Save it for a crucial moment when an opponent is about to make a game-changing move, especially during a special action that could swing a scoring round or drastically alter board control. Timing is everything!
3. Don't Underestimate the Castillo: While Caballeros in the Castillo can't be moved out, they are safe from opponents and can be a huge source of points during a Castillo scoring round. Don't forget to funnel some of your troops there, especially if you have a card that allows the Castillo to be scored. It's a great way to surprise your opponents with a sudden surge of points!