Encantados (Second/Third Edition)
Encantados (Second/Third Edition) Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
60 cards and 1 rulebook.
Card anatomy
- Card name.
- Score: every card in your garden adds this value to your final score.
- Card ability: each species has a specific characteristic that must be observed during the game.
Grab a sheet of paper to record scores. With 2 or 3 players, each plays individually. With 4 players, form two teams of two. In a team game, the players sit next to each other and share the same garden, laying their cards in a common area and using the abilities of the Encantados that are there. Teammates may not share their cards or show them to each other during the game. The team's score is the sum of the scores of the two players.
Setup
Shuffle and deal cards according to the number of players:
- 2 players: 10 cards;
- 3 players: 9 cards;
- 4 players: 8 cards.
The remaining cards form the draw pile. Reserve two spaces for the discard piles for the rest of the game: the search discard, to the left of the draw pile, and the end-of-turn discard, to the right.
Example setup for 4 players: each player receives 8 cards; garden of team 1/2 and garden of team 3/4 (with 2 or 3 players, each player would have their own garden); search discard to the left of the draw pile; end-of-turn discard to its right.
Game Overview
Encantados is played over several rounds. In each round, players are dealt a new hand of cards and take alternating turns until at least one player runs out of cards in hand. At the end of the round, if any player has a score of 100 or more, the game ends immediately.
Who starts
In the first round, the player who most recently saw a fairy starts. In following rounds, the player with the lowest score starts the round. If tied, the player who started the previous round starts. Play continues clockwise. In 4-player games, play is in teams. In a team game, the two players of a team must play in sequence (the player on the right starts).
Turn
Players take turns clockwise. Each turn has three phases:
- Phase 1 - Draw cards;
- Phase 2 - Lay down cards;
- Phase 3 - Discard.
Phase 1 - Draw cards
The player chooses ONE of the following options:
A. Take the top card of one of the two discard piles. B. Make a search. To make a search, draw two cards from the draw pile, put one in your hand and the other in the search discard.
Phase 2 - Lay down cards
In this phase of the turn you may perform one to three different actions (or four, in the team game), in any order:
A. Lay down a song: you may lay down ONE song from your hand. You cannot lay down more than one song per turn.
B. Lay down a new race: you may lay down a new race, provided you have three cards of the same race in hand. That race is now part of your garden. Mimics can replace ONE card of any race (you cannot lay down a new race using two mimics).
IMPORTANT: you may only lay down ONE new race per turn.
C. Expand a race: if a race is already in play, in the garden of any player, you can expand that race. To expand it, simply lay down any number of cards of that race in your garden. This is the only action you can perform as many times as you like during your turn. There is no limit to how many races can be expanded on your turn. You may play mimics when expanding races, but you cannot have more than ONE mimic in the same race. Mimics must always be accompanied by at least ONE card of the race.
D. Trade: this action exists only in the team game. To make a trade, instead of laying down a song, you may swap cards with your teammate. Pass two cards to your teammate, who must give you two cards back (they may be the same ones). No communication is allowed during the trade, and you may not lay down a song and make a trade in the same turn.
IMPORTANT! During phase 2 (lay down cards), you cannot play the last card in your hand.
Phase 3 - Discard
At the end of the turn, you must place one card from your hand in the end-of-turn discard.
End of the Round
The round ends at the end of the turn of a player in which the draw pile runs out of cards OR when a given number of players have run out of cards in hand. With 2 players, when 1 player empties their hand. With 3 players, when 2 players empty their hands. With 4 players, when a team empties its hand.
Scoring
The score of each card is located in its upper corners. From your garden, you score that value as positive points, while the cards in your hand count as negative points. Mimics always score negative, both in hand and in the garden.
End of the Game
After the end of each round, check the scores. If at least one player (or team) has reached 100 points, the game ends. Whoever has the most points wins. In the unlikely event of a tie, play another round to break it.
5 or 6 Players
If you have another copy of Encantados, you can play with 5 or 6 players. Combine the decks of the two copies and play with the following changes. All other rules remain identical.
- During setup, deal 7 cards to each player.
- With 5 players, the round ends when 2 players go out.
- With 6 players, form three teams of two. When a team empties its hand, the round ends.
Card Abilities
Each Encantado has a specific characteristic that must be observed during the game.
- Dwarves: in the draw phase, if at least 2 dwarves inhabit your garden, you may choose any card from a discard pile (not only the top one).
- Elves: in the draw phase, if at least 2 elves inhabit your garden, you may draw one extra card when making a search.
- Fairies: if at least 2 fairies inhabit your garden, the mimics in your garden are worth zero points instead of -3.
- Fauns: at the end of each round, if at least 2 fauns inhabit your garden, gain 2 points for each song present in your garden.
- Will-o'-the-wisps: if at least 2 will-o'-the-wisps inhabit your garden, you only need 2 cards of the same race (instead of 3) to place them in your garden when laying down a new race.
- Gnomes: when performing a search, if at least 2 gnomes inhabit your garden, you may put the drawn cards in your hand. Then you must choose any card from your hand to discard.
- Goblins: when the first goblin enters your garden, you must choose a player to draw two cards from the draw pile (this player may be yourself).
- Kobolds: when the first kobold enters your garden, you must choose a card from any garden and place it at the bottom of the draw pile.
- Leprechauns: if at least 2 leprechauns inhabit your garden, each leprechaun is worth 4 points at the end of the round instead of -4. Mimics cannot be used to help put a leprechaun into play.
- Mimics: mimics can be used to complete the number of Encantados of the same species required to lay cards from your hand into the garden. Mimics do not count toward activating the abilities of Encantados. The mimic is not a race for the purpose of scoring the Summer Song.
Songs
- Spring Song: choose a player to make a search (may be yourself). Spring Song searches do not count as the turn's search and are also affected by the abilities of the Encantados.
- Summer Song: worth 8 points at the end of the round (instead of -3) if its controller's garden has at least 5 different races. Mimics do not count for the Summer Song's scoring.
- Autumn Song: choose a player (may be yourself) to draw the 4 top cards of one of the discard piles. The chosen player decides which pile to draw from.
- Winter Song: take the top card of one of the discard piles, then make a search. This search does not count as the turn's search and is affected by the abilities of the Encantados.
Quick Reference
Phase 1 - Draw cards. Choose one action: a) take a card from the top of one of the discard piles; b) make a search.
Phase 2 - Lay down cards. Perform the actions you want, in any order: a) lay down one song per turn or trade two cards with your teammate (can only be done once per turn); b) lay down one new race per turn; c) expand your races (can be done as many times as you like per turn).
Phase 3 - Discard. You must discard one card from your hand and end your turn.