# El Grande

El Grande is a board game for 2–5 players. It plays in 60–120 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 5. It is rated 7.9 out of 10 by 122 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $43.99 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–5 (best with 5)
- **Playing time:** 60–120 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 2.9 out of 5
- **Year published:** 1995
- **Categories:** Medieval
- **Mechanics:** Action Drafting, Area Majority / Influence, Auction / Bidding, Open Drafting, Hand Management, Take That, Selection Order Bid, Turn Order: Auction, Simultaneous Action Selection
- **Ludoya rating:** 7.9 out of 10, from 122 reviews
- **Owned by:** 210 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 620
- **Unique players:** 1,019

**Designers:** Wolfgang Kramer, Richard Ulrich

**Artists:** Stefan Sonnberger, Franz-Georg Stämmele, Doris Matthäus

**Publishers:** Hans im Glück

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gamers Guild AZ | 43.99 $ | https://gamersguildaz.com/products/el-grande-1 |
| Miniature Market | 43.99 $ | https://www.miniaturemarket.com/el-grande-higelg01en.html |
| Cardhaus Games | 43.99 $ | https://www.cardhaus.com/el-grande/ |
| Atomic Empire | 43.99 $ | https://www.atomicempire.com/Item/346180 |
| 401 Games | 51.95 $ | https://store.401games.ca/products/el-grande |
| Zatu Games | 27.7 £ | https://zatu.com/products/el-grande |
| Games Empire | 69.99 $ | https://gamesempire.com.au/products/el-grande |
| Travelling Man | 37.99 £ | https://travellingman.com/products/el-grande-2023 |
| TLAMA games | 1079 Kč | https://www.tlamagames.com/deskove-hry/el-grande--cesky/ |
| Magia de Tinta | 45.95 € | https://www.magiadetinta.com/es/juegos/7182-el-grande-8436607941859.html |
| Spelexperten | 529 kr | https://www.spelexperten.com/sallskapsspel/strategispel/el-grande-swe.html |
| Svet deskovych her | 1150 Kč | https://www.svet-deskovych-her.cz/produkty/12598/el-grande |
| Hyggeonkel | 359.95 kr | https://www.hyggeonkel.dk/produkt/el-grande |
| Alphaspel | 549 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/339976-el-grande-seda |
| Homoludicus Granollers | 50 € | https://homoludicus-granollers.org/el-grande |
| Dragons Lair | 595 kr | https://dragonslair.se/products/el-grande-sv |
| World of Board Games | 599 kr | https://www.worldofboardgames.com/el_grande |
| Spilforsyningen | 399.95 kr | https://spilforsyningen.dk/products/el-grande-eng |
| Fantasiapelit | 59 € | https://www.fantasiapelit.com/index.php?main=ai&kat=single&mista=indeksi&etsittava=_228384 |
| Game Ninja | 799 kr | https://www.gameninja.no/produkt/el-grande/ |

## Expansions

- [El Grande: König & Intrigant](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-konig-and-intrigant)
- [El Grande: Grossinquisitor und Kolonien](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-grossinquisitor-und-kolonien)
- [The El Grande Expansions](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-el-grande-expansions)
- [El Grande: Grandissimo](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-grandissimo)
- [El Grande: König & Intrigant – Player's Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-konig-and-intrigant-players-edition)
- [El Grande: König & Intrigant – Unverkäufliche Sonderkarten](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-konig-and-intrigant-unverkaufliche-sonderkarten)

## Similar games

- [El Grande: Decennial Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-decennial-edition)
- [El Grande Big Box](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande-big-box)
- [The Old King's Crown](https://www.ludoya.com/games/the-old-kings-crown)
- [Rurik: Dawn of Kiev](https://www.ludoya.com/games/rurik-dawn-of-kiev)
- [Castellans](https://www.ludoya.com/games/castellans-of-valeria)
- [Orléans: Big Box](https://www.ludoya.com/games/orleans-jubilaumsbox)
- [In the Year of the Dragon: 10th Anniversary](https://www.ludoya.com/games/in-the-year-of-the-dragon-10th-anniversary)
- [Orléans: Deluxe Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/orleans-deluxe-edition)
- [Hansa Teutonica: Big Box](https://www.ludoya.com/games/hansa-teutonica-big-box)
- [Inis: Legendary Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/inis-big-box-2)
- [New Amsterdam](https://www.ludoya.com/games/new-amsterdam)
- [Keyflower](https://www.ludoya.com/games/keyflower)

## Upcoming events featuring this game

- Partida EL GRANDE — 2026-10-04

## Rules questions

### Do I have to play a Power card every round, and how is turn order determined?

Yes — in step 2 each player plays a Power card (starting with the start-player) and the highest Power card then takes the first turn in step 3 (you may not play a Power card value already played that round). (pp. 2–3)

### Can I place or move Caballeros in the King's region?

No — the King's region is taboo: nothing (Caballeros, Grandes, or scoreboards) may be placed, moved, or removed there at any time. (p. 5)

### When is the Castillo scored and what happens to the Caballeros inside it?

During a general scoring (after rounds 3, 6, and 9) you first choose secret regions, then the Castillo is lifted and scored (1st=5, 2nd=3, 3rd=1), and afterwards each player moves their Caballeros from the Castillo to the single region they chose (players who chose the King's region return them to their Court). (pp. 6–7)

### How are ties handled when scoring a region or the Castillo?

Tied players receive the points of the next-lowest position (e.g., two players tied for first each score second-place points), and player-count rules (2‑ or 3‑player games) can limit which positions score. (pp. 6–7)

### When I take my turn with an Action card, must I do the special action before placing Caballeros, and can I do only part of a special action?

You may choose whether to execute the special action before or after placing Caballeros, but you must complete each chosen step one at a time and you may not interleave them; some cards (e.g., certain Intrigue cards) explicitly allow partial execution and some special actions are optional. (pp. 3–4, 9)

### If there aren't enough Caballeros in the Province, where may I take the remainder from?

If the Province lacks enough Caballeros you may take the remainder from regions on the board (but never from the Castillo), and you may also choose to take fewer than the Power card allows. (p. 3; p. 4)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/el-grande)
- [El Grande in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/el-grande)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/93)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._