Encantados
Encantados Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
60 cards and 1 rulebook.
Card anatomy:
- Card name.
- Score: all cards in your garden add this value to your final score.
- Card ability: each species has a specific characteristic that must be observed during the game.
Setup
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 side by side 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 their partner during the game. The team's score is the sum of the scores of its two players.
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. Set aside two spaces for separate 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: the search discard pile sits left of the draw pile and the end-of-turn discard pile sits right of it; the garden of team 1/2 and the garden of team 3/4 are each in a common area; each player receives 8 cards. (With 2 or 3 players, each player would have their own garden.)
Game Overview
Encantados is played over several rounds. In each round, players draw 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 equal to or higher than 100, the game ends immediately.
Starting Player
In the first round, the player who most recently saw a fairy starts the game. In the following rounds, the player with the lowest score starts the round. If there is a tie, 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. Draw the top card of one of the two discard piles;
- B. Perform a search. To perform a search, draw two cards from the draw pile, put one in your hand and the other on the search discard.
Phase 2 - Lay Down Cards
In this phase of the turn, you may perform from one to three different actions (or four, in a 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 (it is not possible to 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 may expand that race. To expand it, simply lay any number of cards of that race in your garden. This is the only action you may 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 a race.
D. Trade: this action exists only in the team game. To make a trade, instead of laying down a song, you may exchange cards with your partner. Pass two cards to your partner, 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 on the end-of-turn discard.
End of a 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 no 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. The player with the most points wins. In the unlikely event of a tie, play another round to break it.
Variant: 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 one team empties its hand, the round ends.
Races and 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 the discard pile (not only the one on top).
Elves: in the draw phase, if at least 2 elves inhabit your garden, you may draw one extra card when performing a search.
Fairies: if at least 2 fairies inhabit your garden, the mimics in your garden become 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 put 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 needed to lay cards from your hand into the garden. Mimics do not count towards activating Encantados abilities. The mimic is not a race for the purpose of scoring the summer song.
Trolls: when the first troll enters your garden, you must choose a card that is in play and place it in any garden (it can be your own garden).
Songs
Spring song: choose a player to perform a search (it can be yourself). Searches from the spring song 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 scoring the summer song.
Autumn song: choose a player (it can be yourself) to draw the top 4 cards of one of the discard piles. The chosen player decides which pile to draw from.
Winter song: draw the top card of one of the discard piles and then perform 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) draw a card from the top of one of the discard piles; b) perform 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 partner (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 the turn.