Sinhalese and Tamil (1494-1700) army list for New World DBA, my New World variant of DBA. The list covers the Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms of Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka). Admittedly most of my information is about the Sinhalese and I assume the Tamil were similar. The New World DBA list is my equivalent to DBA II/42d, DBR III/21 and FoGR Hindu Indian, but differs from these in significant ways.
New World
The glory years, 1492–1648, when Spain and Portugal ruled the world.
The King of Spain hat now got a command so wide, that out of his Dominions the Sunne can neither rise nor set. (Feltam, 1652, p. 85)
The same could be said of the Portuguese dominions. My Conquistadores section is about the growth of the Spanish Empire. My other section is about the Portuguese Explorers in what they referred to as the Marvellous Century (O Século Maravilhoso). Also check out my New World DBA.
Armies and enemies of the Portuguese in Africa 1415-1670
This review of warfare focuses on south central Africa, from what is Angola (west central Africa) today to Mozambique (south-east Africa). This area is what the Portuguese referred to as a the Pink Map during the Scramble for Africa although I do a small diversion to Ethiopia. The review is not complete but I figured I should publish it as is and refine over time. This is the period before the Scramble for Africa, the early period of the Portuguese explorers – the period some historians call Medieval Africa.
15mm Wargaming Figures for Malay and/or Sinhalese
I have a long term interest in the Portuguese colonial exploration. Amongst a sea of possibilities, two locations stand out for me: Malacca on the Malaya peninsular and Sri Lanka. So I wondered what 15mm Wargaming Figures are available for Malay and/or Sinhalese. It happens that most people use the same figures for both so I can imagine a combined force that mixes the figure options. So here are the options and a bit of a commentary / comparison at the end.
15mm Wargaming Figures to use for Samurai armies of the Sengoku period 1467-1603
The fact that the Portuguese were in Japan is sufficient excuse for me to consider getting Samurai armies for the the Sengoku period. I thought I’d look at what 15mm figures are available. I found five ranges of figures available and one set of transfers/decals for Sashimono banners. Before I do a (brief) review of the figures I explain what is distinctive about the period I’m interested in.
Jim Esler – Meet the Aztecs
Back in 2003 I was inspired by an article by Jim Esler called “Meet the Aztecs”. Jim offers an informed critique of the then WRG, primarily DBM and DBA, army lists for the Aztecs. Since then both DBM and Jim’s page has disappeared. I thought I’d pull Jim’s article back from the WayBackMachine and make it more easily accessible for the community. All words are Jim Esler’s; I have modified the formatting a tiny bit. Thanks to Ethan for finding the article.
Pastimes in the Place of Reeds
The inhabitants of the Place of Reeds have the normal Mesoamerican pastimes. Games and sports, and the gambling the comes with them. In terms of sports they favoured anything that tested skill and endurance.
15mm Wargaming Figures to use for Portuguese Africa 1500-1700
First of the Portuguese range. This is from East Riding Miniatures: Grumpy Miniatures: Colonial Portuguese:
Army Lists for New World DBA
These are army lists for my revised New World DBA (see New World DBA Rules ). They are based on, but aren’t identical to, the condensed versions of the DBM and DBR army lists. The army point (AP) system is essentially that from DBR. To allow some choice, each Army List includes about 45 AP of compulsory troops and has a maximum total – if all troops could be taken – of about 180 AP.
Why I Called it the Place of Reeds
The setting is called the Place of Reeds and is based on the historical city of Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan means “place of the gods” in Nahuatl (Vogel, 1995); it is likely this is a latter name given to the ruins rather than what the inhabitants called it.
Currency in the Place of Reeds
The Place of Reeds is based on this historical city called Teotihuacan. We know nothing about the currency in use in Teotihuacan but we do know something about Aztec “money”.
Tonulli: Fate RPG in Mesoamerica
I love the history of the New World, both before and after the Spanish Conquest. I’m slowly working on a pre-conquest setting called the Place of Reeds. This section is about using Fate RPG 3.0 in a Mesoamerican setting; I’ve called this Fate RPG variant Tonulli. There are a lot of Fate 3.0 variants but Tonulli is primarily based on Free Fate with bits from Spirit of the Century.
Geography of the Place of Reeds
The Place of Reeds is based on this historical city called Teotihuacan. The site of Teotihuacan is 40 km north-east of present day Mexico City.
Sources for the Place of Reeds
If you want to investigate Place of Reeds setting further then have a look at some of these:
Timeline of the Place of Reeds
The Place of Reeds is based on this historical city called Teotihuacan so I’ve included the timeline for the latter.