The Quest for El Dorado

Today's review is of the 2017 release, The Quest for El Dorado. For 2-4 players, it takes 30-60 minutes.

Overview
You seek the city of legend: El Dorado, overflowing with gold.  But you're not the only one . . . so build your team [deck] well.  You must cross jungles, rivers, mountains, and other obstacles in your way, but if you make it first, the reward will be far more than you can imagine.

A deck-building game similar to Dominion in mechanics, here you start with a hand of basic cards, and add to the deck through smart purchasing of cards in the marketplace (pictured below). 

the marketplace; image from here

Each card has an ability that helps you navigate the map or fine-tune your deck to maximize  efficiency.  The map is modular, with many arrangements possible (see below for one layout).  They include recommendations for a starting layout and several others of varying difficulty levels.

one layout; image from here

Each map hex has symbols on it indicating what is necessary to enter that space.  Two machetes, for example, means you need one card with at least two machetes (you can't combine cards) to pass through.  You'll need machetes, paddles, and coins as you proceed, and some squares make you discard cards- which isn't always a bad thing.  Examples below.

image from here

Simplified Gameplay
You start each turn with a hand of 4 cards.  You use those cards to do two things:
- advance your explorer(s) on the map
- buy cards in the marketplace

At the end of your turn, unused cards can remain in your hand or be discarded (to your personal discard pile; any purchased cards also go there).  Then draw your hand back up to 4 cards for your next turn.  When your draw deck is empty, shuffle your discard pile and make a new draw deck.

As the game progresses, you'll encounter hexes (or cards you purchase) that make you discard cards.  This can be handy for getting rid of some of your initial (weaker) cards, as you'll want as many power cards as possible for your final push to El Dorado.

Review
A finalist for the Spiel des Jahres (German Game of the Year), this is a solid game.  It's straightforward- easy to learn and play.  The modular map makes for a new experience each time.  It's not spectacular- early mis-steps can put you out of the running early- but it's good.  It's on par with Dominion, though I think my favorite deck builder remains Clank!

Rating: A-