From: "R. Koester" Subject: COM: Gold of the Americas (was SSI Orgy) Here's the first in a series of reviews of games in the Definitive Wargame Collection from SSI, written as I plow through them. Gold of the Americas (originally of SSG) A nice, slightly Empires of the Middle Ages-ish little game, if one that become a little repetitive after a few playings. It is noticibly old (EGA graphics) but has surprisingly good mouse support (you get information on areas by clicking on them and move units around by click and drag), and the few graphics present are used to good effect. Further, it can be played quickly and, if desired, with a mix of human and computer players (no modem, though). The game covers the period 1500-1800 in ten-year turns. Each player is the colonial representative of a European power (France, England, Spain, Portugul). You have NO control over your countries non-colonial policies (notably diplomacy), which occur either randomly or historically, depending on your settings. One interesting note is the inclusion of slavery, which was excluded from Microprose's Colonization. Basically, slaves exist to be exploited once you have killed off the native population. Whether this is very PC or very un-PC I leave to those who apparently enjoy squabbling about such things (Buchananistas/ Kinsleystas). The game map represents the whole Western Hemisphere. It is broken up into territories and seas. Each territory has icons representing the level of development, colonial population, natives, slaves, "treasure", minerals, and colonial potential. Each territory also has an unrest level, but this is not displayed. The only attribute of seas are a dollar amount of potential trade from that sea. This is nation specific and depends on what territories bordering that sea will trade (i.e. are uncolonized or are that nation's colonies). The winner is the player who, after 30 turns, has the highest victory points. You get, apparently, a victory point per turn per colony under your nations flag. Each turn, you place units (troops, colonists, slaves, merchant ships, warships, privateers, and leaders) on the map, with the object of trading, raiding, exploring, or building colonies. You also set a policy for each colony, consisting of laissez-faire, exploitation, development, or contribution. This is pretty intuitive, and after a quick look at the rules and a few fumbles it is not difficult to build a small empire. There are built-in restraints, however, that make it VERY difficult to run a large one. Part of this is the role-playing aspect involved. You are a government official, not a ruler or an entrepaneur. The government provides you annually with units (the exact mix depends on the year, the diplomatic situation, and the country). You, in turn, are to hand over to the government all colonial earnings. Straight forward, you say? Well, due to the distances involved, it takes the government a full turn to send someone around to collect the money. This gives you time to reinvest the money in extra units. Further, certain activities (especially raiding and piracy) give you personal funds that you are free to spend or save as you like. Complicating this further is that the government estimates (usually overestimates) what your colonial income is. You therefore sometimes get a windfall or, more often, are asked for more money than the treasury has (and must face the question of paying the difference from private funds or facing a possible audit and a lessened government interest in helping the colonies.) In fact, once you build a large empire, the colonial revenues become far higher than your personal revenues (less raiding, more trading and taxing). This in turn, makes it almost impossible to save any money from going to the home government, which leaves you completely dependant for support on your home government (no fools they). I was frustrated at first by this perversity, but have since grown to appreciate it. Like Republic of Rome and (to a lesser extent) Pax Britanica, this game can really show you how the interest of a government department (let alone an official) are not always those of the ruler or of the state as a whole (another example of this was the flawed Mac masterpiece Hidden Agenda). It also shows how a large, rich, but stagnant empire, such as historical Spain's, becomes easy pickings for the raiders and pirates of the smaller powers. The other limiting factor is what I call the development dynamic. As your colonies develop and grow, they become increasingly difficult for the other player to conquer. On the other hand, they become increasingly restive, and eventually secede unless you give them tax support (which is NOT recognized by your government and hence ultimately comes out of your own pocket). All in all a fun game, and one playable to conclusion in a few hours once you get the hang of it. There is a bit of historical chrome, including some enforcement of the papal division of the new world between Spain and Portugal. Also, it has a nice amount of ebb and flow, with the early leader rarely going on to win. And so, for those keeping score, the DWC is thus far 1 and 0. -------------- Bob Koester