Overview:

Name of the game: El Grande

BGG Weight: 3.04 / 5

Year Published: 1995

Publisher: Hans im Glück Verlags-GmbH

Designer: Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich

Number of Players: 2-5

Playing Time: 90-120 minutes

Game Category/Theme: Area Control, Medieval Spain

Board Game Mechanics: Action Drafting, Area Majority / Influence, Area Movement, Auction/Bidding, Hand Management

 

Ratings:

Strategy: 8.6

Complexity: 7.8

Player Interaction: 9.2

Replayability: 8.4

Game Rating: 8.5

Cost: 5.0

 

Calculations:

Weight Rating: (7.8 + 8.6) = 16.4

Playability Rating: [(8.4 + 9.2 + 8.5) – 7.8] = 18.3

Play Rating Score: (16.4 + 18.3) x 2 = 69.4

Value Rating: 69.4 / 5.0 = 13.88

 

Final Score Rating: 69.4 + 13.88 = 83.28

 

Review:

El Grande is an excellent area control game set in medieval Spain. The game is won by having the most points at the end of the game, which is determined by having the most control of different regions on the board. Players must manage their cards, which dictate how many pieces they can move and when, while also trying to outmaneuver their opponents. The secret unit deployment mechanic adds a level of intrigue and unpredictability to the game, as players must try to guess where their opponents are placing their units.

El Grande is best played with a group of 3-5 players, as the player interaction is a major highlight of the game. Each player has their own set of abilities, giving the game a high degree of replayability. The game is relatively complex, with a variety of different mechanics to manage, but the learning curve is not too steep.

El Grande does not offer solo or cooperative play.

 

10 Other Game Recommendations:

1. Puerto Rico – a strategy game about building a colony in Puerto Rico
2. Concordia – a strategy game about trading and building in ancient Rome
3. Power Grid – a strategy game about building and managing a power grid
4. Twilight Struggle – a two-player strategy game about the Cold War
5. Ticket to Ride – a family-friendly game about building train routes
6. 7 Wonders – a card drafting game about building a civilization
7. Dominion – a deck-building game about collecting victory points
8. Carcassonne – a tile-laying game about building a medieval city
9. Pandemic – a cooperative game about preventing the spread of disease
10. Catan – a classic game about building settlements and trading resources.

This review was provided by Open Source Artificial Intelligence programs.  It uses a series of complex statement to have AI programs amalgomate their databases to produces information on board games.  These reviews are completely unedited output from the AI bots.