The Quest for El Dorado: Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries

I'm not sure if I'm fan of dragons. Mists are fine but meh. Treasures (and new way for victory) is the best modular.

I played the OG Ravensberger ed of The Quest for El Dorado ages back, and thought it was "ok". When the base game in NA got the Vincent Dutrait treatment (one of my fav boardgame artists), I was tempted to re-try it and while I could better appreciate the elegance of the design...it still felt there was a great core-engine here which needed more oomph. Getting all the expansions in the new updated VD art style is next to impossible in NA, so I jumped at the opportunity to try them recently. Safe to say, this is the only way I want to play this awesome game. Between these 3 expansions, you have so many modules to mix & match and create the experience that is right for you and your group. My favs are the Mysteries, Heroes, and Dangers to name a few! Pain Points: How the &@#!$ can one get their hands on these? I really hope the publisher (Ravensburger)comes out with "The Complete TQfED" with all 4 expansions with the Vincent Dutrait Art (no, it does not have to be in a ginormous "big" box of air) for NA fans.The endless forum threads prove there is demand!

More, on my ⟣⧗First Pass⧗⟢ Blog: https://boardgamegeek.com/blogpost/161771/anim8rs-new-to-me-in-may-2024

rating given to base game with all expansions : Heroes & Hexes + Dangers & Muisca + Dragons, Treasures & Mysteries

This expansion is just made out of awesome. Best expansion I’ve played in quite a while. The way the treasures totally change the dynamics of deck building by radically altering the value of trashing cards is huge. No longer is it a good default strategy to just trash as much as you can early! And while the treasures can be very expensive, the ability they give to potentially race through bottlenecks, never mind a totally different path to victory, it hugely expands the strategic space. The Dragons aren’t quite as huge, but the way they add a sharper level of conflict between the players (as well as the potential to gang up on a runaway leader) gives the game a different flavor and I strongly recommend using the Dragons and Treasures as a matched set. The Mysteries are a less dramatic addition, but they do mix things up. I recommend using them towards the middle of the course, not right at the beginning or the end. You want them at a point in the race where they are a challenge to adapt to, not too early (before decks are built up at all and they may be too difficult) or late (where they may decide the game).