Eldorado Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Start of Game
• Movement Rules
• Combat Rules
• Components

Start of Game

Before the game begins, each player chooses a character. There can be from two to six players.

1. Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conquistador (starts the game in Spain, at the port of Vigo).
2. Fernando Cortes, also a Spanish conquistador (starts the game in Spain, at the port of Seville).
3. Sebastian Bel-Alcazar, again a Spanish conquistador (starts the game in Spain, at the port of San Sebastian).
4. Henry the Navigator, Portuguese prince and traveler (starts the game in Portugal, at the port of Lisbon).
5. Nikolaus Federman, German knecht, a mercenary warrior (starts the game in France, at the port of Brest).
6. James Raleigh, English navigator (starts the game in England, at the port of Plymouth).

Each player takes the ship card that corresponds to their character (matched by the initial on the sail). Players shuffle the deck of Eldorado cards and each draws one card face down. The card shows the player's personal "golden city" of Eldorado, which they must find. Each player begins the game on their departure point.

While a player stands on the departure point, they roll the die twice:

• once to recruit the crew: the player receives as many soldiers as the die shows;
• once to take on provisions: the player receives as many barrels of provisions as the die shows.

When a player considers that they have gathered enough for the journey, they set sail. For every five soldiers, the player additionally receives one musket.

Separately, the player rolls the die once to receive cannons: on an even result the player receives two cannons, and on an odd result, only one.

Attention! Weapons are issued only in port. Later on, weapons can be obtained only by defeating an opponent in combat.

Movement Rules

At sea, for every ten soldiers (or a part of ten: 5, 7 or 9 people), including the player, one barrel of provisions is used up per day (per move). After each move, the player returns one card to the common pile. On land, provisions are not used up, since there is game and water to be had.

Provisions can be replenished on islands at which the player's ship is moored (except the Island of the Artist's Wife, which does not exist in nature), by the same rules as at the start of the game: the player rolls the die and takes cards from the common pile.

The order of play is determined by lot. Movement is possible horizontally or vertically, but not diagonally. Players move across the board as follows:

At sea:

• 1, Calm: the player skips their move.
• 2-5, Fair wind: the player moves in the chosen direction a number of squares equal to the die result.
• 6, Storm: the player skips their move in order to repair the rigging of the ship.

Sea monsters: the player rolls the die. On an even result the monsters are asleep. On an odd result the monsters devour one soldier and one barrel of provisions per move (per die roll). Monsters do not take weapons.

On rivers: players move along rivers in the same way as at sea, but without calm and storm. When moving from the river mouth toward the source, against the current, the player subtracts one point from their move. When moving with the current, the player adds one point.

On land: the player leaves their ship (its card and all its cannons) on the square where it was moored, and proceeds on foot to their city. The player moves a number of squares equal to the die result. The player may move with the whole party, or may split it and leave a guard with the ship on the shore. As soon as the player reaches the square of their city, they open their Eldorado card, thereby proving their right of discovery.

Note: After a player has opened their Eldorado, they do not have to return to their own ship. They may return to any ship standing at the shore. If there is a foreign crew on board, the player must fight to take over the ship. A player may return home only if at least one soldier (other than the player himself) remains with them; otherwise they cannot control the ship.

Combat Rules

A combat takes place when opponents stand on the same square. Each of them rolls the die and adds the following to the number rolled:

• 1 soldier: 1 point
• 1 musket: 2 points
• 1 cannon: 3 points

The difference between the points rolled equals the soldiers lost or the weapons lost. At sea, the winner also receives barrels of provisions as damage, at 2 points for each barrel.

If a player in a combat rolled 1 or 2 and still won, then as damage they take one of the opponent's soldiers prisoner, and that soldier now plays on the winner's side. If the damage cannot be paid to a player with anything, it is considered that all of that player's people have died, and this player leaves the game.

If the die roll in a combat is even, the player is granted "Indian luck" and may roll the die once more: as many soldiers of the opponent die (leave the game) as the points that come up.

In Eldorado, or beside it, on a square with an Indian or a city:

Against Indians, the player rolls the die once and subtracts the points rolled. The Indians fight to the death, and for each point lost, one of the player's soldiers dies.

After the victory over the Indians, in order to obtain the gold, the player recounts their remaining strength (in points), adds one more roll of the die, and takes treasure equal to that sum, at three full points per treasure pile.

The player receives the enemy's damage in treasure (one point per treasure pile), and pays their own damage as usual. These cards leave the game.

Components

1. Game board: 1 piece.
2. Rules of the game: 1 copy.
3. Player tokens: 6 stands for the character cards.
4. Die: 1 piece.
5. Cards: 6 sheets.

ATTENTION! THIS GAME CONTAINS SMALL PARTS!