Fans of the “La Granja” franchise will be pleased to hear of “El Burro: A La Granja Game”. In it, players take on the role of farmers in Majorca. As such, they will have to develop their respective farms, while having to move their goods to the port of La Palma.
The game will be designed by the combined efforts of Andreas “ode.” Odendahl and Michael Keller (II). They have both worked on the development of the “La Granja” series. Recently, Odendahl was excited to announce and share the new draft cover art of the game via Twitter:
Since my publisher posted the cover draft on #BGG I think there is a something I can share! #ElBurro #Spielworxx #LaGranja
— ode. (@AndreasOdendahl) September 9, 2022
!B pic.twitter.com/GlxQOPzKc9
The soon-to-be cover was well received by fans, who complemented the design and art. Note that due to it being a draft, it might receive some improvements, but it’s safe to assume it won’t be anything too drastic.
The game will be published by Spielworxx, which is a German board games publishing company owned by game developer Uli Blennemann. He is no stranger to working with Odendahl and Keller, as they developed “El Burro’s” predecessor – “La Granja”, and its respective follow-up games: “La Granja: No Siesta” and “La Granja: Deluxe Master Set” – which were recently released with great success. Back in June, Blennemann couldn’t help but share his excitement about the smoothness of the mechanics in “El Burro”.
We had a great El Burro: A La Granja Game test yesterday. The game engine runs very smoothly now. @AndreasOdendahl @Shwattn pic.twitter.com/EKupigmGFG
— Spielworxx / Uli (@ulible) June 14, 2022
The Donkey Caravan Will Take You All the Way to the Port of La Palma
“El Burro” will be a reimagination of “La Granja” and as such will share some of its mechanics and play styles, such as the use of multi-purpose cards and dice-drafting. This means that players must constantly adjust their strategy, based on their dice rolls and cards. Much like in “La Granja,” observing the actions of other players and manipulating turn order is crucial to winning the game.
Each round, players must play cards and draft dice (one at a time) in order to conduct actions, in order to deliver their goods to their own market stands or the local markets and eventually bring them all the way to the port of La Palma. Each successful delivery will grant them points. Players who fulfill specific conditions, granted by special cards, will receive even more points. Whoever gets the highest score by the end of the game will be declared the winner.
In contrast to “La Granja,” however, “El Burro” will have different themes – “donkey deliveries” and “donkey cards”. They are hinted at in the game title – “burro” being the Spanish word for “donkey”. It has been revealed that “El Burro” will also have a solo mode, but so far no details have been added on what the mechanics will be or how it will be played.
Despite the fact it’s a reimplement, “El Burro” is a completely standalone game and does not require any of the “La Granja” titles to be played. “El Burro: A La Granja Game” is set to release in 2023. So far, no further details have been revealed, but we will be sure to keep you posted once they do.