4 OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS: CONQUISTADOR! by David R. Grant Conq uistador! threatens to join the exclusive Each area is assigned an attrition level, is lowered, from seven to four bounds, the ranks 0/ the much played and discussed reflecting the difficulty of remaining alive probability of losses is lowered 160/0. multi-player eco-political "war" games such there. Likewise, each type of terrain will either as Russian Civil War and Diplomacy. In raise that level (in case of jungle or rough) or STRIKING IT RICH terms of intensity and density, I find much in lower it (in case of a partial water hex). The Making your investments, expeditions, and Conq. that is similar in my own recent game, attrition level ranges from 1 (a one-in-six settlements payoff is the object of the game. After the Holocaust Although the rules and chance of losing a colonist) to 5 (a one-in-six This demands a careful study of the best areas play are veT)' different, the same kind of chance of not losing anything. Anything but a for settling. planning and dealing are necessary in both. one removes some type of land unit). The quickest way to strike it rich is by looting But please, dOli 't anyone send me a "/ink " A key to beating land attrition is to settle those treasure cities (Cuzco, Tenochtitlan, and variant article for MOVES. areas low in attrition which also have other Chichen Itza) and mining for gold. Treasure advantages (proximity to Europe, abundant cities can be looted as soon as the native level If you liked the financial challenge of resources. and available gold). A second key is is reduced to zero. This means that enough Mo~opoly , but felt it lacked the combat when possible, to keep colonists and soldiers soldier units must be transported to the area element of the local branch of the mob; if you in partial sea, lake, or river hexes, thus to insure lowering the native level (usually five liked the player interaction of Pit, but were reducing the attrition level and lowering detachmnents-20 ducats-are sufficient, too sophistica ted for its boisterousness; if you overall losses. Stacking will also lower losses giving a 5 in 6 chance of lowering and a 50% liked the combat of Chickamauga, but missed by reducing the number of hexes in which chance of lowering the level by two or more). the feel of cold(?) cash; if you enjoyed the attrition is checked (be careful to stack no Conquistadors are used to lower the die roll maneuvering of Chess, but missed that more than 5 colonists per hex as only 5 will and increase native losses. The decision that element provided by the spotted cube; if you collect resources). Rough hexes should be has to be made is which city to go for. Chichen like redoing history wi thou t the swea t, you will avoided except wh en mining for gold-a case Itza and Tenochtitlan are both closer than want to play Conquistador. in which the Spanish player can lower his Cuzco, but they produce less gold per turn. Conquistador is the economic-political· attrition losses by keeping a conquistador Chichen Itza is in an area with lower native military simulation of the dawning (with all presen t. It is extremely frus trating to discover and attrition levels than the other two and is in due apologies to the Vikings) of the Age of gold only to lose your miners during the a partial sea hex (lowering attrition even Exploration. It covers the efforts of European attrition segment. In a high attrition hex, two further, but making it vulnerable to naval nations from 1492-1600 to discover, exploit, to three colonists should always be present to invasion). Cuzco puts out 100 ducats a turn and gain control of the new world. The game insure a continued production of gold in case and may be the best bet if opponents are system comes complete with the perverse the elements (attrition) get to one of them (and elbowing one another over the two closer vicissitudes of that era which accurately they probably will, if the natives don't gobble cities. Cuzco can best be reached through Rio simulate its hazards. low life-expectancy, and them up first). del Plate. potential for gold and glory. Naval attrition is a whole new ball game. Gold mines are scattered throughout the A 'first glance at the attrition, combat, and There is really no way to beat this table, as map. They maintain an advantage over the political events tables may lead one to over­ sailing (especially long voyages) is very hard treasure cities in that there is less chance of balance the effect of the die on the outcome. on the constitution of Europeans. The best depletion after mining begins. The factors to But, although one will probably not see one can do is to minimize losses while be weighed in deciding where to mine are: 1) victory over the system, through judicious use realizing that, for most trips longer than three distance in bounds and the consequent of his ducats, colonists, and exploring bounds, a player will have to toss a Jonah expense of transportation; 2) attrition level personnel he can amass more gold and glory overboard to appease the attrltion table. Even and risk of losing colonists; 3) the number of than his opponents who have to put up with then it may ask for a whole ship. On any trip of mines in the area or nearby, effecting the the same obstacles. Conquistador, therefore, seven bounds or more there is an automatic output-per-turn and the profitability of trans­ becomes an exercise in how to minimize losses loss if the units called for are present in the pOl·tation. An area three or four bounds from to the game system, outwit your opponents, expedition. It is wise to plan for losses. On any Europe with an attrition level of 1 or 2, and and finish the marathon with the most victory longer expedition, take an empty caravel with 2 or 3 mines in it is ideal (see Gold and points. The remainder of this article will be an (cheaper to build than a carrack) and an extra Resources Chart). California is ideal in analysis of just how to accomplish this feat. soldier unit to offer. Since colonist units number of mines available and attrition level, OFFERINGS TO THE GODS­ cannot be purchased, one can only grin and but it would cost 28 ducats just to buy the BEATING THE ATTRITION TABLES bear those losses. Be sure to lis t the con ten ts of bounds to get the gold to Europe, providing Although the European explorers were each ship in case of losses. one beats the attrition tables. Perhaps the best anything but pagan, the Conquistador game One tool to lower attrition level (and bounds thing to do for distant gold mining areas is to system seems to have taken a page from the pu rchased) is to stop in the last hex of the area store the gold for several turns un til enough is priest's manuals of Tenochtitlan or Chichen one bound short of your destination, collected for profitable transportation. Be Itza. With great regUlarity the attrition tables disembark your land units, and during the sure to guard it with soldier units. demand sacrifices of soldiers, colonists, or land movement segment, use their movement Resources are the third way of striking it rich, ships for living in certain areas or traveling by allowance to move on to the next area. For and they become especially important after sea. Keeping on the low end of the land and instance, suppose one wants to settle the Deep Turn 13 when the resource level triples. naval attrition tables is one of the keys to Sou ih (4 bounds). By moving to hex 1719 in Certain areas (8 of them) have their resources success in Conquistador. the transoceanic segment, the player lowers doubled and are especially valuable. Of these The land allrition table is probably a fairly his bounds to 3 and the possibility of attrition areas, those which are closest to Europe and accurate simulation of the life expectancy of losses by 113. The units are within 4 hexes of have a low attrition level are obvious targets Europeans in various parts of the new world. every Deep South hex. For every bound a trip since the life expectancy of colonists will be 5 longer and will provide more return for your reestablishing the port that or the next turn Initiative: Initiative is determined by the ducat (see The Gold and Resource Chart for (You might rent him one for a bundle). An product of the monarch-multiplyer and the best targets). important tactic, then, is to protect key ports treasury level. The advantage of initiative is with a galleon fleet (which cannot be particularly manifest when trying to get credit attacked), several ships, or enough soldiers to for discoveries as the firs t discoverer to reach GOLD AND RESOURCE CHART make the invasion cost prohibitive. Europe gets the credit. On all turns, initiative Land combat is a little easier to handle. 2-1 gives the player the advantage of being the BEST AREAS FOR: odds will defeat any enemy and make him first one to perform combat, and he is able to Gold Mining Resources retreat. The only time higher odds would be pick and choose his opponents. T he player 1. Caribbean 1. Caribbean desirable would be when losses would leave who ranks further down in the initiative sequence might be able to clean up on those 2.