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.

Rules for Naval Warfare from 1500 to 1850

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My father, Gary Thomas, has always loved Naval warfare and hand crafted ships for both the Armada and Nelson periods. Although he has long since given up table top gaming and moved to computer games, in fond memory of those 1:1200 scale ships I thought I’d type up his rules. I have slightly edited the text, but the rule mechanisms remain unchanged.

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Portuguese in Japan

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In 1542 three Portuguese became the first Europeans to visit Japan, when their ship sailed off course and reached the southern tip of Japanese Archipelago. This initiated the Nanban (“southern barbarian”) period of active commercial and cultural exchange between Japan and the West. During the next century, traders from Portugal, the Netherlands, England, and Spain arrived, as did Jesuit, Dominican, and Franciscan missionaries. In 1639, suspicious of Christianity and of Portuguese support of a local Japanese revolt, the shoguns of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) prohibited all trade with foreign countries. Only a Dutch trading post at Nagasaki was permitted. Western attempts to renew trading relations failed until 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry sailed an American fleet into Tokyo Bay.

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No-Mans Land Mini-Campaign

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This is a skirmish level mini-campaign set in no-mans land on a fairly static front. It is applicable to any period (see the possible settings). Each player is a junior commander whose job is the patrol and control the area between the opposing forces. Over three game days and nights each player must plan and execute 6 missions from a predetermined list. The interest lies in the fact that each player is picking from a different list to that of his opponent. The key problem being addressed is “How does a commander react when faced with events not covered by his orders?”

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