Rio Grande Games El Grande Board Game Decennial Edition, 2-5 Players

This is a great game for those who like strategy. It is easy to learn but you don't get bored with it because your strategic abilities grow each time you play it. My husband and I play together, and one of us will come up with a great strategy one time, but then it doesn't work the next time because the other person knows the strategy. This game is different than any of the other games that we have (and we have many, many games). I think the age recommendation (12) is good for really excelling at the game, but know many 8 to 10 year olds who would enjoy it (if they like strategy games) and be able to understand the goals of the game. We play with 2 players, and have played the main game and the first of the expansions so far. I am sure the it would be also very fun (and probably more challenging/ intricate) to play with more people, but usually it is just the two of us available, so we appreciate finding good 2-person games.

I just got this game in the mail, haven't played it, but opened it up to check it out. This is published by Rio Grande Games, which usually just oozes quality, but for this game Rio Grande went El Cheapo (and this game sells for $65 full price, one would think having better quality) . The card board(paper cut outs) are extremely thin (about 1/2 normal size), I'm always careful punching out perforated cardboard pieces so they dont rip, and one the the circle split into two pieces. The bag holding the cubes had been cut at the bottom so the pieces were free to roam in the box while the indented card board insert was already ripped and folded over. They only include two bags, one for all the cubes and one for spinners, luckily I have extra bags for organization. For some reason these bottomless bags, cut in the bottom, seem to be a trend lately, anyone notice this as well?

I looked at the reviews and decided to splurge and buy this game. I was not disappointed. I love all of the calculating and recalculating of numbers and strategy in this game. There's no one right way to play, and you have to make it up as you go. It's definitely a heavier, thinking game. I haven't tried the expansions yet, but I will. It's a little overwhelming at first to look at the rulebook, but once you know what you're doing, you get it. It comes with a sample game you can play to ease in and learn the rules and the general way the game flows. I recommend trying that if rulebooks scare you too.

this is one of the few games that I played where you have to actively think from every other player's point of view. when your assumption is wrong, you know you learned something and you can learn something every game.

Great game, played it with a board game group and it was well received with the group saying they'd play it again.

Used to be my favorite game. Amazing game play and lots of back and forth. Very exciting and nail biting at times. Wish it got to the table more.

I actually like this game a good deal more than what is usually considered its big brother for gamers: Dominant Species. While vanilla El Grande is a bit simpler than I tend to like, Dominant Species just felt overly convoluted. And El Grande being simple makes it a great game for beginners. There is also a good amount of strategy hidden behind that simplicity making it a very good game for anybody really. I just don't think its deep enough to have the lifespan of more varied and dynamic games. I will also warn that the game is best with larger player numbers (4-5) because fewer takes away a lot of the tension that gives this game its strategic chops. I've played once so far with just 3 and even going last that player has 3 choices of action cards. With 4 and especially with 5 play order plays a much bigger role in the game and playing the power cards becomes much more exciting, almost like its own mini-game with "Price is Right" style tricks.

El Grande is a little bit of everything thrown into one game. There's the deception involved with secret choices. The balance of forsaking some territories in favor of others. The bidding and bluffing for turn order. Knowing when to sacrifice and when to go all in. In a word, El Grande is FANTASTIC. El Grande is okay with two or three players, but it really hits its stride with four or five. The game takes 60-90 minutes to play, but everyone participates the whole time, and I never realize how long it has taken because it feels like it moves quickly. This game is one of my favorites because it's easy to teach, highly interactive, and overall just a blast to play. Don't let the ugly box art fool you: this game is great. I highly recommend it.