The Quest for El Dorado: Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Dragons Module
  • Components
  • Setup
  • Dragons
  • Moving Awakened Dragons
  • Card Descriptions
• Dragons Module + Caves
• Treasures Module
  • Components
  • Setup
  • Treasure Tokens
  • Two Ways to Use Gained Treasure Tokens
  • Metal Detector Card
• Treasures Module + Caves
• Mists Module
  • Components
  • Setup
  • Mist Tiles
• Mists Module + Caves

Dragons Module

Components

• 4 dragons
• 6 cave tokens
• 9 cards: 3 Rocket Launcher, 3 Dragon Tamer, 3 Tracker

These cards are marked with a dragon symbol.

Setup

After setting up the base game, prepare the Dragons module components:

• Sort the cards by type (Rocket Launcher, Dragon Tamer, Tracker) and make 3 separate stacks. Place them face up above the market board, next to the base game card stacks.
• Place the 4 dragons on the expedition route. Place each dragon on a different terrain tile (but not on the start tile). A dragon may be placed on any space, even a mountain.
• Dragons must be placed lying down, because at the start of the game they are asleep. They will wake up during play.

Note: If you combine the Dragons module with the Treasures module, do not place dragons on treasure tokens. During the game, dragons cannot enter treasure tokens.

Dragons

At the start of the game dragons are asleep (lying on terrain tiles). A sleeping dragon cannot be moved.

When an Explorer is moved onto a terrain tile with a sleeping dragon, the dragon wakes up. Stand the dragon up (place the dragon figure upright). From that moment it spreads terror around itself.

Dragon range: The dragon's range covers all spaces adjacent to the dragon.

• An Explorer cannot enter a space within a dragon's range.
• An Explorer may end up within a dragon's range as a result of a dragon being moved (see below).
• While an Explorer is within a dragon's range, it cannot be moved.

Exceptional situation: An Explorer may also end up within a dragon's range by obtaining a blockade. This happens if removing the blockade leaves the Explorer adjacent to a dragon. In that case the dragon wakes up.

Moving Awakened Dragons

Awakened dragons are moved using the cards that players play.

In the base game, cards were used to:

• move Explorers,
• perform special actions,
• buy new cards from the market.

Now you have one more option: moving dragons.

• To move a dragon, you must play a card in the dragon's colour. After you play the card, move the dragon to an adjacent space that is not occupied by an Explorer, another dragon, or a treasure token from the Treasures module.
• When a dragon is moved onto a space of its own colour (a green dragon onto a jungle space, a yellow dragon onto a village space, a blue dragon onto a water space, a purple dragon onto a mountain or demon space), it may be moved onto one more adjacent space. If that space is again of the dragon's colour, do not move the dragon any further.
• A dragon cannot be moved onto other terrain tiles if a blockade lies between them. Once the blockade has been obtained, the dragon may be moved across those terrain tiles.

Card Descriptions

ROCKET LAUNCHER

The player may move any dragon to any space on the terrain tile where that dragon stands. That space may not be occupied by another dragon or an Explorer. Return the Rocket Launcher card to the box.

Note: If the player uses this card in a way other than for its special action, do not return it to the box. Place it on the discard pile of played cards instead. For example, if the player uses it to move a purple dragon, or when buying (as ½ a coin).

TRACKER

The player may move their Explorer onto an adjacent space that shows a single symbol (with 1 machete, 1 coin, 1 paddle, on a rubble or camp space with 1 card, or a space with 1 demon).

Note: When moving their Explorer, the player may:

• leave a dragon's range,
• enter a dragon's range,
• move within a dragon's range.

An Explorer may not be moved onto a mountain, a space occupied by another Explorer or a dragon, or a space with a treasure token from the Treasures module.

The Tracker also allows you to obtain blockades with a single symbol, ignoring their strength.

DRAGON TAMER

The player may move any dragon according to its movement rules (including the possibility of moving it 2 spaces). Then the player takes 1 card from the top of the draw stack into their hand.

Dragons Module + Caves

6 cave tokens from the Dragons module are added to the 36 base game cave tokens.

Cave token A (3 copies): The player may move an Explorer 1 space within a dragon's range, ignoring that space's strength. The player may:

• leave a dragon's range,
• enter a dragon's range,
• move within a dragon's range.

This space may not be a mountain, a space occupied by another Explorer or a dragon, or a space with a treasure token from the Treasures module.

Cave token B (3 copies): The player may move any dragon according to its movement rules (including the possibility of moving it 2 spaces).

Treasures Module

Components

• 12 treasure tokens
• 3 Metal Detector cards
• 6 cave tokens

These cards are marked with a treasure symbol.

Setup

After setting up the base game, prepare the Treasures module components:

• Place the 3 Metal Detector cards in a stack, face up, above the market board, next to the base game card stacks.
• Draw 3 treasure tokens per player (for example, in a 4-player game draw 12 treasure tokens). Place them face down on the expedition route as follows:
  • Starting from the terrain tile closest to El Dorado and moving back toward the start of the route, place 1 treasure token on each terrain tile except the start tile. Repeat until all drawn treasure tokens have been placed. One terrain tile may therefore hold more than one treasure token.
  • A treasure token may be placed on any space except a mountain.
  • Each treasure token must lie on a different space.
  • After placing the tokens, reveal them (face up).
• Return the remaining treasure tokens to the box.

Treasure Tokens

Treasure tokens that you gain let you move faster along the expedition route, or win without having to reach El Dorado.

How to gain a treasure token:

• An Explorer must stop (end its movement) on a space adjacent to the space that holds a treasure token. An Explorer may not enter a space holding a treasure token, nor pass through one.
• The player discards from their hand, to the box, the cards shown on the treasure token (see below).
• The player gains the treasure token (places it in front of themselves) and moves the Explorer onto the space where the treasure token lay, ignoring that space's strength.
• The player may continue their turn.

Cost of each treasure token: Gaining each treasure token requires discarding from your hand to the box:

• 2 blue cards / 2 purple cards / 3 green cards / 3 yellow cards,
• 3 cards: 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 blue,
• 4 cards of any colour,
• cards with a total value of at least 4 coins / 5 coins,
• cards with a total value of at least 4 machetes / 5 machetes,
• cards with a total value of at least 3 paddles / 4 paddles.

Transcriber's note: The printed list separates the costs with "/". The first line lists four token designs, the lines with coins, machetes and paddles list two designs each, and the remaining two lines list one design each. This accounts for all 12 treasure tokens. The costs are transcribed as printed.

Example: The white player gains a treasure token. They discard 3 green cards from their hand to the box. The Guide (Przewodnik) joker card may be used as a green, blue or yellow card. The red player also gains a treasure token: they discard cards with a total value of at least 5 machetes.

After taking the treasure tokens from the board, both players move their Explorers onto the spaces where the gained treasure tokens lay, ignoring those spaces' requirements.

Two Ways to Use Gained Treasure Tokens

Faster Explorer movement: You may use a gained treasure token at any moment of your turn, either in the turn you gained it or in any later turn of yours.

• Move your Explorer up to 2 spaces, ignoring the strength of those spaces.
• You may not move onto a mountain, a space occupied by another Explorer, or a space with a treasure token.

You may use any number of treasure tokens during your turn. A used treasure token goes back to the box.

Another way to win: You do not have to reach El Dorado to win the game. An alternative way to win is to gain 4 treasure tokens!

When a player gains their fourth treasure token, the round is played out to its end. All players must play the same number of turns, so the round ends with the player seated to the right of the player holding the starting-player marker. The winner is chosen from among the players who fulfilled one of the victory conditions:

• gaining 4 treasure tokens,

• reaching El Dorado.

• If only 1 player fulfilled one of these conditions, that player wins the game.

• If more players fulfilled a condition, the winner is the one with more blockades.

• If there is a tie in blockades, the player with the higher blockade number wins.

• If none of the tied players has a blockade, the players share the victory.

Example: The yellow player gains their fourth treasure token and so fulfils one of the end-game conditions. In the same round, the blue player reaches the gates of El Dorado and also fulfils a victory condition. The yellow player has 1 blockade and the blue player has 2 blockades, so the blue player wins the game.

Metal Detector Card

Card description: A player who gains a treasure token does not pay its cost. They do not need to discard the cards held in their hand. Return the Metal Detector card to the box.

Treasures Module + Caves

6 cave tokens from the Treasures module are added to the 36 base game cave tokens.

Cave token A (3 copies): The player may swap the places of any 2 treasure tokens lying on terrain tiles.

Cave token B (3 copies): When gaining a treasure token, the player treats that token as a card of any colour with a value of 2.

Mists Module

Components

• 9 mist tiles
• 3 cave tokens

Setup

After setting up the base game, prepare the Mists module components:

• Shuffle the mist tiles and place 1 mist tile, mist side up, on each terrain tile except the start tile. Each mist tile must lie entirely on its terrain tile. It may not overhang the tile, nor lie on a blockade.
• Return unused mist tiles to the box, or add them to the expedition route as normal terrain tiles, mist side down.

Mist Tiles

No terrain tiles may be placed on mist tiles, and no pawns (Explorers or dragons) may be moved onto them. Players do not know what lies on the other side of a mist tile.

The mist stops being a secret when an Explorer is moved in any way and stops on a space adjacent to a mist tile. In that case:

• Turn the mist tile over to its other side and place it in the same location.
• Rotate the mist tile so that the space with the owl is adjacent to the space on which the Explorer stands.
• From then on, pawns (Explorers or dragons) may be moved onto the spaces of the turned mist tile.

Note: A blockade lying between an Explorer and a mist tile means that the Explorer is not adjacent to the mist.

Example: The player stops on a space adjacent to a mist tile. They turn the tile over and place it in the same location, rotated so that the space with the owl is adjacent to the space on which their Explorer stands.

Mists Module + Caves

Cave token (3 copies): The player may move an Explorer up to 2 spaces on the turned mist tile, ignoring the strength of those spaces. The Explorer may not enter a mountain, a space occupied by another Explorer, or a space with a treasure token from the Treasures module.