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Ururam Tururam
Poland
Krakow
Unspecified
Experimenting Warlock
Caffa et bucella per attractionem corporum venit ad stomachum meum.
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Although El Grande is a 2-5 players game it is best for 4 or 5 ones as with decreasing number of players some tactical options disappear. Yet – I have to say – it is OK even for 2. In fact it can be seen as a medium-weight abstract strategy disguised as an influence-gain game. Well disguised! The board is looking like an old map of Spain and most of the components (with the exception of the king figurine) are great looking.
The aim is to get majority of one’s own pawns in as many sectors of the board (representing regions of Spain) as possible. The number of pawns does not matter only ranking places do: 1st, 2nd or 3rd in each region. The game has 9 turns and the scoring happens thrice – after turns 3, 6 and 9.
Each turn has several phases: the first is playing priority cards. Players with higher priorities can choose their actions earlier but they can get less pawns ready (so called “summoning nobles to the court”). Then players choose their actions in order determined by the priority. Actions may allow the players to move their “nobles” on the board, withdraw opponents’ nobles, get premium scoring and more. Each action also allows the active player to put a few pawns on a board (“sending nobles from the court to regions”). In general the more powerful the action the less “nobles” it allows to place.
There are two things in the game rules that spices the play up:
- “Castle” or “tower” – it acts as a hidden region (pawns placed there are not visible” that has its own scoring and allows sending the “nobles” from there to any region.
- Hidden choice mechanism – when the rules require some or all players to choose a region they do it secretly and the choices are revealed simultaneously, which gives a lot of opportunities to apply psychological trickery.
Playing this game lasts longer than an hour but it does not seem so. It is entertaining with well balanced skill and luck factors.
 El Grande is one of my current top three games. (It had been the first before I got to know Arimaa and Caylus). As for the expansion included in the decennial I’ve tried them and I think that the game is better without them – in its basic version.
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Bryan Jensen
United States
Layton
Utah
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I like basic El Grande, but I think King & Intrigue is excellent. You don't get lucky (or not) about the actions deck; you have to be more wise about what actions you use when.
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Ik ben een klein boefje
Spain
Villanueva de la Cañada
Madrid
2006/2011 (Amsterdam - Maastricht - Apeldoorn - Den Haag -Delft) Vijf jaar dat ik ga nooit vergeten.
Warning: Very handsome user. HOT HOT HOT.
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Im with Bryant here, core game is excellent but the expansion adds more control to your own actions, only drawback is that you need several plays with the basic game in order to be able to play with King and Intrigant. The other expansions are quite forgetable though.
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Judit Szepessy
Canada
London
Canada
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El Grande is one of my favourite games, I love every aspect of the gameplay. It is nice to see a review of this old classic game.
On one point I do not agree with you. I think, at least for us, the game is enjoyable only with four and five people. With three or two the game loses its main area control element, and all the tension and cutthroat gameplay that makes it an evergreen and outstanding game.
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