el grande [Updated April 2006]

ELG   
   18    12   13
     19     21     
      

    Ballroom B     Paradise Terrace, Table 2

Charlie Kersten, OH

2005 Champion

2nd: David Buchholz, MI

3rd: Geoff Pounder, ON

4th: Pete Gathman, NJ

5th: Jason Levine, NY

6th: Greg Thatcher, FL
Event History
1999     Stu Hendrickson     47
2000     Anthony Burke      40
2001     Jason Levine      70
2002     Mark Guttag      41
2003     Rob Flowers      55
2004      Jay Fox      68
2005      Charlie Kersten      97

AREA Ratings:

GM: Rob Flowers

The German Invasion of Spain ... Euro style


El Grande is a multiplayer 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. Top 25 players will advance to the semi-finals (past experience indicates one heat win will usually be sufficient); be sure to check the event Kiosk in the Paradise Terrace for your status following each Heat. Winners of semi-final games will compete in a five-player final game.

All games will be limited to two hours, including Semi-final and Final Rounds.

This is a B level event. If you have not played the game before, be sure and attend a teaching session before you sign up to play.


Tournament Format

1) Game Size
Default game size will be 5 players, with 4 player games as necessary

2) Table Assignments
Players who have set up their own 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.

3) Seating Order and Start Player
Players at the table may determine in any manner they wish (electoral college and touch-screen voting processes are discouraged due to high legal fees involved)

4) Game Length:
Rounds for ALL games will be 2 hours.
In order to stay within time limits, games will be held to a strict format:
Registration will be completed so that games can start no later than 5 to 10 minutes past the start of the round.
Starting around 20 minutes prior to the end of the round, the GM will check tables for progress. If a table is not near completion (i.e., has not started turn 9), the GM will announce that the game for that particular table will end at a prior turn (probably Turn 7 or 8).
That table will play to the end of the announced Turn, and all the areas on the board, including the Castillo, will be scored, but no caballeros will be moved from the Castillo.
Starting around 10 minutes prior to the end of the round, if tables are still not completed, the GM will halt games and determine the winner by adjudication. The GM may ask the players to immediately score the board in its current state to aid his decision.
If the GM is forced to adjudicate a game, all players at that table will be given a ballot, upon which they will be asked to identify the player who caused the most delays, or else write "none". If all but one player select the same person, that player will automatically be last and the other ranks adjusted accordingly.

5) Score Sheet:
At the completion of your game, please fill out the table score sheet in its entirety. All information is important for determination of tiebreakers and advancement.
The in-game tiebreakers for ranking players (after score) will be:
Most unused caballeros (# cabs in court + # cabs in provinces)
Highest unused power cards (compare each ­ thus a 13, 12, 7, 6, 5 beats a 13, 12, 4, 3, 1).
Random

6) Advancement:
Twenty-five players will advance to the semi-finals, and five semi-final winners to a five-player final.
Ranking (tie-breakers) for advancement to the semi-finals will be as follows (NEW this year):
Win in first heat entered
Most Wins
Win in second heat entered
Win in third heat entered
Has brought a copy of the game, if needed for the round
Best single differential (your score in a game minus the score of your highest opponent in that game)
Average finish in all heats (e.g, a 2nd and two 3rd s = 2.67 and beats two 2nd s and two 4th s = 3)
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 semi-finals and finals will be filled with the players next in order.

7) Unsportsmanlike Behavior
We are here to run a good, fun, and competitive tournament. 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.

8) Tie-breakers for sixth place finish (out of the five second place finishes in semi-finals):
- Smallest gap behind first place
- Best record according to advancement criteria in 6) above

Rule Clarifications

1) The correct total number of Caballeros for each color is 31, which includes the cube used for scoring.

2) The number of Caballeros in players' provinces shall be secret unless all players agree to have this knowledge open. (And thus, make it possible to count players' pieces in the Castillo.) Please bear in mind that excessive counting and recounting on your turn is generally inconsiderate to your fellow players. Playing at a decent pace will make a more pleasant game for everyone.

3) In all games, used power cards are placed in a single stack face up; only the top card is visible to other players and the other cards are not open knowledge.

4) Action card discrepancies: different printed versions of the game have slightly different versions of some of the cards (example, the 2 stack card which reads: "You send one Caballero from any region from each player back to the provinces".) The differences are relatively minor, so to avoid confusion, players shall use the action card rules from the set they are playing. Refer to the rulebook for further clarifications for individual cards.

 GM      Rob Flowers  [4thd Year]  NA
    rpf1@mindspring.com   NA 

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