The Quest for El Dorado (2nd Edition)

Seems this designer can really make fun games. In this game you start the game with a deck of cards that will let you move onto specific terrain tiles as you race to El Dorado at the other side of the board. If you don’t have a card that will let you move into a space, you are given the opportunity to purchase more cards to add to your deck which will give you more options on how to move. Basically, that is the game. It sounds simple enough, and really it is. Draw cards from your personal deck and move according to the cards you drew, buy new cards to make it easier to play a hand in upcoming turns, and outwit your opponents by taking advantage of new cards and special spaces on the board. It is amazingly fun. I have played several games where you grow your deck during the game and this one is one of the best in relation to simplicity and decision space. I highly recommend.

Seems this designer can really make fun games. In this game you start the game with a deck of cards that will let you move onto specific terrain tiles as you race to El Dorado at the other side of the board. If you don’t have a card that will let you move into a space, you are given the opportunity to purchase more cards to add to your deck which will give you more options on how to move. Basically, that is the game. It sounds simple enough, and really it is. Draw cards from your personal deck and move according to the cards you drew, buy new cards to make it easier to play a hand in upcoming turns, and outwit your opponents by taking advantage of new cards and special spaces on the board. It is amazingly fun. I have played several games where you grow your deck during the game and this one is one of the best in relation to simplicity and decision space. I highly recommend.

Nice way to introduce deck building with a twist; racing. Hope they get the 2nd edition expansion soon.

Nice introduction to deck building and racing games. A beautiful art welcomes you into a racing game using simple deck building mechanics. Works great, it is fast, and exciting.

Vincent Dutrait art on a Knizia classic. Great family racing game. Simple to teach, learn and play. My 9 year old loves how you manipulate the card market.

Great game. Fast-paced, easy to pick up or teach, simple yet scratches enough of a strategy itch, and seems endlessly replayable. Really happy I picked it up!

I love the artwork of Vincent Dutrait and I love this game, is the perfect match.

I introduced El Dorado to some family who aren't particularly into hobby board games, and over the next two days, we had played the game five or six times, and we probably would have played it more if time allowed. One of them was so enamored with the gameplay that they were frequently asking to build the maps. I play a lot of board games and I was still completely captivated. There's so much variety and strategy in this box, but it still always seems to come down to a tight finish where everyone is on their toes, waiting to see who really built the best deck for the map. I think this might be the best deck building game I've ever played, and it's even easier to get to the table, more intuitive to teach, and scales better for all player counts than my other favorites. The variable maps, the changing (but not random) card market, and the healthy player interaction make this a game that I feel like I could play the rest of my life without getting bored. On top of that, there is an optional mechanic called caves that you can use to spice things up even further, almost like including an expansion in the box.