View source for El Grande

{{short description|Board game}}
{{about|the board game|the tree|El Grande (tree)|Spanish nobles|Grandee|the drug cartel leader|Sergio Villarreal Barragán}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox game
| subject_name  = ''El Grande''
| image_link    = [[File:El Grande.jpg|200px]]
| image_caption = Box cover of ''El Grande''
| designer      = [[Wolfgang Kramer]]<br>[[Richard Ulrich]]
| publisher     = [[Hans im Glück]]<br>[[Rio Grande Games]]<br>[[999 Games]]
| players       = 2–5
| ages          = 12 and up
| setup_time    = 5 minutes
| playing_time  = 90 minutes
| random_chance = Low
| skills        = [[Strategy]]
| footnotes     =
}}
'''''El Grande''''' is a [[German-style board game]] for 2-5 players, designed by [[Wolfgang Kramer]] and [[Richard Ulrich]], and published in 1995 by [[Hans im Glück]] in German, by [[Rio Grande Games]] in English, and by [[999 Games]] in Dutch. The game board represents [[renaissance|renaissance-era]] [[Spain]] where the nobility (the Grandes) fight for control of the nine regions. ''El Grande'' was praised for its area-control mechanism, and was awarded the ''[[Spiel des Jahres]]'' prize and the ''[[Deutscher Spiele Preis]]'' in 1996. Following its release, several expansions and an alternative version were published. 

== Gameplay ==
The game is played in nine rounds. There are no [[dice]] in the game, and players have many chances to influence the turn order. The original game has a number of action cards that are turned up each turn, which is the only source of randomness in the game. However, the effect of this luck is very small, since these cards are potentially available to be used by any player in the game.

Each player starts the game with a hand of identical cards (numbered 1-13) at the beginning of the game. These cards are used to bid for turn order. The person who plays the highest card chooses their action card first, etc., but each player may use each card only once in a given game. During each turn, players take Caballeros and execute an action card, which includes two actions, a special action and placing Caballeros. During three of the nine rounds, scoring occurs,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last1=Engelstein |first1=Geoffrey |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cnNYEAAAQBAJ |title=Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms |last2=Shalev |first2=Isaac |date=2022-03-02 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-53924-0 |language=en}}</ref> which involves players choosing secret regions, scoring the Castillo, which is a tower where Caballeros are placed inside, moving Caballeros from the Castillo to secret regions, and scoring other individual regions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=El Grande Rules |url=https://images.zmangames.com/filer_public/ec/f8/ecf8e954-59b8-4ed4-9b7e-37ebb3458c65/zm7560_el_grande_rules.pdf |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=[[Z-Man Games]] }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The main challenge of the game is keeping track of the many factors that determine the balance of power in the regions and the score track.

==Reception==
Upon its release, the area control mechanism of the game was praised, with Geoffrey Engelstein, writing in ''Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design'', describing the game's area control mechanism as an "elegant example of European design sensibilities applied to the American-style conflict games".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Woods |first=Stewart |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GPdRVOl8fU0C |title=Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games |date=2012-08-16 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-6797-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> [[Christian T. Petersen]] comments: "''El Grande'' showed me the surprising depth that could be achieved by interlocking simple mechanisms — the principle that lies at the heart of the German school of design."<ref name="HG">{{Cite book | contribution=El Grande | title=[[Hobby Games: The 100 Best]] | last=Petersen | first=Christian T. | authorlink=Christian T. Petersen | editor-last=Lowder | editor-first=James | editor-link=James Lowder | publisher=[[Green Ronin Publishing]] | year=2007 | pages=94–98 | isbn=978-1-932442-96-0}}</ref> Mikko Saari from ''Lautapeliopas'' also praised the game's replayability and components, but critiqued its scalability under four players.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-16 |title=El Grande -lautapelin arvostelu ＞ Lautapeliopas |url=https://www.lautapeliopas.fi/peliarvostelut/el-grande/ |access-date=2022-11-04 |website=Lautapeliopas |language=fi}}</ref>  ''[[Dicebreaker]]'' also commented that the game as a "time-proven, award-winning classic".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-04-22 |title=The 12 best 90s board games |url=https://www.dicebreaker.com/categories/board-game/best-games/best-90s-board-games |access-date=2022-11-08 |website=Dicebreaker |language=en}}</ref> Similar sentiments were expressed by reviewers for Polish portals ''Polter'' and ''GamesFanatic''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Szymon |first=Szweda |date=14 March 2008 |title=El Grande. Planszowy dziadek (recenzja) - Gry planszowe - POLTERGEIST |url=https://polter.pl/planszowki/El-Grande-c15694 |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=polter.pl |language=pl-PL}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ja_n |date=2006-07-03 |title=El Grande |url=https://www.gamesfanatic.pl/2006/07/03/el-grande/ |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=GamesFanatic.pl |language=pl-PL}}</ref>

The game was awarded the ''Spiel des Jahres'' prize in 1996.<ref name=":0" /> The jury praised strategy, "clearly structured" gameplay, the game board landscape designed by the artist Doris Matthäus, and the "well-explained" rules despite the complexity, concluding that the "two authors have impressively succeeded in bringing all this together into a harmonious whole". The jury commented that despite some elements of luck, player control is more emphasised.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=El Grande |url=https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/en/spiele/el-grande/ |access-date=4 November 2022 |website=[[Spiel des Jahres]]}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Spiel des Jahres 1996: EL GRANDE |url=https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/spiel-des-jahres-1996-el-grande/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=Spiel des Jahres |language=de-DE |archive-date=2022-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630103055/https://www.spiel-des-jahres.de/spiel-des-jahres-1996-el-grande/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Stewart Woods, writing in ''Eurogames: The Design, Culture and Play of Modern European Board Games'', described it as "relatively complex" compared to other winners.<ref name=":1" /> ''El Grande'' also won the 1996 ''Deutscher Spiele Preis''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Preisträger – SPIEL Messe |url=https://www.spiel-messe.com/de/deutscher-spielepreis/preistraeger/ |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=[[Spiel]] |archive-date=2020-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103224339/https://www.spiel-messe.com/de/deutscher-spielepreis/preistraeger/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Reviews==
*''[[Casus Belli (magazine)|Casus Belli]]'' #97<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/casus-belli-097/page/n11/mode/2up | title=Casus Belli #097 | date=1996 }}</ref>
*''{{ill|Backstab (magazine)|lt=Backstab|fr|Backstab}}'' #21<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/backstab-021/page/n29/mode/2up | title=Backstab #021 | date=2000 }}</ref>

== Expansions ==
Following ''El Grande''<nowiki/>'s release, several expansions were released, including ''Konig & Intrigant'' in 1997, which replaced several action and power cards.<ref name=":3" /> ''Grand Inquisitor & Colonies,'' which added regions, was also released in the same year; subsequently, the ''Grandissimo'' expansion was published, adding action cards.<ref name=":3" /> In 1998, ''El Caballero'', which was based upon ''El Grande'', was released, with the ''Spiel des Jahres'' jury describing the game as an "independent, attractive placement game".<ref name=":3" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{bgg|93|''El Grande''}}

{{Deutscher Spiele Preis winners}}
{{Spiel des Jahres}}

[[Category:Board games introduced in 1995]]
[[Category:Board games about history]]
[[Category:Spiel des Jahres winners]]
[[Category:Deutscher Spiele Preis winners]]
[[Category:Wolfgang Kramer games]]
[[Category:Hans im Glück games]]
[[Category:Rio Grande Games games]]