Components

• 7 Terrain Tiles
• 2 Terrain Strips
• 1 Ending Tile
• 6 Blockades
• 8 Playing Pieces
• 4 Expedition Boards
• 1 Starting Player Hat
• 1 Market Board
• 86 Expedition Cards
• 36 Cave Tokens
• Rulebook

Object of the Game

Deep in the dense jungles of South America lies El Dorado, the city of gold. Unlimited treasure waits in this lost kingdom - gold, jewels, and precious artifacts. You are a group of daring adventurers who embark on a search for the lost city.

Slip into the role of brave expedition leaders and guide your team to El Dorado. Assemble a team of experts for your expedition, acquire valuable equipment, and plan your journey wisely. Whoever crosses the border into the golden city first wins the game and claims all the treasure.

Game Play

Each player starts with a face-down deck of cards to draw from. At the beginning of the game, your deck contains the following 8 cards: 1 Sailor, 3 Explorers, and 4 Travelers.

You start each turn with 4 cards in your hand. Use expedition cards to move through the jungle or hire more people for your expedition.

Each player's turn consists of 3 phases:

1. Play Cards

   
   
   

   Play cards to move your expedition or to buy a new card.

2. Discard Played Cards

   
   
   

   Put all played cards on your discard pile.

3. Draw Cards

   
   
   

   Draw cards until you have 4 cards in hand.

The player with the starting player hat token starts the race and completes all 3 phases. Then the next player in turn order does the same. Your goal is El Dorado!

Phase 1 - Play Cards

Play any number of cards from your hand to (A) move your playing piece and/or (B) buy up to 1 new card for your expedition.

Each card in your hand can only be used once per turn. First, play cards that you want to use for moving. Use the rest of your cards to buy up to 1 new card.

A. Movement

The path to El Dorado leads through different types of terrain: landscape (green, yellow, blue), rubble (gray), and base camp (red).

Each hex space shows the requirements you have to meet to move onto it. The more symbols depicted on the space, the more difficult it is to move there. The number of symbols equals the space's power.

Landscape Spaces

Play one card from your hand and place it above your expedition board. Most cards have a power value. The power value allows you to move 1 or more spaces of the same type adjacent to the position of your playing piece. Then, you may play another card to make an additional move.

Any played card must meet 2 requirements:

1. The symbol on the card must match the color/symbol on the space that you want to move to.
2. The power value of the card must be equal or higher than the power of the space.

If both conditions are met, you can move onto that space.

If you have "leftover" power, you may use it to continue moving to the next space. The same 2 requirements apply, but you first subtract the power you already spent from the played card's power value.

You can stop moving at any time. In that case, you lose any unspent power immediately.

Important: You cannot combine multiple cards to move onto a landscape space with high power value!

Special Spaces

To move onto a rubble or base camp space, use any cards from your hand. The number of symbols on the space indicates the number of cards you need to play. The identity of those cards is irrelevant.

Cards you play to move onto a base camp space aren't discarded. Instead, they are completely removed from the game. They won't be used again this game.

Hint: This is a great way to get rid of weak cards from your deck and keep your expedition "lean". This makes it possible for you to keep drawing your best cards with the highest power level.

Important: You can never move onto mountains (black) or spaces that are already occupied by other playing pieces.

B. Buy New Cards

You can buy up to 1 card per turn, whether you have moved this turn or not.

Cards with a coin symbol are worth their power. All other cards are worth % a coin each. Play any number of cards and add their values together. This is the total amount of money you can spend on the new card.

Choose a card on the market board that you can afford and put it face up on your discard pile. You may neither use that card during this turn, nor put it directly in your hand. The card will eventually be shuffled into your draw pile with the rest of the discard pile.

How can I buy the rest of the expedition cards?

At the beginning of the game, you may choose from any of the 6 different expedition card piles on the market board. Once all 3 cards of a pile have been sold, you gain access to the cards next to the market board.

If there is at least one vacant spot on the market board, you may choose any expedition card that you can afford, even if they aren't on the market board. If the chosen card is from one of the piles next to the market board, place its pile on the vacant spot.

Each time there is a vacant spot on the market board, you have access to all remaining expedition cards.

Special Cards: Items

These cards are marked by a crossed-out card symbol . Item cards can only be played once per game. After an item card is used, remove it from the game (put back into the box). Do not place it on your discard pile!

Exception: If you play an item card without using its function (e.g. to pass a rubble space, or to spend it as % a coin), place it above the expedition board after you played it, then put it on your discard pile.

Phase 2 - Discard Played Cards

At the end of your turn, put all cards you placed above your expedition board during phase 1 (i.e. all the cards you played excluding any cards that were completely removed from the game) face up on your discard pile.

If you still have cards in your hand (experts or items), you can now choose to keep them in your hand for your next turn, or discard them as well. You may decide for each card individually.

Phase 3 - Draw Cards

Finally, draw cards from your draw pile until you have 4 cards in your hand.

Your draw pile is empty? If your draw pile doesn't contain enough cards to draw for your next turn, draw as many as possible. Then, shuffle your discard pile to form your new draw pile, then draw the rest of the cards you need.

Pass the turn to the next player in turn order.

Blockades

Blockades are obstacles on your path. The first player who wants to pass a blockade must overcome it by fulfilling its power requirement (number of symbols on the blockade).

To do that, he or she plays cards just like he or she would for movement. That player gets to keep the blockade. Use them as tie breakers at the end of the game. After a blockade has been removed, all players may now freely enter the previously blocked spaces.

Blockades work exactly like other spaces. For example, you can use a Discoverer (machete 3) to meet the machete 1 requirement, then continue moving onto an adjacent green field (if there is one).

End of the Game

When a player reaches one of the 3 finishing spaces, this triggers the final round (they will then place their playing piece on El Dorado to free up the finishing space). Each player left in that round will now play their final turn. Once the round is completed, the game is over.

If the last player of a round reaches one of the finishing spaces first, the game immediately ends.

If the final round ends up with multiple players reaching El Dorado, the player who has collected the most blockades wins the game. If there is still a tie, the player with the highest power blockade wins.

Rules For 2 Players

Assemble the game as usual. The rules for movement, market, and discarding are unchanged. Each player gets a second playing piece in their color. The starting player places their playing pieces on starting spaces #1 and #3, the other player on #2 and #4.

To win, you must reach El Dorado first with both of your pieces. If both players manage to reach El Dorado with their second playing piece during the final turn, use the normal tie-breaker rules.

When moving on your turn, for each card you play, choose which playing piece that card applies to. Move that playing piece, then choose again for your next card.

You cannot use a card for both of your playing pieces by splitting up its power. Additionally, all playing pieces still function as barriers - you can't move onto a space that is already occupied by another playing piece - even if it is yours.

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