El Grande (2023) How to Play & Review

El Grande (2023) is an area control game.

Title: El Grande (2023)

Year Published: 2023

Designer: Wolfgang Kramer, Richard Ulrich

Publisher: Hans im Glück

Players: 2-5

Game Time: ~120 mins

Set-up Time: ~5 mins

Ages: 12+

Theme: Medieval Spain

Mechanisms: Area Control

How to win: Score the most points by controlling regions of Spain.

Game Description

Players take on the roles of Grandes in medieval Spain. The king’s power is flagging, and these powerful lords are vying for control of the various regions.

How to play El Grande (2023)

Learn how to play the 2023 edition of El Grande including the 2 and 3-player changes and the mini expansions.

Main mechanisms

Area control is the main mechanism and is, as far as I can remember, the only way to score points.

You also technically bid for turn order but as you only play one card it never really feels like bidding.

USP

I’m not sure how many area control games were around in 1995 when this was originally released but in 2023 it is far from unique of course.

The Castillo that acts as a hidden region is still unique but the real USP is that it’s still the best pure area control game in the business.

Theme

I understand the theme in a way, but I don’t know the history of the region to truly understand it. Still, influencing regions next to the King, Grandes etc all makes sense.

Setup & Rulebook

The setup is very simple and straightforward.

The rulebook is good but keep in mind that I already knew how to play the game as I own the El Grande Big Box so of course I found the rules easy to understand. It’s always easier to learn a game you already played to some level.

Components & Artwork

The components are good. The mini meeples and Castillo all look good on the board. The tuck boxes that hold the player and generic pieces were a welcomed surprise.

The art is OK. I know people don’t like this board compared to the others but it’s functional, that’s what matters.

Ease of Teaching

The game is very easy to teach. The concepts are straightforward and each action card explains itself most of the time.

Similar Games

I already mentioned the big box version of El Grande. There are other ‘simple yet strategic’ area control games but I want to highlight Royals as a nice simple one.

El Grande (2023) Summary

I have the big box with a bunch of expansions I never played and a box too big to take to most game days.

This 2023 is a normal size box with decent production value so it’s a good one to have on the shelf. Of the 3 mini-expansions in that box, I play with 1 all the time and the rest just sit in a bag in a drawer in a cupboard.

I like the simplicity. you play a card to gain meeples and determine turn order. Then in the new turn order, you draft an action card to take an action and place meeples on the board. Every 3 rounds you score.

It’s very simple… sounds TOO simple but it just isn’t. Those action cards change up the game and it’s interesting to see the competitive fights move around the board as the King moves.

El Grande (2023) Round-Up

Still my favourite area control game.

Rating

I give it 8/10