RULEBOOK
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Setup: Page 3
Object of the Game: Page 3
Game Principles: Page 5
Taking a Turn: Page 6
Buying: Page 7
Attacking: Page 8
How to Control Shrines: Page 9
The Cave: Page 9
Game Design: Daniel Aronson
Game Development: Michael Howard & Nick Tompkins
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INTRODUCTION
The year is 1589 and the world is thirsty for gold. Legend has it that somewhere on the
vast ocean lies the island of El Dorado, where gold flows over the hills. Brave
explorers set sail in search of the mythical land and their ships find themselves on its
shores. They begin to search and discover that this place holds much more than gold;
it hides four mysterious shrines of untold power. As the explorers race to control the
shrines, they feel an ancient energy begin to surge within them. Only one can control
all of the shrines and rule the island forever.
GAMEPL AY OVERVIEW
In The Island of El Dorado, each player is the leader of a civilization seeking to
explore the island and control its four ancient shrines. You’ll discover resources, bodies
of water, and the shrines themselves in a landscape which is different every single
time you play. Build farmhouses and create villagers to gather resources and grow
your economy. Occupy strategic locations on the map using forts and armies to
defend against the other explorers who seek to control the island before you do.
Legend has it the most powerful shrine is hidden inside a cave, but be wary as you
enter; the cave is the most dangerous part of the island. Civilizations will rise and fall
as each player explores, gathers, and fights to control the four shrines of El Dorado.
The first player to control all four shrines wins the game.
GAME COMPONENTS
9 Water Tiles 25 Food Resource Cards
30 Gold Resource Cards
13 Gold Tiles
25 Wood Resource Cards
10 Food Tiles
3 Shrine Pieces
10 Wood Tiles 5 Explorer Cards
2 Garden Tiles 2 Golden Dice
11 Black Battle Dice
3 Shrine Tiles
Rulebook
1 Cave Shrine Tile
Wooden Pieces (5 Colors)
1 Cave Entrance Tile 2 Explorers
1 Cave Exit Tile 2 Farmhouses
3 Offerings
3 Cave Dweller Tiles
1 Fort
9 Empty Cave Tiles 4 or 5 (orange) Villagers
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SETUP
1: Set aside the 3 shrine pieces and the black battle dice.
2: Separate the resource cards and put them face-up where everyone
can reach them.
3: Give one explorer card to each player randomly. Give each player
the wooden pieces of their explorer’s color.
4: Separate the El Dorado tiles and the cave tiles.
5: Find the cave exit tile and set aside. Shuffle the remaining cave tiles
and place in a face-down stack. Place the cave exit tile on top
of that stack.
6: Gather the El Dorado tiles. Select one tile at random to start the
game (if it is a shrine or water tile, select another). Place that tile
face-up in the middle of the table. Shuffle the remaining
El Dorado tiles and place them face-down in a stack.
7: Choose which explorer of the two shown on your character card
you’d like to control this game. Place their explorer piece on the
first flipped El Dorado tile. Leave the other explorer piece of the
same color in the bag.
8: Each player takes 1 wood , 1 gold , and 1 food resource card.
If you are Victoria, take x4 the starting resources listed above.
9: See who goes first. Each player rolls a golden die. Highest roll takes
their turn first. If two or more players tie for the highest roll, they roll again.
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Control the four shrines of El Dorado before one of your opponents does.
The player that controls all four shrines is immediately the winner.
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Explorer Card
Starting Resources Shrine Pieces
Cave Exit Tile
Wooden Pieces + Cave Stack
El Dorado Tiles
Golden Dice
Starting El Dorado
Tile with Explorers
Battle Dice
Resource Card Stacks
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GAME PRINCIPLES
Before taking a turn, these concepts will help you understand the game.
SHRINES
There are 3 shrines on the surface of the island. You must buy and place an
offering on these 3 shrines to control them. The 4th shrine is in the cave which is its
own group of tiles apart from the main island. The first player to find the cave shrine
controls it, but other players can steal it away. See “How to Control a Shrine”, page 9.
EXPLORERS
Each explorer has a special ability shown on their explorer card. Each explorer’s
starting strength is 1. If you are playing as Pedro, your starting strength is 2. For every island shrine
you control, your explorer’s strength increases by 1. The cave shrine increases your
explorer’s strength by 2 for as long as you control it.
OCCUPYING TILES
Whenever a player has a villager or explorer on a tile, that tile is occupied by that
player. Farmhouses do not occupy any tiles. See “Farmhouse”, page 7. Forts occupy their
three adjacent tiles. See “Fort”, page 7. Occupying tiles is important in attacking and
defending. See “Attack”, page 8.
TRADE
Players can trade (or give) resources with each other at any time. You can also trade
in 5 of any one type of resource for 1 of any other resource. If you’re William the
Merchant you can trade 3 of any one type of resource for 1 of any other resource.
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HOW TO PL AY
Starting from the first player and going clockwise, each player takes a turn until a
player controls their fourth shrine. The game ends immediately when a player
controls all four shrines. See “How to Control a Shrine”, page 9.
TAKING A TURN
Each turn, the current player must:
1: Roll
Roll both golden dice. After rolling, choose one die to be your explorer’s
speed, and place it next to your explorer. The other die is your gather die.
2: Gather
Take a variety of resource cards equal to the number on your gather die.
You only have access to a type of resource card if you are farming a tile
that produces that type. There are two ways to farm tiles:
1. You are farming the tile your explorer is on.
2. You are farming a tile if it has your villager on it and your
farmhouse adjacent to it.
3: Explore
During the explore phase, you can do any of the following in any order:
Move, Buy, Attack.
MOVE
You can move or discover tiles up to the number shown on your speed die. You can
perform Buy or Attack multiple times between movements. You cannot move onto
shrines or water.
EXAMPLE OF MOVING & DISCOVERING
In this example, Pedro has a speed of 3. He moves
from Gold to Food, then from Food to discover Wood,
then from Wood to The Garden.
If your explorer is on the edge of the map and would like to discover a new tile, use 1
speed to flip a tile from the El Dorado stack, place it adjacent to your explorers current
tile, and move onto it. Newly discovered tiles must be placed adjacent to two
existing tiles (the second tile placed at the very beginning of the game is an
exception). If you discover a water or shrine tile, stay on your previous tile (this still uses
one speed). Place a shrine piece on each of the three island shrine tiles as they’re
discovered. Tiles cannot be moved once they are placed and cannot stick out past
the edge of the table. When you discover the cave entrance tile see “The Cave”, page 9.
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BUY | C OS T S L I S T E D O N E X P LO R E R C ARDS
To buy, return a specific combination of resource cards (costs) to the resource stacks.
Villager (used for combat and farming): New villagers must be placed on a tile
adjacent to one of your buildings. They cannot be placed on an opponent-
occupied tile, and they cannot discover new tiles.
Offering (used to control shrines): These are placed on shrine tiles. Your explorer
must be on a tile next to a shrine tile to build on it. See “How to Control Shrines”, page 9.
Fort (used to defend three tiles): Forts are defensive buildings and are placed on
one of the corners of the tile your explorer is currently on. They can be built on
any unused corner with unoccupied adjacent tiles. This includes water, shrines, the
cave, or the edge of the map.
Pedro can build a fort: Pedro can’t build a fort: Pedro can’t build a fort:
Farmhouses don’t occupy tiles. An adjacent tile is occupied an adjacent tile is occupied
All adjacent tiles are unoccupied. by an opponent’s villagers. by an opponent’s fort.
Farmhouse (used for farming): Farmhouses are passive
economic buildings and are placed on one of the corners of the
tile your explorer is currently on. They can be built on any unused
corner even if adjacent tiles are occupied by an opponent. This
includes water, shrines, the cave, or the edge of the board.
Army Movement (used to move villagers): An army is a group of 1 to 5 villagers.
An army movement is the act of moving an army of any size to an adjacent El
Dorado or cave tile. Players may pay to move their armies even if it is not their
turn before an opponent buys offerings, buildings, or villagers. This may be bought
after any explorer or army movement, including opponents’ explorers or armies.
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ATTAC K | UNI T S T R E N GT H L I S T E D O N E X P LO RE R C A RD S
When you move on to a tile occupied by an opponent, either with your explorer or
an army, you are initiating an attack. You cannot attack opponents until all players
have finished their first turn.
Before a battle occurs, both attackers and defenders have an opportunity to move
their armies. Attacking armies cannot move their army out of the battle tile until the
battle is over. However, defending armies can move out of a battle tile to avoid a
fight. If there are multiple fights, the one that was initiated first battles first.
How to Battle: The attacker rolls a number of black battle dice equal to their total
strength on that tile. Then, the defender does the same. Whoever rolls a higher result
defeats their opponent. In the event of a tie, all explorers and villagers involved in the
battle that have moved this turn return to their previous tiles and the attackers’ turn
ends. If you are battling a cave dweller, see “The Cave”, page 9.
If you are defeated in Battle: Defeated villagers die and defeated buildings are
destroyed. They can both be re-bought in your next explore phase. If an explorer
is defeated in battle, the winner of the battle places the defeated explorer on an
unoccupied tile next to a shrine the loser controls. If that’s not possible, they place the
explorer on any unoccupied tile. The defeated explorer chooses half (rounded down)
of their resource cards to give to the winner, and their turn is over. If an explorer is
defeated by a cave dweller, see “The Cave”, page 9.
Fort (used to defend three tiles): Forts occupy their three adjacent tiles. If an
opponent moves on to one of those 3 tiles, they are attacking the fort and any
villagers or an explorer on that tile. Forts cannot attack or defend farmhouses.
EXAMPLE BATTLE WITH FORT
White moves 3 villagers onto the wood tile. Orange occupies that
tile with a fort and a villager. A battle occurs: White has a strength
of 3. Orange has a strength of 2 (1 fort + 1 villager).
Farmhouse: Farmhouses do not occupy any tiles. Because of this, opponents on
a tile with a farmhouse can choose to attack it or move past without attacking it.
Farmhouses do not add their strength to adjacent battles. Players can move armies
to defend farmhouses before a farmhouse battle occurs.
EXAMPLE BATTLE WITH FARMHOUSE
White moves 2 villagers on to the gold tile. Orange occupies that
tile with a villager. A battle occurs: White has a strength of 2.
Orange has a strength of 1. If White wins, they can then
choose to attack the farmhouse in a second battle.
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HOW TO CONTROL SHRINES
Island Shrines: To control an island shrine, buy an offering and place it on the shrine
tile. Your explorer must be on a tile next to a shrine tile to place an offering on it.
Multiple players can control an island shrine at the same time. Offerings cannot be
destroyed.
Cave Shrine: When you discover the cave shrine, move on to it. As you leave that
tile, take it off the board and into your possession; you now control the cave shrine
and your explorer’s strength increases by 2 until an opponent steals the cave shrine
from you. To steal the cave shrine from a player, defeat their explorer. If you are
defeated by a cave dweller, shuffle the cave shrine and dweller back into the cave
stack.
THE CAVE
The cave is built separate from the El Dorado map. When first entering the cave,
place the cave exit tile about 2 feet away from the main island. If there is not space
on your table, find a different surface in the room. You may move from the cave
entrance tile to the cave exit tile for 1 speed. Discovering cave tiles is similar to
discovering El Dorado tiles, except you cannot place cave tiles adjacent to an on
the cave exit tile.
Cave Dwellers: If you discover a cave dweller, you must attack it. The
player to your left plays as the cave dweller until the battle is over. If a player
defeats the dweller, flip that tile over and use it as an empty cave tile. If a cave
dweller defeats a player, shuffle that dweller back into the cave stack. The
defeated player chooses half (rounded down) of their resource cards to return to
the resource stacks. In the event of a tie, the attacker and their army move to their
previous tile(s) and the attacker’s turn ends. Shuffle the cave dweller back into the
cave stack.
Thieves: The Thieves have a treasure of 2 wood, 2 food, and 2 gold. If you defeat
the Thieves, you claim their treasure. If they defeat you, your choice of half of your
resources (rounded down) is added to their treasure. Place their treasure to the side
of the cave.
After discovering The Cave your table may look something like this:
Cave Exit
defeated cave dweller
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PL AYER ABILITIES
Stella The Adventurer: Stella’s nimble stallion allows her to traverse the landscape
with ease. Begin her turn as normal, rolling the two golden dice. Then, add one
speed to her speed die for that turn.
Laffite The Pirate: With a zeal for anarchy and a penchant for thievery, Laffite has
little concern for the law of any land. Any time he rolls a 3 or a 5, steal one resource
from the player of your choosing. Rolling a 3 and a 5 together means he steals two
resources from your choice of one or two players.
Bellona The Commander: Bellona is a strong leader, beloved by the soldiers in her
command. Each turn, during her explore phase, she may choose to move an army
of any size one space at no cost.
William The Merchant: Having extensively studied economics and politics,
William is a gifted tradesman. Instead of the usual five, he may trade three of any
one type of resource for one of any other type of resource at any time.
Hector The Corporal: Hector is a cunning leader and knew that sailing for El
Dorado with a larger group would aid his chances for conquest. He has access to
create a fifth villager at any time during the game.
Nicholas The Fortuitous: Nicholas has an interesting relationship with luck,
allowing him to retry his golden dice roll once per turn. Be wise, however, as his
second roll cannot be changed.
Tizoc The Gatherer: Tizoc’s unparalleled relationship with the land allows him to
gather food even when he’s not farming it. Each turn, during his gather phase, take
one food.
Emma The Cartographer: A skilled mapmaker and strategist, Emma has great
influence in determining the lay of the land. Each turn, before her explore phase,
look at the top three El Dorado tiles and rearrange them however you like. She may
not do this with the cave tiles.
Victoria The Wealthy: Coming from an aristocratic British family allowed Victoria
to set sail for El Dorado with enough supplies to give her a tremendous advantage
early in her campaign. Begin the game with 4 food, 4 wood, and 4 gold.
Pedro The Conquistador: Many successful conquests have made Pedro as violent
as he is pitiless. His base starting explorer strength is two.
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