Conquistadors and Incas project *Update: Conquistador command added (19 Jan)

[Lowtardog]

Possibly by buying scores more Incas than Spaniards?

Yep, you are partially right WK. I think a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of Inca to Conquistador (or Aztec etc) is needed however for smaller skirmishes you can often weight games with skirmishes.

Neil Burt and I when we ran the Tenochtitlan game had around 120 Conquistadors with circa the same number of Native allies and around 350-400 Aztecs.

What we did provision for was an ability to re-use dead Aztecs as reserves to represent the "endless horde" but in truth the psychological fear of even a gamer faced with a vastly outnumbered enemy tends to make the Conquistador player cautious allowing the Aztecs or other natvies a bit of an advantage.

We also put in items such as pit traps, areas which were rough going for Conquistadors which did not impact the natives, drowning chances for conquistadors in water and all those good little tricks of the trade

[sukhe_bator]

I agree an intimate knowledge of the local terrain is probably the only major advantage the Incas had. I'm glad you've thought of all the 'tricks of the trade'. If I recall there's a good description of the street fighting in Cuzco in John Hemming's 'Conquest of the Incas'. They discovered just how effective the bolas and sling were.

It is always refreshing to find instances where local inhabitants successfully staved off seemingly unstoppable Conquistador incursions. My particular favourite is in the Phillipines where locals armed only with hardwood sticks repeatedly fended off landing parties of Spaniards, stunning and breaking the bones of the armoured troops to drown in the surf using their agility and devastating martial art skills.

With the Incas though, it was not just an Us and Them situation. Pisarro and his 'gang' arrived in the middle of an Incan civil war. And of course they soon fell out with other Conquistadors so troops of both cultures fought on both sides.

[Lowtardog]

I agree an intimate knowledge of the local terrain is probably the only major advantage the Incas had. I'm glad you've thought of all the 'tricks of the trade'. If I recall there's a good description of the street fighting in Cuzco in John Hemming's 'Conquest of the Incas'. They discovered just how effective the bolas and sling were.

It is always refreshing to find instances where local inhabitants successfully staved off seemingly unstoppable Conquistador incursions. My particular favourite is in the Phillipines where locals armed only with hardwood sticks repeatedly fended off landing parties of Spaniards, stunning and breaking the bones of the armoured troops to drown in the surf using their agility and devastating martial art skills.

With the Incas though, it was not just an Us and Them situation. Pisarro and his 'gang' arrived in the middle of an Incan civil war. And of course they soon fell out with other Conquistadors so troops of both cultures fought on both sides.

Yes indeed the civil war and Spanish interal fighitng is very interesting and one I haven`t gamed as yet.

[Aaron]

Fantastic flesh tones there. I'd agree that you should press on with the Incas. The quipu conversion is inspired!

[oxiana]

Thanks all for the comments. It looks like I'll stick with painting the Incas for a while.

Lowtardog has summed things up nicely in terms of balancing force numbers - I'll end up with about three Incas for every conquistador. Of course, relative advantages can always be tweaked in actual games. Terrain plays a big part in the Andes, and the Incas were masters of defensive structures. Imbalance can make things more interesting though - I don't think it ever put off anyone gaming the British army against Zulus or Mahdists. The conquistadors might have had horses and steel after all, but they definitely didn't have gatling guns!

I wasn't aware of Royal Hunt of the Sun. Gosh, was that a youthful Robert Shaw in that clip? For my money, Aguirre, Wrath of God is inspired, but as it's a Werner Herzog Klaus Kinski film it's more psychodrama than history lesson - you might as well watch Downfall/Der Untergang to tell you how to game WWII  .

[warrenpeace]

Still, "Aguirre Wrath of God" might be worth one scenario idea, with starving conquistadores floating down a river on rafts after looting some Inca gold, having to try to raid villages to get food...

[Plynkes]

I wasn't aware of Royal Hunt of the Sun. Gosh, was that a youthful Robert Shaw in that clip? For my money, Aguirre, Wrath of God is inspired, but as it's a Werner Herzog Klaus Kinski film it's more psychodrama than history lesson - you might as well watch Downfall/Der Untergang to tell you how to game WWII  .

The Royal Hunt of the Sun was originally a play by Peter Shaffer (the Equus and Amadeus guy). I remember studying it at college, and being bored. I didn't know there was a film of it, but if they stuck to the play and didn't open it out any then I imagine it would be very talky and without anything in the way of action. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

[Mosstrooper]

Very nice figures , what rules are you going to use ?

[Lowtardog]

The Royal Hunt of the Sun was originally a play by Peter Shaffer (the Equus and Amadeus guy). I remember studying it at college, and being bored. I didn't know there was a film of it, but if they stuck to the play and didn't open it out any then I imagine it would be very talky and without anything in the way of action. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

You are right, long time since I watched it but it is very much a dialogue

[Helen]

The Royal Hunt of the Sun was originally a play by Peter Shaffer (the Equus and Amadeus guy). I remember studying it at college, and being bored. I didn't know there was a film of it, but if they stuck to the play and didn't open it out any then I imagine it would be very talky and without anything in the way of action. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

I enjoyed the movie very much, but as you say from your experience it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Helen

[Christian]

What a great project, and good on you for committing to getting it all done!

I am putting your comparison pic in the Scale-O-Matic thread as long as that's okay with you

Can't wait to see some more work on these. I think I know where my own Swashbuckling adventures might be heading now...

[Plynkes]

I enjoyed the movie very much, but as you say from your experience it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Helen

I think I would have enjoyed it more had I not been forced to study it. My heart was far from in it - it is not a reflection on the play, more on the fact that instead of listening to my boring teacher I was day-dreaming about being in the pub (those times that I wasn't actually in the pub).

[Captain Blood]

I enjoyed the movie very much, but as you say from your experience it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Helen

Didn't it have Christopher Plummer very improbably playing Montezuma (or whoever the Inca king was)?
He was much more believable as the Duke of Wellington 
I do remember watching the film about 20 years ago, thinking 'ooh goody, an action epic about conquistadors' - and then being bored rigid by 2 hours of earnest philosophizing...

I think for native central American epic action, you'd have to go some now to beat Apocalypto. Whatever you might think of Mel Gibson (how could Mad Max have turned out to be such a berk?) that was a stunning piece of cinema and a gobsmacking vision of urban living Aztec-style...

[Plynkes]

Atahualpa.


(I remember that much, despite the boredom, petty tyranny of the teachers, and excess of Scrumpy Jack and Special Brew.)

[Lowtardog]

Yep Atahualpa. I agree on Apocalypto the way they portrayed the later Mayan civilization was excellent. There was rumoured to be a Cortes and Aztec film with Banderez in it but doesnt seem to have come off