"Portuguese Colonial Tactics" Topic

I don't have FogR so can't comment on its representation, but in my old DBR list 'civilisados' are rated as bow/blades(f), based on the oft repeated claim that Portuguese tactics consisted of preparatory fire followed by a wild, undisciplined charge. This is undoubtedly accurate for the first few years of the colonial conquest, but according to Roger Crowley, as a consequence of losses suffered during the looting of Calicut by the Portuguese in 1510, a new, disciplined tactical system was adopted. Of Governor Albuquerque he says on page 261 of 'Conquerors", 'At Cochin he formed the first trained bands… Men were formally enrolled in corps, taught to march in formation and the use of the pike. Each "Swiss" corps had its own corporals, standard bearers, pipers and clerk…'

Later in the book he describes the use of these miniature pike and shot units to clear the streets during the assault on Malacca in Malaya: 'They were formed up in squares six by six deep,…'

We might have to rethink how Portuguese colonial forces are represented… even at the skirmish game level.

FoG:R is as follows:-

The "troop notes" on the Aviz Portuguese (Cities of Gold army lists – Africa and America) states that there are mentions of "tercios" in Portuguese writings as early as 1514, but that the formation doesn't appear in the Spanish army until 1534. It adds that they were smaller than the Spanish version, with companies of 300 men (170 shot, 130 pike) reinforced with extra arquebusiers from time to time. The list allows just "pikemen" before 1535, and tercios from 1535; however, this list is only for Africa and fighting the Spanish – there is no mention of how the Portuguese were organised in Brazil and the Tupi army list refers back to Colonial Portuguese (see below).

The Colonial Portuguese (Colonies and Conquest army lists – India and Asia) is of the style to which you refer: impact foot armed with crossbow – exclusively to 1525, mixed with arquebus to 1550, then arquebus alone from 1551 – with no pikes, cavalry or artillery.

At a complete tangent, I learned the other day that it was the Portuguese who most enthusiastically adopted the concept of "blowing from the cannon's mouth" from the Mughals, taking it with them on their travels to other continents.