El Grande (2nd Edition)

Medieval Spain, in which the king is the one thing nobody may touch.

The king's power is flagging, and the Grandes — you among them — are quietly taking the country apart region by region. You draft caballeros into your court and then push them out onto the board where they can do some good. Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich's award-winning design for Hans im Glück, and one of the games that defined area control.

Nine rounds, with the regions scored after every third. Each round you commit one of your thirteen power cards, which fixes both your place in turn order and how many caballeros move from the general supply into your court. Then you pick one of five action cards, which decides how many go from your court out onto the board — or into the castillo, a tower nobody can see inside. The rule everything bends around is the king: you may normally only place into regions adjacent to his, and nothing may move into or out of the king's own region at all. One of the five action cards, always available, lets you move him.

Perfect for: People who enjoy a game where the strongest move is frequently to stand somewhere inconvenient.

2–5 players | 60–120 minutes | Age 12+

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