"Columbus Day?" Topic

Political and social views aside, the European discovery of the New World has certainly given a few of us plenty of gaming options!

Without it, I would not be getting into the Sea Dogs (Pirates/Privateers of 1550-1605) and the French and Indian War.

CC

It's fair to say that it has given Americans (both North and South siders) the same thing.

And I must point out that the Spanish re-discovered the New World, or more properly came up with diferent route to get to it.

Javier,
What post-1492 games and periods do you play?
CC

And it is the defacto Italian-American Celebration Day…

"or more properly"

As discovery involves knowing what you have discovered and it's relationship to what is known, wouldn't it be most completely correct to say the new world was discovered by Columbus and his contemporaries rather than the Norse, who's notions were rather confused. After all, unless you know it as such, a diamond is just a rock, is therefore the person who discovers it the one who first sees it or the one who recognizes it's value.

"Political and social views aside"

I knew this was going to slowly turn from a "what figures" thread to a PC thread.

I tried.

CC

Well, yes, Tom. I can't discuss that approach, or with you, O Great Master of the Skilled Hands!

Now, to answer Cacique's question, I downloaded a silly amount of free wargames rules that involve Early-to-Late Renaissance, as well as the Siglo de Oro period (where Piracy was at its highest point). Many are really good for simple games or short campaigns, some are well… I did not pay for those, so no harm came out of it.

Most of the time, though, I use an adaptation of ther Mordheim rules for my Pirate games, and I am trying to adapt Warmaster: Ancients to the Conquista period, so I can have 6mm mayhem between the Mexican, Tlaxcalan, Chichimecan, Spanish et al.

My main interest outside my most usual Western/Ancients/Fantasy is on the Wars of Religion, with Lutherans and Catholics, Dutch and Spanish, raids on the Netherland's vik and all that.

But I really think I'd love to play the whole of Cortez's Mexican Campaign, and then move on to the conquest of Mesoamerica… the Peruvian/Brazilian expeditions are still a topic I need to study more, but that once I do I will no doubt will try to play. =)

Now, as fgar as figures gop, when I had the chance to get a bargain from Foundry, I bought several boatloads (quite literally) for my Pirates/Marines/Seamen's brotherhood/companies/cliques.

There's also Eureka and Dixon goodness to be had, and if you really want LOTS of figs on the table, you could try to get a hold of some of the lines put out by Minifigs (15mm).

If you want full Tercios to fight the Mexican tzeuhtlin ("packs", "flocks")—a thing that did not really occurred, but hey! Such a thing is too cool to let it pass—you could try getting Heroics&Ross's or Irregular's armies (inexpensive for the most part, and spectacular when fielded in all their glory).

I'm still waiting for Baccus to come up with a range for the Mexican Conquista, but as Pete is quiet busy right now, that is only wishful thinking.

I hope this was the kind of answers you intended to get, my good Cacique.

"Los vientos os sean propicios y Vuestra Merced quede a salvo de los lobos de Mar".

=)

But if the Europeans wouldn't have shown up to meddle in the affairs, the locals could have come up with other interesting conflicts, like the Inca and Atzec realms further expanding – and perhaps encountering each other in the end.

Griefbringer

Now THAT would have been a sight to see!!!

CC

Columbus NEVER discovered America what he did discover was Hispaniola.

I believe it was either the Chinese or the Vikings that truly discovered and to me Columbus day is NOT a holiday for me.

Personal logo T Meier Sponsoring Member of TMP 10 Oct 2005 10:03 a.m. PST

As discovery involves knowing what you have discovered and it's relationship to what is known, wouldn't it be most completely correct to say the new world was discovered by Columbus and his contemporaries rather than the Norse, who's notions were rather confused. After all, unless you know it as such, a diamond is just a rock, is therefore the person who discovers it the one who first sees it or the one who recognizes it's value.

This may be controversial but…

In defense of the Norse, the areas of the American continent they "discovered" were not, at that time, particularly valuable. Timber, furs, fish offshore, marginal farmland and slaves were still readily available in Europe at the time, so the European elites weren't going to get excited about a new source of them some distance away. The occasional visits by others didn't change that and the Norse colony in Greenland was allowed to whither.