Subject: Re: AH: New World
From: GREG SCHLOESSER <gschloesser@earthlink.net>

Tenniel wrote:

> Could someone send me a review of this game please

I'd suggest checking out the Game Cabinet to see if there are any
reviews there.

In the absence of that, I will attempt to give a brief synopsis of the
game ... but it has been over 2 years since I last played it.

The game is a simplified version of Conquistador (which was published
by SPI then Avalon Hill).  Players represent various European nations
in the age of exploration and must outfit expeditions, sail and
discover the new world, then successfully and profitably colonize the
new found areas.  Along the way they must deal with hostile natives,
the elements, and their opponents.

First off, the game has a strong economic element as players must
manage their limited finances successfully.  Ships & military must be
purchased and maintained each turn, while colonists appear free of
charge.  Income primarily comes from the resources ripped from the new
world in the form of mines, crops, etc.  Gold from mines can be
lucrative, but the mines must first me discovered.  Unfortunately,
they are usually located in inhospitable areas filled with angry
natives.  Once discovered, the gold must be mined each turn AND
shipped back to Europe.  Plus, there is always the threat of the mine
depleting each turn.

Attrition is tough as the elements tend to take their toll on the
colonists & solders.  This requires a steady stream of new men to be
sent to the colonies each year.  Further, unless the natives are
pacified by a large military presence, they have a tendency of
uprising and slaughtering the hapless peasants.

The ultimate objective is to secure political control over areas.
This is done by a combination of colonists & soldiers in an area with
the natives pacified.  The game ends once a player achieves political
control over 5 (if I remember correctly) areas OR if the end of the
time record chart is reached.

Sailing the high seas is not without its perils.  The further a player
sails during a turn, the more dangerous it is and the more likely he
will lose ships (and whatever they are carrying) to sea perils.  These
perils must be traversed on journeys both to and from the new world.

Players can also contest other players actions and presence
militarily.  The game uses a rather simple .. and bizarre .. combat
system, but it works OK for this game.

Options include pirates and discovering the land as you go by a system
of face-down tiles being flipped up as they are discovered.

I rather enjoyed the game, but in spite of its simplification versus
Conquistador, I still found it rather long (sometimes more than 8
hours to play).  I certainly look forward to playing it again soon.

Hope this helps!

Greg J. Schloesser
The Westbank Gamers:  http://home.earthlink.net/~gschloesser/