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. The top 25 players will
advance to the semi-finals; be sure to check the event Kiosk
for your status following each Heat. Winners of semi-final games
will compete in a 5-player Final.
All games, including semi-final and Final, will be limited to
two hours.
This is a B level event. If you have not played the game before,
be sure to attend the teaching session before you enter.
Tournament Format
1) Game Size
- Default game size will be 5-players, with 4-player games only
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 each table may determine these factors in any manner
they wish.
4) 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.)
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:
- 25 players will advance to the semi-finals, and five semi-final
winners will play a five-player final. (If fewer than 25 show
for the semi-final, the size and number of games may be adjusted
at the GMs discretion.) In recent years the number of alternates
that have advanced has ranged from 0 to 7.
- This is a "Heat, Most Wins" (HMW) event. Ranking
(tie-breakers) for advancement to the semi-finals will be as
follows:
- Most Wins
- Win in first heat entered
- Win in second heat entered
- Win in third heat entered
- Sorting factor that includes 100 points for each win, 20 points
for second, 5 points for third, plus your percentage of your
nearest opponent's score
- Average finish in all heats
- 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 Final 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 (and Reminders)
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 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.
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. When a player executes the
"pick up a power card from your discard pile" special
action, he is not required to tell other players which card was
picked up. (Of course, if it was on the top of the discard pile,
everyone will know.)
4) Action card clarifications:
- Intrigue cards may be used to place Caballeros into the
Castillo
- Players are permitted to move less than the number of Caballeros
stated on Intrigue cards
- There are DISCREPANCIES between different printings/versions
of the game with regards to the Action Cards in the 2 stack.
For this tournament, all cards in the 2 stack that send Caballeros
back to the provinces affect ONLY "your fellow players"
and NOT the player who executes the action.
- Veto cards - keeping the same rule as last year: No "partial
vetos" 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 quick.
5) If, when required to move Caballeros by means of the "secret"
disk, the player chooses the King's region, then all such Caballeros
are instead moved to his court. This could occur during scoring
when emptying the Castillo, or with the Evict action card.
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 the player who executed the special action gets to choose
the region from which the Caballeros get removed. This could
occur during the 2 stack action cards for removing 2 or all pieces
from a region. The same applies if 2 caballeros were required
to be removed, and the affected player chose a province with
only 1 caballero when another province with 2 or more was available.
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