el grande 

Updated 4/23/2010

ELG  HMW  
   18    14   15  
     13     15     
      

 Ballroom B      Terrace, Table #5

Rob Flowers, MD

2009 Champion

2nd: Mike Kaltman, PA

3rd: Robb Effinger, on

4th: Curt Collins II, PA

5th: Nick Henning, CT

6th: Barb Flaxington, NJ
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
2006      Greg Thatcher      55
2007     Robb Effinger      68
2008      Geoff Pounder      61
2009      Rob Flowers      71

Rob Flowers, MD

2010 GM

Links

 Laurels  Rio Grande Games

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; 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 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 the teaching session before you sign up to play. The game will NOT be taught during the tournament.

Tournament Format

1) No expansions - this tournament uses the base game only.

2) Game Size - the Default game size will be 5-players, with 4-player games used only as necessary to accomodate the size of the field at each session.

3) 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 to prevent such conflicts of interest.

4) Seating Order and Start Player - Players at the table may determine in any manner they wish.

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 time, the GM may halt and adjudicate the game as he sees fit. (Do NOT make me do this. No one will like it.)

6) Score Sheet: At the end of your game, complete the top part of the table score sheet in its entirety. All information is important for determination of tiebreakers and advancement.

* The bottom part of the score sheet 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: - 25 players will advance to the semi-finals, and five semi-final winners to a 5-player Final. (If fewer than 25 appear 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 seven.

* This is a "Heat, Most Wins" (HMW) event. Ranking (tie-breakers) for advancement to the semi-finals will be as follows:

1. Most Wins

2. 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 opponent's score

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 for advancement will be filled with the players next in order.

8) Unsportsmanlike Behavior - We are here to run a 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.

9) Tie-breakers for sixth place finish (out of the five second place finishes in semi-finals):

1. Smallest (point) gap behind first place

2. 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 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 brief and does not hold up the game.

5) 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 two stack action cards for removing two 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.

 GM      Rob Flowers  [8th Year]  NA
    rpf1@mindspring.com   NA 

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