The kingdom is gathering again, but the work of El Cascadero and his ministers has only just begun. Many challenges and opportunities await the kingdom. Bandits threaten to overwhelm the cities, rivers offer new forms of travel, trade continues to grow and the borders must be defended.

Cascadito is the smaller counterpart of the large board game, Cascadero, designed by Reiner Knizia. Each player receives their own sheet of paper and a pencil. 6 dice are rolled and players take turns choosing a die to fill in a space on their card. The dice show 5 colors, representing the 5 types of cities on the map. When a colored die is chosen, the player fills in a space adjacent to a city of the same color.

By reaching cities with groups of filled spaces, players will activate city points. If players plan their routes wisely, these successes can trigger a cascade of combinations to give them a competitive advantage in earning public achievements and private bonuses.

The game ends immediately when all public achievements have been completed or when a player has achieved all private bonuses. Players then add up their successes and achievements to determine the winner.