Demonstration: Wednesday 17 @ Exhibit Annex Table 2
Heat 1: Tuesday @ 18 - Ballroom
Heat 2: Wednesday @ 18 - Ballroom
Heat 3: Thursday @ 9 - Ballroom
Semifinal/Final: Thursday @ 13 - Ballroom
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El Grande is a multi-player game of territorial control. The map depicts Spain, divided into nine provinces into which players place their forces. While there is no combat, players select option cards which can rearrange the forces on the board or make parts of the board off-limits.
Players bid for the order of choosing these option cards, but the higher bids carry the penalty of giving fewer troops. Thus, the game is a balance between resource acquisition and use; players must know when to 'lay low' in order to restore their forces. It is equally important to give other players good reason to do things which help your cause while they optimize their own scoring.
The tournament will have three Heats. The top 25 players will advance to the semifinals; be sure to check the event Kiosk for your status following each Heat. Winners of semifinal games will compete in a 5-player Final game.
All games will be limited to two hours, including semifinal and Final Rounds.
This is a B level event. If you have not played the game before, be sure to attend a teaching session before you play.
Tournament Format
1) No expansions - this tournament uses the base game only.
2) Game Size
• Default game size will be 5-players, with 4-player games used only as necessary.
3) Table Assignments
• Players who have set up games will play at their table
• To save time, all other players will be randomly assigned to tables; however, please alert the GM if team members or acquaintances are assigned to the same table. The GM will switch players as necessary between games.
4) Seating Order and Start Player
• Players will be assigned an order around the table when handing out table assignments. First player is then randomly determined.
5) Game Length:
• Rounds for ALL games will be two hours.
◦ If the game is starting to run long, the GM will remind the players of the time limit. If the game will obviously not finish in two hours, the GM may halt and adjudicate the game as he sees fit. (Do NOT make me do this. No one will like it.) In addition, the GM will ask all players to complete a ballot identifying the slowest player. Should one player be chosen unanimously by the opponents, he will be considered to have finished last.
6) Scoresheet:
• At the completion of your game, please complete the top part of the table scoresheet in its entirety. All information is important for determination of tiebreakers and advancement.
• The bottom part of the scoresheet is only needed if players are tied in score:
◦ Most cabs in court
◦ Most cabs in provinces
◦ Highest unused power cards (compare each - thus a 13, 12, 7, 6, 5 beats a 13, 12, 4, 3, 1).
◦ Random
7) Advancement:
• Assuming a field of 50 or more, 25 players will advance to the semifinals, and five semifinal winners to a 5-player Final. (If fewer than 25 appear for the semifinal, the size and number of games may be adjusted at the GMs discretion.) In recent years the number of alternates advancing has ranged from 0 to 7.
• This is a “Heat, Most Wins” (HMW) event. Ranking (tiebreakers) for advancement to the semifinals will be as follows:
◦ Most Wins
◦ Sorting factor that includes 100 points for each win, 20 points for second, 5 points for third (in 5-player games only), plus a percentage of your highest opposing score.
◦ You must have at least 10 points to qualify as an alternate (this means either a 2nd place finish or two 3rd place finishes in non-4-player games)
◦ Random
• The GM will post a list on the Kiosk as soon as possible after each heat to show the top player rankings. Be sure to check the Kiosk if you are interested in advancing. No-shows in semifinals and Final will be filled with the players next in order.
• NOTE: only the alternates listed on the posted list will be permitted to substitute for No Shows at the semifinals. I generally put all players with at least one second place finish on the list, and sometimes players with two third place finishes.
8) Unsportsmanlike Behavior
• We are here to have fun. If you witness anything that may constitute unsportsmanlike behavior (which may include verbal abuse, cheating, and even excessively slow play), please alert the GM immediately. Outcomes may involve as little as a warning up to ejection from the game and a ban from future tournaments.
9) Tiebreakers for sixth place finish (out of the five second place finishes in semifinals):
- Smallest (point) gap behind first place
- Best record according to advancement criteria in 7) above
Rule Clarifications:
1) The Default Ruleset will be the Decennial Edition, with exceptions as listed below.
2) The correct total number of Caballeros for each color is 31, which includes the cube used for scoring. At the beginning of the game, you should have two on the board (plus your Grande), seven in the court, 21 in your provinces, and one on the scoring track. (NOTE: The Decennial Edition has extra pieces for the expansions)
3) The number of Caballeros in players’ provinces is not open knowledge. Players are permitted to cover or otherwise conceal their province pieces (usually, putting them in a pile is sufficient). Number of pieces in court is open knowledge.
4) Veto cards: No partial vetoes will be permitted. A Veto, when executed, cancels the entire special action it is applied to. LIMITED negotiation is allowed between the veto card holder and the current player, provided it is brief and does not delay the game.
5) Cards in the 2 stack: all cards in the 2 stack that remove pieces from the courts or the board affect your fellow players ONLY, and do not affect the player who executes the special action.
6) If, when required to remove Caballeros from a region by means of the “secret” disk, the player chooses the King’s region (or a region with none of the player’s pieces), then another region must be selected. The targeted player must remove the required number of Caballeros from a legal region which has the fewest of his own Caballeros.
If there is a tie between two or more legal regions for fewest Caballeros, the player who is executing the action card may pick between the tied regions. This could occur during the 2 stack action cards for removing 2 or all pieces from a region. The same applies if two caballeros were required to be removed, and the affected player chose a province with only one caballero when another province with two or more was available.
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