Board Game: El Capitán

Thread: Re: Runaway leader problem?

Avron — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:17:10 +0000

clearclaw wrote:
We're about 5 games in now and have never had a run-away leader and I see no reason for there to be one.

I can see one reason that it might happen, and it may explain why I was able to win my last game.
If one player gets all 6 warehouses and their fortress out the round before anyone else manages it (by managing to build cheaply and taking only one loan) they should go into the second stage (next 6 warehouses and fortress) with more money and a slightly more diverse building pattern. They would then, hopefully, be able to cause the end of that second stage before the opponents had got everything out. Minor snowball effect may eventuate.
Of course, it may be possible to counter such an effect by concentrating on moving that individuals warehouse of the track and into the middle. Thus causing him/her to waste turns.

Thread: Re: Should I Buy This Game ?

elfrododumbo — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:11:14 +0000

Thank you, William and Steven.

St.Petersburg : I will order this on Monday :)

Best regards to both.

Thread: Re: Should I Buy This Game ?

UnknownParkerBrother — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:15:37 +0000

This game needs the competition in the various areas to really work, I think.

St. Petersburg would likely be a better 2 player game.

Thread: Re: Should I Buy This Game ?

wwscrispin — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:02:42 +0000

I do not think this is a good choice. The stats say plays "best with 4" and that sums up my feeling about it also. The inter-player interaction makes this game for me.

Thread: Should I Buy This Game ?

elfrododumbo — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:30:20 +0000

I need some help in choosing one of two games and I like the sound of El Capitan. However, I mainly play games in two-player mode by myself and this does present a problem :(
To be honest I was not sure whether this game would be better than my first choice of St.Petersburg. EC sounded a bit like LeHavre (which I already own), but after viewing the video it made me wonder if I could cope playing it as a two-player. Hence the need for your help.

Thanks in advance.

Thread: Re: How long does this game take to play?

Avron — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:54:26 +0000

If everyone has played before and knows what they're doing you might manage a four player game in 90 minutes. I doubt the group I game with will ever manage that fast though as most of the individuals are easily distracted by conversations.
I don't advise playing with five people though, especially to start with, the increase in warehouse relocations will delay the game even more than simply having an extra player does. I don't know how much difference in time would be apparent in a three player game though, fewer people will be countered by more warehouses being moved off earlier.

Four player, first time for all, 2 hours seems reasonable but may be optimistic. Especially if people haven't read the rules to have some idea of what they're supposed to be doing.

Thread: Re: How long does this game take to play?

clearclaw — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:17:09 +0000

Our first play was around 135 minutes. Later games have been 120 minutes or just under.

Thread: Re: How long does this game take to play?

scottandkimr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:31:37 +0000

Cool, thanks. Was that the group's first time to play?

Thread: Re: How long does this game take to play?

Tim Love — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:11:37 +0000

Hi,
With 4 of us last week it took closer to 120. Once you've played it more than once I would have thought it would take 90 but not much less than that. Probably faster with 3, but is prone to analysis.

Hope that helps,
Tim

Thread: How long does this game take to play?

scottandkimr — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:01:49 +0000

How long does this game really take to play? Is the 90 minute estimate accurate?

Thanks

Thread: Rules in french for "El Capitan"

Kalyor — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:41:41 +0000

Can someone tell me how and where to find rules in french for "El Capitan"? Thanks.

Thread: Re: Can I build 2 fortresses on the same city?

chucklinus — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:20:06 +0000

No! No player may have more than one fortress in any city.

Thread: Can I build 2 fortresses on the same city?

fardoche — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:13:13 +0000

Assuming I would want to block it from another player?

Would I receive the bonus twice?

Thread: Re: A masterful area control game

jhenke — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:21:38 +0000

I played this game for the first time at the Board Game Geek Con last year (2008) with Simon, Jorge,...and some other wonderful gamers (whose names I've just completely spaced) and it was a blast.

Very tight, very scalable from what I saw. Pretty production, but I agree with you: the game play makes it. Tight, focused design. You walk some close lines of cash and you sweat. Part race, part reading ahead and watching where others are taking routes, part economy in funding your endeavors...

This is quite an underrated game in my book.

Thread: Re: A masterful area control game

RandallPeek — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 09:18:03 +0000

There are no advantages in the base cities other than the fact that the majority holder is paid the full amount on the paydays that punctuate the game, while the second-place holder gets half that much money, rounded down.

In the three expansion cities, the rules are tweaked a bit. For one, the majority holder still gets the full amount, but all other players are considered to be in second place, so will get half the money, even for a single warehouse. Secondly, each of the three expansion cities has a unique attribute that changes it from the norm.

Porto - As many as three players can be here at once, as opposed to the normal two. Warehouses are comparatively inexpensive when considering the potential payouts. There is also only room for only one fortress rather than the normal two. Also, if a warehouse is shut down due to obsolescence, it is removed completely from the game and can not be rebuilt, as it can on other cities.

Lisboa - Extremely inexpensive warehouses, actually free if you are the player in the first of the two harbors and only one florin in the second. The big difference here is that payouts are immediate. Each warehouse triggers an immediate payout for that player, either full pay if in first place in the city, or half pay for any other number of warehouses. This can skew the flow of the game considerably.

Islas Canarias - Moving to one of the two ports here allows a player to reposition the pirate ship to one of the other cities. This will not only take up one of the two port spaces there, but the players with warehouses or fortresses in the city must pay a 'protection fee' of one to three florins to the player controlling the pirate ship, depending on the round of the game. Players can move the pirate ship using the various movement cards of the game, but moving and collecting the protection fee is only triggered by moving your own ship to an Islas Canarias port.

I hope this answers your questions adequately!

Thread: Re: A masterful area control game

photocurio — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:32:02 +0000

Interesting review. You described aspects of play here that I had not read before. It makes me want to play it. The comparison to Maharaja is especially tantalizing.

You say the expansion cites change the game. Does every city, i.e. the cities in the base game, give the majority holder particular advantages?

Thread: A masterful area control game

RandallPeek — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 21:29:43 +0000

El Capitan is a big-box game about building warehouses in key Mediterranean cities and becoming the wealthiest merchant. It is not, however, an ecomonic or business game at heart. There is nothing in the way of goods being manufactured or transported, merely the money earned from the sale of goods that are never actually seen in the game. It is at heart an area control game that uses an economic model for keeping score. Effectively players are given a pool of victory points which are expended to take actions, mostly placing area control markers (warehouses and fortresses) on the board or in moving one's active area from one place to another. More victory points are earned at the end of each round based on one's majority interests in each area as well as wide distribution across areas. If it all sounds a bit generic, it is. The theme is pasted on in this and its parent game, Tycoon, but this in no way detracts from enjoyment of the game.

Components in the game are quite nice. The board is big and lushly illustrated, although there have been some complaints raised about the choice of font used, which makes it a bit difficult to read city names, especially if you are sitting on the far side of the board looking at it upside-down. The warehouses and fortresses are nice chunky wooden pieces of typical Euro quality. Cards are of good size and quality, a bit stiff perhaps, but should last a long time. There are many thick die-cut coins which are distinguishable both by size and color. All in all, components get fairly high marks.

The highest praise goes to the actual gameplay. Money (VP's) are very tight in this game, especially in the first and second rounds, and loans must sometimes be taken. This not only slows a player's progress, since this takes a turn or two to complete, but a loan must be paid back with interest at the end of the round or extended for a round, resulting in even more usurious interest. Resource management is tantalizing and presents the main dynamic of the game. Kudos to Herrs Kramer and Rosner.

The game includes three alternate expansion cities which can be included in game with experienced players. Each has a significant impact on the game, with one making money less tight, one having significant payouts for majorities, and one almost game-breaking addition which allows players to raid the coffers of other players. This last one, Islas Canarias, I would only include in games with extremely experienced players.

For comparison, I would say that this game is a sister title to one of my other favorite economic/area-control games, Maharaja, which I prefer to this title. Still, this is an excellent game with good, streamlined gameplay. This is slightly tougher than a gateway game, but would be playable by most people who are newer to this hobby. Overall score 8/10.

Thread: Re: New Cities in El Capitan - any feedback?

RandallPeek — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:20:22 +0000

The rules indicate that only one expansion city at a time should be added to the game, although it is possible to add more. With this proviso I think it keeps the three expansion cities a little more in line, but they definitely change the game. The Canary Islands are very strong, but this just prompts all players to visit it, especially in the final round of the game, if only to keep the pirate from visiting your own cities. Lisboa seems to be a no-brainer choice for the first round, since players can easily supplement their income and go the distance without a single loan. If one player starts this strategy, it behooves one of the other players to move in and cut him off. Porto seems the most painless addition to the game, being nothing more than a nice, high-scoring city. The only drawback is the single fortress space and the elimination of closed warehouses.

Thread: Re: Runaway leader problem?

bradstock — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:01:05 +0000

Because the scoring potential greatly increases on later rounds, early leaders can readily be surpassed.

Thread: Re: Zen in Venice

clearclaw — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:35:12 +0000

Yes.

The card draughting bothers me a little bit, I'd prefer something more controlled, but the game works quite nicely.

Thread: Zen in Venice

bradstock — Sun, 24 May 2009 09:00:34 +0000

El Capitan is brilliant and lots of fun. Other than the "florid script," I really can't imagine what's not to like. The components are top quality. The cards are heavy duty, the graphics are rich, the coins are great.

I suspect the problem for some people may be that the game operates on an intricate, sidewise, web-like cross of intuitive and calculated strategy. It's sort of a combination of zen/Go and Western logic -- and it works. I love it.

But then, I love Carolus Magnus. Seriously, the sidewise strategic reasoning in the latter reminds me in feel of the thought patterns in El Capitan, but E.C. does not have the random cube pull, which drives some people crazy about C.M.

I would argue that El Capitan may be one of the best designs out there, but even I am reluctant to play unless I am feeling gymnastic mentally.

Does anyone know what I am talking about? :)

Thread: Re: Video Review of El Capitán

sigtaulefty — Fri, 15 May 2009 14:08:07 +0000

Thanks Paul!

Thread: Re: Video Review of El Capitán

TheCatGuy — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:34:13 +0000

Very fine presentation on the game.

Thread: Re: Leaving the bank

clearclaw — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:13:29 +0000

mazinho wrote:
Question: Is it allowed to leave the bank harbor by buying an (expensive) destination card and choosing not to sail to its destination but use the seals instead to sail to a destination of choice?

No, because the bank doesn't have a location to start counting seals from.

Thread: Re: Leaving the bank

dkeisen — Sat, 09 May 2009 18:01:53 +0000

But how would you count spaces? You are off the board.

When at the bank you must use a destination card to travel to that destination.

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familywontplay — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:33:31 +0000

Detailed artwork of gorgeous Destination cards

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familywontplay — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:32:41 +0000

Gorgeous destination cards

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:05:15 +0000

El Capitan - the start player token.

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:04:21 +0000

Islas Canarias (high quality).

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:03:38 +0000

Lisboa (high quality).

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:02:54 +0000

Porto (high quality).

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:34:19 +0000

Enough wood inside for a long and cold winter...

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Ploedminka — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:25:48 +0000

'El Capitan' out of the box.

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malshadow — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:37:51 +0000

A great example of why everyone should go to BGG.CON. Lilwil, Munin, and Escher13 teach me El Capitan.

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malshadow — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:36:21 +0000

Escher13 and Munin play El Capitan at BGG.CON 2008.

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malshadow — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:35:00 +0000

Evidence that in El Capitan it is the warehouses that rule all.

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malshadow — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:33:11 +0000

Lilwil and Escher13 battle over shipping route in El Capitan at BGG.CON 2008.

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Thommy8 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:12:45 +0000

End of game - Red wins with 195, to Blue's 147 and Yellow's 122. Building warehouses in all 9 cities was key!

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Thommy8 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:12:05 +0000

Close up of Tunis, Naples, Athens, and Alexandria. Only the winner Red is present in all four.

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cscottk — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 04:09:51 +0000

El Capitan at BGG 2007