Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
"Conquistador: The Age of Exploration" is a multi-player board wargame which recreates the 16th Century exploration and conquest of the New World (North and South America) by the major powers of Europe." (from Avalon Hill game box) "The game is quasi-historical in nature, providing the atmosphere and mechanics of the 16th Century world, along with historical personages. The object of the game is for one Country to accumulate as much wealth, land, and prestige (in the form of actual discoveries) as he [sic] can; the Country with the greatest total of all three is the victor." (from SPI game rules introduction) Originally published in 1976 by SPI in Strategy & Tactics magazine #58, and later sold as a boxed edition in a plastic tray, the SPI version is a one to three player game, featuring the Spanish (green counters), French (blue counters), and English (beige counters).
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Movement Points
Spend a movement allowance across spaces with different costs.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Combat Results Table
Compare opposing strength as a ratio, then consult a table to resolve combat.
Read the full game description
"Conquistador: The Age of Exploration" is a multi-player board wargame which recreates the 16th Century exploration and conquest of the New World (North and South America) by the major powers of Europe." (from Avalon Hill game box) "The game is quasi-historical in nature, providing the atmosphere and mechanics of the 16th Century world, along with historical personages. The object of the game is for one Country to accumulate as much wealth, land, and prestige (in the form of actual discoveries) as he [sic] can; the Country with the greatest total of all three is the victor." (from SPI game rules introduction) Originally published in 1976 by SPI in Strategy & Tactics magazine #58, and later sold as a boxed edition in a plastic tray, the SPI version is a one to three player game, featuring the Spanish (green counters), French (blue counters), and English (beige counters). Rules for Portugal or the German bankers as a fourth player are included, but no counters are provided in the game. The Avalon Hill edition is a one to four player game, featuring the Spanish (green counters), French (blue counters), English (pink counters) and Portuguese (yellow counters). This edition of the game was published in 1982 with a mounted map in a bookcase box. The "Fur Traders & Buccaneers" variant in The GENERAL Vol.21 No.5 added counters and rules for Dutch, Danish, and slave units. Developer: Greg Costikyan