The Quest for El Dorado

In the world of board games, few can match the thrill of searching for a lost city. Designed by renowned game author Reiner Knizia and published by 999 Games, The Quest for El Dorado is a gem among board games. The game takes players on an adventurous journey through dense jungles, winding rivers, and dangerous obstacles in their quest to reach the legendary golden city of El Dorado. With its unique game mechanics and tactical decision-making, this game offers an immersive experience that will keep players coming back for more.

The Basic Game

In 'The Quest for El Dorado' players take on the role of adventurers searching for the mythical city of El Dorado. The game board features a map with various terrain types, including forests, mountains, waterways, and plains. Each player has their own set of cards that correspond to these terrain types, and these cards are used to propel their expedition. The most intriguing aspect of the game is the deck building mechanic that is employed. Players start with a small deck of cards, consisting of terrain types and a number of action cards. These cards are used to move around the board. However, during the game, players can improve their deck by adding better cards. This creates an interesting balance between optimizing the deck for efficiency and reacting to the ever-changing conditions on the board. The goal of the game is to reach the city of El Dorado first by skillfully deploying cards and overcoming challenging obstacles. As players continue their expedition, they must make choices between choosing the shortest route, collecting valuable treasures, and avoiding obstacles that could slow their progress. These decisions create constant tension and strategic depth, constantly challenging players to employ their best tactics.

New Adventures Await

To further enrich and deepen the experience of 'The Quest for El Dorado', 999 Games has released several expansions that add new elements and dimensions to the game. These expansions offer players new challenges, maps and ways to continue their adventure. Let's take a look at some of these exciting additions:

Heroes & Demons Expansion

This expansion introduces a new dynamic to the game by adding heroes and demons to the playing field. Players can now choose from different heroes with unique abilities that will influence their expedition. Demons, on the other hand, bring obstacles that players must overcome. This expansion adds an extra layer of strategy, where players must decide which hero best suits their playstyle and how to circumvent or defeat demons.

Dangers & Muisca

New adventures await you in the quest for El Dorado! Along the way, you will encounter new areas with dangerous terrain, such as rivers with rapids, swamps with crocodiles and mountains with risk zones. You will also have to pass temples to find the artifacts that will open the gate to El Dorado. But help is also at hand. The mysterious Muisca tribe is ready to help you in the quest for the City of Gold. The Quest for El Dorado: Dangers and Muisca is a new expansion consisting of two modules. The module “Dangers” introduces new terrain tiles. These tiles are littered with danger zones, where it is not allowed to end your turn. This module also contains the new terrain type swamps, where you may only walk through carefully and card by card because of crocodiles. The “Muisca” module introduces the new Muisca cards. These cards can be bought on the market tableau and work just like the other cards, with one difference. Instead of playing the card as normal, you can also place it in front of you. This way you save the Muisca card and can use it in a next turn, which gives you many more tactical possibilities. Both modules can be played separately or with other expansions, giving plenty of variety for fans of The Quest for El Dorado!

Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries

New adventures await you in the quest for El Dorado! Along the way, you will encounter unknown misty valleys, where many surprises await you. In the meantime, watch out for suddenly appearing fire-breathing dragons that will slow you down, and pick up valuable treasures with your metal detector. The Quest for El Dorado: Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries is a new expansion consisting of three modules. The “Dragons” module introduces dragons. At the beginning of the game, they are asleep, but if a piece moves to the field with a dragon or an adjacent field, it must stop there and the dragon wakes up. From that moment on, players can move the dragon instead of their own piece. This is important, because you cannot move a piece that is in the direct vicinity of a dragon! The “Treasures” module introduces treasure tokens. You can pick them up when you are standing next to them and play a metal detector or remove the requested cards from the game. If you have collected 4 treasure tokens, this is considered as reaching El Dorado. You can also use a treasure token to move to an adjacent field twice in a row without having to meet the conditions on those fields. The “Mysteries” module introduces mysterious valley tiles. At the start of the game, they lie face down on the playing field, but are turned over as soon as a player ends up with his playing piece on an adjacent field. From that moment on, players may enter the valley tile in the usual way. The valley tiles can also be used as normal terrain tiles, but then the element of surprise is lost. All three modules can be played separately or with other expansions, giving plenty of variety for fans of The Quest for El Dorado!

An Adventurous Journey in Board Game Form

'The Quest for El Dorado' and its expansions offer a rich and deep gaming experience that will captivate both new and experienced players. With its innovative deckbuilding mechanics, strategic decision-making and various expansions to vary the gameplay, this game guarantees hours of entertainment and challenge. Whether you’re an avid board game enthusiast or just beginning your board game journey, The Quest for El Dorado will take you on a journey of excitement, adventure, and strategy. As you optimize your deck, overcome obstacles, and explore new terrain, you’ll find that the quest for El Dorado never really ends. Each game offers new opportunities and challenges, keeping you coming back to the table for another round of this immersive and exhilarating board game adventure.