As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Full details on our Affiliate Disclosure page.
How to play El Grande: El Grande is the classic area-control game by Wolfgang Kramer and Richard Ulrich, set in 15th-century Spain. Players send caballeros into the regions of Spain, hide some inside the Castillo tower and fight for majorities across three scorings. This guide follows the current Hans im Glück edition: setup, the five phases of a round, the King’s region, the Castillo, scoring and the short and two-player variants.
The edition this guide covers: El Grande (Hans im Glück)
The current edition includes the board, the Castillo, Power cards for each player, Action cards and 150 caballeros. It costs about $44.
Price band: $30+ (about $44) · Check today’s price on Amazon
El Grande setup for four players
- Place the board with the 4 and 5 player side up and set the Castillo on its space.
- Sort the Action cards into five face-down stacks by the number on their backs. The fifth stack holds the King’s card alone.
- Place the round marker on the first space and both Scoring tiles beside the board.
- Each player takes a color, the 13 Power cards of that color, a Secret disc and a score marker at 0.
- Reveal a Region card and put the King in that region. Each player draws a Region card and places their Grande plus 2 caballeros there.
- Each player puts 7 caballeros in their Court (personal supply). The rest form the Province (general supply).
The five phases of an El Grande round
- Reveal Action cards: turn over the top card of each of the five stacks.
- Play Power cards: starting with the first player, everyone plays a Power card with a value no one else has played this round.
- Take turns: the highest Power card goes first. Take caballeros from the Province into your Court as shown on your Power card, then choose one Action card and use it.
- End of the round: discard leftover Action cards (except the King’s card) and give the first player marker to whoever played the lowest Power card.
- General scoring after rounds 3, 6 and 9.
High Power cards win turn order but bring few or no caballeros (the 12 and 13 bring none). Low cards bring more caballeros but act later. Once played, a Power card is gone for the rest of the game.
Using an Action card in El Grande
Each Action card does two things, in either order. First, it lets you place up to the number of caballeros shown at the bottom from your Court onto the board, but only in regions next to the King’s region, or into the Castillo. Second, it offers a Special action, such as moving caballeros, scoring a region or moving the King. You may skip the Special action, but if you use it you must carry it out as fully as possible.
Nothing in the King’s region can ever change. You may not place, remove or move caballeros there. France and Portugal are not regions.
How the Castillo works
You may throw caballeros into the Castillo when placing, but you must say how many. No one may look inside or take them out until a general scoring. At each scoring, every player secretly sets their Secret disc to one region. The Castillo is emptied and scored (5, 3 and 1 points for first, second and third), then everyone reveals their disc and moves their Castillo caballeros to the chosen region. Choosing the King’s region sends them back to your Court.
El Grande scoring, ties and bonuses
- Each region shows points for first, second and third place. Only caballeros count toward the majority.
- Tied players all score the next lower position.
- First place alone in the King’s region earns 2 bonus points, and first place alone in your Grande’s region earns 2 more. Ties never earn bonuses.
- Scoring tiles placed by Action cards replace a region’s printed values.
The game ends after the third general scoring. The most points wins, and tied players share the victory.
El Grande short game and two-player game
For a shorter game of six rounds, start the round marker on space 2 and skip spaces 4 and 7. For two or three players, flip the board to its 2 and 3 player side, and only the first two numbers on each scoring board count. The two-player game adds a dummy color: it draws a Power card each round, places caballeros in two random regions and takes an Action card, so it can change majorities, but it never scores.
Tips for new El Grande players
- Save one high Power card for the round before a scoring, when going first matters most.
- Count the Castillo out loud as players announce their throws. It is the biggest swing in the game.
- Watch where the King can move. A region next to him is easy to reinforce; a region far away is safe from rivals too.
Comparing area-control games? Read best area control board games.
El Grande rules FAQ
How many caballeros do I start with in El Grande?
Two on the board with your Grande and seven in your Court.
Can I look inside the Castillo?
No. Its contents are hidden until a general scoring.
Does the Grande count toward the majority?
No. It only earns a bonus when you are first alone in its region.
How many rounds is El Grande?
Nine rounds, with general scorings after rounds 3, 6 and 9.
