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The Island of El Dorado
El Dorado Games · 2018
2–425–80 min10+ yrs1.8/5 complexity6.5 BGG#5.063 BGG4,2 KFamily
⚡ short answer
How do you play The Island of El Dorado?
The primary objective of The Island of El Dorado is to be the first player to gain control of all four sanctuaries. Three of these sanctuaries are located on the surface of the island, while the fourth and most dangerous sanctuary is hidden within a cave.
To find the best price for The Island of El Dorado, howtoplay.ro compares deals from Romanian shops every day.
Joculescu · How to play
![Cum se joaca The Island of El Dorado? Tutorial & Reguli pe scurt [#9]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PWpUA4zGmZc/hqdefault.jpg)
Cum se joaca The Island of El Dorado? Tutorial & Reguli pe scurt [#9]
Joculescu· 10 min· published Jul 29, 2020Partner
the rules in 60 seconds▶ auto · 1/6
🧩
01
Setup
Shuffle El Dorado tiles face down, separate cave tiles, exit cave tile, and sanctuary tiles. Each player receives a random player board and starting resources (1 wood, 1 gold, 1 food), with one explorer receiving 4 of each resource.
The rules, step by step
Setup
To set up the game, first shuffle all El Dorado tiles face down into a stack. Then, separate the cave tiles, the exit cave tile, and the sanctuary tiles into their own stacks. Each player randomly receives a player board, which determines their starting explorer and unique ability. Players also receive starting resources: 1 wood, 1 gold, and 1 food. However, one specific explorer, Victoria the Wealthy, starts with 4 of each resource. Players must end their turn with a maximum of 9 resources, discarding or spending any excess.
Objective
The primary objective of The Island of El Dorado is to be the first player to gain control of all four sanctuaries. Three of these sanctuaries are located on the surface of the island, while the fourth and most dangerous sanctuary is hidden within a cave.
On your turn
Each turn consists of three main phases. First, players roll two yellow dice. Second, they choose one of the yellow dice to determine how many resources they gather from their farmed tiles (either by their explorer or by villagers). Third, players enter the exploration phase, where they can choose to move their explorer, make transactions, or attack. Movement is dictated by the second yellow die. When discovering new tiles, they must be placed adjacent to at least two already discovered tiles. If a water or sanctuary tile is discovered, the explorer remains on their current tile, and the newly discovered tile is placed adjacent to two existing tiles. If an explorer discovers a cave entrance, it is placed adjacent to the existing map, and the cave map is then built separately.
Scoring
Controlling sanctuaries is crucial for victory. Each surface sanctuary a player controls grants them +1 strength in combat. The cave sanctuary, being the most perilous to acquire, grants +2 strength. If an explorer is defeated in combat while controlling a sanctuary, they lose control of that sanctuary and its associated strength bonus.
Game end
The game concludes immediately when any player successfully controls all four sanctuaries on the island. That player is declared the winner.
Tips
Explorers have unique abilities listed on their player boards. By default, explorers have 1 strength in combat, which can be increased by controlling sanctuaries. Trading resources with the bank is typically at a 5:1 ratio (5 of any resource for 1 of another), but William the Merchant has a special 3:1 exchange rate. Building farms (villagers) on garden tiles allows access to any resource type based on a die roll. Forts can be built at the intersection of three tiles to defend them. Combat occurs when an explorer or army moves into a tile occupied by an opponent's explorer or fort. The attacker moves their army and explorer (if it's their turn) to the target tile, paying movement costs. The defender then decides to reinforce or flee (explorers cannot flee). Strength is calculated by adding the explorer's base strength, any sanctuary bonuses, and the strength of villagers (1 per villager). The player with the higher total strength wins. The loser gives half their resources (rounded down) to the winner, and their explorer is placed at their nearest controlled sanctuary or anywhere on the map if they have none. Encountering enemies in the cave (lions, giants, thieves) results in immediate combat. Lions have 2 strength; defeating them flips their tile face down. Giants have 4 strength and follow the same rules as lions. Thieves have 3 strength and carry 2 wood, 2 food, and 2 gold; defeating them grants these resources to the winner. If defeated by thieves, half your resources go to the thieves' pile, and the thief tile is re-shuffled into the cave deck.
game anatomy
Complexity1.8 / 5
BGG rating6.5 / 10
Vibe
Family
Language dependence
No in-game text needed
Play time
25–80 min
Players
2–4
Recommended age
10+ yrs
BGG rank
#5.063
from Trișache · verified
Frequently asked questions
Q1What is the goal of the game?
The primary objective of The Island of El Dorado is to be the first player to gain control of all four sanctuaries. Three of these sanctuaries are located on the surface of the island, while the fourth and most dangerous sanctuary is hidden within a cave.
Q2How do you set up the game?
To set up the game, first shuffle all El Dorado tiles face down into a stack. Then, separate the cave tiles, the exit cave tile, and the sanctuary tiles into their own stacks. Each player randomly receives a player board, which determines their starting explorer and unique ability. Players also receive starting resources: 1 wood, 1 gold, and 1 food. However, one specific explorer, Victoria the Wealthy, starts with 4 of each resource. Players must end their turn with a maximum of 9 resources, discarding or spending any excess.
Q3How does a turn work?
Each turn consists of three main phases. First, players roll two yellow dice. Second, they choose one of the yellow dice to determine how many resources they gather from their farmed tiles (either by their explorer or by villagers). Third, players enter the exploration phase, where they can choose to move their explorer, make transactions, or attack. Movement is dictated by the second yellow die. When discovering new tiles, they must be placed adjacent to at least two already discovered tiles. If a water or sanctuary tile is discovered, the explorer remains on their current tile, and the newly discovered tile is placed adjacent to two existing tiles. If an explorer discovers a cave entrance, it is placed adjacent to the existing map, and the cave map is then built separately.
Q4How is scoring calculated?
Controlling sanctuaries is crucial for victory. Each surface sanctuary a player controls grants them +1 strength in combat. The cave sanctuary, being the most perilous to acquire, grants +2 strength. If an explorer is defeated in combat while controlling a sanctuary, they lose control of that sanctuary and its associated strength bonus.
Q5When and how does the game end?
The game concludes immediately when any player successfully controls all four sanctuaries on the island. That player is declared the winner.
Q6What tips are there for beginners?
Explorers have unique abilities listed on their player boards. By default, explorers have 1 strength in combat, which can be increased by controlling sanctuaries. Trading resources with the bank is typically at a 5:1 ratio (5 of any resource for 1 of another), but William the Merchant has a special 3:1 exchange rate. Building farms (villagers) on garden tiles allows access to any resource type based on a die roll. Forts can be built at the intersection of three tiles to defend them. Combat occurs when an explorer or army moves into a tile occupied by an opponent's explorer or fort. The attacker moves their army and explorer (if it's their turn) to the target tile, paying movement costs. The defender then decides to reinforce or flee (explorers cannot flee). Strength is calculated by adding the explorer's base strength, any sanctuary bonuses, and the strength of villagers (1 per villager). The player with the higher total strength wins. The loser gives half their resources (rounded down) to the winner, and their explorer is placed at their nearest controlled sanctuary or anywhere on the map if they have none. Encountering enemies in the cave (lions, giants, thieves) results in immediate combat. Lions have 2 strength; defeating them flips their tile face down. Giants have 4 strength and follow the same rules as lions. Thieves have 3 strength and carry 2 wood, 2 food, and 2 gold; defeating them grants these resources to the winner. If defeated by thieves, half your resources go to the thieves' pile, and the thief tile is re-shuffled into the cave deck.
Q7How much does The Island of El Dorado cost?
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Q8Where can I buy The Island of El Dorado cheapest?
Check the Prices tab — howtoplay.ro aggregates offers from 7+ Romanian board-game stores and tracks price history.
Q9How do you play The Island of El Dorado?
The Island of El Dorado is a adventure game, for 2–4 players, taking ~25–80 minutes, featuring action queue. Check the Rules tab for setup, gameplay, and scoring, or ask Trișache anything about The Island of El Dorado — our AI assistant built by howtoplay.ro and trained specifically on board game rulebooks.
Q10How many players does The Island of El Dorado support?
The Island of El Dorado is played by 2–4 players.
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